Newbie here w/ questions

[Joe923667]

Hello to all and I have been lurking for a bit, you have a nice site here.

I have a freshwater and I am looking to get a saltwater aquarium but I am having a hard time getting a good answer on what I am going to need. I would like to state before I ever start a reef tank i want to start on something small with just some fish. My question is what dry goods am I going to need? I know to start I will need a heater,filtration (active charcoal,live rock, and filter), hydrometer, and probably an air pump. Should I get the water balanced correctly before adding live rock? I really would like to start buying all the materials but I don't want to waste money on things I am not going to need. Also what is a good fish to start with? I am eventually wanting to get a Volitan Lionfish.

[bertoni]

[welcome]

This thread is a good place to start:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=239848

[Joe923667]

what is a good water temp to start with and/or maintain fish. My freshwater is kept right around 80, should i do the same for salt?

[mg426]

80 is a good number

[Sk8r]

The method of reef-keeping most use now with corals is liverock/deepsand filtration with a sump and skimmer, with inverts. For a FOWLR tank (fish only; live rock) you need less light than the corals; I have a corner 52 which I find a good size (until you try to get anything into the stand!) You need enough live rock to make a good big rock structure: with the guy you want, I'd give him a lot of wide ins and outs to create 'folded space' ---though lions hover a lot: mentally, I think critters fare better where they're given mild surprises, like another tank occupant swimming in and out of the rockwork. You'll need saltwater test kits appropriate for a FOWLR. You won't need a cannister filter except on rare occasions if you use the live rock method: spend that money on a skimmer and sump. For a sump, you need a downflow box, and a tank either pre-drilled or drillable...ie. non-tempered glass bottom. I believe there is also a hang-on downflow, but I've never seen one in operation. Downflows are noisier than filters; you do have to like the sound of moving water---which is about a gallon of water in free-fall at any one instant.