I'm a beginner at saltwater...How much did it cost you at first?

[wobbabobba]

You can get away with doing it cheaper than $2k at first but you will need to keep in mind that it is much more expensive than FW. If you can find a used setup all of it can be done fairly cheap.

 

But you do have to plan for maintenance and the occasional problems that come up.

 

I agree with finding a used set up. People are always doing tank break downs and you can usually find things for cheap.

 

Also, when you are making the budget you have to keep in mind that you will probably keep buying more coral or fish and you will exceed your budget really quick

[Nanobuds]

the the 24 gallon nanocube. very good tank

[cowboys2222222]

So I should start with a 25 gallon? or 35 gallon?

 

im not sure what i should do...

 

i dont have room for a 40 gallon

its really your personal decision and the money ur willing to spend..

 

i would go bigger..

 

for a fish only tank the price difference between a 25g and a 35g wouldnt be that much

[Nanobuds]

wow you make it sound so easy

 

i know, but it isnt. u can tell by my thread

[starbucks10v3r]

I agree with finding a used set up. People are always doing tank break downs and you can usually find things for cheap.

 

Also, when you are making the budget you have to keep in mind that you will probably keep buying more coral or fish and you will exceed your budget really quick

 

 

yeah just at first i was wondering how much it would cost

 

later yeah i wouldnt mind buying thigns here and there...

[jacks22]

i know, but it isnt. u can tell by my thread

i was j/k!

[Nanobuds]

i was j/k!

 

i know you were!!

[lakshwadeep]

wow you make it sound so easy

 

Whatever you do, please don't get a fish "to see if it survives". This is why test kits are important. They tell you what is happening to the water chemistry without having to subject your livestock to stress.

[Nanobuds]

Whatever you do, please don't get a fish "to see if it survives". This is why test kits are important. They tell you what is happening to the water chemistry without having to subject your livestock to stress.

 

i didnt mean it to sound like use a poor little chromis for a test subject, i meant get it when water parameters are good and so if it does die somehow you wont loose much money

[starbucks10v3r]

ahah yeah i know

 

cleaning out dead fish is gross anyway

 

ill probably have to start it in the summer

 

unfortunatly i have been sick for a month and my ENT finally decided to take out my tonsils

 

so im going into surgery tomorrow to get them out!!

[Jakesaw]

dang seriously

 

I was adding up most of the stuff and it was about $250 but it wasnt including water and some other things...

 

what makes it so expensive?

 

I don't buy the 2,000.00 number as a bare bone minimum. I'd never start a Saltwater aquarium if that was the entry point.

 

I am still crawling into beginning my first tank on a shoestring budget. I came up with a budget of 300.00 to get started. I ended up splurging on a nicer light that set me back 150 instead of 50.00 - and had a few incidents that made me divert my Aquarium saving fund to other non-aquarium fees. I'm about at 200 bucks left again - and I could purchase some Live Rock - Water - and get a few fish and be up running tomorrow. But I want a reserve cash in case I lose any livestock and I have a FW tank to look at while I procrastinate and build my reserve fund bigger.

 

My budget for 10 gallon set up is

10 gallon tank - 10 bucks

2 bulb T5 light - 50 bucks

Aquaclear 70 - Refugium - 40 bucks

Salt - 35 bucks ( for a 150 gallon bucket that will last a long time in a 10 gallon )

Live Rock - Locally 8.00 x 6 lbs Live Rock locally = 48 bucks

6 lb Dead Rock I picked up at Petsmart for 12.00

Dead Sand - 20-30 bucks at Petsmart.

Swing arm Hydrometer - 10 bucks

Testing STrips - 15-25 bucks

 

In a 300.00 budgedt - that Leaves about 75 bucks for a starter fish or 2 - some snails - and a shrimp or two.

 

With a 10 gallon tank - you can get by with distilled water for .50 cents a gallon - with a 30 gallon tank - it probably makes sense to get a RO/DI filter - if anything just to keep from lugging water up and down and driving it back and forth from the Aquarium store. You're probably at around 300 bucks minimum to fill an Aquarium with Live Rock shipped in from online retailer. And you have to do water changes while it cures in your tank.

[starbucks10v3r]

im just afraid about the water...

 

in a 10 gallon wont the water levels go down fast???

 

i dont want to have to wake up in the middle of the night to fill water in it...

 

is there an automatic thing that can fill your tank for you?

[lakshwadeep]

Yeah, you don't need to buy live sand. You can either start with dead sand and just your live rock or add a few cups of sand from an established tank (like sand from your LFS). Either way, you will have live sand.

[Nanobuds]

no. the lights sshouldnt be too hot to evaporate that quick. yes there are automatic things like that. go to drfosterandsmith.com for tank supplies.

[cowboys2222222]

im just afraid about the water...

 

in a 10 gallon wont the water levels go down fast???

 

i dont want to have to wake up in the middle of the night to fill water in it...

 

is there an automatic thing that can fill your tank for you?

it wont evaporate that fast...

 

i top my tank off when i leave the house at 8am and when i get home at 5:30pm

 

i just fill up a jug and leave it under my tank and top off by hand

[caddyshack]

yeah good live rock and sand is the main focus for a fish only tank.

..

 

u dont need to worry about the lights for a fish only tank 50/50pc lights would be fine..

 

you could start a 20g for fish only for $250

 

yea I have a 20g and spent about....$450 and I'm not even done adding live rock

[cowboys2222222]

yea I have a 20g and spent about....$450 and I'm not even done adding live rock

fish only tank?

[Lutra]

Item Price Price w/ Tax

 

12 gal. Nanocube DX $236.00 $236.00

10 gal. RO/DI Saltwater $9.50 $10.14

2 lbs. Live Rock $12.75 $13.61

10 lbs. Bahamas Oolite Alive Sand $24.99 $26.68

Stealth 50W Heater $35.99 $38.42

2 gal. Water Can $3.67 $3.92

GFCI Outlet $13.59 $14.51

6 Outlet Power Strip $11.63 $12.42

0.5 lbs. Live Rock $3.00 $3.21

9 lbs. Live Rock $46.00 $49.22

Saltwater Master Liquid Test Kit $16.48 $16.48

Phosphate Test Kit $7.23 $7.23

Digital Thermometer $5.95 $5.95

Calcium Test Kit $6.64 $6.64

Hydrometer $7.27 $7.27

Shipping for order $7.10 $7.10

Cyclopeeze Freezer Bar $16.99 $18.14

5 Astrea Snails $10.00 $10.68

True Percula Clown $15.00 $16.01

Formula Two 1oz Flake $4.79 $5.11

2 gal. Water Can $6.96 $7.43

Net $1.17 $1.25

Turkey Baster $1.97 $2.10

Phosbuster $17.59 $18.78

4 ft. 1/2" ID Tubing $1.24 $1.32

2 gal. RO/DI water $0.90 $0.96

100 mL Prime $6.99 $7.46

250mL pH Buffer $8.99 $9.60

2 Astrea Snail Replacement Replacement

2 Bumble Snails $4.00 $4.27

2 Mexican Grazers Replacement Replacement

2 Red Leg Hermit Crabs $6.00 $6.41

True Percula Clown $15.00 $16.01

2 Narssius Snails $4.00 $4.27

2.5 gal. RO/DI water $2.38 $2.54

Hydor Koralia Nano $25.85 $25.85

15 oz. DT's Phytoplankton $25.99 $27.74

2 Narssius Snails $4.00 $4.27

Green Tip Frogspawn $4.00 $4.27

Pink Tip Frogspawn $4.00 $4.27

Red Center Zoanthids $2.00 $2.14

Astrea Snail Replacement Replacement

Noodle Urchin $9.00 $9.63

Candycane Coral $15.00 $16.01

Green Star Polyps $10.00 $10.68

Mushroom w/ Zoanthids $10.00 $10.68

Lawnmower Blenny $24.36 $26.00

Hammer Coral Free Free

Xenia Free Free

Orange Mushroom Free Free

Green/Purple Mushroom Free Free

Fish Clip $3.99 $4.26

Nori $5.99 $6.39

Total (before tax/ after tax) $715.94 $743.32

 

 

I'm sure I missed some stuff but not much more than $5. If anyone sees where I got ripped off / got a good deal let me know. And no I am not OCD.

[plainrt]

I would say 750ish to get a 30 gal going with decent stuff.Im setting up a 30 gal breeder at moment and have about 700 into it right now without cost of salt and test kits etc cause had already.I know if i added up all money that is in my 14 gal i have about 2k into it with livestock nowdays.They can be a big money pit but when you get past the startup cost its not so bad.Another big thing is try and do it right the first time.Read away before jumping in.

[joel sandoman]

You don't have to have a skimmer if you are not keeping SPS.

[Jakesaw]

im just afraid about the water...

 

in a 10 gallon wont the water levels go down fast???

 

i dont want to have to wake up in the middle of the night to fill water in it...

 

is there an automatic thing that can fill your tank for you?

 

Water levels go down in a 30 gallon tank the same way they would a 10 gallon tank. Unless you are talking a tall tank.

 

For water level - I plan to hang a water bottle upsidedown that I'll fill with Distiled water. Hang it in some kindof cage that I'll fill daily. with airline connected to the tap. You can use an airflow adjusted to dial in whatever drip rate you want and that should cover a good deal of evaporation. I tested the concept on my FW tank as a siphon and it works fine. Shouldn't be too difficult to drill a hole in a water bottle cap - and seal it in with Epoxy or some other sealant.

 

I got the airline adjuster with a Whisper air pump - or with My Maxi-Jet - not sure which one - but it looks like this

 

You can dial in the drip rate by opening or closing the air flow knob.

[plainrt]

lol ever look into a ato?

[Jakesaw]

lol ever look into a ato?

 

Yeah - slow dripping water is an ATO

[plainrt]

a nice one not some thing hanging over tank like iv bag

[Zoaman25]

Give it 6months.....And you will hit the coral phase But you could start a fishonly anywhere from 250-400$