Reef tank prices

[waveryder]

How much does a reef tank go for, I am a begginer and need some advice on size and prices. I want to start with something really small if possible to keep the price down.


Thanks,


Dave

links removed

DJ88

more spam.......

[rustybucket145]

The tank is only a SMALL portion of your expense when setting up a reef tank. Do some research and read the boards here on rc.

[reefgeek84]

I just set up my 50 gallon tank, I got the tank and stand for free...Just to set it up and get it going was around 2k....This is not a cheap hobby to get into. If cost is an issue, try to find a tank used and I would go with a 50-60 gal tank...You want a big tank, because the more water the better...but if you go to big then it starts to get really expensive, I mean in just your electric bill alone...Guys who have 200 gallon tanks, have to spend anywhere from 200-350 bucks a month just on electricity! to run the thing.

If I were you I would not worry so much about making it reef ready just yet, but there are a few things that you can do to have it be on its way to a reef tank with out changing much out, do some reading and you will figure it out.

All i can say is do not skimp on the skimmer! and buy the tank and stand used, you can sometimes get a good deal on full set up for a decent price. Take your time and buy everything you need and nothing you don't. Just be patient and collect everything over time by paying attention to good deals on here and other sources. If you are patient and wait for the right deal on the right stuff, I bet you could cut the start up cost in half.

[mikeadams1985]

biggest mistake ive done is tried to do it quickly and cheaply

do it slowly and spend the money on worth while equipment.

u can pick up a tank for free im sure (try www.freecycle.org)

[fsn77]

How true... if you're worried about the cost of a tank / stand, don't even think about the cost of live rock or how much sand you'll need to buy for a 4"+ deep sand bed.
Some people say you should count on spending about $50 per gallon on your reef set-up to get it going. We bought our set-up used and right now we're at $35 per gallon, but we have only added 2 small and fairly inexpensive fish. We do have most of our corals, but we bought some of them as small frags to save some money.
As for running costs, it added about $30 per month to our electric bill, which is a 33% increase over our normal bill before the tank, and only a couple of bucks to our water bill (to make our own RO/DI water). If you buy water from your local fish shop, most places charge $1 per gallon for saltwater. Depending on tank size, that can be costly for initial set-up and routine water changes.

Research, plan, and save up some money -- you'll be better off in the end if you do, no matter what size tank you set up.

[klhscooter]

Hi,
You can start small with a Nano Cube 12 or 24 gallon... Aquapod makes a contained system as well...there are a few pictures of mine in the gallery. This is my first tank. I spent $150 on the tank and another $75.00 on sand and live rock. I have not modified the tank or lights and am keeping fish and corals alive and growing. I think it's a great way to start. Best of luck to you.

[waveryder]

I appreciate all the help!!!!!!!!!!!


Thanks,


Dave

links removed

DJ88

spam.......

[physicslord]

smaller is definitely cheaper.

less electricity, less salt, less chemicals, less food, less water, less glass for the tank etc.... = less money

[AngeloM3]

hahaha... you want a run-down of prices for a small tank....... god i'm gonna hate to look at all the $ i've spent

drygoods:
50g tank, stand, mag 5 pump = $250 (that was a deal!)
20g diy refugium = $70
euro-reef skimmer = $240
mh/ pc fixture (1- 175w HQI & 2- 96w actinics) = $350
4 or 5 powerheads = $75ish
ro/di unit = $150
misc. parts (mixing buckets, siphon thing, fuge bulb etc.) = $100ish
test kits = $50ish
heater = $20

livestock:
60lbs LR = $150 (another deal)
40lbs LS = $80
chaeto = $10
six line wrasse, firefish, gold stripe maroon clown, red stripe angelfish, fire shrimp, 10x hermits, 10x snails = $160ish
frogspawn coral, leather coral, eagle eye zoa's, hairy mushrooms = $120ish

fish that have died = $100ish

total = $1925ish :eek:

and thats just for a 50g tank... nevermind something 100g+
so to answer the question you didnt ask, but is on your mind.... yes, its an expensive hobby

and the fun thing is.... i want to upgrade to a 90g - 120g and i get to spend more money on the things i need to upgrade with it... yahhhhhh! :celeb1:

[Johney01]

I would have to agree, do allot of reading/research and now what you are getting into before you begin. That way you will know what you can afford and knowledge will save you money in the long run. I have seen lots of people who see the pretty fish/coral in the store so they rush out to buy stuff and then nothing works for them and they have waisted there money.
This hobby is unfortantely not cheap. Of course some guys spend allot of money and others not so much, but nobody who has a successful saltwater/reef tank does it cheaply.

