Location
Long Island
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Just bought a 15 gal column tank. I have always had freshwater but wanted to learn to keep a saltwater tank. I really do not know much so before I begin I want to get all my facts in order so I can do this the right way.. What advice can you give me.. Live sand? Protien skimmer? Live rocks? Any help is appreciated!!

15 Column Aquarium
Powerfilter
50watt Heater
Thermometer
Fluorescent light
Thats what I have so far....
 

ryangrieder

Advanced Reefer
Location
Northern Jersey
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First off, welcome.

Honestly, To be fair, I think before you get into the hobby, you should do alot of research on here before you fill that tank. It's very good to get some knowledge down and set before your into the hobby. It's like going to the dealership and buying a car before you even sit in it and drive. Just because the picture looks nice, does not mean it's for you. The hobby is not hard, and you can easily pull off a tank I'm sure, but you really should read alot first. For instance, live sand is pretty much a must, and a skimmer is a must, but if you read alot on here fist, your going to see why your 15 gallon set up might be a pain for a first tank. BUT... It is possible.

100% Rodi water.
A good hang on filter.
Bio wheel or something.
A skimmer is mandatory, but for your tank, you may be able to do it without one since it's so small.
A hydor mini koralia
Live sand, caribsea is good brand, lots to pick from
Salt obviously. Personally I use esv, but would not recommend it to you. It's not a beginners salt. Look for h2ocean or something like that.
Refractometer
Test kit
Heater
Thermometer
Light fixture. Light is very important. Thing is, you should not do coral yet, but I'd get a good light. Your flor. Fixture is going to be such a boring color that your going to hate it! Presentation is going to be everything for someone new to the hobby. The color is going to matter the most. A simple flor fixture is going to be a yellow/white color. Everything will look dull...

Then, when it's running, about 20-25 pounds of live rock


Good luck...
 

BILBO913

If fish could scream.....
Rating - 100%
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welcome to MR.

research,research,research,research!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
buy quality equipment the first time, dont waist your time buying cheaper equipment. youll just cost yourself an TON of money.
good luck with your first setup.
dont be afraid to ask questions
 

CONSTANTNE

Advanced Reefer
Location
New Jersey
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Live sand is not necessary. You can by dry sand from a LFS store and it will be fine. Doesnt hurt if its live sand though.

If you want to keep corals go with a PC, T5, LED, or MH fixture.

Skimmer isnt necessary with water changes and low bioload. Might want to think about an auto top off but again not completely necessary at first.

Now like others have said your going to need salt (duh!), a mixing powerhead, refractometer (suggested), and RODI unit or atleast buy RODI water from LFS or Walmart for example. Those are other things that pop up right now.
 
Location
Long Island
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For now it will be fish only.
Now Rodin water systems I've been researching.. Your saying I can purchase Rodi water from walmart Ect.. Is that costly?
Also another question is, mixing the salt and water, how much salt is added per gallon.
If these are stupid questions I apologize.
Can you use fake coral?
 

natesreef

Experienced Reefer
Location
central jersey
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For the salt, it depends on what brand you are using. On the box of salt it will most likely say the amount per gallon. For example I believe for reef crystals salt it is a half cup per gallon. For the rodi, it is not to expensive if you are going to buy it from a place like walmart. It will probably vary between 30cents to 1 dollar per gallon. At first it is fine to buy RODI water but in the long run I would suggest buying a RODI filter. As for lighting, In my opinion, for your tank since you are new I would suggest getting T5 lighting. What are the dimensions of the tank?
 

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