thats a nice budget. I would strongly recommend searching your local fish stores, craigslist, etc for used tank or equipment. You can get some great stuff and top end equipment for 25% the cost. I did this for my last tank with a similar budget and and wouldnt do it any other way unless I need something custom for a certain space etc. Good Luck! Remember that once your tank, sump, pumps etc have that saltwater go through it, you cant tell the difference between used and new after a couple weeks!
$1600 Budget - Setup Advice?
- Thread starter dsustko
- Start date
dwolson2
New member
It seems nice. Always try to get it a little cheaper if you can. You will more than likely get a lot of little stuff like refractometer and test kits with it, and those add up, so I would go for it. You will more than likely make a few changes, or I would. I would change to a herbie overflow, but its a descent sized starter tank.
Arnel0387
New member
Looks good! What's the tank and sump dimensions? Pumps? Any ATO system? What lights are installed? Heater? It seems like you might need to upgrade the sump and skimmer. Show up his/her house with a $400 cash. I wouldn't buy this for more than 400.
I'd pass though if I were you, but if you end up buying the system, sell the fish, don't use the substrate (appears to be crushed coral), and kill the rocks..
I agree with most of what everyone on here is telling you. Patience is the key.
Couple of getting started questions -
Where are you putting the tank?
How much room do you have?
I like a 120 with dual overflows, pick up a used 55 gal for a sump and put in some baffles. good return pump, and good skimmer and you're set. Keep an eye on your local forums, and check with your LFS. One of ours here just had a used tank sale and they were cheap.
Good luck.
Couple of getting started questions -
Where are you putting the tank?
How much room do you have?
I like a 120 with dual overflows, pick up a used 55 gal for a sump and put in some baffles. good return pump, and good skimmer and you're set. Keep an eye on your local forums, and check with your LFS. One of ours here just had a used tank sale and they were cheap.
Good luck.
dsustko
New member
I'm putting the tank in my living room with plenty of room for up to 6ft tank. It will be about 10 feet away from any windows (which are closed with shades all the time anyway) and against the weight bearing wall. I did check the floor joists and the tank will be sitting accross 2-3 joists; however, I would still be nervous to put up a 120G tank on the second floor. By the time its all set up that would be ~ 1,500lbs.
Drae
RAIDER NATION!
Get a deeper ( front to back) tank. 24" trust me. A 48x24x20 would be about 85 gallons after water displacement and you'd love this size. I'm a carpenter by trade and I build casinos and hotels for a living but before that I built apartments, condos, and homes and beleive me when I tell you you'd be fine with 1500lbs on the second floor. Don't take my word for it, call a structural engineer over to verify this for piece of mind. You'd be hard pressed to find a sngle thread about a tank gong through a floor. I had a 150 on the second floor of a 30 year old condo once. I weigh 220lbs and 10 of me would be fine standinng shoulder to shoulder on a non load bearing wall. Everbody acts like a ton is heavy. lol. It's not that heavy at all. Food for thought.
I put together my 75G last spring for under your budget and that included a new MP40 and SWC150 skimmer. I would keep an eye on CL for good deals in the 75 to 125G range.
Before I bought my current 125, I found new 125s RR's with a stand for $599 to $699 in my area.
I would also monitor your local reefing forums, there should be good information and used equipment.
Before I bought my current 125, I found new 125s RR's with a stand for $599 to $699 in my area.
I would also monitor your local reefing forums, there should be good information and used equipment.
dkeller_nc
New member
There is, btw, someone that put up a brand-new, never filled 190 gallon 6-foot long DSA (Deep Sea Aquatics) tank with a 40 gallon breeder sump on the buy/sell section of this forum for $900. While you can't yet see the buy/sell forum (you have to have a certain number of posts and 3 months, I think), I don't think it's a violation of the TOS for the forum to put you in direct touch with the seller. It's in Chesapeake, VA, btw.
Eric Noa
New member
I would suggest looking on your local craigslist for a use tank. Im sure you will fine a better deal for a tank with stand and canopy than what your lfs is offering.
dsustko
New member
Your thoughts on Apex Jr?
I bought the lite, which I am glad I did. I would avoid the jr, as you are limited to the outlets. Jr was my first choice.
