5g. Starter. What all do I need??

5 gallons is harder to start with. Very limited on what you can keep and harder to keep levels where you want them.

It depends on what you want to set up. I would say go reef with this tank, since you really can't fit any fish in there, maybe a real small goby at the most. You can put some small shrimps in there, snails hermits, corals.

It really won't be very expensive until you buy corals if you plan to do so. I didn't look up prices for anything but I am saying about 150$ dollars or so, give or take a few, not counting corals.

I'm guessing it will be more than $150 to get this set up as a reef, because you'll have to buy adequate lighting for corals. If you want to see a nano build thread, click on my 2.5 pico thread in my sig. And remember that I've probably spent between $250-$300... and that's just for a 2.5 gallon that I already had a filter and LR for!

I would agree that it will probably cost more than $150 to set this up as a reef... test kits alone can easily steal $100 out of your wallet...

If'n I were going to try that, I'd:

Go to a good LFS and get a 5g bucket of RO/DI salt water: $5-$7

Get a nice piece of fully cured rock, whatever looks nice in there, or get a big one and break it into some chunks. Rock from an established tank would be your best bet. $18 (Petco 'large' fully cured rock.)

Get a powerhead or something to move the water around. Small powerhead or a air pump and some line or something. Not too sure about what's needed there.

Get a blue chromie or a damsel and a shrimp, maybe a snail or two.

And you could probably get a little live sand from someone, too.

Waterchanges would be a breeze, so you could just change the water often enough that it'd never get bad.

For a few corals, you just need a good light source, which should be relatively easy for such a small tank. Put her in a bright window.

I'd think that would turn it into algae hell...

And sure, water changes are easy, BUT unlike larger tanks, a small tank like mine or even a 5 gallon does require DAILY attention, whether that's top offs or water changes. It has to be topped off every day. It really is harder to keep it stable. I've been really lucky with mine, and I've really paid attention to it as far as top offs, water changes, and water testing. Now 2 months into it my ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate all stay at 0 with just a weekly water change and a daily top off. But to get it where it is now I was doing almost daily water changes for a while.

Just something to think about.

Not trying to change your mind about a 5g but for about the same amount of money $150 why not try this http://www.petco.com/product/13544/Marineland-Instant-Ocean-Saltwater-Aquarium-Kit.aspx Its a 12g tank comes with filter, hydrometer, salt mix, heater and such. Your local Petco should have them in stock mine does. This way you would be able to keep a fish or two Just a thought.

Are you limited with the tank because of money? I mentioned that it would be more than $150 if you go reef. Can you wait a while till you can afford a bigger tank, like the aquapod 12g? (If money is the issue). You can do much more with that.

you could aget a 10 kit and add maybe another filter ($15), a powerhead ($15) some sand ($10) and seed from a set up tank, and just some, maybe 4-5 #'s of LR ($30-60 depending where you go) some test kits and a hydrometer (~$50) and you're golden, and you've just doubled the tank volume.