Thanks for the reply Sk8r! I'll definitely take my time and research as much as possible. Do you think a tank that is 72" long would be long enough for Tangs? I've seen some guys have them in a 36"X36 cube, but I'd rather have them in something a tad bit longer. My main goal is to have healthy corals with proper lighting(MH lighting) and beautiful fish in the tank. I'll probably start with some montipora, leather corals, mushrooms, and a few others. Has anyone had experience with Tunze power heads?
I need help!!
- Thread starter Swatman05
- Start date
Just a little heads up... since you're planning on taking your time and saving. Look toward black Friday to blow some of that money. By then you will have a good idea of what you want and need and the online stores have some killer deals on equipment then. The timing might just work out well for you! Some stuff I don't mind buying used, it just depends, but some black Friday deals are in the same realm as lightly used equipment.
TUnze and Eheim are both very good brands. The Tunze Care Magnet for cleaning to the bottom of very tall tanks is the best thing since sliced bread, imho. OTOH, there is something to be said for Sea Swirl, also, re wavemakers/current makers. I used two opposed to each other to randomize it.
JohnnyHildo
Member
just as a figure to go from... in my personal experience as a new reefer in 2016 i bought everything (tank, sump, stand, RODI, salt, pumps, skimmer, gfo reactor, tunze ato, ati lights, heaters, rock, substrate, gyre, cleaning supplies, supplements, test kits, algae scrubber, hydrometer, fish and coral) this past few months for my 4 foot long 120 gallon.
all in all i'm going to estimate my costs at close to 5g's and probably closer to 6.
the only reason i am sharing this is because all of those things i consider necessary at this point for me to properly run my system... i wish i knew that when i started. haha.
one thing i did learn along the way is that there are ways to cut costs but everything down to the fish you want to keep should be researched and planned out.
all in all i'm going to estimate my costs at close to 5g's and probably closer to 6.
the only reason i am sharing this is because all of those things i consider necessary at this point for me to properly run my system... i wish i knew that when i started. haha.
one thing i did learn along the way is that there are ways to cut costs but everything down to the fish you want to keep should be researched and planned out.
fishinthewall
New member
No kidding, I got a second job cause I want to all out on my tank. 300g sps for me. 
Don't get too depressed until you've cruised the sites that sell things. When somebody has to move crosscountry or for some other reason has to leave the hobby, sometimes they have to sell a pretty good system. The main thing is knowing what you're looking for and what you're looking at, so you don't end up buying that guy's reason for giving up the hobby, eg, a tank that's equipped with problems, or the like. I've seen whole pretty good large tanks go for 700. The catch is finding a loyal friend to trek cross-state with you to go shopping. Also check out fish stores. Our local one often has on-consignment gear that somebody is hoping to sell. The white crusty crud stuff that often makes these look bad is dead-simple to cure: white vinegar will dissolve that stuff literally overnight. You just need to be alert for damage and really silly plumbing.
JohnnyHildo
Member
haha well i don't necessarily mean for it to be depressing but unfortunately money can be a limiting factor at the start.
one way of getting around that a bit is to go fowlr (fish only with live rock) where water conditions have a little less impact than they do with a reef system. another financially important detail with fowlr is that you can get by paying less attention to water parameters, you don't need expensive powerheads and you can use whatever lights you desire whereas you need a lot of light to support a reef.
basically if you eventually want corals you just buy reef-safe fish and add equipment as you can afford.
for example: i wasn't decided on what kind of light i was going to go with at first so i used a freshwater current usa led light which was actually very good for the $100 i bought it for... 1/12th of the light i eventually ended up with
JohnnyHildo
Member
tank, stand, plumbing, skimmer, salt, rodi system, ato, rock, return pump, heaters, fish and what ever light you desire. i'm sure there is a few other things i'm missing but they aren't huge.
JohnnyHildo
Member
sure... but then again there goes another substantial amount of money on a luxury that your system doesn't necessarily need.
consider getting a well constructed plan and save accordingly. a little learning goes a long way and a 10 gallon nano is very capable of teaching valuable lessons along with being considerably cheaper than a 250 gallon monstrosity. good luck.
consider getting a well constructed plan and save accordingly. a little learning goes a long way and a 10 gallon nano is very capable of teaching valuable lessons along with being considerably cheaper than a 250 gallon monstrosity. good luck.
champion6sigma
New member
I think an ato can wait. I manually add water to my tank. I have an ato just haven't installed yet. You either need anamazingly reliable one or do a controller . Controller isn't a necessity.
U need tank. Stand. Heater. Plumbing. Cheap non live rock will do and will lengthen your startup time giving u more time to recover from initial expenses. Dry sand. Rodi is a good investment. And so a decent salt. I recommend a bulk reef supply rodi for value or a refurbished spectrapure. I l like going the new route over used. Buy online look for coupons and deals. Don't pay taxes don't pay shipping. Get ur email for updates from bulk reef, marine depot, and any other. Less stress with new. U get a warranty. Won't have to worry about subpar performance or breaking down a month after u get something...or having used stuff break in shipping spending on gas to pick up, and risk breaking on way home. Or unseen issues.
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U need tank. Stand. Heater. Plumbing. Cheap non live rock will do and will lengthen your startup time giving u more time to recover from initial expenses. Dry sand. Rodi is a good investment. And so a decent salt. I recommend a bulk reef supply rodi for value or a refurbished spectrapure. I l like going the new route over used. Buy online look for coupons and deals. Don't pay taxes don't pay shipping. Get ur email for updates from bulk reef, marine depot, and any other. Less stress with new. U get a warranty. Won't have to worry about subpar performance or breaking down a month after u get something...or having used stuff break in shipping spending on gas to pick up, and risk breaking on way home. Or unseen issues.
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champion6sigma
New member
And the return pump of course. Maybe an eggcrate for under the rockwork. A leveling pad for under the display tank. A sump. Skimmer for once fish are in. Some fish food to start cycle.
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champion6sigma
New member
A gfci outlet installed. A power surge strip for ur outlets. Lighting.
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champion6sigma
New member
I wish I had gotten my own test kits when I first started my tank...
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