[xtrstangx]

About $50/gal

A 40g can cost you about $2000 once you consider everything (livestock, RO/DI, etc)

[zuzecawi]

I've got oh, maybe $3K sunk in my 58. And a lot of my equipment was used... but I did a lot of upgrades as time went and my corals got more sophisticated. Burnt money early on stupid things like power compact for soft coral and then moved on to halides for sps. On the new project, I'm into it so far:
Used 135 gal acrylic aquarium: $225.00
Used 75 gal fully plumbed and routed acrylic sump/refugium: $150
Acrylic repair supplies: $40.00
Halide ballasts, reflectors, sockets: $400.00
Halide bulbs: $150.00
VHO ballasts, sockets, brackets: $129.00
VHO bulbs: $64.00
Reconditioned pumps for closed loop, skimmer, and return from sump: $300
Oceans Motions wave making device: $195.00
2x 250 watt Stealth heaters: $64.00
Custom stand and canopy: $460.00
Used 300gal aquarium rated downdraft protein skimmer: $150.00 (and a total steal)
So that's already around a few hundred over $2000, and then I still need pvc for plumbing, sand, rock, salt, new filters for my ro/di, etc etc. This tank has really been the budget tank too, what with the super deals on things like the custom cabinentry, the downdraft skimmer, the tanks themselves, etc. Then there's the weekly upkeep... water changes, filter changes, carbon changes, supplements that aren't covered by the water changes, food, new bulbs every four to six months, testing kits, blah blah. I probably spent as much on my aquariums as I did on all my other hobbies put together.

[smcdonn]

I've got about $2500 in this one

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j266/smcdonn/100_0300.jpg

[BucNtears]

I don't like to think about it.$$$$$$$
Yes I want to go bigger also{strange}.

[RonD]

This has come up before and most (including myself) said they are in the $50 per gallon range as mentioned above.

[Reefrus2003]

I am still trying to find the place to put the key to turn on the ignition so I can drive it.

Lights, sumps, chemicals, rock, stock, food, electrical usage, RO/DI units, refugiums, pumps, powerheads, more improved lights, moon lights, Tanks, skimmer, spare pumps, spare bulbs, reactors, etc..............

[Saltywater]

I will just say this that my electric bill is over $600.00 a month on my 607 gallon system.

I have not had a change to finish adding all the cost of the new tank to Reefcon Pro. But I do know I am well above $50 a gallon.

[Travis L. Stevens]

The price of a reef tank is all a matter of what you want to pay for. Just take a look at these threads. It can be done very cheap.

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=875880
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=831994

[vessxpress1]

I'm just about at 100.00 a gallon right now, all things considered inside the tank and out, for my 38. This isn't factoring in hundreds of dollars worth of livestock I lost in the beginning due to being a beginner. I've added a lot of liverock and a lot of coral over the last year.
Probably your best bet would be to get the hang of a fish only with live rock tank for a couple years before you go to reef. Let the tank age a little, and learn all the problems that can come up. You'll get used to how much the salt and all the other supplements will cost before you've invested a ton in corals. Then if you decide you don't want it anymore, you won't have a tank full of corals that you have to dump off on somebody at half price. You can learn a lot with a FOWLR system. Then you can decide if you're ready to upgrade lights, buy more supplements, stick to a stricter water change schedule and mix perfectly matching water perameters every time. I've spent 4 years putting my tank together. I wish I would have started with a bigger tank though.
It's good to remember that all these great looking tanks on here weren't put together over-night. Most likely you're looking at years of work, equipment and livestock purchasing.