Just a aquarium, can I use a regular aquarium to make a salt water reef tank?

[Rmckoy]

Anything is possible .
depends on what you want .

My first was a used 75 gal I got from a friend .
he was throwing it away .
came with a stand and canister filter that’s it .
I bought lights , skimmer , 100lbs rocks from someone closing their tank ( which also gave test kits , literature , and additives )

currently have a 230 gal I bought used with stand.
I used my old pumps and lights .

next upgrade wone be any time soon but will be a lot bigger

Good luck

 

[WirelessMike]

You can do it with a regular aquarium or a pre drilled tank. I started in this hobby with a setup I found on Craigslist (granted I was picky and searched for weeks but had a budget of $400). Then I slowly upgraded stuff like lights and power heads. It’s all about your budget and where you wanna be in a year. Good luck and these folks will all give you great tips.

seriously start with something used. I found a 65g reef ready with a sump, skimmer, and decent lights for $400 on CL. Build your own stand and your in business without breaking the bank. Once you find out if the hobby is for you then save for your dream tank. I had an LFS tell me that most people that get into the hobby give up in 6 months or stay in for the long haul. My neighbor jumped in when I did and spent a ton of cash on two different setups......mine is still standing and he sold his after 4 months. Lol

 

[Rmckoy]

You can do it with a regular aquarium or a pre drilled tank. I started in this hobby with a setup I found on Craigslist (granted I was picky and searched for weeks but had a budget of $400). Then I slowly upgraded stuff like lights and power heads. It’s all about your budget and where you wanna be in a year. Good luck and these folks will all give you great tips.

#1 on the drilled tanks .
I tubes and over flow boxes are a pain.

 

[WirelessMike]

The other place to look is FB marketplace. I had to get my wife to search on their for me since I gave up the FB years ago, but there were a couple runner ups right before I found the setup I have now. If you can get a reef ready with a sump for a decent deal you are starting off in a good spot!

 

[don_chuwish]

Both of my tanks started out as just "regular aquariums" - glass boxes with no overflow. It all depends on how much you want to DIY. But as mentioned there are plenty of mass produced reef ready tanks. An Aqueon 125G can be ordered with dual internal overflows - about $650. There are many other options.

 

[DE FISH]

You can use any aquarium as long as it’s water tight Happy reefing

 

[[Cameron]]

Absolutely you can use one and there are plenty of ways to expand it into a solid setup that looks great. Make a nice softy tank with some inexpensive fish. One of the cooler tanks I have seen was a mantis tank using a cheap setup.

 

[Jilly92]

I don’t have the money for a Red Sea so can I make a regular aquarium into saltwater aquarium?

Definitely. I got a 30 gallon for free and bought a fluval cannister used and Blackbox light the whole setup was probably around $120 with 1 powerhead. I also did a pico tank from a betta tank from petco. If you need any help setting up or cycling questions feel free to message me!

 

[Jilly92]

It can be done. My first reef tank was a 45 gallon bow front with a canister filter and a seaclone HOB protein skimmer. Aside from my huge misstep in buying black sand, shich led to a prepetual diatom issue... it was a great tank. Fish were happy, the first corals were small but happy. Honestly, my tank was a good tank. I miss it! If I would have been smart enough to drill the back pane of glass for an external overflow (bottom was tempered), than I'd still have it running.
Do what you can afford that rings you joy.

I thought about changing the sand in one of my tanks black, what didn't you like about it?

 

[Aiptaisia anemone]

I dont see why not

 

[Ntimm]

Absolutely. Many people start with a basic tank and upgrade as they outgrow it. Dip your feet in the water with a cheaper setup and if you still love the hobby down the road, upgrade.

 

[CMMorgan]

I thought about changing the sand in one of my tanks black, what didn't you like about it?

It was pretty! (at first) After about 10 months give or take, I developed uncontrollable diatoms. Water changes did nothing. I tested, I did everything I could think of. It was only a FOWLR at that time, so there should not have been anything crazy. I drove an hour to a reputable LFS store in Sarasota to have him test the water and look at pictures. An EShopps rep interrupted and ask point blank if I had black sand. He said that there are trace levels of iron that leach out over time and cause issues. That made sense because the black sand did stick to my magnets. I changed out the sand and the problem never returned. Lesson learned the hard way.

 

[Jilly92]

It was pretty! (at first) After about 10 months give or take, I developed uncontrollable diatoms. Water changes did nothing. I tested, I did everything I could think of. It was only a FOWLR at that time, so there should not have been anything crazy. I drove an hour to a reputable LFS store in Sarasota to have him test the water and look at pictures. An EShopps rep interrupted and ask point blank if I had black sand. He said that there are trace levels of iron that leach out over time and cause issues. That made sense because the black sand did stick to my magnets. I changed out the sand and the problem never returned. Lesson learned the hard way.

dang well thank you for saving me the heartache! Kinda bummed though

 

[CMMorgan]

dang well thank you for saving me the heartache! Kinda bummed though

Yeah, I really wanted that sand but after the headaches and the cost of changing it all out, I'm happy to have moved on. Honestly, the tank looks nicer with the light sand. It bounces the light, the corals look great. Never again...

 

[Jilly92]

Yeah, I really wanted that sand but after the headaches and the cost of changing it all out, I'm happy to have moved on. Honestly, the tank looks nicer with the light sand. It bounces the light, the corals look great. Never again...

Haha well ty!

 

[MickeyR]

You can use a regular aquarium so many options out there, somethings to check are can the glass be drilled for overflow to sump or how you plan to add plumbing to a sump filter etc. I would say as by most everyone else, go with a used tank for a fraction of the cost that includes mostly everything to get up and running. Lots of deals to be had if you wait for the right one

Good luck go slow and enjoy.