I have a 55 gallon aquarium with filters and heaters and I need to know what else I need for it to make it a saltwater aquarium I know you have to have live rock which I intend on getting and you have to let it cycle for approximately a month but what else is absolutely needed
Honestly you don’t need the live rock either. Live rock is used to help the tank cycle but isn’t needed in a salt tank start up. It will just take your tank a little longer to cycle. I have tanks with and tanks without. You will need a hydrometer I would suggest getting two different ones once you get going only to double check each other. They don’t have to be expensive. Salt. Although the synthetic salt works great you will find you may want to change to the real Ocean salts later like the Red Sea salts. They are more expensive, however once your tank is set up and MATURED, your water changes will be few and far between. A pair of new and clean rubber gloves (the ones for dishes is fine) These should be used whenever you are handeling your live rock. Grabbing hold of a bristle worm that happens to be in there isn’t a good experience!
Thermometer a must. I would suggest one that goes inside the tank. Ones that stick on the outside of the tank tend to be off by a few degrees. A power head to circulate the water and last but not least a test kit for salt water is a must have. Before adding any fish to your tank be sure your readings are all within the limits. Also, remember you cannot add high end fish to your tank at only 1 month old. Live rock or not. A salt water tank takes a minimum of 2 months to fully cycle and more than 6 months for the bacteria to mature. Sweet lips and some puffers, cardinals, some butterflys will have a hard time adjusting to the low bacteria in the tank. Also, when adding fish as well as additional rock, coral, anemone, crabs, etc no more than 10% of the tank for fish at one time. So a 55 gallon minus the rock and gravel will equal 4" of fish or inverts once every two weeks to a month
A power head to circulate the water and a protein skimmer even perhaps a UV Filter would be great additions at a later date. Also a wooden spoon used just for your tank and mixing salt, a glass scrapper/cleaner are little things you will eventually need.
Good luck and welcome to the world of salt water.
Money
Look for "Saltwater Fish for Dummies" at a local bookstore. This book was so helpful when we started our first tank. Make sure you have lots of patience too. Cycling the tank is important & makes you anixous for fish, but be patient & you’ll have a better chance of not losing any fish. Goodluck!
Don’t be put off by the price It’s all worth it. You will need a salt mix (Don’t use any ordinary salt) only use marine tank qualified salt. A hydrometer to measure the salt. (The most essential tool) Don’t think that if you follow the mixing directions on the pack to the gram you’re right. Sandy or crushed shell substrate. Nitrite testing equipment and nitrate testing gear. (nitrite and nitrate are completely different toxins) A power head to simulate the ocean current. I wouldn’t advise to put live rock in while cycling your tank. Just use one hardy cheap fish to start. Do not forget the hydrometer. When mixing the water/salt use about half or three quarters of the mix written on the pack because it is easier to add salt then to remove it. Good Luck
You have pretty much the basics for operation of a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) tank. I would advise a couple of power heads to create more current in the tank as it is quite long. Now if your to keep corals do get good strong lights as they make a big difference and will allow you to see the fish and their colors. Some light systems also have moonlights that will help allow you to watch them at night. One of my other recommendations is for a protein skimmer, but it is not "absolutely needed", as some aquarist do not use them. I myself would not go without one as they provide multiple benifits. I do recommend getting the best one you can afford. I would also cycle it for a little over 1 month, and you can speed up the process by using a couple of dead uncooked shrimp from the grocery store. This method is better than torturing a perfectly good fish (which would most likely be a damsel) and will save you from the trouble of removing everything to take the fish out once it has decided the whole tank is its territory. Another thing to consider purchasing is a 5 gallon bucket to mix your salt water, and a different container to hold RO/DI filtered water for topping off evaporation. Do use RO/DI water as it will help keep excessive algea blooms, and do not use the filtered water in grocery stores as it will still contain trace elements that will contribute to algea blooms. And to make things more stable and easier on you there is equipment you can purchase that will add freshwater when it evaporates automatically (not needed but makes for a more stable tank). Good luck and enjoy your new tank.
lots of knowledge and perseverance salt water is alot harder then fresh and more money if something goes wrong but the pay off is one great looking tank.read up all you can abouting setting up and maintaining the tank when you are ready a couple of damsels would be a good choice to start with they are very hardy and in expensive