28 gal nanocube tank build cost thread

[James]

Thanks for the input. It is a very young tank with all frags, only thing that is a colony is the xenia. I need to reaquascape.

I want a nice maze brain colony and an ultra scolly as my 2 show pieces. Then I will just wait for all the amazing frags and zoas I have to become little colonies on their own. That is the tentative plan.

James

 

[James]

A little update, I am going to take a picture to show the growth so far. The frags are all growing which is my favorite part. The tank looks nice now, getting a lot of people who want to start tanks when they see it which is fun. Update teh cost, I forgot to do this but I did buy a purple firefish, a big frag of pink and something else zoas and an emerald crab for 34$ (all before xmas) So the total is 1636$. The cost went crazy in the beginning but now has calmed down. I spent some money at wetthumbs and I will put that in once the coral comes next week. I had to move most of my frags to the sand because the emerald crab is a big and bad boy and he knocks everything over.

 

[James]

Ok, I havn't updated this for a bit so I added a few corals from the wetthumbs GB, an ultra scoly, a maze brain frag. Also got a really nice teal favia from manhattan aquariums, 3 orange turbos and 10 cortez red leg hermits. Got a 2nd emerald crab (for the 2nd tank) from Exotic Aquarium in BK. A couple days ago I got a couple really nice frags from izqkeith who just moved to the neighborhood and has some really nice stuff.


Altogether, the cost for both tanks is

$1749

I am going to sell the one tank and LR and upgrade my PC's to LED(retrofit my JBJ hood) from Wingo in the near future. I still need to find the sapphire skimmer for the jbj , I have one for the oceanic but it doesn't fit the tank I want to keep.


-James

 

[James]

Ok, Finally consolidated both my tanks into one because I am in the process of selling the tank I bought to save my LR. I am really happy with the aquascaping. It looks really nice. I will take pictures tomorrow. Also have to update the cost... I don't even want to know, but the euphoric feeling I have when I look at my tank, finally the way I want it is truly priceless.

James

 

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but the euphoric feeling I have when I look at my tank, finally the way I want it is truly priceless.
James

it's a bit like heroin isn't it mate?

but also, just like heroin, the rush fades, and you get the new vision for the next step.

upgraded lights? need a vortech. got vortech? need a new aquascape and about $300 worth of exotic chalices? new chalices? time for a new tank...

the cycle continues.

it's truly addicting in every way, i mean i never thought I would give a **** about a sump. or be so fascinated by macroalgae and the crabs and fish that consume them!

i've seen these cost threads before, eventually, people abandon them as they realize they have truly little power over the money they spend on their tanks, that they had planned to spend so many other ways...

it does give you a great idea of how much disposable income you can free up... or how much you could be investing, and not in corals that you tell yourself you're gonna resell but never do... i mean real investing like equities IRA etc

 

[James]

Some updated pics. I still havn't learned to take pics very well but you can see the general idea of the rockwork. I have a cave with an entrance and some light from the back. The sps and zoas are on top, acans are on the side, semi-aggressive (orange hammer, frogspawn, favias, war coral) all on the sandbed. Dendro head is in the cave and gets little light (I spot feed).

Enjoy.

FTS

Top of cave.

1 side of tank.

 

[lzqkeith]

nice James . so bright and I can see the shimmer on the back . but the coral less than before ? you kill them........

 

[James]

Nah, nothing killed yet, in fact everything is doing well, those nuclear sunshines sprouted 2 more polyps since I saw you last week! I have another side of the tank where I didn't take a picture. That is where the other corals are (that and the fact that I sold the other tank and gave my friend who bought it a lot of free frags.

James

 

[James]

some shots while I was messing around tonight. Actinics only. accidently left the flash on and actually got a better shot than when I try in the daylights.

same shot with no flash

crazy insane zoas to the right and my nuclear sunshines which are growing like crazy to the left.

and finally my newest piece. a beautiful frag of ora green birdsnest.
I will update my costs after I come back from vacation on the 22nd. about to leave my tank for the 2nd time for a little over a week.

Enjoy.

 

[James]

Forgot about updating this for too long. Total cost was 1749 but that was before a lot of $$$ has been dumped back into the tank.

First, upgraded the lighting
(pics http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/general-discussion/71919-upgrading-leds-today.html)
$350

Then i sold the 2nd tank and skimmer (for what I got it for)
-$265

added
SL-2 Module for my RKL, some epoxy , a minijet 404 and lugols.
$125 (approx, I am too lazy to look for receipt)

added dual float switches
$45

blue spotted jawfish
$65

then got some frags
$20

finally added a "semi" snowflake clown.
$90

$2179

If my wife sees this I will be :dead1: for sure.

Reef on :thrash:

Pics coming asap.

-James

 

[James]

The obligatory pics post.

FTS under blues and whites.

My 2 new guys,
Non-dominant side shown. on the other side of the clown there is a lot more white (no orange until near the tail)

This is a cool top-down pic of my jawfish looking up at me, the cleaner shrimp chillin out, chaddrums war coral that i have been healing up for months now and a nice red chalice .

And finally, a pic of some neat zoas I got, they look like purple hornets but I dont know/care the names of them. got em for free from someone who cares just about as much as i do about the names. i just like the green/yellow ring in them, i will give em away in the dbtc if they take off like some of my other zoas have. :biggrinpa

 

[ctxmonitor]

Keep up the post and updates.. haha.. Not many ppl as you know have kept up with the updates and cost of things as it $$$$... =) Nice tank btw..

 

[James]

I believe I said I would keep it updated for the first year or so. I am going to try to keep that promise to myself. It certainly is not cheap and adding things up is enlightening to say the least. This tank is done with livestock for now. I may add another fish at some point but maybe not. I forgot to add the box of reef crystals I bought. That will raise the cost another $50.

$2229

-James

 

[lo7100]

What about your new tank? I'm sure it's going to cost alot more.

 

[smoq]

I believe I said I would keep it updated for the first year or so. I am going to try to keep that promise to myself. It certainly is not cheap and adding things up is enlightening to say the least. This tank is done with livestock for now. I may add another fish at some point but maybe not. I forgot to add the box of reef crystals I bought. That will raise the cost another $50.

$2229

-James

You really don't want Susie to see that buddy. This post should be classified to our girls.

 

[James]

What about your new tank? I'm sure it's going to cost alot more.

For my 57, I am going to get supplies over months so that will allow me to find better deals (I hope). This thread is only going to be for my nano. :tub: