What to buy?! Newbie here.

Hemlawk

Hemlawk

New member
Hi everyone. I have zero experience in saltwater aquariums. I've been researching for the past few days and I'm very excited about getting started. I am willing to go big but my wife isn't. So I think we're going 20-40g. I'd like to keep my budget under $1000.

I'm not sure what to buy but I have some ideas. I want something simple for my first reef. So here's what I'm considering.

-fluval M90 kit (tank/stand/pump/lights/salt/etc)
-20 lbs of live rock (& glue)
-20 lbs of crush coral/sand

I'm not sure what else I need. I didn't see anything about a filter with the M90.

Thanks for any help
Eddie
 
so after looking at the pictures of the m90 kit it looks to have in a back sump. The difference in between fresh and salt (reef too) is that their isn't a filter (weird I know). Live rock filters the water along with a skimmer. Looking at the setup you are looking at it should have a behind the tank sump vs your classic under stand sump (or behind a wall in another room like a lot of these rich folks have.) lol.

That is a cool looking little tank. If you are wanting to keep coral and etc please check the light requirements and what the current one has.


According to Fluval's website which I pulled this remark from it already has a protein skimmer in it (very good for the aeration of the water and removing organic matter and keeping the water clean for the coral and fish to be happy):

" The 102 L (27 US Gal) aquarium includes an integrated rear compartment (34L or 9 US Gal) that discreetly houses a Fluval Sea Protein Skimmer, in addition to an integrated drain valve with drain hose that will permit convenient water changes by connecting to a simple valve system inside the cabinet. This will allow the user to change up-to 20% of aquarium water volume without exposing sensitive corals to air. "

I don't have a lot of experience with these ALL-IN-ONES but it looks like a nice little starter tank. The tank itself is only 27gal be aware of this. The rest is in the sump. Any other questions don't hesitate to ask. Great community with a lot of knowledgeable people.
 
Light: 504 LEDs, 25000 K

lighting doesn't look to create an issue either.

also. From my experience use live sand not crushed coral.
 
If you can push the budget (and size) just a wee bit more get the red sea reefer 250. Having a roomy sump make your life so much easier. There are used reefer 250 come up for sale all the time.
 
Thanks for the responses.

So yeah, I've seen a few reviews on the Fluval and I'm not impressed. I mean, it'll do to keep the cost down but I'd rather have quality stuff. The Red Sea might be in the cards.
I guess I could do a DIY custom system. I just figured my first reef might be easier with a kit. I was at the aquarium store yesterday and the tank prices scared my wife away. Lol. But what she doesn't know won't hurt her. :) so now I'll continue to do more research...
 
My advice is to pick up a 40 breeder when petco has its $1/gal sale. It will only cost you $40. The stand is pretty simple to make 2x4's and plywood. It's really not hard don't get intimidated. As far as lights you could pick up T5 for fairly cheap.
 
Last edited:
kmbyrnes said:
And the tank is the cheapest part!
Good luck on your build.
Click to expand...

+1

Your coral, livestocks, additives, salt, ELECTRICITY BILL, will far eclipse the cost of the tank itself later.

Last but not least, your time cost something, so spend a little more up front and save the hassle later :)
 
I always like doing it myself personally. It's the learning experience that always makes it better


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
welcome to the hobby! Do lots of research and reading and figure out what type of system will suit you. Some people love the DIY aspect, and others love an AIO setup that is basically plug and play. What I did in the beginning was look at a lot of threads and got a feel for what things gave me the "Ooooh!! I want THAT" reaction. Do you want a lot of SPS, or do you like soft corals and LPS better, is there a certain fish you can't live without, how much maintenance are you up for....etc. Do you have small kids? Some corals are highly toxic and you don't want the kiddos getting into the tank. (google palytoxin)

Besides the tank you will need an RO system or handy access to get RO water somewhere. Test kits are a must have, and the cheap (ish) ones at Petco aren't the most highly recommended. Refractometer...the little plastic swing arm ones can work, but a refractometer is great. Auto Top Off (ATO), really handy for a small tank where you will get salinity swings...the list goes on!

Setting up a tank can be as simple or difficult as you want, but it's all part of the fun!
 
I've been researching like madman.
So the things that excite me the most are the corals. As for fish, I really love Flame Angel, clown and Koran! I just want a peaceful reef.

So I'm leaning towards the a 20g Nano fusion AIO tank. That way I can get quality item within my budget.

I'm so excited. I'm struggling to hold back from dropping big money. Lol
 
My best advice is to decide what dimensions you are looking for, and find someone getting out of the hobby. The best deals are always on used full systems. You can sell off the livestock and choose what you want later too. Just get on your local reef forums or any of the big ones and look for the "getting out of the hobby" and "full system for sale" threads.

I got a red sea 170 used with some equipment in your price range (and was originally looking at the Fluval or an IM Nuvo series).

If i was looking to go on the cheap I would get a used tank and stand and light it with a used T5 fixture. You can get by with buckets and fish store saltwater in the beginning.

My best advice: Get a refractometer!

If you want a flame angel get the nuvo 30 or 40. Lot's more space to breathe. I bought my first 25G all in one used for 150 and ran for 5 years on only about 1250 including salt, bulbs, fish, rock etc.

For instance: This setup is 2 Grand and includes easily 4 grand worth of equipment (500 in apex, 800 in lights, couple hundred in pumps, probably 800 in tank and stand, 400-800 in rock and sand etc): http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2625677
 
You are lying to yourself if you think you can do a nice reef tank for $1000 as a newbie.

I tell all newbies, just like I was told, it's going to be $100 per gallon once up and running with all that you need.

So yes, my 100 gallon is just passing the $10K mark and it's only 3 months old. Seems like I buy something everyday for it ($50 here there everywhere).

Your light is going to be half your budget already.
 
You are also going to go through the buy cheap phase, then have to end up buying the more expensive piece of equipment over.

Once you start buying $100 corals you will quickly spend the extra to insure their success.


My advice, buy a complete RedSea tank setup. It's a really nice setup to start from. Look at the Max-S Series 170. That is your best bet to making it in this hobby for cheap.
 
Get your post count up so you can browse the For Sale section and sit tight for a tank that's in your budget and location. Something will pop up for a price well below your INITIAL budget of 1k.

Everyone here will agree that this initial budget will be blown away when all's said and done. With that in mind, if you can DIY, you'll save yourself some money. I built my stand and plumbed everything on my own. Not only did I save some money I was extremely happy that this custom setup was of my own doing. I'm a touch above novice when it comes to woodworking, zero experience with electricity.

Good luck. I mean that in a positive and negative way! I never thought I'd be 10k into this hobby. I bought my used 125g tank and cheap stand for $600 and thought I'd be good to go........
 
kto17 said:
I was looking at the M90 but eventually thought everything through and decided on a Red Sea tank.
Click to expand...

Welcome the the club! I got my 170 in perfect shape with an MP10, sicce return and reef octopus skimmer for 800. Drove 400 miles through two countries for it. I'm ready for fish and coral now at $2300 into it.
 
I just started looking at the classifieds, have seen a lot of the pieces I want come up, that was helpful advice, no just working on my post count for reef central.

-Ceres
 
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