budget

This will be the start of my Innovative Marine 100EXT build thread. I'll be adding to this thread overtime because I will be moving in the next couple months to St. Louis. Most equipment has been purchased or is being re-used, except for the plumping and the stand. The goal of this tank is to...

Cost without skimmer: $122.50 (skimmer can substituted with a regular pump) Using this on a 20 gal high with 2 clownfish, 2 fire shrimp This thing absolutely destroys nitrates. I am new to the hobby (2 months) and didn't want to pay for a HOB refugium, since they would be much smaller than...

And so it begins... I picked up a used Mr. Aqua 22 gallon long. Water test seemed good. It's a bit dirty so I'll need to scrape it. I'm experimenting with these lights, they're 25w smart flood lights that come with all the programming and a lower price point than any aquarium light with similar...

Hello im looking for budget lights for a 40b (36″ Wide x 15″ Long x 16″ High), the intention is for it to be an lps/softie tank. maybe some of the easiest sps if there is some but they are not a priority. I know there is the those nicrew Hyper reef and noopsyche k7 minis but im not sure if there...

I recently bought a 60 gallon with sump and stand on facebook marketplace for $200, I think the total volume is ~80 gallons. I'm a 16 year old working on this tank on a smaller budget. The equipment I need is a return pump and eventually a skimmer. What skimmer will work for the tank that won't...

Best Auto Top Off ATO Under $100? Ive seen similar threads, but most are outdated. Least probable to flood and then accuracy in that order. FLUVAL Evo 13.5 w/ 5 gallon bucket Thanks coral friends!

Hello y'all, I'm following another thread about showing your low tech aquarium. And this thread brought several question: -What is in fact a low tech system? It's having enough equipment to count in 5 fingers? Low tech systems should use skimmer? Or surface skimmer? Filtration as sump...

I was thinking about upgrading the lights on my 40b to something strong enough to grow sps and I think 3 AI primes would be probably the best way to do that for the best price. Do you guys know of anything better for around $750 dollars?

I have a 20-gallon mixed reef and wondering what's a good, but budget-friendly ATO. I was debating the Hygger mini or the JBJ advanced ATO. If anyone has any experience with those please tell me your thoughts on them. Also, if anyone else has any other suggestions I would love to hear them!

I’m building a tank, from scratch, and am new to SW reefs. But, I do realize that the type of coral, the aquascaping, and other factors play into what lights you should get. ‘I’m hoping that you guys can give me a general idea of what I should be looking for, in the medium to high light range...

Hey Guys! I have been designing a budget nano build for a while and wanted to share my journey. I am coming from the planted tank and vivarium world but have been interested in saltwater for a while. My goal would be zoa/duncan predominant tank with a hammer/torch focal point inspired by...

So I am looking to get a new tank. I currently have a 20 gallon cube and 60 gallon cube but would like to upgrade to something bigger. I was originally planning on waiting a while to do this but the seams my 60 cube are starting to get questionable. I bought that tank used (for a steal) and...

Hey everyone as you know I have a 20 gallon long reef tank, well the other day my hang on back filter sucked up some sand/gravel and I can’t seem to get it to work correctly. I am now in the market for a new type of filtration and want your opinions on what to get. My three options are a hang on...

Anyone with a smaller tank.. I found a skimmer on a budget. I have been using this with great results and it is only $14 shipped. Link. It may take around a month to receive but worth it. Tim

I just got my new 92g corner tank almost ready to go. All thats next is adding water. I am wanting to have a softie and lps filled tank. One major dilemma, the lighting. Its 18 inches deep, the straight side are about 34 inches and its bow front. I cant figure out what kind of light I need. I...

I just decided about a month ago to use my extra 20g long as my first attempt at a saltwater tank. I am here to ask what you guys suggest for a 20g log set up on a budget. I am setting this tank up as the money allows. I do not have a job currently, but I am selling some odds and ends I don't...

So this thread is about a year late but I figured I should finally give it a shot. I’m almost a year into this hobby and my obsession hasn’t slowed a bit (just ask my fiancé). It all started with an Used Innovative Marine 20 gallon aio system. Actually, that’s a lie. It started with a month of...

I am looking to create a refugium in my existing 10g sump which is a standard 10g leader for the purpose of sustaining a healthy copepod and microfauna population rather than nutrient export. I've kicked around a few ideas of how to accomplish this however I'm running into a few problems: 1.)...

New to Nano's but not to reefing! This is my first post on R2R. - Just bought the tank at the Petco dollar per gallon sale for $20. - Removed Rim with a hot wire and hot knife to melt plastic and silicone. In the next week I will be basing my design off the Innovative Marine fusion 20g...

I have a 15 gallon nano reef, running 2 kessil a80’s over it (1 on its way in the mail) with spectral controller. Running a icecap gyre 1k around the back just to clear up detritus. For filtering I have a reef glass protein skimmer, and I have an aquaclear 70 with the ocean box designs surface...

These mods are not new, but have been proven to work. Anyone on a budget in the reefing world knows that sometimes products need improving. I'm running this skimmer on a 30gal. Rated for 65gal and has been slowly losing it's steam. After these mods, the performance increased beyond...

Hey guys! I'm new to the community and out to earn a spiffy new Build Thread Badge!! I don't have all of my supplies just yet, but most of the things I do have at my disposal (well, all of them so far) are 2nd hand. So far my supplies are as follows: An Oceanic 42 Gallon Hexagon Aquarium A...

Not sure if this will work at all, does anyone know if I could rewrite this light for a refugium, it’s called the i-Zoom Worklight, here’s the link to the amazon. [LINK] I have four of these and got them as freebies, I could do some trial and error. But my question is, is this even the...

Hello all !!! So, i have been wanting to upgrade my tank's lughting as mentioned on my last thread. Thing is i'm on a tight budget !!! I run a 60 gallon tank that is about 4 feet wide & 2 feet deep, about just over a foot wide ... although kessils are great, they arent budget friendly as we all...

I plan To post the progress of this Experimental tank with lots of photos to follow. I look forward to every ones input. This tank was built on a budget and will eventually be mainly a coral tank/Quarantine tank for the 32 gal DT. My fiancee loves to paint so i had this brain fart and decided...