Brands to avoid?

jdinger29

jdinger29

Member
Hello all!
I got a great deal on a 55 gallon glass aquarium this week and would like to set up a salty environment for some ocean creatures! I am not a total newb but it has been a few years since I last kept a saltwater aquarium. I am on a pretty tight budget but I want to do this right. I am planning on buying things for the tank as I can afford them. I probably won't be ready to fill 'er up for a few months. My question is this: What brands should I avoid? (filters, lights, skimmers etc...) I know what brands I should buy (because they are expensive and everyone here talks about them) but I don't think I can do the all out super reef right now... Any help would be appreciated.
 
jdinger29

jdinger29

Member
I understand there may be some hesitation to discuss brand names on a web site that may sell them... If this is the case please PM me and I will give you my e-mail address...
 
michaeltx

michaeltx

Moderator
Please do not use the PM feature for that thats not what its for.
as far as discussing Brands thats fine just dont post websites.
Mike
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by jdinger29
Hello all!
I got a great deal on a 55 gallon glass aquarium this week and would like to set up a salty environment for some ocean creatures! I am not a total newb but it has been a few years since I last kept a saltwater aquarium. I am on a pretty tight budget but I want to do this right. I am planning on buying things for the tank as I can afford them. I probably won't be ready to fill 'er up for a few months. My question is this: What brands should I avoid? (filters, lights, skimmers etc...) I know what brands I should buy (because they are expensive and everyone here talks about them) but I don't think I can do the all out super reef right now... Any help would be appreciated.
You do not have to do a "super reef". There is nothing wrong with having a FO tank first. This is not a hobby that you can be cheap about. Please ask what you would like to know and tell us what your budget is.
 
jdinger29

jdinger29

Member
My budget is what ever I bring home in tips. If I want to wait five years I can have whatever I want. What I am looking for is some one to say "Hey, I built my tank without the top of the line stuff and it runs just fine... Here are some brands I used." Is this the wrong place to post this? I can certainly post it somewhere else...
 
stdreb27

stdreb27

Active Member
As a poor college student. Well I finally graduated, but I built my fowlr tank mainly with stuff I've bought on this forum. I ended up getting high quality stuff for really cheap. My personal opinion on brands is that branding is over rated. For the most part, there are quality products and garbage from the same brand, for the cheaper brands. For example, I love my sieo power heads, but for the most part my Rio pump (both made by taam) is garbage. Don't get me wrong my first purchase when I get a new job will be some tunze. But for the most part you get what you pay for.
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
I agree. Do what your budget can afford; do not try to cheap about the hobby. This is not that kind of hobby.
What are you looking to keep in this tank? Are there any particular fish you really want to keep?
 
sepulatian

sepulatian

Moderator
Originally Posted by jdinger29
My budget is what ever I bring home in tips. If I want to wait five years I can have whatever I want. What I am looking for is some one to say "Hey, I built my tank without the top of the line stuff and it runs just fine... Here are some brands I used." Is this the wrong place to post this? I can certainly post it somewhere else...
LOL, this is the correct forum. I bought a visijet skimmer a long time ago. It cost $50 it lasted about 6 months and did a crappy job. I used to own a Deep Six hydrometer, it was terribly inacurate. I am sorry that I don't have the results that you are looking for. Anyone that does have happy experiences with cheap equipment has not had that equipment for long. I am sorry to say that this is not a hobby that someone can "jump" into without knowing about the hobby, the fish and what is required. You will end up spending more money on junk than you need to. It is cheaper and less stressful for you and your fish to do this a little at a time and do it right the first time.
 
jdinger29

jdinger29

Member
Sorry, it seems I got off on the wrong foot here. I am not looking to do this "on the cheap" what I am looking to do is get this set up sooner rather than later. Basically I want to know if Brand X skimmer (just an example...) is workable or if it would be more trouble than it is worth. I am looking to keep some soft corals and a few fish... I would like to keep some cardinals and perhaps a pair of Gold Bar Maroon clownfish.
 
jdinger29

jdinger29

Member
Arrgghh.... I think I am just getting frustrated with myself and my lack of communication skills...
I don't want to do this cheaply... Is there a difference between a $200 skimmer and a $100 skimmer as it will affect me and my fish... that is all I want to know... Thank you for the brand specific response. That is what I am looking for.
 
aquaguy24

aquaguy24

Active Member
its hard to talk about brands because everyone has a different opinion on that same product. the $200 skimmer will most likely out perform the $100 skimmer..some cheaper products might last longer then the expensive ones but the expensive one will prolly do a better job while it last..u get what i mean..like BMW and Honda(for example)Honda last longer but BMW out performs while it last..some ppl like Honda some ppl like BMW..anyways i'd stay away from probucts u don't really hear ppl talk about on here..If there was a real "list" of things to avoid, i think everyone would have the same products but they don't..
I'd avoid anything that seems to good to be true..unless ur sure of the quality of that product..
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
Prizm's are pretty junky if you ask me. I would avoid Prizm, Berlin, and SeaClone.
The brands I would look for to buy would be Coralife, AquaC Remora, or Excalibur.
 
jdinger29

jdinger29

Member
Thanks for the info... Sorry if I upset anyone here... Have a good night... Also, I just found the classified section here and I will certainly keep my eye on those.
 
stdreb27

stdreb27

Active Member
Originally Posted by lion_crazz
Prizm's are pretty junky if you ask me. I would avoid Prizm, Berlin, and SeaClone.
The brands I would look for to buy would be Coralife, AquaC Remora, or Excalibur.
ditto
 
lion_crazz

lion_crazz

Active Member
You certainly did not upset anyone. We just really care about the animals that are kept in our aquariums and are always looking our for their well-being before anything.
Have a wonderful night, and do not be a stranger. If you have a question, ask it! The only stupid question is the one that is not asked.
 
puffer32

puffer32

Active Member
IMO going preowned (thats what i do for a living) is grat whether on a budget or not. If you find a good deal on a superior product because someone is upgrading and decides to sell their used equiptment. If its still functioning well, i see no problem with buying it, helps both of you out. I once purchased an Aqua C remora skimmer from a member here, and it was a great investment, used it until i upgraded to a larger tank. Also bought lights from a member also, worked great until the upgrade. Just makes sense to do this until you are sure you are well addicted and need to go bigger
 
doglvr

doglvr

Member
I was on a tight budget and a biweekly paycheck plan when I set up my tank. Each payday I bought a key component so it took a good 10+ weeks to get it all together. Bought the tank/stand; next came pumps, heater, salt & LS; then LR; then a good skimmer; lights were last. I have a $3 plastic sump that holds the skimmer & heater. Personally, I think doing it this way was better for the "overall" health of my corals & fish because it had a good 8 weeks to cycle/establish.
Initially, I bought a SeaClone skimmer. That lasted about 24 hours and it was exchanged for a Cora Life. Big difference in quality.
For lighting, I went with Nova T5 w/ lunar. T5 provides the lighting a reef needs without the higher cost of MH.
 
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