The first step is to purchase an aquarium and the equipment you'll need to set everything up. You have a choice when it comes to filtration equipment, but it's recommended to stay away from undergravel filters, which are unnecessary and can cause a lot of problems. Live rock is a more efficient biological filter perfect for use in saltwater tanks. For mechanical and chemical filtration, a simple filter works best.

The protein skimmer is the next big part of the installation, and an integral part of the whole aquarium. Spend the extra money and invest in a high quality protein skimmer that will do the job right. Next, look for a heater that can handle the size of aquarium you plan on creating.

Once these key pieces of equipment are on hand, you can move on to other aspects of the aquarium setup, such as adding the live rock, sand, and a power strip. Typically, a saltwater tank can take about 1-2 pounds of live rock per aquarium gallon and ? pound to 1 pound of sand per gallon of water. Avoid sandbox sand because you don't know what other material may be present in the sand that could harm your fish. Aquariums require live sand, an aragonite based sand, or crushed coral.

Setting it all up

Now that you have the equipment ready to go, it's time to set everything up. Rinse the tank with water but don't use any soap, as the residue that gets left behind is often harmful to fish.

Add your chosen background to the tank or paint it an appropriate color. If you choose to paint the aquarium, allow the paint to dry for a couple of days.

Once this is accomplished, install the heater, filter, protein skimmer and anything else you have decided to add to the aquarium. Use a drip loop on all the power cords for safety reasons.

Before you plug anything in, go ahead and add pre-mixed saltwater to the aquarium. There are many mixes available on the market, so the one you choose depends on your own personal preferences. This step is very easy ? just follow the instructions on the package. Make sure to test the saltwater with a hydrometer or refractometer before adding it to your tank.

Once this is done you can turn on the aquarium ? let it circulate for a few days before adding anything else to the tank.

If you've decided to use live rocks, they will have to be cured before you add the fish to the aquarium. This can take a long time, but it's worth it for the filtration benefits derived from live rocks. Once the rocks are ready, you can move on.

Add the substrate (make sure you turn the power off first) and then wait a few days for the tank to settle down. Test the water and make sure all the readings are where they should be.

After the tank has cycled, add the saltwater fish from a quarantine tank. Add only a few at a time so that the filtration system has time to adjust.