Re:Thinking of venturing into a saltwater tank for the 1st time
Hey Jennifer!
Saltwater doesn’t have to be very much harder than freshwater! It will depend on what you are doing, but I have done both for years now! 
If you want a fish only or fish mostly tank, I use a super easy set up that works with my seahorses. I post this list to my seahorse folks frequently, so here it is!
Instant Ocean ( This is a mix to make the water saltwater. ) Visa-Therm Heater Sea Test Hydrometer Crushed shell ( Not crushed coral if you can help it.) Buffer by Sea Chem…..I use the Sea Chem Marine Buffer. Safe or Prime declorinators by Sea Chem if you have city water. Test Kit - Fastest kits. Apollo 5 or Apollo 3 air pump ( Sold at Wet Thumb Aquatics) For filtration I recommend sponge filters, the Oxygen Bio-Filters brand, models found here:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=3940 This is the single sponge unit that I use on 10 gallon and smaller tanks.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?siteid=6&pCatId=3936 The is the double sponge unit for use on all tanks over 10 gallons. Feel free to ignore their tank size recommendations that the company used.
This is the list that I pass to ALL my new people in seahorses. You can have a nice happy saltwater tank, though not normally a gigantic coral reef with this set up! Fish don’t have to break the bank!
Carol 
LMD in MS
Category: UniQuaria
