Tulip's Topic of Answeerss :)

[SyCo_VeNoM]

I don't think these are anything like what you used in your classes, and if they are, I would not trust any results by them, medical or not. They are horrendously inaccurate. I brought my liquid kit to test against a dumb LFS' strip tests, they said their water had a nitrate of 20ppm, the liquid test kit said 300ppm+. The ammonia ones hardly work at all.

 

I bought an API liquid kit about 8 months ago, and testing weekly, I have hardly used any of it. Each different bottle is good for at least 75 tests.

 

You'll thank me if you get the liquid kit. Stick with the strips and you'll have no idea what is really going on in your tank.

Agree my sister works at a pet store and a beta we got from there died with in 1 week. It was still under warranty so she said she needed a water sample to do a nitrate test on at the store for the refund. I tested the water myself and saw it had 40 ppm nitrates (fine for a beta) but she said anything over 20 they won't do it so I gave her 90% filtered tap water with 10% tank water. the reading was just over 0ppm on my API kit. She took it to her store it read 100ppm...

 

I then gave her a sample to test that was 100% pure tap water (tested it a few times 0 ppm nitrates) she asked me why I gave her a sample from the same tank seeing again it read 100ppm... I told her to test the store water 100ppm... everything tested said 100ppm even distilled water... so yes they are very accurate(for chain stores to use to not warranty fish)

[Deleted User 3]

Agree my sister works at a pet store and a beta we got from there died with in 1 week. It was still under warranty so she said she needed a water sample to do a nitrate test on at the store for the refund. I tested the water myself and saw it had 40 ppm nitrates (fine for a beta) but she said anything over 20 they won't do it so I gave her 90% filtered tap water with 10% tank water. the reading was just over 0ppm on my API kit. She took it to her store it read 100ppm...

 

I then gave her a sample to test that was 100% pure tap water (tested it a few times 0 ppm nitrates) she asked me why I gave her a sample from the same tank seeing again it read 100ppm... I told her to test the store water 100ppm... everything tested said 100ppm even distilled water... so yes they are very accurate(for chain stores to use to not warranty fish)

 

That's crazy, ha ha. I hope the urinalysis tests aren't as inaccurate!

[Deleted User 3]

I got my ehiem jager (sp?) heater today, 75W I got, its a lot bigger than I thought. It looks so ugly in there. Took the crushed coral out also today, and rewashed the tank & the new heater. Got a test kit today too in the mail, and I tested the RO water my grandma has, and the tap, and the only differences were the PH was higher in the tap as well as the nitrates were at about 10-20PPM. Still a no on the tap water? The water conditioner thing I have from tetra dechlorinizes and everything else.. I just don't want to spend 10 bucks on WATER.. lol. It's water for gosh sakes! NO haters please, if you're going to be rude, don't comment! Thanks! <3

[iball1804]

With that attitude, you'll go no where in this hobby.

 

Water is to fish, as air is to humans. Without clean and healthy air, we won't survive. If you can't find a good source of water, then you might as well not even start a tank. Tap water will not only have high amounts of TDS, it could possibly contain poisonous metals and various chemicals.

 

Go hard or go home. I'd hate to see your new tank crash due to algae.

[G0nePhishin]

Not hating but if you use tap water you are going to have a green hair algae problem and have a thread titled "help my tank looks ugly" in about a week. I highly recommend using RO/DI or distilled

 

I agree with iball, tap can def contain heavy metals. He is right about go hard or go home in this hobby there is no place you can cut corners unfortunately. That doesn't men you can't budget, but water is a must.

[jnam]

Many LFS will sell water at pennies for the gallon of RODI water or MixedSW just check around.

 

To Iballs point we do water changes in our tanks to remove Nitrates that cant be broken down by the bacteria in our little systems. If you are removing nitrate laden water and replacing it with nitrate laden water well you will eventually get a build up and experience an algea bloom... algae is alway present in your tank and needs really just two things to live light and food, well in a reef we give it PLENTY of light so it waits for food and that comes in the form of Nitrates.

