Just A General Question

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armaggedonx

armaggedonx

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My dads thinking of setting up a marine fish tank (4 or 5 feet) what would be needed for this size of tank and approx how much would it cost? Also how much live rock? Is it 1kg per gal? He thinks its cheap to start but its really not.

Cheers,
Keith
 
Reef? or fish only?
 
armaggedonx;4039331; said:
My dads thinking of setting up a marine fish tank (4 or 5 feet) what would be needed for this size of tank and approx how much would it cost? Also how much live rock? Is it 1kg per gal? He thinks its cheap to start but its really not.

Cheers,
Keith
Click to expand...


Its usually not cheap. Live rock is somewhat personal opinion, but I use about 1# per gallon...so a little less than half a kg.

When I started my marine aquarium, I bought a 55 gallon (a little over 200L) and it cost me $150. This was a steal, it was used, and some of the equipment was not the absolute best on the market. In fact, none of it was. Slowly over the years, I have upgraded virtually everything, one part at a time. So, even though I have spent a lot of money on it, its happened over a long period.

At the very least for a saltwater aquarium (FOWLR) you are going to need:
(Prices are approximate to prices I have spent in the past)


Marine Substrate - $40 for 40#...at 1# per gallon
Live Rock - $8 for 1#...at 1# per gallon
- There are ways around this...you dont need to buy live rock for a FOWLR system...and even if you wanted to you would be best off only buying some, and then putting dry rock in for the rest.
Heater - $30-50 for 100g of water
- Heaters vary a lot. I like jaeger, they are cheap, and really good.
Protien Skimmer $200 for 75g of water
- Your going to want to splurge here no matter what. These make a big difference in maintenance.
Fluorescent Lights - $40 for every 30g of water
- Never bought these...but $80 would definitely be enough to cover a 55-65g aquarium
Hydrometer/Refractometer - $15-100
- Hydrometers are cheap, refractometers are not...for a FOWLR I would recommend a hydrometer.

...and depending on stocking...a filter system
-I would recommend a sump filtration system. This also requires a drilled tank. (Or HOT overflows...but most people will steer you away from these.)

Prices vary too much to give you an exact quote on how much this would cost...but I hope this helps give you some sort of an idea. Sorry for not being able to use your measurements/currency.
 
yeah, your looking if you got started right at least 1 grand. The equiptment needed really depends on the tank dimensions, deeper tanks will require stronger lighting which of course depends on your intended corals to keep. Skimmer is a must for corals, as the chemical warefare alone would devistate a tank if not properly cared for. Have him do some shopping around localy first and get his hands on some of this needed equiptment and see some of the price changes from good to not so good lol. He will have a very nice tank though, if he takes his time. Maybe provide a bit more detail on gallons etc, and we could even put together a good starters list for him to look at. Good luck.
 
Pretty much what tang said. You might also want to look into getting a Chiller/Heater combo. Will keep the temp at the perfect level.
 
I agree. I am starting a 30gal reef. At moment I have 30lbs of LR, 2 coral frags, 2 fish, 3 hermits, 4 snails and 40lbs of live sand. I have a sump for my filtration system.... however I already had it from another tank so I didnt pay for it (that tank was a bday gift). The tank its self I got used for $60 with stand. The T5 Unit cost me $70 (off ebay) and I had to replace two bulbs I think they were around $25-$35 a piece but I cant remember. I had a corallife UV sterilizer turbo twist 6x already that came with a tank my bf bought a long time ago so I just used that, didnt have to pay for it. The protien skimmer is an in-sump eshopps and cost me $100. My LR cost me $120 (I also mixed between cured and uncured. I have 7-10lbs of cured in my tank and the rest is 'curing' in another tank. The sand cost me $40. I also got a reef master test kit and also bought some kent microvert food and other additives to replenish my tank for my corals. Needless to say I ve spent well over $500 doing all this.
 
FLESHY;4039395; said:
Its usually not cheap. Live rock is somewhat personal opinion, but I use about 1# per gallon...so a little less than half a kg.

When I started my marine aquarium, I bought a 55 gallon (a little over 200L) and it cost me $150. This was a steal, it was used, and some of the equipment was not the absolute best on the market. In fact, none of it was. Slowly over the years, I have upgraded virtually everything, one part at a time. So, even though I have spent a lot of money on it, its happened over a long period.

At the very least for a saltwater aquarium (FOWLR) you are going to need:
(Prices are approximate to prices I have spent in the past)


Marine Substrate - $40 for 40#...at 1# per gallon
Live Rock - $8 for 1#...at 1# per gallon
- There are ways around this...you dont need to buy live rock for a FOWLR system...and even if you wanted to you would be best off only buying some, and then putting dry rock in for the rest.
Heater - $30-50 for 100g of water
- Heaters vary a lot. I like jaeger, they are cheap, and really good.
Protien Skimmer $200 for 75g of water
- Your going to want to splurge here no matter what. These make a big difference in maintenance.
Fluorescent Lights - $40 for every 30g of water
- Never bought these...but $80 would definitely be enough to cover a 55-65g aquarium
Hydrometer/Refractometer - $15-100
- Hydrometers are cheap, refractometers are not...for a FOWLR I would recommend a hydrometer.

...and depending on stocking...a filter system
-I would recommend a sump filtration system. This also requires a drilled tank. (Or HOT overflows...but most people will steer you away from these.)

Prices vary too much to give you an exact quote on how much this would cost...but I hope this helps give you some sort of an idea. Sorry for not being able to use your measurements/currency.
Click to expand...

+1 on this but yiy nay find some deals on ebay or craigslist so look around
 
Reef keeping is a big jump from FW or BR, you may find yourself wanting more and yet spending tons of $$$$
 
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