Hi anybody out there... I plan to have one marine tank on my own but it's very good to have a suggestion or advice before i start. Instead of tank, water pump, filter ( i believed this will be diference from fresh water tank)what else do i need? May you can suggest a very minimum requirement not too complicated or advance gadgets.

Welcome to the club..asmadi

Firstly, you have to decide what type of marine setup do you want. Will it be a fish only setup or a reef setup. From there, you might decide what type of livestock you want to put in. In a marine aquarium, compatibility between livestock is crucial to create a balanced and safe environment for them. You dont want your fish end up being eaten by another fish right?

From here, you have to consider the size of tank and its location. Remember the bigger a tank is, the more water you will put inside. This results in a stabler water condition and you will be able to keep more livestock. The water parameters wont change as much if any disaster happen e.g. an accidental drop of soap in a 4' tank wont be as dangerous as compared if its a 2' tank. The next issue is filtration.

There are various filtration methods availabe, e.g. on tank, canister, undergravel, hang on etc etc again this depends on your setup and biological load. One of the most favourable way of filtration is using natural system, that is a combination of using live rock and live sand.

These rock and sand will provide a place for bacterias to grow. Understanding the nitrogen cycle and the role of bacterias in this cycle will definitely help. One tip from me is that marine setups depend on these bacterias. If you dont grow these bacterias well, then you wont be able to achieve a healthy aquarium.

For starters, I suggest a 3' - 4' tank with a sump, sandbed with about 3" to 4" thickness and loads of live rock, probably about 30kg? Maybe somebody here can give a more accurate suggestion here. You can start with a hardy fish, e.g. damsel or clown after a complete tank cycle and gradually increase from here. If you want to start corals, allocate some money for the lighting, protein skimmer and cooling. Research on livestock before buying.

Well there's a lot more to tell - water circulation, protein skimming, lighting, temperature, feeding, water parameters, livestock care, maintenance etc etc but I think there are a lot more resources in the net that will give you guideline and tips in how to achieve a healthy marine aquarium. Feel free to post questions in the forum, and the netizen here will be glad to answer. Enjoy!