 

Buy a nice RODI unit you wont need to spend much more than a couple hundred dollars but it will pay for it self in frustration and certainly keep you in and enjoying this hobby.

 

Have fun and good luck.

[Deleted User 3]

With that attitude, you'll go no where in this hobby.

 

Water is to fish, as air is to humans. Without clean and healthy air, we won't survive. If you can't find a good source of water, then you might as well not even start a tank. Tap water will not only have high amounts of TDS, it could possibly contain poisonous metals and various chemicals.

 

Go hard or go home. I'd hate to see your new tank crash due to algae.

 

That attitude? I'm just saying the tapwater wasn't much different with my tests than the RO... I can just buy distilled, i was just hoping. Would save some cost but if it's going to 100% kill everything then theres no point in using. I just don't know why they make Marine Water Conditioner then.

 

Many LFS will sell water at pennies for the gallon of RODI water or MixedSW just check around.

 

To Iballs point we do water changes in our tanks to remove Nitrates that cant be broken down by the bacteria in our little systems. If you are removing nitrate laden water and replacing it with nitrate laden water well you will eventually get a build up and experience an algea bloom... algae is alway present in your tank and needs really just two things to live light and food, well in a reef we give it PLENTY of light so it waits for food and that comes in the form of Nitrates.

 

Buy a nice RODI unit you wont need to spend much more than a couple hundred dollars but it will pay for it self in frustration and certainly keep you in and enjoying this hobby.

 

Have fun and good luck.

 

We only have one pet store here that has anything relating to fish, and they dont have much of anything. I can't afford 200-300 dollars for a RODI unit lol! You should have read more of my replies/posts. I don't have a lot of money and was trying to do this with as little money as i can do, bare minimum as I got some things from family & friends also. Thank's for the reply though. How do you even get nitrates to go away? The RO water had about 5PPM in it.. and thats with it being out of the jug and not even in a tank with anything.

[jedimasterben]

I got my ehiem jager (sp?) heater today, 75W I got, its a lot bigger than I thought. It looks so ugly in there. Took the crushed coral out also today, and rewashed the tank & the new heater. Got a test kit today too in the mail, and I tested the RO water my grandma has, and the tap, and the only differences were the PH was higher in the tap as well as the nitrates were at about 10-20PPM. Still a no on the tap water? The water conditioner thing I have from tetra dechlorinizes and everything else.. I just don't want to spend 10 bucks on WATER.. lol. It's water for gosh sakes! NO haters please, if you're going to be rude, don't comment! Thanks! <3

 

Unless you also plan on testing for the following things commonly found in tap water that you do not want to add to your tank, I would stick to at least RO water.

 

Copper

Chlorine

Chloramine

Phosphate

Fluoride

Silicates

Heavy metals

Fuel byproducts

Waste

Poisons

Fertilizers

 

 

I don't even use tap water for my freshwater tanks with shrimp that LOVE hard, hard water.

[patback]

The RO water had about 5PPM in it.. and thats with it being out of the jug and not even in a tank with anything.

Then it is either not rodi water, or the filter is in need of a new cartridge. Te whole point or rodi water is to be completely pure.

[jedimasterben]

That attitude? I'm just saying the tapwater wasn't much different with my tests than the RO... I can just buy distilled, i was just hoping. Would save some cost but if it's going to 100% kill everything then theres no point in using. I just don't know why they make Marine Water Conditioner then.

 

 

 

We only have one pet store here that has anything relating to fish, and they dont have much of anything. I can't afford 200-300 dollars for a RODI unit lol! You should have read more of my replies/posts. I don't have a lot of money and was trying to do this with as little money as i can do, bare minimum as I got some things from family & friends also. Thank's for the reply though. How do you even get nitrates to go away? The RO water had about 5PPM in it.. and thats with it being out of the jug and not even in a tank with anything.

