Cellenzweig Posted August 29, 2004 Share Posted August 29, 2004 some nerd pulls his posts and makes me sound crazy... You're a nut Doc! Maybe you should quit snorthing the Instant Ocean! Link to comment
Shaz Posted August 29, 2004 Author Share Posted August 29, 2004 hehe thanks for bringing this thread back on subject snaggle, and thanks for your information Link to comment
Maxvan1 Posted August 29, 2004 Share Posted August 29, 2004 here is my 75G cost list... tank with wet/dry filter sand bioballs salt, hydromiter, x2 20W lights, 400$ skimmmer- 29$ (cheepokind, going to run skimmerless in a while... oh and ebay... ) 50lbs LR 150$ (thanks Jean_pool on ebay ) 3 yellow damsels (for now...) like 10$ 250W mh with used light- 71$ on ebay again.... bit of macro algea... free Link to comment
Maxvan1 Posted August 29, 2004 Share Posted August 29, 2004 thats under 700$ pluss you could get 50 in fish and 50 in coral for now... Link to comment
Shaz Posted August 29, 2004 Author Share Posted August 29, 2004 Ok i sent you a Pm ty! Link to comment
Shaz Posted August 29, 2004 Author Share Posted August 29, 2004 sry i dont know if i sent a PM or an e-mail, lets meet i nthe chat, and we can do a private chat ... ill be shaz Link to comment
cjm033 Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 join a local reef club, alot of members will sell stuff cheap and give away or sell frags uber cheap. Link to comment
JC VT Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 I agree with cjm, local help is the best and cheapest. You should also look in the classifieds here and at reefcentral.com; every so often someone will sell their entire setup for fairly cheap OR you could piece together your set up with used equipment which would also be inexpensive. Really, the cost difference between say a 29 and a 55 or even a 75 is not that much since most of the equipment on a 29 will also work on a 55. A huge cost cutting measure would be to either make your own rock or buy base rock and seed with a few pieces from your LFS or a couple free pieces from a local reefer. Same with the sand. Also, building things yourself (stand, canopy, skimmer) is rewarding and cost efficient. Here are some good websites with good prices: http://www.marinedepot.com http://www.hellolights.com http://www.drmaccorals.com (if you want to buy all LR) http://www.airwaterice.com (ro/di) And of course check the classifieds Link to comment
Cellenzweig Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 Really, the cost difference between say a 29 and a 55 or even a 75 is not that much since most of the equipment on a 29 will also work on a 55. I disagree. Your biggest cost will be lighting. A 250 mh is good for a 29g. A 55g will require 2x250w or a 400w and a 75 will need at least 2x250w. Thats hundreds of dollars difference right there between a 29g and a 75g. Now take into account, the additional salt, sand, rock, larger heater, more/stronger pumps, etc., not to mention the increase in hydro. A huge cost cutting measure would be to either make your own rock or buy base rock and seed with a few pieces from your LFS or a couple free pieces from a local reefer. Same with the sand. Also, building things yourself (stand, canopy, skimmer) is rewarding and cost efficient. I agree. DIY anything you can- much cheaper! Link to comment
Shaz Posted August 30, 2004 Author Share Posted August 30, 2004 Thanks JC VT!! at drmaccorals, what exactly are the metal halide bases for under 100 bucks? how many woudl i need for a 55 or 50 gallon tank? Link to comment
JC VT Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 I agree, the lighting is the main difference, but not that much if you go with VHO's. MH are pricey and unnecessary for the initial set up: the only corals that "require" halides are SPS, which you would not be able to put in your tank for a good 6 months anyways. The VHO retro kits at hellolights are like $150 plus say $100 for 4 bulbs, and you have 440 watts of light over your tank: more than enough for many corals. If you do decide to go metal halide later, you can switch all your VHO bulbs to actinic, and have great actinic supplementation! I mean, there isn't much price difference between a mag 5 and a mag 9.5, and there isn't much difference between a 50 watt heater and a 150w heater price wise (it's $18.50 for a 50w and $19.99 for a 150w heater). It is more, but not that much more. And I really cannot think of one reefer that can't afford salt Shaz: What you are seeing on Dr Mac's webpage are only the metal halide bulbs, which he calls base lamps. You can find retrofit kits at hellolights, or on ebay. Like I said earlier though, MH is only 'necessary' for SPS which you would want to put in your tank only after about 6 months. If you are patient and want to DIY some rock, go to www.garf.org and they will tell you how to make some of your own rock. Link to comment
Shaz Posted August 30, 2004 Author Share Posted August 30, 2004 ok thanks again JV Since i probably wotn do metal halides, if i did vho (which I probably would), what specific VHO would you reccomend for a 50 gallon or a 55 gallon. for a 50 gallon the sotre i went to reccomended the 2 48" bulbs 110w each for about 300 bucks, would this be good enoguh for most coral excpet SPS lke you said, or woudl i have to get mroe bulbs in it? and also, if you recommend a specific model, any idea where I could get that for and what price? Thanks for dealing with my questions, its helping WAY more than you think :) Link to comment
