Logged in to give my 2 cents. I ran a reef tank on a poor man's budget years ago. It was a 75gal sps dominated tank with any other nice lps and zoas. I used a cheap MH t5 combo light off ebay. Cost 250 bucks and it was more then worth the price. IL name drop if anyone needs a great light at a low price. His seller name is topdogseller on ebay. It's a 2x 250 MH with 4xT5 54 watts and about 12 lunar leds. All bulbs abs ballast included, very nice for the price and grew anything I put under it.
Back to my poor man's story, I ran my 75gal reef tank using well water through a Ro_DI. No skimmer or anything fancy. Just a 40 gal sump with macro, LR and sand. I used a 5 dollar reflector with a florescent bulb to light the sump. I used instant ocean reef crystals and 2 part dosing off BRS.
I had this tank for at least 8 to 10 years and it florished, I couldn't kill corals if I tried in this setup. It was perfect and packed with I kid you not 200 plus frags and colonies of sps, zoas and other random things. I started to sell corals so I just bought masses of frags and grew them out to chop up in a few months.
Fast forward 5 years, Now I can afford nice equipment, have a 120gal DT 40gal sump. Radion g3 leds, vortex 150 skimmer on 24_7, gfo reactors, carbon reactors and anything else I think will help. But I can't grow corals like I used too. I now live on city water with clorine instead of good old well water. I have nothing but troubles now I have moved and upgraded everything. It's funny to go back and think how easy growing sps was on a low cost setup and well water. I really wonder if city water is so bad corals just can't grow? I've been in this hobby for 15 years and know a thing or two.. but I can never get my new tank to florish like my old 75gal did with just a light and a sump.
I'd like to see who uses well water and who uses city water and see who's tank looks better. I of course mean using a Ro unit and not just out of the tap to the tank. Lol.
Back to my poor man's story, I ran my 75gal reef tank using well water through a Ro_DI. No skimmer or anything fancy. Just a 40 gal sump with macro, LR and sand. I used a 5 dollar reflector with a florescent bulb to light the sump. I used instant ocean reef crystals and 2 part dosing off BRS.
I had this tank for at least 8 to 10 years and it florished, I couldn't kill corals if I tried in this setup. It was perfect and packed with I kid you not 200 plus frags and colonies of sps, zoas and other random things. I started to sell corals so I just bought masses of frags and grew them out to chop up in a few months.
Fast forward 5 years, Now I can afford nice equipment, have a 120gal DT 40gal sump. Radion g3 leds, vortex 150 skimmer on 24_7, gfo reactors, carbon reactors and anything else I think will help. But I can't grow corals like I used too. I now live on city water with clorine instead of good old well water. I have nothing but troubles now I have moved and upgraded everything. It's funny to go back and think how easy growing sps was on a low cost setup and well water. I really wonder if city water is so bad corals just can't grow? I've been in this hobby for 15 years and know a thing or two.. but I can never get my new tank to florish like my old 75gal did with just a light and a sump.
I'd like to see who uses well water and who uses city water and see who's tank looks better. I of course mean using a Ro unit and not just out of the tap to the tank. Lol.