They make those products for people like you that don't know any better. They assume that the product actually does what it says it does (it really doesn't) and that it is ok to use tap water.

 

Buy distilled, or in less than a month you will be completely upset because you have algae that keeps coming back no matter what you do. We are recommending you don't use tap water because we KNOW what WILL happen and that you will not like the outcome, no one does.

 

 

 

RO is not deionized, so it will still have some residual TDS, total dissolved solids, meaning all those things I just listed. I am currently using low TDS RO water in my reef right now and I have no issues with it, but it is possible that it could still contain some nasties, but it's a risk I'm taking until I pick out my RO/DI unit and get it installed.

 

 

There are bacteria that will eventually live in your rock that will denitrify nitrate, breaking it down into O2 and N2. They, unfortunately, work slowly. If you use tap water, however, you will never be rid of nitrate, phosphate, and green hair and bubble algaes, and cyanobacteria.

 

Then it is either not rodi water, or the filter is in need of a new cartridge. Te whole point or rodi water is to be completely pure.

She just said that it was RO, not RO/DI.

[herranton]

Actually, use distilled, not RO.

 

But yeah, pretty much +1 on what everyone else said. There are something like 320 different contaminants in tap and it is impossible to test for them all. Phosphates and the metals will be your biggest concern and there is no chemical that can take that out of the water, its gotta be distilled or rodi, that's pretty much it. If you were setting up a system with a sump/refugium and a skimmer, you might be able to get away with treated tap but really, If you want to do it on the cheap, you gotta use distilled or rodi.

 

 

EDIT:

 

Keep in mind any noob that reads this, she is setting up a fowlr. You cannot run a reef on tap. you will eventually have problems.

[jedimasterben]

Used RO/DI unit: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=302546

[milk]

Get on your local reef forum and look around/ask to see if anyone is selling an ro/di unit. I got a bulk reef supply unit with a tds meter used for $70 which was a great deal..but i usually see them at least in chicago for around the $75-$100 range used. I didnt even have to replace the filters, 0 tds, how about that!

 

Btw, listen to the people trying to help, they're not trying to cut your pockets, they're a few things in this hobby that are expensive and cant be avoided if you want a healthy tank. When your tank starts to decline is when you really feel the money spent.

 

You dont have to rush, i know your excited to get your tank looking like the beauties you see around the forum, but do it right, take it slow. Important lesson i learned from this hobby that resonates in life nicely.

[iball1804]

The water conditioner thing I have from tetra dechlorinizes and everything else.. I just don't want to spend 10 bucks on WATER.. lol. It's water for gosh sakes!

This attitude. "Just water" is easily the most important aspect of a reef tank. If your water isn't and hasn't been right from the beginning, you're going to have some serious problems.

[jedimasterben]

This attitude. "Just water" is easily the most important aspect of a reef tank. If your water isn't and hasn't been right from the beginning, you're going to have some serious problems.

Again, she is not setting up a reef tank, it will only be a FOWLR system. Water quality is still a top priority (at least RO water needs to be used), but the requirements are a bit more slack.

[iball1804]

I still stand by what I previously said, no matter what's going into the tank.

[Deleted User 3]

Then it is either not rodi water, or the filter is in need of a new cartridge. Te whole point or rodi water is to be completely pure.

 

She got it from the same store I'd be buying mine from. (all of the systems are the same brand in the stores). There is distilled gallon jugs but they don't have bigger ones =\

 

 

They make those products for people like you that don't know any better. They assume that the product actually does what it says it does (it really doesn't) and that it is ok to use tap water.

 

Buy distilled, or in less than a month you will be completely upset because you have algae that keeps coming back no matter what you do. We are recommending you don't use tap water because we KNOW what WILL happen and that you will not like the outcome, no one does.

 

 

 

RO is not deionized, so it will still have some residual TDS, total dissolved solids, meaning all those things I just listed. I am currently using low TDS RO water in my reef right now and I have no issues with it, but it is possible that it could still contain some nasties, but it's a risk I'm taking until I pick out my RO/DI unit and get it installed.

