Titleist1964
Active Member
I agree, my only thought was dumping all that money into something I wasn't sure I'd enjoy.
How many of us have a budget setup for reefing?
- Thread starter The Farmer
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Arego
Well-Known Member
My budget build story
Let's begin, $400 tank and stand, $20 - 75g sump from local reefer, thanks Joy! $200 skimmer, $100 various plumbing pieces for return and bean animal. I also borrowed from the previous 90g plumbing. $50 NIB 2000gph ghost overflow. $75 xf150 gyre, whatever 2 bags of live sand cost. Rocks were "free" they came from a previous 90 gallon I was upgrading from. Lights 185x3 =$555 SB reef extreme black boxes, $25 smart micro ATO from friend at lfs.
Total Startup: $1500-$1600 give or take a few dollars of course.
Water to fill the tank came from a local reefers sump. He asked for $150 but I gave him $250 for his time filling his trucks 300g water container and driving to my house pumping it in my display. The crap show at that stage making that much water and mixing it just wasn't gonna work for me.. lol.
I'm still using the heater I got with it today.. have backups but nonetheless it is still the original with the tank when I bought it 4yrs ago, rebooted March 2020.
Picture of Tank today
I moved a bunch to go SPS only on the right and that's a work in progress that started January 2022. I still buy things used if I can assuming the item checks all the boxes I need it to depending on severity of need I'll buy new.. T5 bulb replacements, etc.
I maintain the tank as low budget and maintenance as possible. Coming from 32g > 90g > 250g simple is the only thing that ever got me results. Once I try to get all smart about something I soon fail somewhere else I wasn't looking as a result of overcomplicating something else
Kasa wifi smart strips, inkbird 308 heating controller, 2 cups of carbon hanging in a mesh bag and a sulfur denitrator using limewater only to replace cal/alk, done. It's not a tank of the month, or even day, but I like it =)
Let's begin, $400 tank and stand, $20 - 75g sump from local reefer, thanks Joy! $200 skimmer, $100 various plumbing pieces for return and bean animal. I also borrowed from the previous 90g plumbing. $50 NIB 2000gph ghost overflow. $75 xf150 gyre, whatever 2 bags of live sand cost. Rocks were "free" they came from a previous 90 gallon I was upgrading from. Lights 185x3 =$555 SB reef extreme black boxes, $25 smart micro ATO from friend at lfs.
Total Startup: $1500-$1600 give or take a few dollars of course.
Water to fill the tank came from a local reefers sump. He asked for $150 but I gave him $250 for his time filling his trucks 300g water container and driving to my house pumping it in my display. The crap show at that stage making that much water and mixing it just wasn't gonna work for me.. lol.
I'm still using the heater I got with it today.. have backups but nonetheless it is still the original with the tank when I bought it 4yrs ago, rebooted March 2020.
Picture of Tank today
I moved a bunch to go SPS only on the right and that's a work in progress that started January 2022. I still buy things used if I can assuming the item checks all the boxes I need it to depending on severity of need I'll buy new.. T5 bulb replacements, etc.
I maintain the tank as low budget and maintenance as possible. Coming from 32g > 90g > 250g simple is the only thing that ever got me results. Once I try to get all smart about something I soon fail somewhere else I wasn't looking as a result of overcomplicating something else
Kasa wifi smart strips, inkbird 308 heating controller, 2 cups of carbon hanging in a mesh bag and a sulfur denitrator using limewater only to replace cal/alk, done. It's not a tank of the month, or even day, but I like it =)
OP
OP
It’s looking good
My budget build story
Let's begin, $400 tank and stand, $20 - 75g sump from local reefer, thanks Joy! $200 skimmer, $100 various plumbing pieces for return and bean animal. I also borrowed from the previous 90g plumbing. $50 NIB 2000gph ghost overflow. $75 xf150 gyre, whatever 2 bags of live sand cost. Rocks were "free" they came from a previous 90 gallon I was upgrading from. Lights 185x3 =$555 SB reef extreme black boxes, $25 smart micro ATO from friend at lfs.
Total Startup: $1500-$1600 give or take a few dollars of course.
Water to fill the tank came from a local reefers sump. He asked for $150 but I gave him $250 for his time filling his trucks 300g water container and driving to my house pumping it in my display. The crap show at that stage making that much water and mixing it just wasn't gonna work for me.. lol.
I'm still using the heater I got with it today.. have backups but nonetheless it is still the original with the tank when I bought it 4yrs ago, rebooted March 2020.
Picture of Tank today
I moved a bunch to go SPS only on the right and that's a work in progress that started January 2022. I still buy things used if I can assuming the item checks all the boxes I need it to depending on severity of need I'll buy new.. T5 bulb replacements, etc.
I maintain the tank as low budget and maintenance as possible. Coming from 32g > 90g > 250g simple is the only thing that ever got me results. Once I try to get all smart about something I soon fail somewhere else I wasn't looking as a result of overcomplicating something else
Kasa wifi smart strips, inkbird 308 heating controller, 2 cups of carbon hanging in a mesh bag and a sulfur denitrator using limewater only to replace cal/alk, done. It's not a tank of the month, or even day, but I like it =)
Karen00
2500 Club Member
Well... Tank, sand, rocks, ato (that was $120 on its own), salt, heater (and backup heater), powerhead (and backup powerhead), filter media, test kits, salinity meter, digital thermometer. This is my first sw tank so I had to buy everything and I literally did that in one day. Plus I'm in Canada so everything is 5x the cost (or so it seems). Actually looking at that list it was probably more than $600. LOL Then came the livestock and apparently I don't believe in a budget for that either. Haha.
