Okeedokeee!! (Cracks knuckles, pops neck, opens Mtn. Dew, big breath....)
Sooooooo lets get this started...
To start a saltwater tank - especially a reef tank, there are some basic things you are going to need...
1. The tank (this is a Duh!)
2. Marine Salt (I prefer Instant Ocean Brand for everything, but there are several brands) - For a 29 gallon tank, start with a 20lb bag, this will fill the tank and provide for the first few water changes.
3. Depending on the actual dimensions of your tank, you will need about 2 bags of Live Sand - less for a thinner sand bed, but make sure your bed is no less than about 1.5 inches deep. I like to use Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand, but once again, there are several types to chose from. There are differences yes, but to get into that right now would be far too exhaustive, I will make a sticky on that at a later date - but trust me, whatever you pick will be fine I am sure, just look for a good quality wet live sand, and the finest grade you can find. - I hate crushed coral substrates, thats just my opinion, but coming from experience, stick with finer sands.
4. Lighting - this is a biggie since you said this tank is going to be a reef tank. For cycling purposes, T5 strips and actinics will work fine - and for some corals, that will work long term, but for the vast majority of stony corals ones which rely primarily on photosynthesis, you should seriously look into Metal Halide lighting. I warn you now, you are looking at a costly purchase, but remember - if taken care of, it becomes a vital investment to the hobbyist.
5. Basic tools you are going to need to invest in immediately are the following;
* Master Saltwater Test Kit (Usually these will include test reagents and viles for the following parameters - Ammonia, High Range PH, Nitrates, and Nitrites) However, I strongly recommend that you also purchase test kits for the following additional parameters - Calcium, O2, and KH (Carbonate Hardness). You will be able to find the Master Saltwater Test Kits at most Chain Pet stores like Petco, however you might have to visit a Saltwater fish store specifically to locate the additional testers, or shop for them online. There are other tools used to test some of these parameters, however they are costly, and not something absolutely essential for just starting up. They are graduate tools, ones that are important yes, but can wait in the beginning, so try not to get confused with all of those.
*Hydrometer - this is that "Thing" you were asking about earlier - the tool used to measure the salinity in a marine aquarium. These are - as you can guess - a pretty vital tool to the marine hobbyist, as having incorrect salt levels in your aquarium, whether too low or too high, can be catastrophic and result in your animals dying on you, or becoming severely stressed in the best of cases. There are several designs and of course all promise to deliver accurate and precise readings - don't fall for this. Plastic Hydrometers, though yes, quite inexpensive, are worth about as much as they cost. Instead, look for glass Hydrometers. The technique is slightly different and they are a bit more expensive, but usually only by a few dollars, and nothing that would make you cringe. These provide true readings, and are much much more reliable. Of course later on you might also want to invest in a Refractometer, but again - that is another post and not for your novice beginner. Hydrometers can also be found at most chain pet stores - I know Petco carries decent glass ones at most locations.
* 1 Cup size measuring cup (or better yet - buy a full set w/ all)
* One large and one small fine mesh net
* At least 4 syringes (w/o needle)
* 3/4 - 1inch plastic hoses
* Electrical Tape
* Tweezers (you might want spec. aquatic ones with extra long arms)
* Small stainless steel scissors
* Extra clear or blue airline tubing
* At least two power heads
* one or more air pumps
* Submersible heater
* Thermometer
* Magnetic glass cleaner, or manual scraper - there are plastic versions, or you can opt for a razor blade but please be careful.
--- There are plenty of other goodies you can and most likely will invest in, but this is a general list of most the items you will need - and some which are just always a good idea to keep on-hand when starting off.
* Protein Skimmer - Back Pak brand is pretty good. This is going to remove the free floating and surface accumulating biological waste within the water column, dissolved proteins, decaying nutrients and large particle debris primarily through refraction.
* Biological filter (this will take the heaviest load of filtration and is essential, a good canister filter - including popular ones like Fluval brands are pretty decent.
6. Basic water supplements - these elements are vital to maintaining a natural-like marine ecosystem and must be monitored and added daily to the aquarium (though some can be added every 4 days, or once a week in bigger doses, I prefer to add all supplements in adjusted doses every day). To make it easier on me, I will just list most of the additives I have for my tanks...
General Saltwater for Fish and Corals:
* Calcium
* Pro Buffer DKH
* Strontium and Molybdenum
* Iodine
* Iron
* Essential Elements (a mix of natural minerals & elements)
---
For Corals Specifically & Other Filter Feeders:
* Coral Accel
* Coral Vite
* Microvert
* Zooplex
* Chromaplex
* Phytoplex
I use nothing but KENT MARINE for all of my marine supplements unless I am absolutely unable to get what I need in that brand. There are several brands for most of these, but after years - I still only really trust Kent brands for Fresh and Saltwater.