 

 

There are bacteria that will eventually live in your rock that will denitrify nitrate, breaking it down into O2 and N2. They, unfortunately, work slowly. If you use tap water, however, you will never be rid of nitrate, phosphate, and green hair and bubble algaes, and cyanobacteria.

 

 

She just said that it was RO, not RO/DI.

 

The distilled I just tested a little while ago had the same amount of nitrates in it. It's bottled in jugs, from walmart. What do I do? I can't afford a RODI unit, and my LFS doesn't sell water.

 

Actually, use distilled, not RO.

 

But yeah, pretty much +1 on what everyone else said. There are something like 320 different contaminants in tap and it is impossible to test for them all. Phosphates and the metals will be your biggest concern and there is no chemical that can take that out of the water, its gotta be distilled or rodi, that's pretty much it. If you were setting up a system with a sump/refugium and a skimmer, you might be able to get away with treated tap but really, If you want to do it on the cheap, you gotta use distilled or rodi.

 

 

EDIT:

 

Keep in mind any noob that reads this, she is setting up a fowlr. You cannot run a reef on tap. you will eventually have problems.

 

Good edit

 

Get on your local reef forum and look around/ask to see if anyone is selling an ro/di unit. I got a bulk reef supply unit with a tds meter used for $70 which was a great deal..but i usually see them at least in chicago for around the $75-$100 range used. I didnt even have to replace the filters, 0 tds, how about that!

 

Btw, listen to the people trying to help, they're not trying to cut your pockets, they're a few things in this hobby that are expensive and cant be avoided if you want a healthy tank. When your tank starts to decline is when you really feel the money spent.

 

You dont have to rush, i know your excited to get your tank looking like the beauties you see around the forum, but do it right, take it slow. Important lesson i learned from this hobby that resonates in life nicely.

 

I am taking it slow. As I have ran out of extra money for buying things. Between being very low financial aid frmo school for the summer, and my car needing 100major things fixed i'm out of $. So. 70 dollars is about my weekly check from work unfortunately.

I already spent about 100 some dollars on everything, and i dont have the dry rock, CUC or the fish yet or the water. That's all I earned @ a second one time job I did. Thank you.

 

This attitude. "Just water" is easily the most important aspect of a reef tank. If your water isn't and hasn't been right from the beginning, you're going to have some serious problems.

 

I didn't mean JUST water in that point, I meant spending 10 dollars for something that falls from the sky for free to me is silly. If i was rich I'd see no problem, but I sacrifice things for myself, and got some of this tank and supplies for free so I fiured I'd start a tank whether it takes me a year or not. I have time, I just don't have ennough to buy top notch and tons of things, and was just inquiring simply to find the cheapest way to do it. I wish they had a distilled thing here where you could fill up a 5 gallon jug but we don't. I know water is important, I'm JUST trying to figure out a more economical way. Sorry.

[Enigma]

Very strange. The Walmart distilled water in the jugs is what I was using, and it tested zeros across the board.

 

I hate to say it . . . Maybe you're just not financially ready for a marine tank. Freshwater is a lot more forgiving in a lot of ways. Actually, the friend I'm visiting as I type this has an amazing freshwater setup.

[jedimasterben]

She got it from the same store I'd be buying mine from. (all of the systems are the same brand in the stores). There is distilled gallon jugs but they don't have bigger ones =\

 

The distilled I just tested a little while ago had the same amount of nitrates in it. It's bottled in jugs, from walmart. What do I do? I can't afford a RODI unit, and my LFS doesn't sell water.

 

I am taking it slow. As I have ran out of extra money for buying things. Between being very low financial aid frmo school for the summer, and my car needing 100major things fixed i'm out of $. So. 70 dollars is about my weekly check from work unfortunately.

I already spent about 100 some dollars on everything, and i dont have the dry rock, CUC or the fish yet or the water. That's all I earned @ a second one time job I did. Thank you.

