anenome123
New Member
im getting a 20 gallon tank and i want to know exactly what i need plz list everything, the cost, and how many punds i need of things like sand and rock. I want this to be a good tank and as cheap as possible
Salt Water Tank!!!!!!
- Thread starter anenome123
- Start date
brit0211
Member
I think it would be good if you went to your local library and checked out some books. Thats what I did today, but I've been researcing saltwater for about a year now .. Anway and they have checklists and stuff in the books to make sure you are getting everything that you need. Just make sure you are getting up to date books, because it seems like a lot of stuff has changed-- or atleast improved.
Costs will vary with everything.. maybe you should go to your local pet shop and browse some prices.
Costs will vary with everything.. maybe you should go to your local pet shop and browse some prices.
anenome123
New Member
actully i went to my libary today. I started a book but im looking for some expert advice. I like being able to ask questions.
brit0211
Member
I know what you mean- trust me.
I ask questions all the time...
but your questions about price, etc probably aren't going to get accurate answers.
What I did was make a list of stuff that you KNOW you will need... and then take a list to your LFS and write down prices so you kind of get a ball park estimate.
I did it for several different sizes of tanks becuse I still cant decide what size i want.
I ask questions all the time...
but your questions about price, etc probably aren't going to get accurate answers.
What I did was make a list of stuff that you KNOW you will need... and then take a list to your LFS and write down prices so you kind of get a ball park estimate.
I did it for several different sizes of tanks becuse I still cant decide what size i want.
chamic1
Member
Everything depends on what you want to have in your tank.
I'm going to tell you now that if you want corals or anemones you need expesive lighting. I bought a complete set-up for my 29g tank. This is what it cost me in Canadian funds:
Tank 100.00
Lighting hood and filter unit- Eclipse 3. Lighting holds 2- 24inc, 18watt fluorescent bulbs-200.00
30lb of sugar size sand gives me about an 1-1 1/2 inches of sand bottom- 45.00
heater-30.00
powerhead- 40.00
4 testers- Ph, nitrate, ammonia, salinity 50.00
my uncle built my tank stand- 50.00
50/50 actinic bulb 30.00
Coralife reefsun bulb 30.00
25lb of Live rock - 9.10/lb=227.50
RedSea salt- so far-160.00
RO/DI water- 5g jug=4.00
thermometer 2.00
I have not got any fish yet, that's the scary part!!!
I posted some pics of my tank. It's called "some pics and a pod question" in this forum. My user name is chamic. You can search for it.
I'm going to tell you now that if you want corals or anemones you need expesive lighting. I bought a complete set-up for my 29g tank. This is what it cost me in Canadian funds:
Tank 100.00
Lighting hood and filter unit- Eclipse 3. Lighting holds 2- 24inc, 18watt fluorescent bulbs-200.00
30lb of sugar size sand gives me about an 1-1 1/2 inches of sand bottom- 45.00
heater-30.00
powerhead- 40.00
4 testers- Ph, nitrate, ammonia, salinity 50.00
my uncle built my tank stand- 50.00
50/50 actinic bulb 30.00
Coralife reefsun bulb 30.00
25lb of Live rock - 9.10/lb=227.50
RedSea salt- so far-160.00
RO/DI water- 5g jug=4.00
thermometer 2.00
I have not got any fish yet, that's the scary part!!!
I posted some pics of my tank. It's called "some pics and a pod question" in this forum. My user name is chamic. You can search for it.
anenome123
New Member
i want a 20 galon tank and i need to know what to put in it
malounsbury
Member
Sand - 1lb/gallon. Can probably just get one 20lb bag of LS from SWF.com and call it a day.
LR - 1-1.5lb/gallon. You're looking at 20-30lbs of LR.
Protein Skimmer - AquaC Remora or CPR Bak Pak. You could buy one of those from that auction site online at a decent price.
Tank and stand - can get these from your local *****/PetSmart.
Salt - Instant Ocean or Oceanic Salt.
Refractometer - buy the one from SWF.com, in the dry goods section.
Heater - you'll want one that is adjustable so you can adjust as needed. Recommended brand is Won Pro.
Powerhead - to make a current in the tank similar to ones in nature. Maxi-Jet 600 should work for your tank size.
Also, I would recommend getting a RO/DI unit. You can get one of those from that auction site as well. They run about $100-110 shipped. You could also buy water from the store that is RO/DI, but in the long run it will cost you more than the unit itself. If you have questions about the benefit of an RO/DI unit, here is some information:
Reverse osmosis (RO) water: This is an excellent water source for use in a SWA. It has no ammonia, nitrates, chlorines or chloramines, and it generally has a very low phosphate count if any. It can be purchased premade from many places including the LFS, some grocery stores (the bulk water stands by culligan are RO filters), and home RO units can be purchased for relatively little cost over the long term.
De-Ionized water: This is another filtration step in the process or reverse osmosis. The water passes over a special resing that removes virtually all impurities of the water. This is the BEST water source available to the home hobbiest. RO/DI filters can also be purchased for a relatively little amount of money when considering the long term.
I would suggest doing a search online for the other stuff you need that I didn't list a place or price for. You can find stuff from other places then here, but we are not allowed to give out links to those places because they are a competitor to SWF.com.
LR - 1-1.5lb/gallon. You're looking at 20-30lbs of LR.
Protein Skimmer - AquaC Remora or CPR Bak Pak. You could buy one of those from that auction site online at a decent price.
Tank and stand - can get these from your local *****/PetSmart.
Salt - Instant Ocean or Oceanic Salt.
Refractometer - buy the one from SWF.com, in the dry goods section.
Heater - you'll want one that is adjustable so you can adjust as needed. Recommended brand is Won Pro.
Powerhead - to make a current in the tank similar to ones in nature. Maxi-Jet 600 should work for your tank size.
Also, I would recommend getting a RO/DI unit. You can get one of those from that auction site as well. They run about $100-110 shipped. You could also buy water from the store that is RO/DI, but in the long run it will cost you more than the unit itself. If you have questions about the benefit of an RO/DI unit, here is some information:
Reverse osmosis (RO) water: This is an excellent water source for use in a SWA. It has no ammonia, nitrates, chlorines or chloramines, and it generally has a very low phosphate count if any. It can be purchased premade from many places including the LFS, some grocery stores (the bulk water stands by culligan are RO filters), and home RO units can be purchased for relatively little cost over the long term.
De-Ionized water: This is another filtration step in the process or reverse osmosis. The water passes over a special resing that removes virtually all impurities of the water. This is the BEST water source available to the home hobbiest. RO/DI filters can also be purchased for a relatively little amount of money when considering the long term.
I would suggest doing a search online for the other stuff you need that I didn't list a place or price for. You can find stuff from other places then here, but we are not allowed to give out links to those places because they are a competitor to SWF.com.
