BiggySmalls
New member
i am getting a free 55g tank, stand ,water,fish, so i dont know what equipment i will need and the cost of it all
how expensive will it be?.........
- Thread starter BiggySmalls
- Start date
sir_dudeguy
Active member
well i hope you're setting it all up and cycleing before you just throw fish and stuff in it. and cost completely depends on wether or not you're doing reef
BiggySmalls
New member
no i am not doing a reef. the tank is going to be given to me because he is moving. and i will let it cycle before i put stuff in it
Shagsbeard
New member
Just off the top of my head, and only approximate:
Live rock $300
Sand $100
Skimmer $125-200
Heater $40
Refractometer $40
Test kits ~$50-200(wide variety, but don't skimp)
Lighting ~$300-$1500 depending on your ambitions.
Powerheads ~$50+
That's stuff you need. There are plenty of things you could buy if you want to. You can save a ton if you buy stuff used. I don't really see how someone could give you "fish" if you didn't have most of this stuff already in the tank. I'd let the tank run fishless for quite some time, a couple months or so, to get the tank somewhat established.
You're also going to want a quarentine tank set up, because adding fish to a tank without observing it will eventually ruin the entire tank. Don't do it, even with your first fish.
Live rock $300
Sand $100
Skimmer $125-200
Heater $40
Refractometer $40
Test kits ~$50-200(wide variety, but don't skimp)
Lighting ~$300-$1500 depending on your ambitions.
Powerheads ~$50+
That's stuff you need. There are plenty of things you could buy if you want to. You can save a ton if you buy stuff used. I don't really see how someone could give you "fish" if you didn't have most of this stuff already in the tank. I'd let the tank run fishless for quite some time, a couple months or so, to get the tank somewhat established.
You're also going to want a quarentine tank set up, because adding fish to a tank without observing it will eventually ruin the entire tank. Don't do it, even with your first fish.
BiggySmalls
New member
what if i just want an eel and some fish
BiggySmalls
New member
i know. i will let the tank cycle. i just want to know the cost of the tank if i just want a snowflake eel and a couple fish.
fishnfrogs
New member
sump tank!
BiggySmalls
New member
how big and how expensive?
BiggySmalls
New member
what did you spend it on?
i just want a couple fish + eel
i dont want any corals
i just want a couple fish + eel
i dont want any corals
J. Montgomery
Mouth Pipetting
First off, no real need to start two different threads on the same topic in the same forum.
Second, we got 'ya. You want to know the cost in setting up a FOWLR for an eel. (That will be a cool tank!)
What everyone has said so far is correct (cost, cycling, and QT). The only thing you can go cheap on is the lighting; you only need enough to see your fish. If you want to go cheap on your setup, you'll only get burned in the long run (unless you're wanting to spend a few hundred dollars to have an eel die within a few months). You're looking at spending just shy of $1,000. And maintanence isn't cheap either.
For other fish to put in with an eel . . . just make sure its big enough to not get eaten. A LFS near me has a snowflake eel that is big enough to eat just about anything (except for the lionfish he shares a tank with). Also, make sure you've got a good fitting lid, you don't want to wake up to dried eel on your carpet.
Good luck. Set a good plan, and follow it and you'll have success.
sir_dudeguy
Active member
i'm w/statix. I'm a bit confused on what you're already getting/have for free or if any of it was free. But for my first reef....well i payed 200 for a 55g tank and stand w/a ton of other stuff, including a filter and heaters and stuff. I sold about 100 bucks worth of stuff (mostly decorations...so many) so thats only about 100 put into what the setup ended as. Sand...got that for 40 bucks (40 lbs is all) Rock, i found from a local reefer for 2 bucks a pound and i got 30 lbs, then i got 30 lbs of base rock for 1 buck a pound...so what...90 bucks there...so around 250 total so far? Then i basically just bought some used lights...4x96w pc lights for 160 (from same guy i got the rock from lol). Lights are not on that tank anymore (nor is anything for that matter 
) but they are still running and doing great as of now on my 40. In the end i only spent about...idk...400 bucks? Somewhere around there, give or take a few here and there of course. I already had stuff like powerheads and whatnot.
