I would like to have a small saltwater tank, but I know nothing about even starting a saltwater aquarium. Can someone tell me what exactly I would need to get one started? and how small of a tank can i get? I really like the new 5 gallon mini bowfront tanks that are around now, could I use one of those, or is that too small?
I would appreciate all the advice i can get

http://www.melevsreef.com/overview.htm

thank you koko!
-darn, no 5 gallon saltwater tanks...i figured as much. Oh well, one day when I have my own place, I will set my old 29 gallon tank up as a saltwater tank

I have a 13 gal tank but the smaller you go the harder it is to maintain....

Technically you could do something as small as a 5 gallon but for the money and time you are investing, you may as well do something bigger that you can put a lot more in. And like Koko said the smaller you go the more difficult it is. We had a tiny 1/2 gallon nano tank at work that was just way too much work to be worthwhile.

i know this sounds stupid but do you have to do water changes it didnt mention anything about them in that article

Of course. In any aquarium with animals, you need to regularly replace some of the water. The filter filters out particles and junk but doesnt CLEAN the water. If you think about it in nature, lakes and rivers constantly get 100% water changes. The animals in them rely on a constant source of fresh clean water. Thats what we do with our partial changes.

Actually a properly set up marine filtration system will not normally need any water changes.

A combination of live rock, protein skimming, and refugiums will remove ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Sooooo no need for water changing as the process is complete.

Respect
JET