Edit: I forgot one of the most impotant pieces... the light. I originally bought an $80 black box light that wasn't worth the $80 so then spent about $175 on a use AI Prime 16. The more I think about it I am probably $1k into just the hardware/tank for my 5g. Having said that everything was bought new except for the Prime light so it's not like I bargained hunted for used stuff or had stuff from other sw tanks I could reuse. I'm glad I didn't keep the receipts.
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Conchman
Active Member
Suppose i'm in a small group. I bought the last tank off of a fellow reefer, only as it was a good deal and not ever used. I bought one MP10 used, always made a little noise. Then back to my normal buying, new. I'm not against used, just at a place in my life where I want stuff to work out of the box, no issues. After living a decent life I am also in a place where I can afford to buy new. Not saying I can buy part of Twitter, just can afford what I want. And I only buy what I believe adds actual value to me (easier) or benefits good husbandry practices.
Glenner’sreef
2500 Club Member
No budget really…. If there’s a need, it’s in the budget.
Karen00
2500 Club Member
Here's the most recent pic. This thread has made me realize how much I've spent on this tank (not including the livestock). Haha. One of these days I will learn to take a proper photo of this tank.
Attachments
BrandonS
Well-Known Member
If it's free it's for me. I am handy so if I find it for free on craigslist, local group, side of the road, etc.. I grab it. If I can fix it and don't need it I trade, sell, or give it away. Everything reef related I sell goes into an account for aquarium supplies.
I do it all on a budget, I don't buy the fanciest coral and do my best to run a low tech system. It used to be what I didn't spend going racing in the winter time went towards the tank unless I needed something for the race cars. Now, where I teach, there is a massive shortage of substitutes and when they pull teachers to cover a class during their planning period, they get 90 dollars an hour. So now, I leave the other money strictly for race car related needs and use my money from covering classes to buy things.
Zach B
Noo-Psyche Sales Rep
Partner Member 2024
Excellence Award
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Reef Tank 365 Boss
Wisco Reefers
Midwest Reefer
My Tank Thread
Unfortunately with the way prices are headed, I would think that if some don't have a budget now... they may soon. Best of luck to all This has never been a "cheap" hobby but it sure was more affordable
This has never been a "cheap" hobby but it sure was more affordable
vlangel
Seahorse whisperer
My tank system is what I would call a budget build because it's assembled with 25 years of stuff.
My sump is a 20 gallon L that I bought 25 years ago. My fuge is a 30 gallon XH tank that was my 1st seahorse tank. My display is an Aqueon rimmed 56 gallon with stand that I added trim work to and repainted.
My overflow is a HOB overflow box and everything is soft plumbed. I have a 10 year old power head and probably 8 years ago I replaced my 2nd hand Mag drive 9.5 return pump with a Jabao variable speed return pump. I just upgraded to LED lights a month and a half ago but only because it's impossible to find 30" HOT5 bulbs.
I did replace my ancient heater with 2 new ones because I know heaters are notorious for sticking on and boiling a tank.
I still use my ancient swing arm hydrometer.
My sump is a 20 gallon L that I bought 25 years ago. My fuge is a 30 gallon XH tank that was my 1st seahorse tank. My display is an Aqueon rimmed 56 gallon with stand that I added trim work to and repainted.
My overflow is a HOB overflow box and everything is soft plumbed. I have a 10 year old power head and probably 8 years ago I replaced my 2nd hand Mag drive 9.5 return pump with a Jabao variable speed return pump. I just upgraded to LED lights a month and a half ago but only because it's impossible to find 30" HOT5 bulbs.
I did replace my ancient heater with 2 new ones because I know heaters are notorious for sticking on and boiling a tank.
I still use my ancient swing arm hydrometer.
OP
OP
Loving all the reply’s. My budget includes the oh shh** moments, when u spring a leak need a replacement tank, need another heater if you don’t have a back up, hire a tank sitter, a moving company when the new behemoth shows up and so forth. Even includes construction budget for an upgrade.
CRD23
New Member
I set a monthly budget. Stop discretionary spend the day it hits ceiling. Carryover the excess to next month. My tank is still new, and this seems to be working . Need a lot more equipment to make maintenance easier. It looks like it will be at a stead pace.
If I had given myself a practical budget I would have guppies and a turtle right now.
I think people who ask budget questions about reefing should be beaten and left in a corner somewhere. Only because it reminds me how much money I’ve given away!! But I love it though. Kudos to those who actually have a savings set aside for reefing! I’m jelly.
zpete3323
Active Member
Hehe the only budget tank I've managed to create is my 10g AIO. I already had the upgraded return pump, radion xr15, live rock, coral frags, cleanup crew, critters, testing gear, the works. So I think to myself dang this was only $200! Still wrong but if I already have it, it must be free?
For reference I have a dual 180g system that has drained what I used to call my savings account...
For reference I have a dual 180g system that has drained what I used to call my savings account...
gbroadbridge
2500 Club Member
Nope, if I need it I just buy it
