I havnt gottin a saltwater tank set up yet because Im still looking into everything. so Im very new to everything. Im going to be using a 55 gal. tank, and I was wondering about how expensive everything will be and the over-all price of everything needed...the cheaper the better in my situation but Im willing to pay the nessicary(sp?) prices.
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I need Help
- Thread starter Gotcher16
- Start date
Gotcher16,
:welcome:
Tough question. The basic minimum equipment for a basic saltwater tank IMO is to have a skimmer, RO/DI system for water, a good heater, a digital hydrometer for accuracy, test kits and some powerheads for flow. Those things are right around $500+/-. I'm sure others will add to that list.
Now, that doesn't include some big ticket items, like liverock and lights. The rest of the cost depends on what you plan on keeping in the tank. If it is just saltwater fish and some live rock, the answer is pretty darn cheap (well, relatively). Say 40 lbs of liverock-I don't know where you live and cost varies by region- and an inexpensive light fixture $50.
If you plan on keeping corals, well there are a few different options that make a huge difference in price, lighting primarily. That will set you back anywhere from say $300-$500, depending on the type.
First thing you do is decide what you are going to keep, research the needs of those animals and build the tank around them. Make a list of "must haves" and learn all you can about sucessfully keeping them. Once you decide and learn, take the requirements of the most demanding "must have" animal and build to that standard.
:welcome:
Tough question. The basic minimum equipment for a basic saltwater tank IMO is to have a skimmer, RO/DI system for water, a good heater, a digital hydrometer for accuracy, test kits and some powerheads for flow. Those things are right around $500+/-. I'm sure others will add to that list.
Now, that doesn't include some big ticket items, like liverock and lights. The rest of the cost depends on what you plan on keeping in the tank. If it is just saltwater fish and some live rock, the answer is pretty darn cheap (well, relatively). Say 40 lbs of liverock-I don't know where you live and cost varies by region- and an inexpensive light fixture $50.
If you plan on keeping corals, well there are a few different options that make a huge difference in price, lighting primarily. That will set you back anywhere from say $300-$500, depending on the type.
First thing you do is decide what you are going to keep, research the needs of those animals and build the tank around them. Make a list of "must haves" and learn all you can about sucessfully keeping them. Once you decide and learn, take the requirements of the most demanding "must have" animal and build to that standard.
Lawdawg":z16l6ocm said:First thing you do is decide what you are going to keep, research the needs of those animals and build the tank around them.
Excellent advice. Figure out what you really want to have in your tank, and post that, then everyone can help you better understand what it will take to get there.
Some items can be very expensive, like lighting for example, but are entirely dependant upon what you will be keeping in your tank.
Im thinking of just a simple saltwater set up with some clown fish and a few other that will go good with them...but I still have to figure out what fish go good with clown fish. But my budget isnt really big cause Im only 16 but I can come up with the needed money. I have a 55 gal. freshwater tank and Ive always wanted a saltwater tank so Ive decided to persue my dream of having one so I bought another 55 gal. tank and now alls I have to do is learn all about maintaing it.
You can save some money by getting some of your stuff used, however I would get an experienced reefkeeper to help you so you don't get taken advantage of. An Aqua-C Remora skimmer would work well with your 55g tank. If you plan to keep anemones with your clownfish, you will need a higher amount of light than the average striplight that comes with many tanks. You can keep bubble tip anemones and some other varieties under compact flourescent light. If you are willing to build a hood yourself, you can buy a light kit to retrofit it from www.ahsupply.com . I'd go with the 4x55w kit for a 55g tank. 50/50 bulbs work best. They can be purchased cheap on Ebay. With this you could also keep a variety of low-med light corals.
If you can find a local reef club, you'll learn a lot and can probably find people selling things like skimmers, live rock, coral frags, etc. really cheap.
Also, if you have any good local reef stores in your area they can be a big help. You can usually judge how knowledgeable they are by what their tanks look like. If they have coral tanks like some of the ones you see on here, they probably have a pretty good idea about what they are doing.
