start up cost?

msemanuel · 10-22-2006, 03:08 PM

My wife and I have decided to get a bigger reef tank with small reef compatible fish. And i was wondering what some of you out there have into your tanks. Price wise in just equipment. And if you had to do it over what would you change in your current set up.

Tommy Gun · 10-22-2006, 05:01 PM

I really think that the costs of a SW tank are going to be highly dependant on your own work and how much time you put into research and finding the best deals out there.

For me, I snapped up a super lucky deal and got my entire set up for a thousand dollars, but I was ready and willing to pay up to three thousand dollars for everything minus fish and feeding costs. The only thing I am dissapointed about with my set up is the background being painted black already since I would really like it to be a dark blue. I guess I could fix that myself though, if I had the time...

My main point is that you shouldnt feel like you have to get ALL your equipment from one store. I found that many places may carry the tanks and stands cheaper than at others, but will rape your checkbook on lighting or something else. Other places offer some pretty good deals in the form of 'package' or 'kits' for saltwater tanks. IME, some of these are great deals but I would still want to upgrade one or two of the features.

One of the biggest costs are the live rock and substrate. I found that the best place for me to get this stuff was from the LFS I deal with on the most regular basis. I think talking to owners or employees and expressing your cost concerns can lead to securing a better deal, especially if you are buying in bulk. My local LFS that has saltwater (I like a few, but this is the only SW LFS) ordered me some live rock and gave me a good discount on it, saving me over 100 dollars. This allowed me to get live sand and in large enough amounts to have almost a 6 inch bed of sand (good for a natural filtration system). Because of this savings, I could afford more and I do not use any sort of mechanical filtration at all.

My entire set up, although I bought it from one person, is comprised of multiple brand names. I think this is a good point because even though I didnt buy the parts seperately, the guy I got it from did. He is an employee at a custom tank dealer and sets up SW and large freshwater tanks for the more affluent members in milwaukee and all over the state of Wisconsin. I trust him a lot since he is also a marine biologist student and I follow most of his leads and tips. So far, I havent had any horiible problems, so I will probrably keep conferring with him. Finding someone you can trust and who is going to give you good, solid advice is almost as important as the equipment and fish themselves.

msemanuel · 10-22-2006, 09:42 PM

We're not planning anything soon. I want to learn from my 20 gallon tank I have now. That i am making a Reef tank also. So my wife likes it so much she said lets get a bigger tank. I told her it was going to run any where from a 1000 to 3000 just to set it up. PLus the extras. I am trying to avoid the sticker shock for my. My plan is to buy here and there till we have everything.

Tommy Gun · 10-22-2006, 09:49 PM

That is a good idea msemanuel and if I hadnt have gotten the opportunity to by my complete set up for so cheap, I would have done the same.

You should go kiss your wife right now and thank her for being so awesome as to be the one to suggest a larger tank! My wife puts up with my desires for bigger and better aquariums and equipment, but it is like pulling teeth every time I just want to get another snail or something!

jd@ga · 10-22-2006, 09:52 PM

That`s a great plan msemanuel! I would do the samething!

xeruf · 10-22-2006, 10:22 PM

Ya I was lucky too, I checked the papers and found a fully live 180 gallon reef tank with everything for 600$ cdn. so I guess check the papers for such deals

msemanuel · 10-23-2006, 06:34 AM

ya my wife is great. we are not in a hurry so maybe one of those good deals will come up for us to.

bigsloe · 10-23-2006, 02:19 PM

hey yo can usually get great deals on tanks and stands on ebay or craigslist when looking on ebay just sort items by distance neares first i got a 150 gallon wit a solid wood stand and hood with lighting balasts for 570 its amazing its really out of this world i had to drive forty miles to get it but ive seen similar tanks in stores selling for 1500 -2000 bucks i also got a 125 with a wet dry filter and a stand coral lights and a ton of other things that would nickle and dime you to death at the lfs for 200 that was a steal and i dont think deals like that come along that often but they are out there just give it a shot also you can get a lot of the other supplies there too at a huge discount i paid 40 bucks for a powerhead at the lfs and got the same one the next day on ebay for 24 dollars shipped like tommy said what you pay is determined by how hard you look id rather invest a lil time than a lot of $$$ good luck and i hope this helps

bigsloe · 10-23-2006, 02:25 PM

heres a shot its blurry and also from a cell phone camera but i got the tank stand and hood with lights for 570 like i said its a 150 well worth the drive