Considering saltwater... on a budget

[Magnapinna]

$500 is a good starting number, I started sumpless and was glad cause when I was ready to upgrade had learned exactly what I wanted to do and why

This is what I'm thinking! In the time it'll take for me to be able to upgrade, I'll have had plenty of time to learn exactly what I need to do, without wasting time delaying setup when it could have been up and running FOWLR.

And honestly, I can spend more than $500 if I need to, no doubt. I have a budget but it's not fixed, just comes down to my most comfortable option.

 

[C4ctus99]

Sounds great! $500 is a very comfortable amount for me. I plan on live rock & a HOB skimmer from the start, and I plan to cycle the tank. I would like a HOB refugium but I've heard varying opinions on their usefulness due to small size.

I'm a little confused about the RO/DI system. Lots of options and I don't really know which to choose, some seem far cheaper than others but I don't know how they'd work. Any suggestions?

I started with a 20g long so I’d definitely recommend it, you can go to Walmart or Publix and get purified (RO) water for fairly cheap, $20-$30 for initial fill up, 1 gallon per week for topping off, and once every week or 2 (or 3 or 4) a 4-5g water change. I may get an RO soon cause i

rock is way cheaper too, get 10lbs live and 10lbs dry, although you can also just start with the live and add rock as you add fish. 20lbs caribsea aragonite sand for $20 at petco too is plenty.

As to hob refugium, I did it as a fun project to mess around and while it did not do much, the macro didn’t die either. I was not testing nutrients so I have no clue about the overall effectiveness.

pictures of my old setup!

 

[craiginphoenix]

I had a 36 gallon saltwater tank for a year and a half with out a sump before upgrading 2 months ago and was also on a budget. I think the key to sticking to that budget is researching and finding deals on Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp.

I find all sort of deals because people enter and exit the hobby regularly. The only things I purchase from fish stores are water, food, and livestock.

I just upgraded to a 90 gallon Aqua Japan tank that came with a sump and a really high end skimmer and return pump for $100, which was a steal. It was nasty and covered in algae but took less than 2 hours to clean up.

Just keep watching for deals on the things you want and set up alerts for when things get posted.

And that is where research comes in. Where I spent the most on was mistakes. I bought a canister filter from someone before realizing that canister filters are very difficult to manage with saltwater tanks. Then I bought a Tunze in-tank skimmer and filter and they were great.

The biggest regular expense is water. You need an ATO and regular RODI water purchases. You can mix your own saltwater but where I live every LFS has saltwater for $1.25 a gallon so I did 5 gallons a week (~10%) and it is worth it to me to just purchase saltwater.

 

[Tamberav]

I've read about sponges, they turn into nitrate factories in my 'lotl tanks too. I'll do some more reading about filtration because it seems like there are a lot of opinions. I tend to prefer running lower-tech setups, but I don't like pushing too hard on sensitive tanks. I plan on understocking the tank too, at least to start.

I want to get something more powerful, but I already have an Aquaclear 50. Could I use it for anything on this tank? If not I may move it to my 20gal.

you can use that yes. Its main function is simply to run a bag of carbon and disposable floss to catch debris.

 

[Magnapinna]

I started with a 20g long so I’d definitely recommend it, you can go to Walmart or Publix and get purified (RO) water for fairly cheap, $20-$30 for initial fill up, 1 gallon per week for topping off, and once every week or 2 (or 3 or 4) a 4-5g water change. I may get an RO soon cause i

rock is way cheaper too, get 10lbs live and 10lbs dry, although you can also just start with the live and add rock as you add fish. 20lbs caribsea aragonite sand for $20 at petco too is plenty.

As to hob refugium, I did it as a fun project to mess around and while it did not do much, the macro didn’t die either. I was not testing nutrients so I have no clue about the overall effectiveness.

pictures of my old setup!

Hmmm... the only thing is if I have to buy the water anyways, I'd prefer to just get a basic unit upfront. I realize I'll still have to pay for salt but it would cost a ton in gas alone to constantly be going back and forth for it. I live close to a Walmart but it's a hellhole. I live in an area with some rough weather and serious heat, and people panic-buy water all the time, so I worry about availability too... the shelves can be empty for days at a time. And I see a lot more evaporation than 1 gal/week. The units are expensive, but it's not crippling, and I feel it'd be more cost-effective over time. I can repurpose or resell old hardware, not water.

Cost of sand isn't something I care about as my freshwater alternative would be Fluval Stratum, which might as well be gold-plated lol. Less live rock would be great, but I'm okay with that being an essential cost, and don't mind spending more if the downgrade wouldn't ultimately be worth it. It may not be terribly long before I can get a sump on the 40.

