Setup

Here are the steps to setting up your own SALT water aquarium.  Read all the steps before starting.
There are many other ways of setting up a salt water aquarium.  Some more expensive some less.  This
is just the way I did it.

Step 1.    You need to go and shop arround for a tank.  I recomend no less then 55 Gallons I do my shopping at my
              local aquarium store "Big Al's" www.bigalsonline.com

Step 2.    Start by placing your tank somewhere that you won't have to move it and that is close to a power outlet and not
              too close to a window.  (the sun could heat the water and kill the fish).  Fill the tank with water about half way,
              Now put in your plants, rocks or anything other decorations and then fill the rest of the tank.  NOTE! be sure to
              rinse everything well before adding it to the tank.  You also want to add Bacteria starter and slime coat/water conditioner
              to the water.  You can get that at the aquarium store.

Step 3.    Now that your takn is full of water you want to add the salt to it.  Use your hydrometer to check the salinity of the
              water and make sure it's just right. Between 1.021 and 1.024

Step 4.    Now that your tank is full and salty Plug everything in making sure to leave a loop in the wires for the water to drip.  That
              Loop is so the water doesn't drip in the receptacle.  Make sure if you have to prime any pumps or Bio wheels that
              you do so.  Also you should get your water to about 78 this will take a couple days to get just right  NOTE! before
              you can add any fish you have to let your tank run for a minimum of 7 days.

Step 5.    Ok now that your water is salty and is up to temp. you should check the PH to make sure it's good.  It should be at 8.3

Step 6.    Ok so now you have gone to the Aquarium store and spoke to the clerks and determined what kind of fish you want
              in your tank.  Don't forget you need some chemicals in your tank.  I recommend a Bacteria starter and slime coat for
              your fish.  I recommend only adding 3 or 4 fish the first time around.  So now you have them home and you want to add
              them to the tank.

    Step 6a.    Start by placing the bag of fish in the water, so that they are floating.  Leave them there for 15 minutes.
    Step 6b.    Now open the bag and add some of your aquarium water to the bag and let the bag float there for another
                    15 minutes.
    Step 6c.    Ok so now gently tilt the bag and let the fish swim out. NOTE! Here's where you add some of that slime
                    coat/water softener to the water.  Read the container for the proper amount.

Step 7.    Now that your fish are in the tank you may be wondering how much to feed them.  You feed them twice a day.
              You may also be wondering what kind of food to feed them.    Most fish eat seeweed, romain letus live fish.
              For the flakes be sure to buy them a high quality food "allot of flakes have lots of filers that you don't want"
              I feed the fish blood worms and flakes in the morning and only flakes at night.  NOTE! You don't really want
              to only feed your fish one type off food but you can.  It would be like eating ham sandwiches all the time day
              in and day out.
 

Maintenance

So now you've had your tank setup for about a month and you remember someone telling you that you have to change the
water.  Well that's partialy right.  You should only change at the most 1/4 of the water at one time.  The best way to do
this, is to use gravel cleaner and to simply dispose of the water that is sucked out by the cleaner, then replace the missing
water with new Salt water.  When changing the water you want to add some more bacteria starter and water softener.

At this point you should also replace the carbon in your tank.  The carbon is the black stuf in the "3 stage filter"  or at the top
of the tubes of an undergravel filter.

Once a year with an undergravel filter you have to take the whole thing appart and clean the tank.  There will be an
accumuation of black stuff at the bottom "under the filter"

That's about all you have to do to your tank.  It's verry easy.
 

Components

Here are some the components that I have in my fish tank.
right click on an image and click on view image to see it biger.

Here is the wood airstone that make the protene skimmer work.
This is an Empror 400 Bio-Wheel, it helps create bacteria and is a mechanical filter,  it also has lots of charcole and alows you to add more filtration in provided containers.
This is an 802 powerhead.  I have 2 to power the undergravel filter and it also powers my SeaStorm and I have a 301 powerhead to power my proteen skimmer.
This is my Protene Skimmer.  It removes unwanted protene.
This is the bucket of salt that I use to make my water salty.
This is an undergravel filter.  There's not much to is and it's verry inexpensive but it works well.
This is a heater.  My heater is 250Watt.
This is the Sea Storm is provides biological filtration.  they say it's 20 to 30 times better then a trickel filter and it's about 1/10 the price.   Seems to work well in my aquarium.