 

I didn't mean JUST water in that point, I meant spending 10 dollars for something that falls from the sky for free to me is silly. If i was rich I'd see no problem, but I sacrifice things for myself, and got some of this tank and supplies for free so I fiured I'd start a tank whether it takes me a year or not. I have time, I just don't have ennough to buy top notch and tons of things, and was just inquiring simply to find the cheapest way to do it. I wish they had a distilled thing here where you could fill up a 5 gallon jug but we don't. I know water is important, I'm JUST trying to figure out a more economical way. Sorry.

I don't think you're quite understanding what we are trying to tell you about the water you use.

 

Water will make or break your system. If your system ever gets to the point where it is dancing on a fine line between barely sustaining life and complete disaster, the LAST thing you would want is the unknown of what is in the water you put into your tank.

 

If you want a healthy tank that you won't be constantly replacing fish or shrimp in, you will need to use RO or distilled/deionized. For instance, skunk cleaner shrimp are, on average, $30 apiece. If you don't use good water and stick with tap, one day you will get a bit too much copper in the water and it will kill the shrimp and any other invertebrates in the system. Would you rather pay $30 for another shrimp, or pay less than $2 and get good water to prevent that from happening?

 

I hate to say it . . . Maybe you're just not financially ready for a marine tank. Freshwater is a lot more forgiving in a lot of ways. Actually, the friend I'm visiting as I type this has an amazing freshwater setup.

Marine tanks have a high startup cost, even if you think you have everything, if you don't, you will need to get what you are missing ASAP. You say that you have lots of time to wait to get everything, but a lot of what you need you need right at the start or else things may not go as smoothly.

 

It is not fair to the animals you are wanting to keep that, if you do not have the money to, say, purchase salt and water to do changes, to go without, or if your filter stops working and you need another, but cannot purchase one. In aquaria, #### happens. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

 

 

To be frank, you need to get priorities straight. If you do not have the time and money to set your tank up properly, I ask that you decline from continuing on at this moment in time. Skimping out on the essentials is only going to harm the animals that you so want to keep.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm NOT trying to dissuade you away from what you want to do, but I'm asking to let us guide you to doing it right the first time. We all make mistakes, but we here have offered you advice and help so that you don't have to.

[littlelactose]

Get on your local reef forum and look around/ask to see if anyone is selling an ro/di unit. I got a bulk reef supply unit with a tds meter used for $70 which was a great deal..but i usually see them at least in chicago for around the $75-$100 range used. I didnt even have to replace the filters, 0 tds, how about that!

 

Btw, listen to the people trying to help, they're not trying to cut your pockets, they're a few things in this hobby that are expensive and cant be avoided if you want a healthy tank. When your tank starts to decline is when you really feel the money spent.

 

You dont have to rush, i know your excited to get your tank looking like the beauties you see around the forum, but do it right, take it slow. Important lesson i learned from this hobby that resonates in life nicely.

 

 

He's so smart!

[SyCo_VeNoM]

Buy a nice RODI unit you wont need to spend much more than a couple hundred dollars but it will pay for it self in frustration and certainly keep you in and enjoying this hobby.

 

Have fun and good luck.

not even a couple hundred I just got one the other day off bulk reef supply for $145 shipped (a 4 stage) used it right away and got a 0 reading on my TDS so you don't even need to spend a couple hundred you can get one for under $200 easy

[SyCo_VeNoM]

It is not fair to the animals you are wanting to keep that, if you do not have the money to, say, purchase salt and water to do changes, to go without, or if your filter stops working and you need another, but cannot purchase one. In aquaria, #### happens. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

 

 

To be frank, you need to get priorities straight. If you do not have the time and money to set your tank up properly, I ask that you decline from continuing on at this moment in time. Skimping out on the essentials is only going to harm the animals that you so want to keep.

so true my sisters friend just had a 50 gallon reef tank crash (she just put it up too) cause she didn't take the time out to do it properly, and lost a couple hundred in coral and fish. She pretty much rushed it, and when a pump made noise disconnected it cause it was keeping her up... Also didn't keep up with water changes or topping of the tank.

