New new new

Hello, I am totally and completely NEW to the salt water tank thing. I moved from Central Florida to West Texas and need some sand and fish in my life! So, where do I start? I was looking into a 55 gal TruVu Aquasystems tank, I guess its got some equipment built in. Is this tank a good first tank? Also I know it has some things built in but I don't know what else it needs. I've seen some people list the equipment they have and the lists are endless. Is it possible to have a tank WITHOUT a bunch of tubes and cords and extra this and that? Please help. Again, you might give me advice and I might not have a clue what you're talking about but I am an avid researcher of whatever interests me.
Emily

 

first things first - welcome to 3reef!

personally, i wouldn't get the TruVu tank. you can go much cheaper than that.
what are you planning to keep in your tank?
my first advice to you is start reading. get yourself an nice newbie book and just read it cover to cover. something simple even like the Complete Idiot's Guide To Saltwater Aquarium. it will give you the basic understanding. then go on from there

 

It all depends on what you plan on keeping, and your budget.
A 55 is a great start. Usually the bigger you can go the better. ( if I could have I would of started with my 150G)..
That's because eventually you will want to upgrade. And the bigger the tank the easier it is to keep parameters stable which is very important in this hobby.
Here is some basic things you may need
Tank (obviously)
Filter,
Heater
Pumps ( depending on your tank size)
Power heads

If you want to do it with a refugium, or just a sump.
Your lights.. This depend of you want corals or not..

I would read a book that's pertaining to building aquariums. That would give you a really good view on what you need. Most have pics of fish and their needs.

Oh and welcome to 3reef

 

Welcome to 3reef

Good advise from the previous posts

 

Hello & welcome to 3reef.

The above posts are good advice.

Some books I would recommend are...well if, I could find them, I would say. :-/ I'll update this post in a bit.

 

I agree with you on the price, those babies aren't cheap! I just wanted to do it right the first time... but now i'm realizing i might have to get something cheaper because they're is so many other supplies needed. thanks for the advice!

 

Thank you to everyone! I appreciate it the help!
Emily

 

I am also looking into a tiny tank. It's called Pico-C CPR Lifetank, 3 gal. I would of course love to have a huge tank but maybe I should start smaller?

 

A tiny tank is more difficult for a beginner, or anyone really, because the various chemical parameters change more quickly in a small volume of water. As others have said above, read, read, etc. Subscribe to CORAL magazine where there are articles on fish as well as coral. In it there are also ads for all sorts of equipment. Check Amazon.com for books. It may seem a bit bewildering at first, but hang in. I've been in the hobby since 1964 when growing live coral was just a dream. Then I had beautiful fish and coral skeletons.

 

I just don't understand what goes on underneath a tank in the cabinet....it looks so scary. I figured a desktop tank wouldn't have all that so I could get the hang of it. I am just totally confused!