Reefkeeping and your Wallet

[Shawn O]

Powerheads: buy some koralias...later you can upgrade to fancy dc controllable ones, but the koralias do a good job and you'll still find uses for them if you end up replacing them.
Lighting: Figure out what type of lighting you want; they all have pros and cons, then buy a used version.
Carbon/GFO/Kalk, etc. Skip all of it. Adding reactors of carbon and GFO are easy to do after-the-fact. You won't need to boost alkalinity/Ca unless you start growing a bunch of coral (again, down the road).

You get what you pay for. You're better to save up for quality equipment than purchase inferior equipment you will get rid of in the future. For most items I would not be afraid to purchase used equipment provided it is from a quality manufacturer.

My advice is to be patient, save more and buy the right equipment the first time. 6 month old Koralias sitting in my storage was a waste of money. A hydrometer was a waste of money, a mag float was a waste of money, cheap test kits were a waste of money, etc. Add up all that waste and you could have had better equipment to begin with.

This seems to be the predominant wisdom from those who've already gone through the first time buyers remorse. It seems to be the best advice one could get starting out. Buy something that you actually need, that will last.

Researching the things I will need to start a tank has been quite an eye opener. Just pricing out what bulkheads, pvc fittings and valves I will need to plumb the overflow and returns appears to be almost $300.

While I don't like the idea of shelling out $600 for the pair of lights I want I figure I can start out with one over the center of the tank and just place the first corals I get in the middle and when the need arrives for more light spread in the tank then I'll buy the second light. If they can be had used but working well, even better.

I plan on adding only one or two fish and/or a frag or two every other month after the cycle is complete and the tank starts to balance out. No need to drop $1000 on a ton of frags all at once.

One question for the experienced reefers here:
I see most tanks in the LFS are around 1/4" thick glass or slightly thicker. One manufacturer I found uses 1/2" glass. To me this sounds like it would be much stronger and be less likely to get broken by the kids while they are rough-housing or similar. Would you opt to pay more for the thicker glass?

 

[Fish Biscuit]

Absolutely patience is the biggest thing you need & while you're stocking slowly it gives you time to save up for the next purchase.

 

[MondoBongo]

I plan on adding only one or two fish and/or a frag or two every other month after the cycle is complete and the tank starts to balance out. No need to drop $1000 on a ton of frags all at once.

in my opinion frags are the best. i have had only a small number of larger "full colony" sized corals that i have purchased.

for me, i love watching a small frag start to grow in my tank. i have a hammer that started out life as one tiny polyp, barely the size of a quarter, about a year later and it has nearly half a dozen heads and when fully inflated is the size of a softball. got it for free trading a friend.

same with my acros. most of them started life out as sad little twigs. some all browned out. fast forward 10 - 12 months out and they're going nuts, growing all over!

i love taking pictures every month or two, and comparing the sizes and growth rates.

getting frags also mean your tank fills up more slowly. when i started out i wanted a full tank yesterday. now that i am out of room, i am constantly trying to figure out where i can squeeze that next cool frag.

 

[rocsec1]

Craigslist is your friend
Frag swaps are great but go with a budget and don't get anything unless you research it

 

[CuzzA]

One question for the experienced reefers here:
I see most tanks in the LFS are around 1/4" thick glass or slightly thicker. One manufacturer I found uses 1/2" glass. To me this sounds like it would be much stronger and be less likely to get broken by the kids while they are rough-housing or similar. Would you opt to pay more for the thicker glass?

Glass thickness is based on the volume of water, specifically by the height of the tank and not by abuse from kids or anyone for that matter. The taller the tank the more pressure on the glass and seams, thus thicker material. If there's a risk of a child throwing a baseball at "nemo" then you may want to choose a thicker glass, but it will cost you and there's still no guarantee it wouldn't break. Any standard stock tank from a national retailer or quality builder will be built with the correct engineering. If you're planning a custom tank then ask the "experienced" builder what they recommend given the dimensions you desire. I doubt, however, you'll get an answer to the failure force from a baseball getting chucked at a tank.