7. Live Rock - this is something that will actually build your reef, provide vital shelter for your inhabitants, growth for your corals and other animals and plant life, as well as aid in filtration of your aquarium and allow you to "design" your reef. There are several types of Live Rock depending on where it originates from. I prefer branched live rock - Fiji and Tonga, and also Uaniva Live Rock. Live rock is exactly as it sounds - Alive, by hundreds if not thousands of organisms that take up residence within the porous textures. Good healthy live rock will have coralline algae growth on it, various plant life, and will smell like the sea. When live rock is pulled from the ocean, and shipped, a natural die-off occurs and the rock must be cured before it should be placed into an aquarium again - this curing process is composed mainly of ridding the rock from the dead and decaying plant and animal matter by way of conditioned water and high currents with frequent turnings of the water and the occasional scrub down of the rock. While shopping for live rock, note the smell - yes, put it up to your nose and smell the suckers. If they smell fishy or rotten, or have any pungent odor, they are not done curing and should be avoided. If they are barren of any color, plant life, or crusting algae, then they most likely came from a dying, toxic or diseased source, and being that you cannot be sure of their origin, should also be avoided. For this, you will most likely be limited to purchasing it over the Internet (which i discourage), or going to a saltwater fish store and picking out the rock piece by piece - which is best.
When it comes to setting up your tank, the first thing you want to do is check the tank for leaks. Fill it the night before with plain old hose water and monitor it for a few hours making sure you check all of the silicone seals and ensure that they do not have any weak spots, peeling edges, etc. If they do, you will need to shave the edges down and re-apply silicone to the seals and allow it to cure before moving forward.
Next you will need to designate the area for your aquarium - allowing access to at least two outlets, and doing your best to avoid windows and direct sunlight (as this can encourage unwanted algal blooms).
Then you need to make sure the stand and the tank sit level in the chosen location. If they are not level within 1 inch, you will need to adjust it. A slight slope will not significantly affect your tank or the ground it rests upon but anymore and you may be compromising your stand as well as the floor - not to mention there will be an obvious slope in your water. Mix the saltwater in a large plastic container (like a rubber maid), making sure to check the salinity levels as you go, and then dump it in - either in one shot, with another person, being careful not to bang the tank or dump your water everywhere, or add it in by the pitcher full.
Once your water is in (remembering to leave about 5-6inches below the topline for the addition of live sand and eventually live rock), attach you protein skimmer (if it is one that hangs on the back of the tank, as with the BackPak design), and install your canister filter. You can always opt for a sump but that is a bit more intricate for the beginner. If you are interested in that let us know. it will esentially replace a canister. Add your submersible heater, and situate your powerheads so that once in operation they will create a cross section flow. Next you will want to add your substrate. This can be done in a number of ways, but if you want to save time and the hassle of additional tools, make a 2" cut in one corner of the top of the bag, and a 3-4" cut across the opposite corner of the top. The smaller of the two will serve as the "air" hole, allowing the sand to exit the bag with equalized pressure once submersed.
Lower the bag slowly into the water, and once it has filled with your tank water, tip the larger corner towards the bottom of the tank and start to pour out the substrate. You will want to make sure the bag remains as close to the bottom of the tank as possible, and start pouring at one end in the corner and sweep the bag slowly back and forth, moving backwards as you go so that minimal smoothin of the substrate will be required in the end. Repeat with the second bag where you left off with the first. There will be a clouding of the water temporarily, but making sure to pour the substrate slowly and closely to the bottom will help to minimize this. The water will look crappy if you are sloppy with this, or mess with the sand too much before the particles fully settle. Your filters will help to clear this clouding and any surface proteins which gather - it might be slightly foamy on the surface for the first day.
Once your substrate is added and all your equiptment is installed, prime your filters (of which directions will be included with your units), and turn them on. Allow the tank to run without lights for the first 24 hours, and then each day for the next week, increase the lighting by 2 hours the first day and one hour per day after that until you are running the lights for a solid 6 hours. Run for 6 hours a day for 2-3 days. On the 9th-10th day add another hour to your schedule, and then another the following day. You will now be running 8 hrs a day. This is all that is needed for cycling. Once the tank contains animals and corals, it may be adjusted up to 12 hour cycles. For the first week - week 1/2, you will want to be adding daily doses of Natural beneficial nutrifying bacteria straight into the system. This is easy to locate and one brand good for fresh or saltwater is CYCLE.
After your tank has been running for about 3 weeks, you can start to add in your selections of live rock. I suggest you not purchase live rock until you are ready to add it into your aquarium, as keeping it in holding can be a pain if you are not equipped for that. Shortly after - and after checking your parameters before adding the live rock, and a few days after adding it, you might want to do a small water change of no more than 10%. In the next week following, you can look into investing in a few low-cost hardy beginner fish which are known for tollerating unstable conditions and aiding in the latter part of cycling. Some good ones for this are either Damsels - most commonly Blue Yellow Tailed Damsels or Blue-Green Chromis.
Do note however that both these fish are territorial ones, so once your tank is fully cycled, they may put up a front to new additions, which is why it might be a good idea to re-arrange the rock presenting a new structure and upsetting any pre-established territories. Once your tank is fully cycled and stable (Reading 0ppm's for Ammonia, Nitrites and Nitrates for 2 weeks solid) you will want to secure your live rock structures with a marine "cement" which usually comes in a duel-compound mixture, activating when both elements are mixed. You do not need to remove the rock to cement it because this mixture cures in minutes underwater.
Then you can start adding additional fish - and later, corals and plants. Geez wow there is so much more I could tell you but I think my fingers are going to break off right now so I need to stop, let you get through this, and then figure out any additional questions you may have before I go any further. I hope this has helped you, and please let us know of anymore specific information you need ok. Thanks!