If I would have to choose all over again I would have picked the apex with probe package. You most likely end up buying a ph probe, salinity probe, etc. Which in my case I end up doing.
You can add additional outlets when you have enough funds. You can't go wrong with a controller that control's heat, ph, etc. Nothing beats a sense of security.
dwolson2
New member
I bought an apex Jr, used it for a while, then sold it and bought a full apex. If you put on radions, MP10's, and a bubble magus doser, You could easily get by with 4 outlets(or just add one eb8)
President Evil
New member
yeah I have to agree to buy used parts.. I just bought a complete setup for 500 dollars, 75 gal tank, asm g3 skimmer, eurofil sump, return pump, and 2 150W MH and T5 fixture...
shop around.. you will find a good deal
shop around.. you will find a good deal
Saltwatercoral2
New member
Too bad you wasn't a little closer to me.(I'm in Kansas.) I got a tank for sale. 48" x 24" x 17" tall RR. With a stand and sump for $300. Tank was new in june, but I gotta downsize as I'm moving.
HPark
New member
This is a great thread. I'll qualify all of my advice by saying it's a little difficult to totally prepare and purchase all of your equipment without having some idea of what you'd like to keep. But we all had to jump in somewhere so if this is your first tank, you want enough flexibility with your equipment to experiment and try different things.
I say this b/c depending on your future fish/coral purchases -- some equipment can become overkill. A gigantic skimmer and super powerful lights are probably necessary if you plan to pursue SPS, but can actually make keeping soft corals difficult.
I'd recommend LED/t-5's over metal halides for this reason as a dimmer would allow you to control light intensity as you begin to figure out the direction of the tank.
Same reason why most people are suggesting the biggest tank possible (we almost always all inevitably want fish we can't comfortably keep in smaller tanks)..
Things like Auto-top offs, controllers...aren't exactly necessary. Maybe I'm just "old" but I've never used any of these devices...that said, if you have the money, I can see how they'd make life much easier.
One thing I try to do -- read the subforums whenever possible...explore what people are doing with SPS, LPS and Soft Corals (especially tank build threads) as that might inspire a direction for you and help you learn a lot about what you can/can't do with your eventual set-up.
Lots of liverock, water changes, lots of feeding have always been the cornerstone to my fish keeping philosophy. Good luck!
I say this b/c depending on your future fish/coral purchases -- some equipment can become overkill. A gigantic skimmer and super powerful lights are probably necessary if you plan to pursue SPS, but can actually make keeping soft corals difficult.
I'd recommend LED/t-5's over metal halides for this reason as a dimmer would allow you to control light intensity as you begin to figure out the direction of the tank.
Same reason why most people are suggesting the biggest tank possible (we almost always all inevitably want fish we can't comfortably keep in smaller tanks)..
Things like Auto-top offs, controllers...aren't exactly necessary. Maybe I'm just "old" but I've never used any of these devices...that said, if you have the money, I can see how they'd make life much easier.
One thing I try to do -- read the subforums whenever possible...explore what people are doing with SPS, LPS and Soft Corals (especially tank build threads) as that might inspire a direction for you and help you learn a lot about what you can/can't do with your eventual set-up.
Lots of liverock, water changes, lots of feeding have always been the cornerstone to my fish keeping philosophy. Good luck!
BenBradford
New member
I'd advise go 100 gallons, because most people find the fish they want to keep can't live in a 50-60 gallon tank. If your ambition is for blennies and gobies, fine. Most species want more room.
Start shopping, but fix in your head what a proper reef tank looks like, how it drains, how it's pumped, what it takes. Then start looking for second-hand equipment. No few people get into this and discover it takes more research and work than they want to devote to anything: they ignore advice, take a short cut they thought of, kill half a dozen fish and out they go, selling off their equipment at fire-sale prices. This is a very good way to start. Look for somebody in your area that's moving---another big reason for selling a good tank---getting a larger tank (this happens) or is simply going off to take up knitting or hang-gliding.
