Moogled Posted January 11, 2006 Report Share Posted January 11, 2006 I'm not sure how sensitive people are with money spent on fish, so I'm going to give it a try. How much did you spend on a reef tank, from beginning to present? I've read a little on keeping reef tanks, but the whole price situation is still a mystery to me. Since I am a part-time student, money does not come very readily, and given the expensive nature of a saltwater tank, I was wondering what you guys think of reef tanks for a young adult. Is it something you shouldn't dwell into unless you have alot of spare money? How much am I looking to spend for an average Reef setup? I suppose the biggest right now I would consider is a 20-25 gallon, but no more than that. Some books suggest that I prepare around 50 dollars per gallon, but that is out of reach for someone like me. Any personal experiences will be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap'n Posted January 11, 2006 Report Share Posted January 11, 2006 I bought a 55gal bare-bones set-up for $500 when I started with SW. I have spent considerably more since then. It can easily become one of those things that you are never really finished with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murminator Posted January 11, 2006 Report Share Posted January 11, 2006 Here is the details of my ghetto reef if you watch for the deals you can do it cheap Ghetto Reef Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moogled Posted January 11, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2006 HA! Way to go, Murray! How long did it take for you to acquire all necessary items? I'm planning to spend around 400 and leave it at that for a couple of months before I put more money into the tank. PS: How's that cleaner wrasse that you grabbed a couple months ago doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murminator Posted January 12, 2006 Report Share Posted January 12, 2006 HA! Way to go, Murray!How long did it take for you to acquire all necessary items? I'm planning to spend around 400 and leave it at that for a couple of months before I put more money into the tank. PS: How's that cleaner wrasse that you grabbed a couple months ago doing? Thanks It took a couple weeks no more than a month it was fairly easy just have to be a fast typer I just sold about 10 frags of xenia outta it and some zoos so It's slowly trying to pay for itself. As for the cleaner wrasse that wasn't me....unless you are talking of the 6-lined wrasse that was me and he is doing great always cruising for pods and being fat is what he loves Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlkWolfe Posted January 13, 2006 Report Share Posted January 13, 2006 Breakdown on a 10g i have on my desk... 10g Bowfront Seamless Tank - $12 18w PC light - $30 AC 500 (fuge/equipment hideout/tank flow) Used - $20 Won Bros 50w heater - $12 15lbs live rock - $45 So about $120 for a 10g My 140g sps reef on the other hand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsmith Posted January 13, 2006 Report Share Posted January 13, 2006 Blkwolfe, If Moogled doesn't mind me interupting, what type of equipment do you hide in an AC500 and how have you stocked that little tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlkWolfe Posted January 13, 2006 Report Share Posted January 13, 2006 the AC500 at the moment just houses the heater and a Fission skimmer im trying out. It also provides all the flow for the tank The original intention was to use it as a little fuge with some LR rubble and some cheato lit by a screw in PC, but i didnt have the clearance for a light the way its currently setup. So the live rock was removed and just used for the heater and skimmer now. Currently houses a pair of 7 year old Ocellaris clowns (my first marine fish, the female is about 3 1/2", the male 2"), and a pair of 3" skunk cleaner shrimp that have since been removed. They all worked quite well together, but things got a little busy and i neglected the little tanks maintenance, so the shrimp were removed to ease the nitrate buildup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlkWolfe Posted January 13, 2006 Report Share Posted January 13, 2006 I've also got some green star polyps and a mix of mushrooms that seem to do ok under the pc's. wouldnt put anything light loving in this though Moogled, the worst part in almost all marine tanks is the live rock part. If you can manage to find a reefer leaving the hobby or downsizing you can get lucky and snag decent rock for $3/lb or even less. Base rock can come even cheaper if you dont mind the usually brown boulders. Seeding that with a little higher quality rock will eventually cover it in coraline and all that other colorful stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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