 

[Troylee]

Hmmm... the only thing is if I have to buy the water anyways, I'd prefer to just get a basic unit upfront. I realize I'll still have to pay for salt but it would cost a ton in gas alone to constantly be going back and forth for it. I live close to a Walmart but it's a hellhole. I live in an area with some rough weather and serious heat, and people panic-buy water all the time, so I worry about availability too... the shelves can be empty for days at a time. And I see a lot more evaporation than 1 gal/week. The units are expensive, but it's not crippling, and I feel it'd be more cost-effective over time. I can repurpose or resell old hardware, not water.

Cost of sand isn't something I care about as my freshwater alternative would be Fluval Stratum, which might as well be gold-plated lol. Less live rock would be great, but I'm okay with that being an essential cost, and don't mind spending more if the downgrade wouldn't ultimately be worth it. It may not be terribly long before I can get a sump on the 40.

Amazon you can get salt cheap and a ro buddy to make your own water.. filters don’t last long cause they’re small but they work! If you get on auto ship with chewy, petco or Amazon etc you can get supplies For a great price..

 

[Sump Crab]

Hi all,

I recently lost my ~10yo axolotl and am left with a 40 breeder I plan to overhaul. Not totally decided yet, but saltwater really interests me. I have successfully kept freshwater for the past decade but have no experience with marine. I understand it is much more difficult and expensive, so I may be too ambitious here --- please do tell me if I should just avoid saltwater. I have some limitations but would love to make it work if possible.

Most importantly, I'm on a budget. It's flexible, and since I already have the tank and stand, that frees up money for other expenses. I have college to pay for though, so I want to save as much money as I can. Not a huge deal to me as even if I go freshwater, I'll still be doing some big spending on all-new equipment. I don't mind DIY projects or secondhand purchases where possible.

I also don't really want to install a sump right now. While I'm not opposed to the idea, it seems like a complicated and expensive undertaking. The tank had a "do not drill" sticker at the time of purchase, and my understanding is HOB overflows are A. costly and B. risky. My cabinet has plenty of room for a sump, and I would like to install one eventually, but not right away (unless it's absolutely necessary). I've read 40bs can do okay sumpless and I feel skipping it for now would allow me to spend more on other things, particularly an RO/DI unit.

I would love some input on whether what I want to do here is feasible, if possible. I don't mind the aesthetic drawbacks of a sumpless tank, nor some extra maintenance --- my freshwater tanks are demanding and I'm used to regular cleaning.

If doable, what should my filtration look like? I plan on an HOB skimmer, ideally dry, but if it does back up my floors have seen worse. I expect ~50lbs live rock. I can invest in a canister or a couple HOB power filters depending on which is better. Beyond that, I'm clueless and need some guidance.

Thanks!
Dan

I know you have a ton of suggestions but you can definitely have a really sweet, really easy to take care, and really cheap (relatively speaking) Set up!

10lbs KP aquatics starter rock
5lb tampbay premium rock
Dry rock (ugh I hate the stuff)
40lbs Carib sea reef flakes
Aqua clear 50 hob filter
Eheim heater
Instant ocean salt
probably some type of black box LED
Jebao dc powerhead
Tunze ato
RODI unit

 

[SeaHorseQueen]

I’m on a bit of a budget too but I sneak things in when I can and when necessary. My tanks are just sand, rock, heater and an hob filter.

 

[Magnapinna]

I had a 36 gallon saltwater tank for a year and a half with out a sump before upgrading 2 months ago and was also on a budget. I think the key to sticking to that budget is researching and finding deals on Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp.

I find all sort of deals because people enter and exit the hobby regularly. The only things I purchase from fish stores are water, food, and livestock.

I just upgraded to a 90 gallon Aqua Japan tank that came with a sump and a really high end skimmer and return pump for $100, which was a steal. It was nasty and covered in algae but took less than 2 hours to clean up.

Just keep watching for deals on the things you want and set up alerts for when things get posted.

And that is where research comes in. Where I spent the most on was mistakes. I bought a canister filter from someone before realizing that canister filters are very difficult to manage with saltwater tanks. Then I bought a Tunze in-tank skimmer and filter and they were great.

The biggest regular expense is water. You need an ATO and regular RODI water purchases. You can mix your own saltwater but where I live every LFS has saltwater for $1.25 a gallon so I did 5 gallons a week (~10%) and it is worth it to me to just purchase saltwater.

Definitely taking my time with research. Since I started fishkeeping seriously in 2015, I (knock on wood) have never had a major failure of any kind in any of my tanks. I attribute that to extensive research. I like to be prepared because I have terrible luck, but I've solved problems on the fly just as well. I even have dedicated backup power for my tanks, nothing crazy but it keeps the essentials going in an outage.

Going to keep my eye on FB Marketplace too. That's a heck of a deal! Cleaning tanks isn't something I mind at all, so grungy equipment at a markdown is A-OK by me.

Only thing about buying pre-mixed water is my LFS is a ~2-hour round trip... it's a little ways out but mostly traffic is the issue. I like doing more water changes than not and lose a lot to evaporation. Considering travel time and the cost of gas, I'd rather just buy a basic RO/DI unit. I'm okay with buying salt too.