I'll add this to the wallet topic. Buy the biggest tank you can comfortably fit in the location you want in your home (however remember salt mix costs $). It may contradict the idea of not wasting money, but my 90 gallon should have been a 24 inch deep 120. And after that thought passed and because I have the space I've now determined an 8 foot tank is in the works. With some serious forethought I would have saved a lot of money had I just went that route to begin with. But I had no idea I would enjoy this hobby as much as I do.

 

[Mcgeezer]

Patience is the ultimate piece of advice that anyone can give in this hobby. It pays off...and if you have patience, you can space out your expenses too. I'm just now 9 months into my first tank and I am now just getting close to finished with my reef.

Now it's time to just let it all grow out.

 

[W1ngz]

I'm going to COMPLETELY disagree with people who are saying to not spend money on the 100$ something, and to wait to get the 500$ other thing. Is there a crap ton of stuff from China not worth a damn to watch out for? Sure. But...

Are you going to upgrade? Eventually. But for now, a set of Koralias will do just fine. No need for a multi controller combo of MP40s for hundreds of dollars. Is one more fancy, full featured and blinky-shiney? Sure. You can get by with a 150$-200$ skimmer. Would a 600$+ self-cleaning Reef-Octopus be 'better'? Sure.

Research, shop around, research more, make a shopping list of the items you need and research again. Pick the best, decent stuff you can fit into your budget. It may not be the top of the line, it may not be the 500$ widget. These items will still have some value when you choose or can afford to upgrade.

Later on, you can meet some people, trade some stuff, and make BACK some of the alleged 'wasted' money, and at some later time, your used 'beginner' equipment will put a tank within reach of someone who, maybe like you now, doesn't have 5000$ or more to drop on all the newest best stuff all at once.

That being said though, on the 'things not to buy'. Marineland Maxijet multi-use pumps to be used for circulation pumps. Way too noisy. For the same price, you can get quieter, with a much better magnetic mount. My maxijet has been banished to my salt mixing buckets.

 

[Troio2]

I'm only 4 months in and I agree that you shouldn't buy top of the line everything to start. Mainly because I don't know what the hell I'm doing and don't even know what everything does. My buddy set me up with his old tank and some equipment and I went from there. I've learned a ton since I started and have slowly upgraded some of what he gave me.

 

[Miz40B]

Think resale value...just in case

 

[Troio2]

What can I get for 2 Koralias? Lol

 

[Lowcountry8]

need my own Amazon Prime.. the lady is sick of seeing email alerts of aquarium parts blowing up her phone

Totally agree. I just bought my pump and paid for the shipping instead of using my wife's prime. She's become very aware of exactly how much I've been spending with all the large boxes that keep showing up. I didn't feel there was any need to e-mail the receipt right to her cell phone for the pump.

To try and keep the wife just irritated and not angry, I've spent every free minute of the last month building shelves to sell to off-set the costs. This is in addition to building my own 40B stand. All of this has been 2+ years in the making, so we're making progress!

BTW...I thought building my own stand and canopy would save me a good bit of money, but it has been much more expensive than I anticipated. I guess I hadn't purchased wood in a while, but even the cheap stuff is expensive.

 

[chiefifd]

Just bought two ten foot long 4/4 red leaf Maple boards, building a few cabinet doors. $31.00
Yup...........wood is expensive

 

[Fishy 1]

Use dead or base rock for most of your aquascaping and then get a couple of pieces of live rock to seed the dead stuff. You don't need top of the range gear to start with but don't buy rubbish either. Don't cut corners, it will come back to bite you in this hobby

 

[CuzzA]

What can I get for 2 Koralias? Lol

Ha, you can repurpose the magnets for magnetic wall frag plugs or a DIY frag rack. I ended up putting one of mine in my koi pond. I still have 2 laying around. To look at it from a positive perspective I have a double back up for my dc power heads.

 

[CuzzA]

Totally agree. I just bought my pump and paid for the shipping instead of using my wife's prime. She's become very aware of exactly how much I've been spending with all the large boxes that keep showing up. I didn't feel there was any need to e-mail the receipt right to her cell phone for the pump.

