should i wait?

[WHiteout]

iv decided to get in to the hobby of reef keeping. the thing is i have no money saved up for it and i have a question.

my birthday is coming up in a month so i know ill have some money to save up and purchase some items so,
should i buy the set up bit by bit, or should i get it all in one large buy?

i was thinking about getting a 90 gallon tank and building up from there.

also should i get a separate smaller acclimation tank right away as well?

thanks for the feed back
- chris

 

[sufunk]

You can definitely do it piece by piece. My 180g tank was sitting in my living room for about 6 months while i tried to get a sump/fuge and find a decent deal on a light fixture.

Also, definitely get a qt tank for your new fish. Any cheapo little tank should work ok for you. One of my lfs sells used 20g tanks with a cheap light fixture and a cheapo biowheel for like $30 which is what i use for mu qt tank.

 

[Allanira]

If I was smarter when I first started I would have bought here and there instead of 1 lunp sum. 1st off you get to really decide what you want, 2nd do a LOOOOOOOOOOOOT of research. I was stupid and just bought everything before I research anything. Now I have 1 dead chromis and a lot of aiptasia in the tank. I fi had researched I could have bought a couple items here and there and gotten everything together then set it up. On the acclimation tank you cna use that as your QT also. Dont have any sand, LR or anything in there except water a filter heater, light and some pvc elbows and pipe. They dont need to be big pieces of pipe either. Just somewhere for the fish to hide in as they get use to you. DO NOT add any fish to your DT before QTing it. You cna transmit Ich and intestinal parasites really easily that way. Research the fish and corals you want before you buy them. I was stupid and didnt reserach some of my fish before I bought them. Although I dont really want anymore fish in mine. Well maybe just a couple more lol. Just start researching everything and save your money. That way you can buy the best stuff you can afford for your aquarium. Good luck.

 

[phenom5]

If money is tight, I'd definitely keep an eye out on your local club forum, and craigslist. You may be able to find someone that's getting out of the hobby, or breaking down a tank/ upgrading, and get a setup for pennies on the dollar. Either an entire setup, or various pieces of equipment.

 

[greggnyce]

The quarintine tank is not needed until everything esle is done. If you are handy you can build the stand and canopy to save $. You also have to consider if you are going to use a sump or cannister filter. Imo I would go with a sump the filters are a waste. You can fashion a sump from a 30 or 20 gl tank fairly cheap if you get a used on. You will need a decent return pump to circulate the water between the sump and the display. There is a ton of stuff to think about and you definatley want buy the right stuff the first time around. But you should ask yourself first what kind of system you want, there are many variations. Their are some great books out there by Borneman, Calfo, and Sprung among many others. You should get some of these first and it will give you the information you will need to plan your system and ultimatley save money.

 

[WHiteout]

sweet thanks for all of the info! i can tell that i will be an avid member of this forum and i appreciate all of the help. if i have any other questions ill defiantly be posting them up here. My LFS is pretty neat. i try and go there as often as i can to see what the have. they offered to give me a quote on a total set up but he never mentioned what anything did, or the companies that make the stuff. i'm glad to see that new mexico has a club so ill be posting there as well.

as for tanks, whats a good company that makes a strong reliable glass 90 gallon tank?

 

[billdogg]

go slow!!!!! read lots, buy pieces parts when you can. my current build has be coming together for about a year - almost time ti fill it up!!!

 

[sufunk]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13046300#post13046300 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by WHiteout
sweet thanks for all of the info! i can tell that i will be an avid member of this forum and i appreciate all of the help. if i have any other questions ill defiantly be posting them up here. My LFS is pretty neat. i try and go there as often as i can to see what the have. they offered to give me a quote on a total set up but he never mentioned what anything did, or the companies that make the stuff. i'm glad to see that new mexico has a club so ill be posting there as well.

as for tanks, whats a good company that makes a strong reliable glass 90 gallon tank?

You can sometimes get a good deal on a tank and stand at a lfs but i wouldnt get the whole setup there. Ime, lfs will charge you close to double or more for lights, pumps, skimmers, etc. Better to get that stuff either used from your local club forum or online.

 

[WHiteout]

ok so i got a hold of one of my good friends who is a welder/all around handy man. he said that he would help me construct a stand and lid for it.

are there any threads on building your own stand?? thx

 

[saltee dood]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1330053&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

this is exactly what you need.

 

[WHiteout]

you rock my socks, thanks!