My sister was watching me do maintenance on my 5 gallon tank tank, and said I did more in an hour checking parameters, and making sure the saline was exact than her friend did in the initial setup, and running the tank 3 weeks...

[Anna576]

Marine tanks have a high startup cost, even if you think you have everything, if you don't, you will need to get what you are missing ASAP. You say that you have lots of time to wait to get everything, but a lot of what you need you need right at the start or else things may not go as smoothly.

 

It is not fair to the animals you are wanting to keep that, if you do not have the money to, say, purchase salt and water to do changes, to go without, or if your filter stops working and you need another, but cannot purchase one. In aquaria, #### happens. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

 

 

To be frank, you need to get priorities straight. If you do not have the time and money to set your tank up properly, I ask that you decline from continuing on at this moment in time. Skimping out on the essentials is only going to harm the animals that you so want to keep.

 

I want to stress the importance of this. I started a tank in November of last year thinking it would be on a budget, it never is. I had saved up ~$500 to start a ten gallon (I did a reef, so your costs will probably be cheaper), but with crisis that inevitably happen when you're a newbie you really need to have extra cash for when things go bad.

 

For instance, I ran into ich when I purchased my first first, so I had to set up a quarantine tank (had to buy a new heater, hob filter, another tank, etc). I learned more and more things along the way after starting the tank which lead me to new purchases, such as better filter media. There are just unexpected things that WILL happen, and you need to have the cash ready to go in order to save your tank.

 

Again, I don't think anyone is trying to discourage you, but just trying to prevent you from making mistakes they may have made in the past.

 

You can set up a tank on a budget, especially if you're not doing corals, but please be aware that you should have some disposable income that you can use if something goes awry. If you have an emergency such as a parameter spike, or ich, or something else you need money to buy chemicals, or salt, or more water, etc.

 

Also you may want to check craigslist for items at a cheaper price.

 

Anyway, it seems as though you have gotten a lot of great information on this forum, hopefully you can avoid some of the rookie mistakes when setting up your tank!

[Deleted User 3]

I don't think you're quite understanding what we are trying to tell you about the water you use.

 

Water will make or break your system. If your system ever gets to the point where it is dancing on a fine line between barely sustaining life and complete disaster, the LAST thing you would want is the unknown of what is in the water you put into your tank.

 

If you want a healthy tank that you won't be constantly replacing fish or shrimp in, you will need to use RO or distilled/deionized. For instance, skunk cleaner shrimp are, on average, $30 apiece. If you don't use good water and stick with tap, one day you will get a bit too much copper in the water and it will kill the shrimp and any other invertebrates in the system. Would you rather pay $30 for another shrimp, or pay less than $2 and get good water to prevent that from happening?

 

 

Marine tanks have a high startup cost, even if you think you have everything, if you don't, you will need to get what you are missing ASAP. You say that you have lots of time to wait to get everything, but a lot of what you need you need right at the start or else things may not go as smoothly.

 

It is not fair to the animals you are wanting to keep that, if you do not have the money to, say, purchase salt and water to do changes, to go without, or if your filter stops working and you need another, but cannot purchase one. In aquaria, #### happens. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.

 

 

To be frank, you need to get priorities straight. If you do not have the time and money to set your tank up properly, I ask that you decline from continuing on at this moment in time. Skimping out on the essentials is only going to harm the animals that you so want to keep.

 

 

 

 

 

I'm NOT trying to dissuade you away from what you want to do, but I'm asking to let us guide you to doing it right the first time. We all make mistakes, but we here have offered you advice and help so that you don't have to.

 

You forget that I'm not starting for a while.. I'm waiting until I'm an expert, have a bit more $, etc.. Probably August... I NEVER said i wouldn't buy the distilled water. I am just exploring other opportunities since we don't have a good LFS here, my options suck. Okay? I'm not the 'normal' newbie.. i'm not starting for a while because I have to look up some more things and ask some more questions..

