so i have this extra 55g tank that i got off craigslist for $20. And im more then slightly interested in saltwater. All i have is the tank, no top, lights, nothing. I've never Kept saltwater before.

Treat me like a blank canvas and paint me with what i can do to build a kickass begginers saltwater aquarium. The only fish ive looked at that my whole family likes would be firefish(looks like it has perminant bedhead), and clown fish. I would be looking for a peaceful tank with anemones, live rock and things growing on it. Other then that what can i do and how much will it cost me, im paying for a wedding in 2012 so be as gentle as possible.

I'm going to be quiet and learn on this thread. Ok no I'm not.

Egg Crate
Rocks
add sand
water

however egg crate and sand is how usually see the substrate set up. egg crate displaces the weight evenly of the rock you put in there and stops any diggers you may have from causing a disaster

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100G->African Cichlids:Kribensis-2,Bumblebee-2,Red Zebra-2,Elec. Yel. Labi.-2, Acei-2, Elec. Blu. Johanni-2,Peacocks-2 / Community: Australian Rainbow-3,Turquoise Rainbow-4,Dalmatian Mollies-2,white molly-1,Dojo Loaches-1/Cleaners:Chinese Algea Eaters-5/Murderers: Dinosaur Bichir-1And lots of other tanks,2-Gourims,6-Rams,1-Arrowanna,6-FW Flounder,1-Farlowella CF, 1-Spiney Eel

Here's what you'll hear from most people on the subject:

-You'll need live rock, 1 pound per gallon for a minimum.
-You'll need to cycle with the sand and live rock for at a minimum of 1 week to 1-2 months depending on how cured the rock is when you get it.
-Live sand (some will dispute its validity so they say any sand) 1 pound per gallon also. Use ocean type sands to help buffering in your tank.
-some sort of filtration through a refugium or sump is not necessary but highly recommended.
-a UV sterilizer is somewhat recommended but not required.
-a protein skimmer is highly recommended but not required.
-LIGHTING: if you plan on fish only, basic lighting. if you plan on corals, bright lighting. The amount of lighting you need is based on the type of lighting you'll use and what you plan to keep. There are a list of types: T5\T8\T12 (HO, VHO, SHO) Fluorescents with lower numbers (5,8,12) representing higher efficiancy, bulb size (diameter) and more light output per watt; Compact Fluorescents (CFL); Metal Halide (MH) (one of the brightest sources but produce lots of heat and use a lot of power); and LEDs (which are the smallest and highest efficiancy). With each you'll see a difference in light output, wattage, efficiancy, size, heat output, and price. Do a lot of research here to see what will work best for you.
-research the types of corals you see and make a list of what you want. some corals will not be compatible with either your setup and/or other coral.
-research fish types, some dont work well with corals and/or other fish
-test kits are important to keep your calcium, carbonate, nitrates, nitrites, ammonias, phosphates and salinity in check.
-powerheads are required to make sure there is enough water movement so there arent any "dead spots" in the tank. i do believe the number is 20x the of gallons for adequate flow. some fish require fast moving waters.
-heaters of course.. it should be abour 80 degrees F (depends slightly on fish and coral though)
-cleaning crew for the tank (hermit crabs, shrimp, snails)
-research the type of food and supplements for the fish and coral, some coral do require plankton or other stuff.
-if you want plants, research the types and if the fish you plan to get will eat them.
-and of course salt water... either mix your own from your tap, mix your own from filterd water, or buy premixed if your LFS supplies it. Some salt mixes (i mean the salt itself, not premixed salt water) are better than others.

Best way I've learned to start a salt water tank is with a pencil and a piece of paper. A 55gal. tank done right could run upwards of 1000 bucks. You could have $500 in your stand canopy lights. Or you could spend a bunch of time doing the Craigslist shuffle and end up spending the same amount of time and gas as you would on something new. I'm saying all this to say plan your tank out before you get started because there is nothing more frustrating then getting halfway through your build and find out you need more then toy thought. Good luck and keep us posted.

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If It Is To Be It's Up To Me!!!
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So what's a frag, and what's the lps, sps and other things I see.

a frag (fragment) is really just either a cut off piece of coral mounted on a separate rock or cut off a group of similar corals already growing on a rock.

LPS is a large polyp stony coral.
SPS is a small polyp stony coral.
A softie is a soft fleshy coral.

Each of these require slightly different conditions. SPS need high lighting and are mostly photosynthetic but still use some capture for nutrients and zooplankton. LPS would require less lighting than an SPS but capture most of the nutrients they use. Sofites need the least amount of light (but still a fair amount higher than a freshwater tank or a tank with just fish) and absorb nutrients mostly. look around the net for more information about each particular type of coral b/c they're not all the same even within the general types listed.

So if you were doing a new 55 from the ground up how would u set it up? Like what would you put in?

You'd have to start first by getting the sand in place.. i'd do about 50-60 lbs of it. then you'd add saltwater (or add the sand to the saltwater) and place your live rock in the sw (saltwater). I'd first look for a local fish store that had some well cured live rock. This will decrease the amount of time for the cycle. Also see if they provide premixed saltwater because that makes life easier. You'll need a bit of salt on the side to raise the salinity as needed and some RO water to replenish evaporated water in your tank.
If i had a 55 gallon, i'd get 10-20 gallon refugium. Here's a site to explain the setup there: Refugium Setups Information - From About Saltwater Aquariums. I purchased a clear HOB (hang on back) filter and put more fragmented live rock and chateomorphia (its a plant that helps reduce nitrates) in it with some basic lighting for my 20 gallon. You could do this as well but you'd need 2 or 3 to help a larger tank like yours. It is also they only place in my tank that has algae (which also helps with some nitrates and stuff).
I'd get an appropriate heater and either add it to the tank or refugium but you'll always need to make sure the temp is good in your tank.
You'll have to get some powerheads for your tank so i would suggest 3 or 4 that add up to a total of 1100 gallons per hour or more (55gx20=1100). they vary in price so just choose the ones you can afford. I have two koralia in my tank just for a reference. The powerheads should be placed that you have a good flow over your live rock, sand, and empty spots but not directly at your coral (depending on coral of course). If you had four, you could put two smaller ones on the bottom for a cross flow and two on top that point upwards to agitate the waters surface for oxygen exchange.
If you get a protein skimmer, you could either put that in your refugium if its large enough to hold it or into your tank. I personally dont run one yet but if i see a decent one for a good price, that may change. I would suggest it on a large tank like yours.
For lighting, i would look into getting a kit from "www.reefledlights.com" or parts to build your own. I personally prefer LEDs because of their efficiancy and low heat. They also reduce waste by not needing to be replaced once a year. You may pay a bit more in the beginning, but you'll save a lot in the long run. In fact, if you cant afford a full setup right now, buy what you can and add sets of LEDs to your system while you advance further into your coral additions. you can start off with 12 led's for cycling, then next month get 12 more and add a coral or two close to the top of the water, then the next month after, add 12 more and so on. A 55 gallon with SPS should probably need something like 48-60 3 watt LEDs. Good thing is, you can start with a low number and add as you deem necessary.
Now for lifeforms, you should start out with about 10 hermit crabs and 10 snails. then as your tank ages, add more to help control algae and other stuff. Its recommended that you have 1 cleaner per gallon. You can also get some shrimp also.
After you have a good cleaning crew set in place, add a fish and/or a coral. But dont add to quickly, that'll put your system under stress. Be sure to get the least aggressive and least territorial fish/coral first. Otherwise, your agressive/territorial fish will pick on or potentially kill new tank mates and your agressive coral will overtake the tank too quickly.
This is a process and you dont need everything all at once. You dont need a full light setup while your tank cycles. But you will need the live rock and sand first, that should be your first purchase as well as sw, heater and powerheads. Then you can get your cleaning crew and/or refugium setup. Then (if you get an LED system) you can get a partial light setup. Then after a few weeks you can get your first fish or soft coral. then expand your light setup. then another fish or coral.. and theeen expand your lights again and so fourth. But plan it out any way you put it.

so lets see....
if i do fish only, i would need:
sand, fish, live rock, powerheads 20x my tank

If i do corals, i research to see if i want LPS SPS or Softies.
LPS less light more water nutriants
SPS more light still water nutriants
Softies least light most water nutriants.
Fish to compliment(wont harm the corals or other fish)
powerheads again, Hella light source(LED or T5HO)

both need cleaning crew at about 1 per gallon (shrimp, snails, mini crabs)

correct me if im wrong in any way.