Oh! I also bought a used aqua c remora for 70 bucks from someone on the selling forum here. And it is also still goin great. Corals...I've had pretty much all my corals pay for themselves....i payed to get some initially, but then once you get some going you can trade them to other people for new ones, and you've still got bits of what you started with...so its llike you're getting more for your money in that sense.
But then again, you dont want corals...so thats gonna save you around 200 bucks at least (if you were to buy new), and imo, you may not even need a skimmer cuz you dont need the water as good cuz there's no corals....fish could care less what the nitrates are at...so having them low for corals isnt gonna be an issue cuz you wont have em....so i would probably just go with a wet/dry or a canister filter that is good enough for your sized tank and dont bother w/live rock (tho i still think live rock is the best way to go overall...just not needed for fish only tanks). Then maybe get just some dry rock for dirt cheap.
) but they are still running and doing great as of now on my 40. In the end i only spent about...idk...400 bucks? Somewhere around there, give or take a few here and there of course. I already had stuff like powerheads and whatnot.Oh! I also bought a used aqua c remora for 70 bucks from someone on the selling forum here. And it is also still goin great. Corals...I've had pretty much all my corals pay for themselves....i payed to get some initially, but then once you get some going you can trade them to other people for new ones, and you've still got bits of what you started with...so its llike you're getting more for your money in that sense.
But then again, you dont want corals...so thats gonna save you around 200 bucks at least (if you were to buy new), and imo, you may not even need a skimmer cuz you dont need the water as good cuz there's no corals....fish could care less what the nitrates are at...so having them low for corals isnt gonna be an issue cuz you wont have em....so i would probably just go with a wet/dry or a canister filter that is good enough for your sized tank and dont bother w/live rock (tho i still think live rock is the best way to go overall...just not needed for fish only tanks). Then maybe get just some dry rock for dirt cheap.
BiggySmalls
New member
thanks
sarduci
Premium Member
Let's break it down:tank, stand ,water,fish
Tank - Free
Stand - Free
Fish - Free
You'll need:
Heaters - About $30
A tight top - About $30
A light - From $15 to $500
A bucket of salt - ~$35
25 gallons of RO/DI water for your first water change - Varries
or
A basic RO/DI system with good filters - $135 to $250
Basic tests - $30
Refractometer (don't get a swing arm) - ~$35
Pumps for water movement - $50 to $100
Food - $???
Clean up critters - ~$100.00
Grounding probe - $30
NEW GFCI SOCKETS - $15 each
Timers, power strips - $45
Skimmer - $150 for a nice smaller one
Tank - Free
Stand - Free
Fish - Free
You'll need:
Heaters - About $30
A tight top - About $30
A light - From $15 to $500
A bucket of salt - ~$35
25 gallons of RO/DI water for your first water change - Varries
or
A basic RO/DI system with good filters - $135 to $250
Basic tests - $30
Refractometer (don't get a swing arm) - ~$35
Pumps for water movement - $50 to $100
Food - $???
Clean up critters - ~$100.00
Grounding probe - $30
NEW GFCI SOCKETS - $15 each
Timers, power strips - $45
Skimmer - $150 for a nice smaller one
slapshot16
New member
Basic flourescent lights: $75
20#s of sand: $20
50#s of live rock: $150 to $300 (You can start with less)
Heater: $35
Skimmer: $75 - $200
Test kits: Amonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH: $50
$500 or less to get a very basic set-up going. Of course yuo will get hooked and upgrade over time with lights, more rocks, sump, corals, etc.
20#s of sand: $20
50#s of live rock: $150 to $300 (You can start with less)
Heater: $35
Skimmer: $75 - $200
Test kits: Amonia, nitrite, nitrate, PH: $50
$500 or less to get a very basic set-up going. Of course yuo will get hooked and upgrade over time with lights, more rocks, sump, corals, etc.
Shoestring Reefer
New member
Re: how expensive will it be?.........
*Successfull is pretty subjective, and it might be a maintenance nightmare.
Are you getting a tank that already had saltwater fish in it? If so, and if you get all the equipment, and if it was a successfull* tank, you don't need anything except new substrait (sand). You also don't need to wait for it to cycle.
*Successfull is pretty subjective, and it might be a maintenance nightmare.
