i want to get a saltwater aquarium, what are the biggest hassles with it, like how much do you have to clean it, are they hard to maintain, stuff like that. i would also like to know any suggestions on kits for under 500 bucks and any books that could help me.

The biggest "hassle" about saltwater is that you have a lot less room for error. You MUST keep up with your water changes and make sure that the parameters match. Also, unless you have very filtered tap water, you will want to buy and install an RO/DI kit (for big setups) or run down to the grocery store and buy RO/DI water to mix with your reef salt.

Also, it takes a lot longer to do a saltwater than a freshwater. In freshwater, most people cycle the tank with a hardy fish, whereas in saltwater, people usually cycle the tank with live rock. Cycling in saltwater takes longer than in freshwater, and also goes through more algae blooms. It takes about 6 months for the system to stabilize enough for you to add the delicate fish.

The worst thing about saltwater, though, is the price of things. Not only do you need more equipment, you need better equipment. A fish only with live rock setup is the easiest, but you can’t keep corals or anemones. Then, in addition to the tank and filter, you are looking at powerheads to keep the water moving (~$15-40 each, depending on size, and you usually need more than one) and a protein skimmer ($80-200 for a good one, not nano). Live rock, itself, costs ~$8/lb. and you need ~1.5/lb/gallon of water. Most people recommend live sand, too, which is not cheap if you need to get many pounds. Lastly, you need fluorescent light, which isn’t TOO costly, but for a 40 gallon, you’re still looking at spending ~$100 for 2 light strips and 80W of light. If you ever want to upgrade to a reef tank, you will be putting in hundreds–if not thousands–of dollars for a nice T-5 or metal halide light, because the corals need light.

The fish and shrimp itself are not too expensive, but still 2-3 times the price of freshwater fish. The most common false percula clownfish (aka Nemo fish) are widely available and can be tank bred and still cost ~$25/fish. A mated pair usually costs ~$100. Frags easily cost $70-150 for a small piece.

If you are looking to spend under $500 TOTAL, then I would suggest a nano FOWLR system. It’s not easy, and you would need to do research and put in a lot of time and attention into the tank. Try to get good deals on used items (such as on craigslist.com) and you can probably get a 10 to 20 gallon system setup. However, make doubly SURE that you know what you are getting yourself into, as nano is even harder than the bigger sized saltwater setups. And if you mess up, it will be costly anyways.

A popular book (of which I own, too) is The Conscientious Marine Aquarist by Robert Fenner. Start there, and visit lots of different internet forums. Talk to people about what you’re planning (i.e. setup, equipment, livestock, maintenance schedule) and those with much more experience will be able to tell you what are good ideas and what will not work.