What all do i need to setup a saltwater tank??????

There are several threads that cover cycling. And, unfortunately, there is no definitive list that can be trotted out for equipment, because that will vary with the style of tank, the type of occupants, etc. Without knowing if you want a reef or FO, though, here's some general equipment:

Filtration. Doesn't mean a 'filter' per se, as live rock and live sand are very effective biological filters, and clean up crews are used for mechanical filtration in reef tanks. With a FO setup, it will depend on what fish you have, but some cleaners are still possible even with predators. For using rock, concensus is that 1.5-2 pounds per gallon is a good amount.

Water movement--either through power filters or powerheads, but lots of turnover, a minimum of 10 times per hour, or more, depending on the stock. My 120's turn over about 25 times an hour, more in the reef.

A FO tank doesn't require special lighting, but with a big tank, you'll need to higher watt light to make the tank enjoyable to watch--NO lighting will result in a murky bottom that you'll 'lose' stuff in.

Turnover rate means how fast the entire volume of water circulates. For example. In the ocean water is constantly moving often at rapid speeds, and turnover rate is to simulate this. So for a 220gl set up, enough circulation would be needed in order to circulate 220gl around 10x every hour in order to get the natural sea current going.


Canister filters are not needed, unless you wanted to run one without any media which turns it into an expensive powerhead. Live Rock, a DSB (Deep Sand Bed of 3-4"), and a good skimmer is really all the filtration needed, the clean up crew takes care of the rest. Just buy the Live Rock and use ordinary play sand (for 220gl, this will save ALOT of money on the amount needed to get a 3-4" deep sand bed), other types of sand also work, the smaller the better (some people use sandblasting sand for example)


Also if you are going with a reef set up, the lighting involved will cost more then all the other stuff combined depending on what type of corals you want to keep.

You can use all play sand, or any mix of live and play.

2 powerheads won't cut it. I usually go for 1 every 2 feet of aquarium--you can figure the turnover by adding up the gallons per hour of each powerhead and pump in the system.

Depends on your tapwater. Contact your water utility and ask for a report. RO filter can be purchased, or you can get the filter unit and make your own.

You dont need to buy any Live Sand at all, just use Live Rock.