 

[Tamberav]

I like to 'seed' my dry rock by buying a small amount of live ocean rock (10-15lbs, whatever is in the nano-package). Gulf live rock, tampa saltwater, and KPA are all popular.

Instant ocean salt can be had cheap on petco/petsmart during sales or with the coupons for signing up for repeat delivery (just cancel it after your first delivery). You can use this every year (coupon resets).

r/frugal

 

[Magnapinna]

you can use that yes. Its main function is simply to run a bag of carbon and disposable floss to catch debris.

Sweet. I've seen mixed opinions on the usefulness of carbon and I know you have to replace it frequently. If it's not that much added benefit, I may just use floss. I already have a ton of that and would like the extra filtration. I've never been a big carbon user but I don't know if it's different for saltwater.

 

[Tamberav]

Sweet. I've seen mixed opinions on the usefulness of carbon and I know you have to replace it frequently. If it's not that much added benefit, I may just use floss. I already have a ton of that and would like the extra filtration. I've never been a big carbon user but I don't know if it's different for saltwater.

I very rarely use carbon, it is not a needed expense, even with soft corals. People mention chemical warfare about them but I don't find it to be true unless they are dying/something wrong in the tank or if they are touching one another. It is nice to run it if you frag/cut a soft coral too. Otherwise meh...

 

[Tamberav]

You can always 'add' something later if you find you need/want it.

 

[Magnapinna]

I like to 'seed' my dry rock by buying a small amount of live ocean rock (10-15lbs, whatever is in the nano-package). Gulf live rock, tampa saltwater, and KPA are all popular.

Instant ocean salt can be had cheap on petco/petsmart during sales or with the coupons for signing up for repeat delivery (just cancel it after your first delivery). You can use this every year (coupon resets).

r/frugal

Noted --- I remember reading earlier in this thread to avoid dry rock altogether, but I've seen a few more people say it can be seeded. Will have to do some more research on that.

I didn't realize you got coupons for repeat delivery, or that they wouldn't expire after cancellation... wish I had known that sooner! LOL

 

[Magnapinna]

I know you have a ton of suggestions but you can definitely have a really sweet, really easy to take care, and really cheap (relatively speaking) Set up!

10lbs KP aquatics starter rock
5lb tampbay premium rock
Dry rock (ugh I hate the stuff)
40lbs Carib sea reef flakes
Aqua clear 50 hob filter
Eheim heater
Instant ocean salt
probably some type of black box LED
Jebao dc powerhead
Tunze ato
RODI unit

Thanks! Having specific models to look for really helps a lot, reviews don't always tell the full story. Even better, I already have the Aquaclear and an Eheim heater. I've heard 200W, does that sound right? And would I be better served with 2 100W heaters instead? I usually like dual heaters for more even heating and less risk in the event of failure.

 

[NCcoastalreefer]

You have left out the most expensive parts that OP will need. OP has nothing for saltwater. You left out ROCK, RODI and Livestock. Test kits, miscellaneous supplies etc. you way minimized this lol. No one here recommended anything besides the basics.

Yes rock can be expensive, I ran my tank successfully with no test kits. I used waterchanges, and a refractometer. RODI filters are nice but not a necessity...this is coming from someone that ran a skimmerless tank for years with no testing, cheap black box lights.
To the OP of this thread. I started just as you are looking to, with an empty 40 breeder carried over from freshwater. No need for expensive lighting, no need for hundreds spent on every test kit right of the bat.

 

[Sump Crab]

Thanks! Having specific models to look for really helps a lot, reviews don't always tell the full story. Even better, I already have the Aquaclear and an Eheim heater. I've heard 200W, does that sound right? And would I be better served with 2 100W heaters instead? I usually like dual heaters for more even heating and less risk in the event of failure.

no problem! I think you can go either way with the heater(s). The single biggest piece of advice I can give is to use as much ocean liverock as you can.

 

[flashsmith]

Me when I read the title....

 

[Magnapinna]

Yes rock can be expensive, I ran my tank successfully with no test kits. I used waterchanges, and a refractometer. RODI filters are nice but not a necessity...this is coming from someone that ran a skimmerless tank for years with no testing, cheap black box lights.
To the OP of this thread. I started just as you are looking to, with an empty 40 breeder carried over from freshwater. No need for expensive lighting, no need for hundreds spent on every test kit right of the bat.

I definitely don't want to skip too much, or it'll end up costing more. Don't think I can get away from RO/DI as my tap water is horrible. Really high in pollutants, nitrates, and phosphates. The algae it causes in my freshwater tank is killer!

 

[Magnapinna]

Me when I read the title....

Well fortunately, the rest of the input I've recieved so far has been very helpful.

I'm not trying to build a reef for $200, I'm trying to set up a FOWLR for under $900 with plans to expand as I learn.