HarryPotter Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Thanks for your suggestion! I asked my LFS and they said we could work something out. If I were to get IM Lagoon 25g ($220) Kessil a160we with gooseneck ($300) Hydor circulation pumps ($40) 40g RODI water ($40) Reef crystals ($50) Fish food and coral dip ($25) With that list I'm at about 675 dollars and I still need to get rock sand and a refractometer. What should I ask for/say about the deal? As you can see I'm new to this "negotiating" thing so I need some help lol. But as it is now at $675+$60(rock)+$40(sand)+$20(refractometer) is too expensive (didn't even upgrade filtration yet), so I need some advice! How do I work out a deal? They want $1 per gallon of RODI? Is that a joke? Funny. F*** that fish store lol! You can buy a RODI and make a thousand gallons for $100! Oh and plus you'll need a stand unfortunately. Sounds like that setup might be over the budget Link to comment
nanoreefer15 Posted September 5, 2015 Author Share Posted September 5, 2015 They want $1 per gallon of RODI? Is that a joke? Funny. F*** that fish store lol! You can buy a RODI and make a thousand gallons for $100! Oh and plus you'll need a stand unfortunately. Sounds like that setup might be over the budget I know Well the setup I have in mind now if this expensive route with the bs LFS doesn't work out is to use a 29 gallon tank someone is offering to me nearby. For lighting I still need to find a good light. Are the Chinese LEDs on eBay like the marsaqua lights any good? Not sure about the 29g's dimensions either though. 18" is kind of deep and wouldn't that decrease par values for my corals? What light did you use for cheap when you set up your first reef tank? Also anyone else have any suggestions about negotiating with the LFS? I just love the IM lagoon and fusion tanks Light link: http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=370857093101&globalID=EBAY-US Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 I know Well the setup I have in mind now if this expensive route with the bs LFS doesn't work out is to use a 29 gallon tank someone is offering to me nearby. For lighting I still need to find a good light. Are the Chinese LEDs on eBay like the marsaqua lights any good? Not sure about the 29g's dimensions either though. 18" is kind of deep and wouldn't that decrease par values for my corals? What light did you use for cheap when you set up your first reef tank? Also anyone else have any suggestions about negotiating with the LFS? I just love the IM lagoon and fusion tanks The eBay black boxes are great. I have an ocean revive s026 ($80 shipped on Memorial Day last year) that grew coral like crazy! A LFS won't negotiate that much on brand name products since they get them at a specific, manufacturer controlled price. Oh and Craigslist is your friend. I'm also on a high schooler budget, but started off pretty darn well from used equipment. NanoCube 28 w. stand but no lights: $50 Ocean Revive S026: $80 Live-Aragonite sand: $20 10lbs rock: $40 Later on, as I worked more cutting lawns and other odd jobs I was able to get some higher end equipment, but honestly the NanoCube is simple and awesome. Link to comment
CrazyEyes Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Eeewww $1/g for Ro/di. That's how much the store near me charges for saltwater mixed with E.S.V salt. Aside from that, everything looks about right on price. Link to comment
nanoreefer15 Posted September 5, 2015 Author Share Posted September 5, 2015 Found this on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00INM0J1M?vs=1 How's it look? I'm scared to buy Chinese leds now because of the fire stores and accidents of read about due to their poor quality control. Is galaxyhydro good/American company? Link to comment
Sancho Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Found this on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00INM0J1M?vs=1 How's it look? I'm scared to buy Chinese leds now because of the fire stores and accidents of read about due to their poor quality control. Is galaxyhydro good/American company? Great light to start. galaxyhydro is just the guy selling them. Most likely an Evergrow unit. I sold a bunch of the Evergrow d120. They are made by a few different companies in China. I got mine from Shenzhen Semi Conductors.......You have enough money the will put your brand name on it. That is an older unit as the newer ones have smart phone control. But still a solid reliable light that will support anything you want to put in your tank. My advice to you is find a US seller with good reviews and has been around awhile and offers a good warranty. If your on a budget these are great lights. Dont listen to the haters. Link to comment
Gooburz Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 There have been a lot of people doing reviews on the ebay chinese box lights and they have all been really positive with the reviews, plus if you think about it they make just about all the LED's anyways so why not buy the whole unit from them. I think after 5 pages we have given you about all the suggestions we can to save money, its up to you to do it or not. Link to comment
cuber14 Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Do you have a local reefkeepers group. Many times group members have stockpiles of equipment they are not currently using. A member in my group just loaned a skimmer to a new member til they can afford one. He said older members had lethim borrow equipment they when he started and he was just continuing the cycle. Reefers are usually very helpful and generous we give frags away at all our meetings. Link to comment
Learn It Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 I don't see how you can call 1$pergal tanks of poor quality, when Aqueon (formerly all-glass) are held @ that price at Petco frequently. Thye are quality tanks with good construction. As far as LED shimmer goes, it does not have to be a kessil to create that effect Link to comment
SpankythePyro Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 Ebay and Reefbreeders lights are VERY strong... On my 20l I keep my zoas on the bottom with the blues onlyu @ 15% and the whites at 1% and its right in the area of 100-140 par depending on location Link to comment
