Wanting to Start Nano Tank for first time

[sandlot13]

Hey fellow fish lovers!
Ok, so heres the deal...... Im a broke college student who is absolutly in love with aquariums/biology (hence my biology major). Me and my brother recently built our first saltwater aquarium for him (37 gal...... amazing looking). I have become obsessed with the idea of a smaller aquarium that can fit in my dorm room.... Heres where I need your help. I want to start a saltwater tank (anything from 5-15 gal) for as cheap as possible. What do I need to make this happen...... anywhere in particular that i should buy the supplies? Would I be able to get away with buying like an eclipse system and then adding live rock and live sand to let it cycle??? I will have access to a local saltwater shop if need be. any ideas, any help??? Also forgot to mention...... It doesnt have to be anything fancy at all, just a small tank with one or two fish(any specific kinds of fish that you would reccommend that are hardy and fun to watch) and some live rock/sand. i just need to know what i should aquire to get myself on teh right track...... aka what should i all get
-tank
-sand/ live sand
-base rock/live rock
- filter (do i need a powerhead too?)
- lighting
-salt
- protien skimmer??
tanner

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by sandlot13
Hey fellow fish lovers!
Ok, so heres the deal...... Im a broke college student
Hi Tanner,
I really hate to say this because I really enjoy helping new hobbiests. This hobby is not a good one to start for a broke college student, it's expensive as heck.
There are a few hobbiests out there that claim it can be done on a shoestring budget, and I'm sure it can, but the odd of success are very slim and the odds of frustration are very high.

 

[harial]

If you are a broke college student like I am, you should just save for a few months and get the expensive equipment out of the way. I did mine differently though. I saved up for about 8 months and in the meantime I did as much research on the subject as possible. (My parents ask me why I can't put that much dedication into school) But Instead of putting one together or getting an eclipse, I decided that I did not want to start on an expensive hobby in a cheap way, so i saved up and got a jbj 12 g nano dx. You get much better lighting than an eclipse and better filtration. Not to mention the fact that I think it just flat looks better.
don't start off cheap, save up and get something of quality.
harial

 

[tuningvis]

yea i am in the same boat.... i had an empty tank for a few months.. before my first fish or coral...
but it was nice water to watch

b-days and holidays also come in handy for setting up a tank
like stated above.. dont skimp on equip. ... it'll just cost you more in the long run

 

[sweetdawn]

go bare bottom and that will save you. in my ten gallon i have 15 lbs live rock and a power head just be prepared to make frequent water changes

 

[konrade]

10 gallon tank $9
bio-wheel-$20
heater-$8-$15
sand 10 pounds-$8
thermometer-$2
Lights-NO fluorescent-25 dollars Anything else will cost more and the price ranges vary greatly.
lr-around 20 pounds $? Depends
decorations- as much money as u want to spend
That is my set up basically, I have a 15 watt 50/50 that I like a lot, and I have a whisper hob
Mine didn't cost me very much at all and is looking great. My livestock includes one neon velvet damsel (paraglyphidodon oxyodon) and one coral banded shrimp. I really like my shrimp, he is very animated,has great personality, and I hand feed him. He does some pretty funny things sometimes, and is always tring to catch my damsel

Pretty funny to watch. THe damsel hides alot but is very beautiful, and very hardy. BTW, I'm a broke junior high kid

 

[littleliza]

I've seen 6 gal. jbj nano cube deluxes for under $100, but I don't know if you could support any fish at all in it. Maybe 1 neon goby or something.

 

[sandlot13]

Thanks for the tips guys....... okay, so im looking into that jbj nano tank. But also have been talking with LFS and he has a .5 gal tank that works really well, so im thinking of trying a 1 or 2 gallon tank. any ideas on that???

 

[tuningvis]

it is very important that you maintain it properly and keep an eye on it at all times...
no fish

 

[speg]

Your absolutely BEST chance to get away with as cheap as possible of a setup is to just wait. Keep a eye on the local paper for people in the area trying to sell one with all the equipment.. can probably talk them down to less than half the price all the equipment would normally cost. Check websites and stuff selling whole setups as well. If you're looking to get away as cheap as possible... thats the way.

 

[mr.p]

you can always check on ---- and stuff also i don't know how prices work there but i'm sure you can find some equipment people are selling for cheaper. i feel for you on the broke student thing. If i had more money though i think i'd blow it all on my aquarium though.

 

[mr.p]

oops sorry forgot you can't posts links or names to other sites. blocked out word was meant to be a company where you bid on things. some bay company

 

[sandlot13]

thats a great idea looking in the newspaper......... anyone know anyone in the seattle/tacoma area that would want to sell their stuff??? or a place that can hook me up cheap?

 

[speg]

Originally Posted by sandlot13
thats a great idea looking in the newspaper......... anyone know anyone in the seattle/tacoma area that would want to sell their stuff??? or a place that can hook me up cheap?

Keep an eye on the classifieds on this site.

 

[tuningvis]

Originally Posted by sandlot13
thats a great idea looking in the newspaper......... anyone know anyone in the seattle/tacoma area that would want to sell their stuff??? or a place that can hook me up cheap?

good to see another NW reefer
email me and i can direct you to some local fish forums with classifieds
also try craigslist for the seattle area
Jewdontknow@hotmail.com

 

[sandlot13]

Hey! i tried emailing you but it didnt work for some reason! heres basically what it said....... Hey there! thanks for all the replys on my threads! youve been a big help! but ya, anywho....... so I go to school at saint martins university in lacey washington (right outside olympia) so if you know of any classifieds around there or stores, that would be awesome. I make it up to seattle maybe once or twice every two weeks, so that area is open too! thanks for the help!
tanner ..................
thanks for the help!

 

[tuningvis]

check craigslist.com
for great deals..
and search reef frontiers on yahoo for a forum that is based around the puget sound

 

[sandlot13]

thanks a bunch tuningvis, i might be getting back to sometime soon on all this stuff......... about where do you live? any specific stores you go to???

 

[tuningvis]

i'm in downtown seattle
i usually go to below sea level in the u. dist.
and saltwater city in bellvue

 

[sandlot13]

ill have to check those places out..... ill be in seattle friday, so ya, have to look em up........ have you heard anything about the jbj 6 gal??? do they work well? just curious