With coral…lights are everything..so get the very best you can afford.
I am right now setting up a 30g
I got two 30g tanks for $40.00
A T5 two bulb 10K light for $130.00 including shipping
Dry sand $30.00
Dead Rock $100.00
I got a friend to make a return for me...$30.00
A return pump $120.00 Includes shipping
CPR Overflow box $115.00
Glass cut to make baffles on the bottom tank for a sump..$40.00
Silicone to glue the baffles ..$15.00
Hoses $25.00
Clamps, valves and PVC $18.00
Heater $20.00
Copepods and amphipods to seed the tank, because I used dead sand and rock = $20.00
Refugium mud to add substance to the sand...$12.00
Bucket of salt $55.00
This list does not include critters or corals also no skimmer yet....Comes up to $770.00 and I went the cheap route. The equipment for a 10g is actually near the same as the 30g. The price of the sump is the cheaper filter system. The used tank for $20.00, the baffles, hoses and clamps are cheap compared to a wet/dry for $225.00 Oh and my system did not need power heads that run $30.00 a pop. I used PVC and made spray bars vertically in the tank.
If you figure $1000.00 it will cover costs, hidden and unexpected. I still need a skimmer which runs around $300.00. Find what you can used and don’t skimp on lights if you want coral. This hobby is wonderful but expensive. Build slow get a little here and a little there, that's what I did.
Edit:
A reef tanks Upkeep isn’t bad, you keep salt, RO water (your own unit is best) and some additives like liquid coral food, calcium and Reef buffer. Corals prices run around $60.00 to $120.00 average. The cheapest SWF is $18.00 stay away from damsels, they grow up to bite your hand and kill your other fish. They are beautiful and cheap…most beginners get them then regret it.
With coral…lights are everything..so get the very best you can afford.
