My New Tank... Kinda

[dvs]

Okay, so I'm gonna start a salt water tank. Ive decided on a 75 gallon. My first question is how much am I gonna spend on set-up? Im talking equipment only. And I know that it depends on if I get the best stuff or settle on the less expensive stuff. I just need a ballpark figure. My other question is how much equipment usually goes for, per item. For instance, how much do protein skimmers usually go for? Since Im new to this game, I don't want to be taken advantage of when it comes to buying equipment. Anyways, that's about my only questions for now. Thanks in advance

 

[kinetic180]

Jen
Well, the amount you spend doesn't only depend on the quality of equipment you buy, but the type of equipment and setup you want to use. In my case I initially spent ~$300 on my filter. For the lighting system I spent ~$400 (this was over time so i'm not sure of the exact amount). However, I don't think my system is adequate enough and I may upgrade, so I'm not that much help. I suggest you do as much research as possible before you buy anything because you could end up like me and spend $700 and not be completely happy with your setup.
Sorry, I don't have better advice.
Jen

 

[dvs]

Hey, any advice is good. Thanks. Im not gonna add any fish for at least a year. Im very anal when it comes to having things my way. I went to the local pet store, Feeders Supply and Im quite impressed by their tanks and fish. All of the fish look healthy and I also noticed that they readily eat when fed, which Ive been told is important when buying fish. I bought a book called The New Marine Aquarium and its helped some. I would like to have sand at the base of the tank and plan on getting live rock. Theres just a lot of different options and I want to make sure, as a beginner, Im going to be able to keep up with the tank. I plan on dedicating a lot of time and effort with this and I just want things to go right. Thanks again...