Shopping list?

[esvabum]

my neighbor gave me a 75 gallon tank with glass tops and lights. he left about 1.5 inches of live sand in the bottom with a little water. i have several freshwater tanks and would like to go saltwater with this one but dont know where to start... what do i need to purchase to get this tank up and running?

[Wiggs]

First thing would be to take a step back and relax, realize that it won;t be an over night thing and its not one shopping list away from being an up-n-runnin' tank.

I would first read as much as you can, with empty tank at your side and REALLY get a feel for how a Marine tank works. I apologize if you have done this already, but its the best course of action. I would read books such as the ones members here have suggested to get you started, they would be the only thing I bought on my first shopping trip for a SW tank.

The New Marine Aquarium by Michael Paletta
Complete Idiot's Guide to Saltwater Aquariums
Conscientious Marine Aquarist
PocketExpert Marine Fishes

[coachfraley]

I agree with Wiggs, you will need to do some research...but there are some starting points to think about:

In the SW world, the livestock you are going to keep will directly influence the type of equipment you are going to buy. For instance, if you are not keeping corals, lighting is not a big issue. If you are keeping corals, lighting will be your most expensive/important purchase. If you decide to keep corals, you will need to decide what kind you plan on keeping. The type of corals you keep will determine what strength of lighting you need, how much flow you need, whether or not you will need to regulate CA/ALK, and to some degree, how good of a skimmer you will need.

The quickest, and least expensive way to get going, would be to set up a Fish Only With Live Rock tank (FOWLR). As the name implies, this setup has no corals, and the focus of the tank is the fish.

No matter what you decide, be prepared to lay down some serious $$$$$. The live rock alone for a tank your size will cost at least $200.