 

Maybe I wont ask questions because sometimes I get kicked in the head.. I figured asking questions on a website that is for this kind of thing, with people who have went through it was a good idea. IT is hard to find information on what I want to know just dealing with a fowlr tank.. This is why i ask questions. I don't care how many times anyone has said anything, they shouldn't make a beginners discussion if you're not allowed to ask a question that somewhere in the millions of posts and replies could be possibly answered.

 

Very strange. The Walmart distilled water in the jugs is what I was using, and it tested zeros across the board.

 

I hate to say it . . . Maybe you're just not financially ready for a marine tank. Freshwater is a lot more forgiving in a lot of ways. Actually, the friend I'm visiting as I type this has an amazing freshwater setup.

 

I'm not doing it right NOW I have to wait a couple months to get more money and learn everything else i'm sure i'm missing. Financially it's tough, but i've taken on a couple side little jobs to help pay for things, it just takes time. Did you use the walmart brand? My kit said 5ppm on the nitrates. Maybe i did something wrong. I'll check again.

 

so true my sisters friend just had a 50 gallon reef tank crash (she just put it up too) cause she didn't take the time out to do it properly, and lost a couple hundred in coral and fish. She pretty much rushed it, and when a pump made noise disconnected it cause it was keeping her up... Also didn't keep up with water changes or topping of the tank.

My sister was watching me do maintenance on my 5 gallon tank tank, and said I did more in an hour checking parameters, and making sure the saline was exact than her friend did in the initial setup, and running the tank 3 weeks...

 

No one said i'm doing this right now though. I never said that. I'm aksing questions and looking online to try to get a mental plan (and im writing it all down), before I even start. I had the crushed coral in the tank just to see how it looked. It could have sat in there for three months. I'm just buying stuff as I good, and researching things, talking to locals, and somewhat locals. Looking for anyone taking down their tank so I can get some stuff, etc. I never ever said when i'm starting..

 

Also mine is in the living room so it wont keep me up, i wouldn't mind anyway as I sleep with a fan going.

 

I want to stress the importance of this. I started a tank in November of last year thinking it would be on a budget, it never is. I had saved up ~$500 to start a ten gallon (I did a reef, so your costs will probably be cheaper), but with crisis that inevitably happen when you're a newbie you really need to have extra cash for when things go bad.

 

For instance, I ran into ich when I purchased my first first, so I had to set up a quarantine tank (had to buy a new heater, hob filter, another tank, etc). I learned more and more things along the way after starting the tank which lead me to new purchases, such as better filter media. There are just unexpected things that WILL happen, and you need to have the cash ready to go in order to save your tank.

 

Again, I don't think anyone is trying to discourage you, but just trying to prevent you from making mistakes they may have made in the past.

 

You can set up a tank on a budget, especially if you're not doing corals, but please be aware that you should have some disposable income that you can use if something goes awry. If you have an emergency such as a parameter spike, or ich, or something else you need money to buy chemicals, or salt, or more water, etc.

 

Also you may want to check craigslist for items at a cheaper price.

 

Anyway, it seems as though you have gotten a lot of great information on this forum, hopefully you can avoid some of the rookie mistakes when setting up your tank!

 

Isn't my skunk/striped shrimp going to clean my fish of disease and parasites (if it's a good one)? Thats part of the reason I want to get one so then I can kind of help the fish. I have 1200 in the bank I just don't know how I can use it until August, because I don't get enough financial aid to cover everything june-july and part of august. So i'm waiting. I'm not getting my tank ready now, if I do it eventually It will only be the rock and sand until about August. Also, I have been checking them, we don't have too much here, not a lot of reefers. I joined my 'local' reef society but it's 2 hours away so its hard to get something from them.

 

I have gotten a lot of good information. and a lot of slack..

[iball1804]

Just buy either distilled or RO/DI.