SaltwaterAdict
New member
I think you should stop thinking about money and more time enjoying your tank!! :fun2: Afterall, that's why you got in the hobby in the first place..right? :fish1:
Why you cannot build a saltwater aquarium on a budget! (AKA My Build thread)
- Thread starter 90GalFOWLR
- Start date
langtudatinh01
New member
hhaha, agree with above. just stop to count the money. everyone will upgrade their tank sooner or later. as long as you plan ahead, you could try to spread them out enough for some pocket recovery. i just upgrade my skimmer and plan to upgrade to a MP10 or MP40 once i got my tax money back next year. livestocks are the hardest things to control for, at least with me.
jonathansruelas
New member
yea this hobby is expensive but so are other hobbies, i think its alll worth it at the end when you see your fish all happy and swiimming. you forget all the money you wasted and then not before long you want a bigger tank lol..:lolspin:
nightfire
New member
tell em not to pay you but maybe 80 bucks for gas and you get the rest in frags....fish and junk lol
msr224
New member
So just exactly at what point is one considered to have it "up and running?" 2 years? 5 years? 10 years? 25 years?
hahahaha I gotta tell the wife this one...
"Hey honey, not to worry......it'll pay for itself....the people on Reef Central say so!!!!!"
Pickupman66
New member
My old tank did alot of paying for itself. it was too full of coral to buy new ones, I was constantly fragging it and I had no room for new fish. all my equipment worked and all was good! (dont count the electric and water) I didnt do water changes on it so no massive ammts of salt. didnt dose a ton, so none of that.
my new tank has been fairly budget cause I dont have any extra to put into it. that said, if I had extra laying around, it could easily be dumped into it.
my new tank has been fairly budget cause I dont have any extra to put into it. that said, if I had extra laying around, it could easily be dumped into it.
my experience has been that you spend more if you buy crummy stuff. I try to buy really good quality - 1 to 2 years old NOS or used equipment. I buy only tried and true products and I do nothing fancy with the tank. I have a 12 gallon aquapod that has run well for 5 years and a 55 gallon that has run well for 18 months.
This said, I've spent my 2000 dollars as well. But once you get past the 1 to 2 year mark, then things really start to settle down. Mostly now I just buy salt, food, and an occasional coral.
Now, compared to hobbies like skiing, fly fishing, photography, home theater, etc... This is cheap. Auto Top offs don't really change but TVs and cameras, yeah those things change.
(Proud member of various skiing, fly fishing, photography, and home theater forums)
This said, I've spent my 2000 dollars as well. But once you get past the 1 to 2 year mark, then things really start to settle down. Mostly now I just buy salt, food, and an occasional coral.
Now, compared to hobbies like skiing, fly fishing, photography, home theater, etc... This is cheap. Auto Top offs don't really change but TVs and cameras, yeah those things change.
(Proud member of various skiing, fly fishing, photography, and home theater forums)
CStrickland
New member
This threads pretty old, I'm awfully glad I was able to light my tank with $80 LED's and use $8 powerheads for flow. I don't think that was an option back then.
Still, even in 2009 you can't really spend $300 on just the sump, and finish the stand with oak, and then say it's impossible to reef on a budget lol. The budget went out the window around paragraph 4, after that it was just making excuses. That's fine, we all do it, but new reefers should know it doesn't have to be so extreme like this. There's a happy middle between some busted up old lizard tank on Craigslist for $40 and abandoning all restraint.
This is a good thread to learn how not to reef on a budget, but it isn't impossible to do
Still, even in 2009 you can't really spend $300 on just the sump, and finish the stand with oak, and then say it's impossible to reef on a budget lol. The budget went out the window around paragraph 4, after that it was just making excuses. That's fine, we all do it, but new reefers should know it doesn't have to be so extreme like this. There's a happy middle between some busted up old lizard tank on Craigslist for $40 and abandoning all restraint.
This is a good thread to learn how not to reef on a budget, but it isn't impossible to do
Ogi
New member
Prices in Australia
Aqua one 120 tank mini reef $650
Ai prime light $300 + $70 for bracket
Two little fishied reactors x2 $105 each
Pros ban $70-100 forgot
Carbon $80
**** refuge light $50
Fan to cool air $50
TunZe pump $300 and something dollars
$30-40 to make diy screen
Lr $17-20 per 2.2 pounds
Live sand $70 dollars a bag x3
I also have another nano set up, just adding this up is making me think wow
Aqua one 120 tank mini reef $650
Ai prime light $300 + $70 for bracket
Two little fishied reactors x2 $105 each
Pros ban $70-100 forgot
Carbon $80
**** refuge light $50
Fan to cool air $50
TunZe pump $300 and something dollars
$30-40 to make diy screen
Lr $17-20 per 2.2 pounds
Live sand $70 dollars a bag x3
I also have another nano set up, just adding this up is making me think wow
I had a boat named that.:uhoh3:
ScienceRulez
New member
Good to see there are folks in the allentown area of PA. I was afraid I was all alone out there. As for budget, I don't even want to know how much I have spent on the tank here.
So far my budget 10 gallon salt water tank is taking care of my salt water craving. It's got the bugs, a little algae, lots of frags from the LFS, and a scallop that moves around the tank. I am perfectly happy with it. My wife on the other hand is the dangerous one, the last time she went to LFS she came back with a horseshoe crab "but it was so cute and look it was only $10". For that story check my post about a month ago...
So far my budget 10 gallon salt water tank is taking care of my salt water craving. It's got the bugs, a little algae, lots of frags from the LFS, and a scallop that moves around the tank. I am perfectly happy with it. My wife on the other hand is the dangerous one, the last time she went to LFS she came back with a horseshoe crab "but it was so cute and look it was only $10". For that story check my post about a month ago...
Actually you can do a tank fairly cheap.. Craigslist is a great source!! And most of my tank is from people selling off live rock ( Which is usually insanely established and better than anything I usually see retail..)
Tanks and everything else... I scored a awesome 90g SeaClear on a cherry wood stand and canopy + other stuff I used at beginning....
Built my own LED's from Chinese LED star's and chip's @$100 total and it looks awesome!! 6 months old and corals are thriving and growing...
Had a chiller & skimmer but find deals on CL constantly...
EBay is next favorite place to score deals too...
Research is key! And be willing to travel 100 miles or so for hot CL deals!!!
Tanks and everything else... I scored a awesome 90g SeaClear on a cherry wood stand and canopy + other stuff I used at beginning....
Built my own LED's from Chinese LED star's and chip's @$100 total and it looks awesome!! 6 months old and corals are thriving and growing...
Had a chiller & skimmer but find deals on CL constantly...
EBay is next favorite place to score deals too...
Research is key! And be willing to travel 100 miles or so for hot CL deals!!!