To try and keep the wife just irritated and not angry, I've spent every free minute of the last month building shelves to sell to off-set the costs. This is in addition to building my own 40B stand. All of this has been 2+ years in the making, so we're making progress!

BTW...I thought building my own stand and canopy would save me a good bit of money, but it has been much more expensive than I anticipated. I guess I hadn't purchased wood in a while, but even the cheap stuff is expensive.

Have you looked at the cost of buying a finished stand? You're saving money.

 

[mandarin_goby]

Getting your significant other involved in the hobby is very cost effective. The fiancé bought my RO/DI and the water saver. He's helped with livestock too. Voila, no need to hide anything or use bribery. He buys pricy computer parts and I buy pricy tank equipment. It all works out.

Also, buy used quality stuff. My MP10s and Tek light were used. Yes, I went the Odyssea and Koralia route and I should've saved that money and threw it at equipment that's meant to last. I do have a WP10 in the sump and I'm really impressed with it, but I love the low profile of the MP10 in my display.

Plus, take advantage of Petco's $1per gallon sales...$40 for a 40b is a good deal, get a 20 long sump while you're at it.

I'm not handy when it comes to building stands, so I bought a cheapy iron stand from Petco ($50) and skinned it with clear acrylic that I spray painted. The panels are attached via magnets.

 

[Rognin]

The best line of advice I read on this forum was "Take a 100 dollar bill out of your wallet and light it on fire. If you're willing to do that then you're good to go in this hobby."

 

[Shawn O]

Glass thickness is based on the volume of water, specifically by the height of the tank and not by abuse from kids or anyone for that matter. The taller the tank the more pressure on the glass and seams, thus thicker material. If there's a risk of a child throwing a baseball at "nemo" then you may want to choose a thicker glass, but it will cost you and there's still no guarantee it wouldn't break. Any standard stock tank from a national retailer or quality builder will be built with the correct engineering.

75gal (48x18x21) or 90gal (48x18x24) or 110gal (60x18x24). Not so much baseballs being thrown in the house, just the usual things that happen; wife vacuuming with her back to the tank, and bringing the vac handle back into the glass or something similar. I'd rather pay extra for the thickness if it will bring it closer to the strength of acrylic.

The best line of advice I read on this forum was "Take a 100 dollar bill out of your wallet and light it on fire. If you're willing to do that then you're good to go in this hobby."

LOL! I like that.

 

[CuzzA]

75gal (48x18x21) or 90gal (48x18x24) or 110gal (60x18x24). Not so much baseballs being thrown in the house, just the usual things that happen; wife vacuuming with her back to the tank, and bringing the vac handle back into the glass or something similar. I'd rather pay extra for the thickness if it will bring it closer to the strength of acrylic.

I wouldn't worry too much about light incidental contact breaking the glass. Scratches on the other hand are another story and it doesn't matter how thick the glass is.

I'll offer this advice... I have a 90 and wish I bought a 120 (48x24). If you have the room I would go 24 inches deep. Much more depth and room for aquascaping.

 

[Big_Boss_77]

Getting your significant other involved in the hobby is very cost effective. The fiancé bought my RO/DI and the water saver. He's helped with livestock too. Voila, no need to hide anything or use bribery. He buys pricy computer parts and I buy pricy tank equipment. It all works out.

Also, buy used quality stuff. My MP10s and Tek light were used. Yes, I went the Odyssea and Koralia route and I should've saved that money and threw it at equipment that's meant to last. I do have a WP10 in the sump and I'm really impressed with it, but I love the low profile of the MP10 in my display.

Plus, take advantage of Petco's $1per gallon sales...$40 for a 40b is a good deal, get a 20 long sump while you're at it.

I'm not handy when it comes to building stands, so I bought a cheapy iron stand from Petco ($50) and skinned it with clear acrylic that I spray painted. The panels are attached via magnets.

This is great advice, you get what you pay for. Plus the MP10ESW pair are freaking sweet! Antisync mode is awesome