For a basic reef you need: a reef-ready (drilled, with downflow box) tank of 100 gallons if at all possible; a T5 or better light kit that will support highlevel light; if you want stony coral or clams, needs to be 10000k light color or more; you need a skimmer for 200 gallons; you need a 30 gallon sump; a stand; a pump that moves about 1500 gph or more (you can valve it back, but not up); and a ro/di filter to turn tapwater into useable 0-content water; a 50 lbs bucket of reef salt mix; 200 lbs live rock/dry rock mixed; 200 lbs of aragonite sand, live or not, washed; and an ATO (autotopoff system with large reservoir [the evaporation rule is 1 gallon a day for each 50 gallons) and a very high-end heater (cheap ones are dangerous). I know that's a big list, but if you know what all these things are before you buy, and know the brands, you can save yourself re-buying and problems. The rig I outlined can sometimes be had for 700 dollars on Craigslist or the like, when somebody needs to move and get out of the hobby for a while (or forever) or upsize. That leaves you a lot of room. Don't be scared of second-hand: it's ok if you do your homework first.
Note my measurements on pump strength and sand/rock are based on 100 g. Divide by reality to get a proportional number.
summed up well
Start shopping, but fix in your head what a proper reef tank looks like, how it drains, how it's pumped, what it takes. Then start looking for second-hand equipment. No few people get into this and discover it takes more research and work than they want to devote to anything: they ignore advice, take a short cut they thought of, kill half a dozen fish and out they go, selling off their equipment at fire-sale prices. This is a very good way to start. Look for somebody in your area that's moving---another big reason for selling a good tank---getting a larger tank (this happens) or is simply going off to take up knitting or hang-gliding.
For a basic reef you need: a reef-ready (drilled, with downflow box) tank of 100 gallons if at all possible; a T5 or better light kit that will support highlevel light; if you want stony coral or clams, needs to be 10000k light color or more; you need a skimmer for 200 gallons; you need a 30 gallon sump; a stand; a pump that moves about 1500 gph or more (you can valve it back, but not up); and a ro/di filter to turn tapwater into useable 0-content water; a 50 lbs bucket of reef salt mix; 200 lbs live rock/dry rock mixed; 200 lbs of aragonite sand, live or not, washed; and an ATO (autotopoff system with large reservoir [the evaporation rule is 1 gallon a day for each 50 gallons) and a very high-end heater (cheap ones are dangerous). I know that's a big list, but if you know what all these things are before you buy, and know the brands, you can save yourself re-buying and problems. The rig I outlined can sometimes be had for 700 dollars on Craigslist or the like, when somebody needs to move and get out of the hobby for a while (or forever) or upsize. That leaves you a lot of room. Don't be scared of second-hand: it's ok if you do your homework first.
Note my measurements on pump strength and sand/rock are based on 100 g. Divide by reality to get a proportional number.
summed up well
JuJuMan16
Member
Craigslist!
After many years I'm getting back in the hobby. I just picked up a 75 gal with a custom stand and canopy, Dual HQI / PC lights, over 120 lbs of rock, fish, etc. All for $350.
The tank was neglected, so I donated the fish and corals to an LFS so they wouldn't be affected by the tear down and rebuild. The tank is filthy!
I'm not too crazy about the sump (wet dry modded to be a sump, ghetto rigged) and the skimmer, so I got on Craigslist again and picked up a 40 gal breeder tank, never used, with a metal stand which is a bonus for $50. That will be my sump.
Research for now, and pick a size you are comfortable with. IMHO, get a tank with a bit of depth if you can, more important than the height. Your corals will take better advantage of your lighting and trust me, you and your livestock will be happier with the depth.
Be patient. Many folks out there get tired of their tanks, hate that they take up space and time and don't care to let them go cheap or even free.
After many years I'm getting back in the hobby. I just picked up a 75 gal with a custom stand and canopy, Dual HQI / PC lights, over 120 lbs of rock, fish, etc. All for $350.
The tank was neglected, so I donated the fish and corals to an LFS so they wouldn't be affected by the tear down and rebuild. The tank is filthy!
I'm not too crazy about the sump (wet dry modded to be a sump, ghetto rigged) and the skimmer, so I got on Craigslist again and picked up a 40 gal breeder tank, never used, with a metal stand which is a bonus for $50. That will be my sump.
Research for now, and pick a size you are comfortable with. IMHO, get a tank with a bit of depth if you can, more important than the height. Your corals will take better advantage of your lighting and trust me, you and your livestock will be happier with the depth.
Be patient. Many folks out there get tired of their tanks, hate that they take up space and time and don't care to let them go cheap or even free.
