New to the hobby, and have a few questions!

[Mason360]

So I'm brand new to the hobby and had a few questions! I am wanting to set up a reef tank, and I was thinking about going with 180 gallon aquarium because I'd like to house tangs, as they are my favorite fish. I've done extensive research but wanted to hear from you guys a few things:

How much should I expect to be paying for a tank of such size, including all plumbing, rocks, sand, etc.?

What equipment would you recommend for a 180? I know the basics, but wanted basically an outline of what I need to get in order to be successful.

I got the fish and coral care down. I just need some tips on what types of equipment to get for such a large tank. I have experience with freshwater, cichlids primarily, and think that I am ready to move on to keeping saltwater. Thank you for all your imput, as it is much appreciated!

Mason

 

[thegrun]

I would start by recommending that you read the sticky at the top of this forum "Setting Up: How To". There is a lot to absorb, but it will be worth your time. The cost of setting up a 180 will be dependent on the quality of equipment you purchase. I am a firm believer in purchasing equality equipment, you get what you pay for and cheap equipment often leads to frustration and in the end you end up tossing the cheap stuff away and buying the better quality equipment. Lighting will be by far the largest expense, for a full SPS coral tank lighting could easily top $1,800. You can save a lot of money purchasing high quality used equipment, but for all new top of the line equipment I would suspect it would cost around $5,000.

 

[MondoBongo]

+1 for thegrun.

if you go used, you could potentially get a tank and stand for somewhere round abouts $1000. give or take depending on your local market, etc.. etc...

buying new, the tank itself will probably be somewhere around $1000 if you go with a "normal" brand like AGA, Aqueon, Marineland, etc...

for a simple stand ~$500, and if you want something nicer, a cherry or oak, it goes up exponentially from there.

hood (if you're in to that sort of thing) maybe a few hundred bucks.

keep in mind that is excluding delivery, and a tank of that size would be AT LEAST a 4 person lift. i would highly suggest paying someone else to deliver and position it. i just had my dad and brother help me move a 160, and i'm shocked my family still takes my calls.

skimmer for that size, somewhere in the neighborhood of $500, depending on precise model. really the skimmer, in my opinion, is something you don't want to skimp on. i did when i set up my first tank, and regretted it. then invariably ended up buying a better one, and throwing the first on in the trash.

sump, highly variable. you can build your own with an old aquarium, and get glass baffles cut for about $100 all inclusive. if you get a premade sump, or a fancy acrylic sump, the sky is the limit there, with most of them for that size tank starting around $300ish, depending on the exact size and options.

lighting, totally depends on what you're going for. with a 6' tank you can spend a boatload. my new tank is a 6' and i went with 4 AI Vegas to cover it. i probably could have got away with 3 fixtures, and saved a little coin, but i didn't want any dim areas.

return pump, around $100 depending on which one.

powerheads, the sky is the limit here. i am running 2 EcoTech MP40s for my flow. obviously a bit costly, so you will have to decide what you want here.

heaters, i like to run redundant heaters in my sump attached to an Apex controller. about $60 for two large heaters. the Apex controller is obviously optional, and extra, but it's something i would not want to run a tank without.

auto top off. in my opinion just as essential as a heater for a serious tank. my Tunze set me back about $200. well worth it.

you're also going to need to budget somewhere between $150 - $250 for just random stuff. a bunch of PVC pipe. bulkheads (buy a few extra, trust me), PVC glue, PVC primer, maybe teflon tape, maybe vinyl tubing, all depending on how you do your plumbing.

so, not counting lighting, assuming a cheap stand, no hood, no controller, you're already nipping at about $3,000.

 

[JammyBirch]

Read the stickies for sure also check out the search feature, I find it more useful.

$3000, easy...I have a 25g cube with more than $2000 in it so far.easy... You need to get the best equipment you can afford.

I'd stay away from used stuff as much as possible if it requires electricity.

Your best bet is to start acquiring components over a long time, it took me 6 months to accumulate the base equipment, oh ya you'll need spare stuff too.

This is a great hobby, I mean great, but it requires time and money, it's a big responsibility to do it right make sure you're up for the challenge of being patient.

 

[Shock and Awe]

+1. Slow and steady. If you don't have the cash for good equipment, please do yourself a favor (and lots of headache), save up and buy quality equipment. Congrats and welcome to this great hobby.

 

[GilliganReef]

I'd recommend starting with smaller tank to get use to keeping coral and fish alive. Start off with a 40b with a 20L for sump. Jumping from fw to reefing is a whole new ball game.

 

[MondoBongo]

oh, i forgot to add, you can easily spend a few hundred on sand and rocks, and a few hundred more on salt, a RODI filter, and mixing vessels.

all well worth the expense though!

 

[Shawn O]

Keep an eye on Craigslist. I've seen at least 7 complete setups for under 3k in the last two months. They're probably not going to be ideal but they can be a good start. Some of the equipment may be something you'll not want and you may also be able to get them to only sell you the stuff you want. Usually around tax return time there are a ton of tank/stand combos for sale. I saw one last month that was a 180g tank/stand/fish/coral/rock/sand setup for $1500 IIRC.