Gooburz Posted September 5, 2015 Share Posted September 5, 2015 I don't see how you can call 1$pergal tanks of poor quality, when Aqueon (formerly all-glass) are held @ that price at Petco frequently. Thye are quality tanks with good construction. As far as LED shimmer goes, it does not have to be a kessil to create that effect I think he based it off of "eww that looks common so it must be bad and that one looks purdy so it must be good". I haven't seen any complaints on quality or clarity of the glass from the Aqueon tanks but have seen nothing but nightmare posts when it comes to the AIO tanks. I'll never understand why not save money for a quality product vs spending a ton on something that is crap. Link to comment
Difrano Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Found this on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00INM0J1M?vs=1 How's it look? I'm scared to buy Chinese leds now because of the fire stores and accidents of read about due to their poor quality control. Is galaxyhydro good/American company? Past weekend i retrofitted my Biocube 29 with the Wifi version of the Galaxyhydro, i removed all the PC stuff and put the new lights in the hood, They are awesome, the programming options are amazing you can simulate the whole day, i have set the blue to max 75% and whites to 50%. I had to travel this week as soon i will be back ill update my topic. Link to comment
bpounds1991 Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Just remember the upkeep costs can quickly catch up to the startup costs, if you're having to penny pinch just to get things started it might be best just to hold off. Link to comment
mystersyster Posted September 9, 2015 Share Posted September 9, 2015 Here's a good video to help you get started! Link to comment
shawnd08 Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Here's a good video to help you get started! This can definitely apply to a reef tank. Just gather rock from your yard, it should have plenty of hitch hikers and bacteria to get the tank cycled quickly. And table salt should get you by with no issues. Link to comment
nanoreefer15 Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 Here's a good video to help you get started! This can definitely apply to a reef tank. Just gather rock from your yard, it should have plenty of hitch hikers and bacteria to get the tank cycled quickly. And table salt should get you by with no issues. Omg why didn't I think of this? Literally I can save almost $200 on rock and salt like this. I'll probably add a tablespoon per gallon to obtain a proper salinity (I asked my LFS to confirm this method and they said it would work for reef tanks with softies). As for live rock, rocks that I pick up straight from the dirt should be good since boiling them would kill off all the beneficial bacteria that I need to get the tank cycle rolling. Thanks! I'm so excited to set up my reef now Link to comment
nanoreefer15 Posted September 10, 2015 Author Share Posted September 10, 2015 Forgot to add: my LFS also said that ambient lighting in the room is sufficient for softies so I can hold off on the lights for now right? Link to comment
HarryPotter Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Forgot to add: my LFS also said that ambient lighting in the room is sufficient for softies so I can hold off on the lights for now right? Not true at all. Unless its RIGHT under a window, typical room lighting will NOT support softies. Dude, you are going to have to spend at least $200 to get it going. Get a $20 tank, a $20 heater, a $40 Aquaclear filter, $30 of rock, and $20 of sand. Start cycling. Then buy a LED fixture for $60. Link to comment
shawnd08 Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I have a led flashlight. Do you think a few of those together would grow softies ? I could wire them up to my car battery, you don't need them in a car it's just added weight anyways. Omg why didn't I think of this? Literally I can save almost $200 on rock and salt like this. I'll probably add a tablespoon per gallon to obtain a proper salinity (I asked my LFS to confirm this method and they said it would work for reef tanks with softies). As for live rock, rocks that I pick up straight from the dirt should be good since boiling them would kill off all the beneficial bacteria that I need to get the tank cycle rolling. Thanks! I'm so excited to set up my reef now Save some of the earthworms if you find any. You can add them to your sand bed and get things really going. Link to comment
Markburns43 Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Lmao, this hobby especially setting up a reef tank will require more money as it runs and will continue to cost you more. I didn't catch if you said you had a job or some sort of way to make money to sustain the tank or if you had any exp with fish tanks other wise maybe before dropping some doe ray me save it and start some where alittle more cost friendly like a planted tank. That's where I and Shawn started and gained a lot of knowledge. Link to comment
Hammerstone Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 I have been in fresh for over twenty years before I took the plunge. Even the live creatures are way more expensive than fresh for the most part. It was a shock to me at first. When you have your first fifty dollar fish die, it really sucks. Link to comment
danistarr Posted September 10, 2015 Share Posted September 10, 2015 Found this on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00INM0J1M?vs=1 How's it look? I'm scared to buy Chinese leds now because of the fire stores and accidents of read about due to their poor quality control. Is galaxyhydro good/American company? Pretty sure I linked that one before. I don't have it personally, but a friend on another forum has it and thinks its the best light. It's easily customizable, and he has had no complaints about it As for your LFS, tell them you have x amount you can spend to start up the tank, tell them what you want, and see if they can work around your budget. Just say something like, that really sounds great, but I only have x amount to spend on this. I feel like they'd rather knock of a hundred bucks, rather than lose out on $600+ and potential customer. Link to comment
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