This is a basic list of the things you'll need when you set up an aquarium. I've marked with a star* anything that is nice to have but not essential when you start your aquarium.

• Aquarium
      Nano cube & similar - these are GREAT for office aquariums. With live sand, live rock and a little care, you can keep a piece of the reef right on your desk!
      Larger tanks
  
• Lighting (may come built into your tank)
      Metal Halide fitting, ballasts & bulbs
      Aquarium hoods
• Filtration (may come built into your tank)
• Air pumps
• Heater - consider getting two or more smaller heaters rather than one large, in case one fails. Keeping the heaters in different parts of the aquarium gives a more even heat distribution across the tank. Use 2.5 to 5 watts per gallon of water, up to a maximum of 300 watts.
• Thermometer - temperature control is vitally important, so select a good one. Don't rely on the temperature dial on the heater!
• Live sand (1 to 1.5 pounds per gallon)
• Live rock (1 to 1.5 pounds per gallon) Live rock and live sand are essential parts of your tank's biosystem, providing a habitat for beneficial bacteria that break toxic wastes down to less harmful forms.
• Water options:
      Premixed RO/DI from Local Fish Stockist
      Reverse Osmosis Filter*
      Sea Salt
  
• Water test kit (minimum Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, pH)
• Hydrometer
      Refractometer*
  
• Protein Skimmer*
• Aquarium chiller* I bought a Titan Thermoelectric chiller for my office 24 gallon nanocube - I'm very happy with its cooling and heating modes, built-in controller and digital temperature readout. The unit is very quiet in operation, not much louder than a PC fan when actively cooling or heating.
• Water Auto top-off unit*

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• Live coral fragments