The important thing is not to rush things. A lot of people spend more money than they need to by not researching things well to begin with and they end up having to redo things they did wrong. You did the right thing by coming here to ask for advice first, before starting, so you are already on the right track. Good luck.
If you can find a local reef club, you'll learn a lot and can probably find people selling things like skimmers, live rock, coral frags, etc. really cheap.
Also, if you have any good local reef stores in your area they can be a big help. You can usually judge how knowledgeable they are by what their tanks look like. If they have coral tanks like some of the ones you see on here, they probably have a pretty good idea about what they are doing.
The important thing is not to rush things. A lot of people spend more money than they need to by not researching things well to begin with and they end up having to redo things they did wrong. You did the right thing by coming here to ask for advice first, before starting, so you are already on the right track. Good luck.
My 55 gal. tank is 48 inches long and about 13 inches wide....Im really into lighting and I want something thats going to look really good. I want to have color lighting along with regular lighting.
I need help with everything and I need some ideas for my tank and what supplies I need to get...right now alls I got is the tank...also I have several freshwater tanks.
I need help with everything and I need some ideas for my tank and what supplies I need to get...right now alls I got is the tank...also I have several freshwater tanks.
Gotcher16":3hl7uh3x said:My 55 gal. tank is 48 inches long and about 13 inches wide....Im really into lighting and I want something thats going to look really good. I want to have color lighting along with regular lighting.
I need help with everything and I need some ideas for my tank and what supplies I need to get...right now alls I got is the tank...also I have several freshwater tanks.
Color isn't the issue, the type of lighting is dependant on the critters in the tank which need that light to live. Some require more, some require less. So, before you get too far into planning you must narrow down what you are going to keep. Or, don't plan and just spend big bucks for top of the line lighting you don't need or worse not get powerful enough lights and loose livestock in which case you will then have to upgrade anyway.
Before you do anything, go get yourself some good books and do some reading. I highly recommend The Complete Marine Aquarium by Vincent Hargreaves for a start.
Black & White Ocellaris Clownfish also orange and whitetazdevil":24sg8rwi said:Gotcher, check here for a compatibility chart:
http://www.reefs.org/library/compatibility.html
What TYPE of clowns do you have though, they vary from relatively docile to downright mean.
Lawdog is right. A good book will help a lot. Also, I always recommend that people go read the current and back issues of Advanced Aquarist Online Magazine and Reefkeeping Online Magazine. They are free and have tons of good information. Some articles may be a little over your head at the beginning. Just skim them to get the general idea of what they are about and come back to them later as you get more into the more advanced stages in the hobby.
The lights I recommended will give you good color and alloew you to keep some corals, however you may not be able to get a lot of the higher light corals like Acroporas to really thrive under it. If you want to keep higher light corals, another option is metal halide lighting. You can get 175w metal halide electronic ballast kits from www.hellolights.com for around $125 each. You would need 2 kits. Again, you would need to build your own hood for something like this. If you take shop class at school, you could probably build it there relatively easy.
As for fish, the main thing is to consider not only the compatibility of fish, but also how big they get. Many fish like tangs, large angels, groupers, etc. just get too big to keep long term in a 55g tank. Fish like blennies, gobies, Pseudochromis, pygmy angels, etc. should do well.
Keep this post going as you progress and we'll definitely help to guide you in the right direction along the way.
The lights I recommended will give you good color and alloew you to keep some corals, however you may not be able to get a lot of the higher light corals like Acroporas to really thrive under it. If you want to keep higher light corals, another option is metal halide lighting. You can get 175w metal halide electronic ballast kits from www.hellolights.com for around $125 each. You would need 2 kits. Again, you would need to build your own hood for something like this. If you take shop class at school, you could probably build it there relatively easy.
As for fish, the main thing is to consider not only the compatibility of fish, but also how big they get. Many fish like tangs, large angels, groupers, etc. just get too big to keep long term in a 55g tank. Fish like blennies, gobies, Pseudochromis, pygmy angels, etc. should do well.
Keep this post going as you progress and we'll definitely help to guide you in the right direction along the way.
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