Do you have a budget setup? Share your tips here!

[Gumbies R Us]

I know a lot of us here are wanting the best tank possible, but also don't want to spend a fortune on equipment. I am wondering if you have a budget setup, and how are you managing it. Photo Credit: drewe

 

[Aaron75]

Relatively, I feel my tank is budget. I use a kasa smart strip for plug management, a jebao gyre, a Noopsyche light, a Kamoer doser and a zksj return pump. The only place I really splurged was my heater which is a helio and that's because I like the footprint for a nano tank. The key to budget is simply avoiding the big names and not being afraid to shop from China. They all come from the same factory anyways.

 

[Reefer Matt]

All of my tanks are budget setups. I have just added onto them over the years. For the tanks themselves, I either buy used or “low grade” tanks by Marineland or Aqueon. I use Jebao wavemakers and return pumps. I also use Simplicity skimmers. Lighting is usually bought one fixture at a time as I save up. I choose to have quantity over perceived quality, but I know how to make the “cheap stuff” work well for me. Just gotta do the maintenance.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

All of my tanks are budget setups. I have just added onto them over the years. For the tanks themselves, I either buy used or “low grade” tanks by Marineland or Aqueon. I use Jebao wavemakers and return pumps. I also use Simplicity skimmers. Lighting is usually bought one fixture at a time as I save up. I choose to have quantity over perceived quality, but I know how to make the “cheap stuff” work well for me. Just gotta do the maintenance.

This is a smart way to go about it!