Now whats the micro algae stuff? is it like freshwater algae just the saltwater version?

You dont want micro algae, its hard to control. You want to get some MACRO algae. The best stuff i've seen so far has been Chaetomorpha (sp?). The other stuff is good. You may see the need in the future for the refugium, protein skimmer, and/or uv sterilizer.

I keep the macro in my sump?

I'm lost. GL M1ster! :P

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100G->African Cichlids:Kribensis-2,Bumblebee-2,Red Zebra-2,Elec. Yel. Labi.-2, Acei-2, Elec. Blu. Johanni-2,Peacocks-2 / Community: Australian Rainbow-3,Turquoise Rainbow-4,Dalmatian Mollies-2,white molly-1,Dojo Loaches-1/Cleaners:Chinese Algea Eaters-5/Murderers: Dinosaur Bichir-1And lots of other tanks,2-Gourims,6-Rams,1-Arrowanna,6-FW Flounder,1-Farlowella CF, 1-Spiney Eel

I've got an idea of what to do ...just dont have the momey to act on it at the moment...lol.

you can keep it in your sump or you can put it somewhere in your tank also. Thats a choice for looks though. (the sump is an external tank for your refugium if you didnt know before)

yeah i just converted over a 10g tank i had to a sump for a 55g freshwater i am setting up, although now it is housing my blue crayfish since i dont have the 55g set up for my community tank and then the cray gets his own 10g, but ne ways.

is there a sump size to tank size ratio? or is you GPH the important part? ive been stalking the DIY saltwater section for ideas on my freshwater sump.

also if i want to do a FOWLR does it change alot of what i need since i wont be doing corals. Still same ratios i assume. Sand pound:gallon rock pound:gallon powerheads 20x cleaningcrew 1:1gallon. Are Fish only with Live Rock tanks less visually stimulizing or worse for the fish? I guesss whats the draw backs to FOWLR Vs one with corals.

I dont think there is a recommended ratio. I've seen people have a 10 gallon sump on a 55 gallon and not have any problems. But you should get a bigger sump if you tank gets bigger.
I'm also not sure about the gph on the sump. I hear that a low flow does better because it gives the bacteria and macro algea more time to process the things in the water.
If you're doing a fish only tank, then the ratio with the sand and live rock should be the same. those are your primary filtration methods. The crabs and stuff i would say stay the same because they help with the algae and fish waste as well as cleaning the fish (cleaner shrimp). I've seen people put less live rock in FOWLRs but they also had a big external filter. I think the powerhead ratio needs to stay the same also.
Its not necessary to have coral AND fish but having coral gives some visual beauty to the tank as well as some fish like to move through the coral.
I personally think FOWLR tanks look boring. Its a pile rocks with fish... same goes for freshwater tanks. Corals add a certain look and feel to a tank. Google some images of reefs and FOWLRs and you'll see what i mean.

ive been youtubing FOWLR and Reef tanks and it looks like FOWLR is a good starting point for salt water. My concern would be can you then add corals to it once you have it set up? So say a year down the road i decide i want a nice coral tank. can i add them to it? or do i need to rip it down and rebuild?

next question, this would go for all tanks i guess not just saltwater. But in case of power outage a battery back up like computers use would supply the tank with power. Is there a reason i dont see alot of people talk about using them? I see alot of people say that sumps are good but when power goes out you need to be carefull. Well with the back up wouldnt that be a temp fix until power can be restored?

you'll just have to check your water parameters to make sure they can all be set at a good median for the different organisms. If you plan on someday doing it, then get enough live rock now to cover the minimum required.
UPS's should actually be employed a lot more especially on bigger/more expensive setups. They work extremely well. The only problem is if you have a huge tank, it takes a lot of power and can possibly drain one really quickly. Other than that, they can be expensive. lol