Who Gives A Fish Forums

im thinking of switching from a freshwater to a saltwater tank. i've got 2 external filters and a heater already, but whats the rest of the stuff i'd need to get started?

do i need any special equipment or is it just a case of adding salt to the water? and what about the fish, what do they eat? do they need special food or can i just use the same stuff as my freshwater fish?

any help would be great, thanks

The short answer to your question is indeed "it depends". I've been keeping marine tanks for a while now, and I've found that many of us don't actually use external filters. Instead, we rely on live rock for biological filtration, protein skimmers for mechanical, and some of us also use carbon, GFO, or grow chaetomorpha to keep those nutrient levels in check. That being said, if you're looking at a coral-based tank, you'll pretty much need to go this route. But if you're thinking of a fish-only setup, you can get away with using canister or wet/dry trickle filters.

What are your goals for this tank, and what kind of experience are you hoping to have with it?