New Tank - questions on purchases & understanding

stevorino

stevorino

New Member
Hey all,

I first got interested in doing a saltwater aquarium this spring. Long story short: My wife vetoed it until I proved my passion with a freshwater. Since then I have maintained a pretty brilliant freshwater setup and the wife has cleared a saltwater aquarium for christmas.

I'm looking at putting about $750 into the start as a Christmas present. This budget doesn't include fish/coral that we'll slowly acquire with time. I'm hoping to add as many DIY elements as possible - the DIY Live Rock looks like a fun process. I may build my own stand/hood.

Some questions:

1) With the DIY liverock - this thing looks like a process. 30-60 days of building and then it needs to be in circulation with some live rock/sand to get the goodies inside. After all of the trouble, am I correct in assuming that my manmade liverock should be as good/close to the $7.50/lb liverock in stores or is there something I am missing?

2) I'm craiglisting as much as I can. There are a lot of 55-120 gallon tanks on craigslist. I'm stumped on whether I just want to get the tank/stand or if I want to spring for someone's full setup (sump, skimmer, powerheads, etc).

The problem I have is that I have no idea what a good price on all of the little components are and how many of each I need. This is my current needs list:

Sump/Pump
Protein Skimmer
Powerheads (2?)
Heater
Lights
RO/DI

Just looking at general prices - this stuff looks expensive new... so I'm not sure I can even afford to go new on all of this? Would love any kind of guidance here.

3) I'll definitely consider saltwaterfish.com for my buying needs - are there other good online retailers/sites for purchasing these goods and learning more about them?
 
geridoc

geridoc

Well-Known Member
DIY rock is not live rock. You can keep your rock cost low by using the DIY stuff and one quarter true live rock, but you need some true LR to seed all the invisible critters that make a tank interesting and functional. Your budget may be low for the other equipment. You could spend the entire budget just on lighting since you intend to add corals. It is a waste to buy cheap lights, only to throw them out later. Used might be good for lighting. My reef has been successful with two 4-bulb T5 hoods for 6 years, but no clams, and it am currently struggling with an anemone. Complete, used systems can be a good buy, but I would be careful about used heaters. That's one piece of equipment that can kill in a very short (no pun intended) time when it fails.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevorino http:///t/396798/new-tank-questions-on-purchases-understanding#post_3535354
Hey all,

I first got interested in doing a saltwater aquarium this spring. Long story short: My wife vetoed it until I proved my passion with a freshwater. Since then I have maintained a pretty brilliant freshwater setup and the wife has cleared a saltwater aquarium for christmas.

I'm looking at putting about $750 into the start as a Christmas present. This budget doesn't include fish/coral that we'll slowly acquire with time. I'm hoping to add as many DIY elements as possible - the DIY Live Rock looks like a fun process. I may build my own stand/hood.

Some questions:

1) With the DIY liverock - this thing looks like a process. 30-60 days of building and then it needs to be in circulation with some live rock/sand to get the goodies inside. After all of the trouble, am I correct in assuming that my manmade liverock should be as good/close to the $7.50/lb liverock in stores or is there something I am missing?

2) I'm craiglisting as much as I can. There are a lot of 55-120 gallon tanks on craigslist. I'm stumped on whether I just want to get the tank/stand or if I want to spring for someone's full setup (sump, skimmer, powerheads, etc).

The problem I have is that I have no idea what a good price on all of the little components are and how many of each I need. This is my current needs list:

Sump/Pump
Protein Skimmer
Powerheads (2?)
Heater
Lights
RO/DI

Just looking at general prices - this stuff looks expensive new... so I'm not sure I can even afford to go new on all of this? Would love any kind of guidance here.

3) I'll definitely consider saltwaterfish.com for my buying needs - are there other good online retailers/sites for purchasing these goods and learning more about them?

Hi,

Welcome to the site! I don't suggest you tell your wife...but that budget is way low. A good starter size tank is 75 at least. The larger the tank, the easier it is to keep stable. The tank is the cheapest part...it's the power heads, lighting and all the other equipment that drive up the cost.

Some tips:

[*]Look for a predrilled tank, if you plan to have corals later, a sump system is the best way to go.
[*]Set up your tank for what you want now, it will save money to have a plan, and purchase what you need once. Upgrades are costly.
A skimmer won't be needed right away, you can have the tank up and running for at least 3 months before one is even needed...if ever. It is not a MUST have to keep a SW tank.
Dead dry (once live) rock is cheaper and easier then making your own, you only need a few choice pieces to get the tiny critters that live in the rocks to seed the dead stuff.
Don't forget the test kit (lab type, not strip), master/multi kits are cheaper then purchasing each test individually. don't go to the store to do your tests, do your own.
[*]The Ro /DI unit is the perfect investment...two thumbs up.
Full set-ups can be found cheap....and most times it has everything you need right off...make sure the tank was well cared for, cleaning is not an easy task if everything is crusty. Power heads freeze up when they are put away dirty and crusty, and won't work.

We can't direct you to other sites for equipment...it isn't allowed. All we can really do is guide you on what equipment you need...a google search will usually get you were you need to go for stuff, but we can help you once you find a certain brand, just ask us. Get a good beginners book, it help you to know what questions to ask, and understand the basics, SW is a whole new world from FW. Before purchase, check with the folks on this site...somebody has had the experience with whatever brand of equipment you are dealing with, and can be a great help. Don't go asking the LFS folks for advice, you don't know if they are guiding you right, or trying to sell you something. Go into the store knowing what you want or need.
 
stevorino

stevorino

New Member
Thanks guys/gals,

With these posts and some of the really great FAQ posts stickied, I think I have a much better idea of what this takes and how to proceed.

I'll be keeping an eye on craigslist and hope to get a good deal - I'm waiting for something to hit between 90 and 150 gallons that looks good. I'm sure I'll have plenty more questions once I pick something to start with!
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
my bottom line is to simply start the tank with macro algae (in a refugium) then do the rest.
no need for live rock.
no need for skimmers.
The refugium can just be an in tank partition.
Can save a lot that way.
my .02
 
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