starting new 40 gallon reef

starting tank I have tank , lights 2 24 inch coral life 10,000 cc 65 watt, one had blue tint ,heater , what else will I need ?

 

Well here is a good place to start. Read as much as you can and take your time. This is one hobby that too many people rush into than get frustrated and quit.

How to Set Up a Saltwater Aquarium - How to SetUp a Salt water Fish Aquarium

 

do I need a sump ? and will a skimmer work or do I need a filter too ?

 

It sounds like you arrived at this site at a good time. Take your time, research and see what will be best for the type of set up you want. Are you thinking a reef tank or just a FOWLR?

You will need a skimmer either way. You will also need a place to run carbon, if you have a sump, you can leave it there, if you dont' want to do a sump right away, then you can get a carbon reactor or do what I did at fist and use a mechanical filter to run carbon.

Sumps are a very good idea, but not required. Is your tank drilled?

You will need some power head for water movement, at least 40 lbs of live rock, more if you want to do a reef. I suggest just buying base rock and remember, what makes live rock live is the bacteria that coloninate it, not what is on it such as corals, macro algae, sponges etc. Base rock is much cheaper. You will also need some sand. The most important thing you will need is good lighting, research and remember, you get what you pay for. You should have an idea of what you want to keep and their lighitng requirements before buying a light. Good luck and take your time!

 

welcome, i myself have a 40 gal! ask any question you might have.
http://www.3reef.com/forums/say-hello/new-guy-40-breeder-55501.html

 

My tank is not drilled , I have a whisper 60 power filter will that work for carbon and would I be able to use that and skimmer for filtering ? Does the base rock turn to live rock after cycling or ??? I also have lights not sure what kind they are but one of them lights up sort of blue the other lights up the tank real nice.. So to start I need the sand lights filter skimmer and base rock ?

 

yes basically what you need is, tank, stand, skimmer, lights, sand, live rock, and a hydrometer to measure the salt.
check what lights you have so we can tell you if they are capable for keeping corals, or fish only

 

live rock or base rock ? also will I need the whisper 60 power filter ?

 

well base rock works fine, you would just need to cure it, i forgot to add the heater, which is just as essential.
now the whisper 60 power filter you can use it to run carbon i believe.
but if you want to have a sump that its going to help you in alot of ways, as you can have a fuge to grow cheato that is a good algae that lowers nitrates, and it will hide you skimmer, so it doesnt mess up your display tank

 

these are 3 sites that helped me alot, i advise you to read all of them, they well tell you all about saltwater aquariums.
Saltwater Aquarium Equipment

Saltwater Aquariums: Saltwater Aquarium Basics | Quamut: the go to how to

10 Easy Saltwater Aquarium Set Up Steps - Salt water Aquarium Setup - How to Start a Saltwater Aquarium