cjm033 Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 jc vt are you a member of wamas? Link to comment
flycut Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 I think you need to find out what you want or plan on getting as far as livestock. This might save you some money in the long run. If I could start all over, I would go with a huge tank. Its a drag to want a certain spieces and not be able to get it because your tank is too small. I think you should buy for what you want to stock, and not stock for what you bought. Link to comment
Shaz Posted August 30, 2004 Author Share Posted August 30, 2004 Thats EXACTLY why im trying to get away from a 20 or 30 gal... the only bad thing is it costs a TON more to stock a 50 or 55 gal, dont you think?.. or at least it will be a little mroe bare. Link to comment
JC VT Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 np I personally would go with a 4 bulb set up for 440 watts of light. Really the choices with bulb type is pretty endless, I would ask the guys you buy the lights from what you want in terms of color and they can give you a recommendation. Check out hellolights.com. For a 4 bulb kit including bulbs, you are looking at something close to $250 for 440 watts of light. Ordering online instead of going to your LFS, you would save 50 dollars and get double the lighting. Look in the DIY Parts and Accessories section. The only downside is you have to build your own canopy, but those are easy to make and fairly inexpensive. OR, lurk in the classifieds and buy a set up That would actually be the cheapest. Also check out the classifieds at reefcentral.com. Link to comment
earwicker7 Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 This is just my opinion and I'm sure I'll be called insane, but as much time and effort as I put into my reef, I want the best quality you can get. I've got a 50g setup on the way and I'll have spent $3200 by day one--custom cabinets, chiller, the whole nine yards. My 12g is a different matter, as it's just eye-candy for my workplace, but I plan on putting very expensive corals in my home tank, so I don't need my setup exploding on me. For those of you who have the skills to DIY, more power to you, but I'm all thumbs. Link to comment
Shaz Posted August 30, 2004 Author Share Posted August 30, 2004 Thanks again guys, every post time you post i learn more ! Wow earwicker, i wasnt loonkgi to spend that much on my 50 0r 55 gallon, was that w/ or w/o equipemnt? As far as the equipment goes, do you think i could possibly get it all under 600 ( jsut equipment and tank and stand?) of course this wouldnt be the whole 9 yards like you have... Link to comment
JC VT Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 No, I am not in WAMAS. I am not actually in Maryland anymore... that was where I spent my summers for a summer job. I live in Blacksburg and in Richmond. Yeah it'll be more bare, but you can stock whenever you get money. Or just let what you have grow A couple big show pieces rather than a bunch of small corals looks better, imo. earwicker: I wish that could be the case for me! Unfortunately I am a broke college kid. I guess i'll have to wait until I get a job. Link to comment
earwicker7 Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 That figure is everything besides the corals and the critters--salt, lights, 100 lbs of live rock, about 3" of live sand, etc. To JC VT--I was also a broke college kid at one time; hell, I was even homeless for a month or so. Patience--everything will come with time. Link to comment
earwicker7 Posted August 30, 2004 Share Posted August 30, 2004 Oh, Shaz--I'm sure you could do it for the amount you're talking about if you look for used equipment--just check eBay, etc. I've seen entire 70g setups with corals included sold for less than $500. Just be sure to recognize that you can inherit others' problems when you buy used. Link to comment
Shaz Posted August 30, 2004 Author Share Posted August 30, 2004 Ya too bad everytime i see an AWESOME deal on ebay its across the country lol Link to comment
Shaz Posted August 30, 2004 Author Share Posted August 30, 2004 lol i dont know a whole lot... but if you had a lower watt metal halide such as a Dual 175 Metal Halide 48" Reef Aquarium Canopy, it wouldnt be as good as the VHO, 110 watt 2 48" bulbs, since there is less wattage on the halide... right? Link to comment
Cellenzweig Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 but if you had a lower watt metal halide such as a Dual 175 Metal Halide 48" Reef Aquarium Canopy, it wouldnt be as good as the VHO, 110 watt 2 48" bulbs, since there is less wattage on the halide... right? The halide would actually be better. Halides are point lighting and because of this they are much more intense. This allows them to penetrate deeper into the water. If you're going to with flourescents, I suggest you look into T5s. VHOs may be cheaper in the beginning, but the bulbs only last about 10 months before they have to be replaced. T5s last 18-24 months and would be a lot cheaper in the long run. IMO, halides are still your best bet. In a few months, you'll see some SPS or a clam that your really want, and you'll be kicking yourself for not buying halides in the first place. Single ended systems are very cheap now. Link to comment
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