Saltwater tanks will get expensive. So make sure you are willing to spend funds before attempting a Saltwater Aquarium. The following are my experiences as a beginner Saltwater Aquarist.
You will first need to do alot of planning. Figuring out what type of Saltwater tank you want to create is first. The level of difficulty is: Fish only, Fish only with live rock, and reef. Just like in Freshwater fishkeeping you will need the basic equpiment such as heaters, filters, aquariums etc...
As a general rule in fishkeeping, the larger the tank you start out with, the better. Larger tanks allow for more room for mistakes. Where as small nano tanks are less forgiving and can be changed to the worest just like that. So you might want to consider larger tanks to start out with. 29 - 55 gallons are good beginner tank sizes. Your going to want to get a glass lid with the tank.
Mixing saltwater is very easy. Most saltwater fishes live in water whose specfic gravity is between 1.020-1.024. This can be checked via hydrometer. A hydrometer is a must in saltwater fishkeeping. You need this to check the salinities daily. Since salt doesnt evaporate, water will leave the tank causing the tank to get naturally saltier everyday. So you will need to keep an eye on the specific gravity.
Comming soon..