Hi guys! So I’m a broke law student who’s just trying to get into saltwater and not have a nano tank! I was wondering if it was possible to run a 75-100 gallon or even more reef tank with only two to three really good Hang off back filters or would I have to go for a canister filter? I just don’t have the money or space for a sump and all the stuff that takes up a lot of space! I appreciate any feedback!
Simply cheap reef tank
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Daddy-o
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I am a frugal reefer. You really dont need a sump or hang on back filters. Good rock can be had cheap and I use $CHEAP powerheads from CL. Just dont over stock with fish.
Cheers! Mark
Cheers! Mark
Reefs and Geeks
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I agree with Daddy-o. Much of the tanks filtration comes from the rock in the tank itself. If you stock the tank lightly, you could get away without any hang on equipment or sump. You would be limited to not being able to do things like run activated carbon, UV, skimmer, fuge...etc. but you can be sucessful without. Most of that equipment just lets us put more fish into a tank.
Lighting for a simple reef tank would likely be your biggest upfront cost. Depending on what coral you wanted, 2-4 of the black box lights would do it, so $200-400 in lighting would be the minimum expected and up from there.
People often add equipment in order to try to fight off algae and such. Being limited on filtration may mean more manual labor on your part picking out algae if you have an outbreak. It's an addicting hobby for sure, but can be a done on somewhat of a budget if you go into it anticipating that and working around it.
Lighting for a simple reef tank would likely be your biggest upfront cost. Depending on what coral you wanted, 2-4 of the black box lights would do it, so $200-400 in lighting would be the minimum expected and up from there.
People often add equipment in order to try to fight off algae and such. Being limited on filtration may mean more manual labor on your part picking out algae if you have an outbreak. It's an addicting hobby for sure, but can be a done on somewhat of a budget if you go into it anticipating that and working around it.
will25u
Well-Known Member
When we set up our tank, we bought completely cured live rock. I don’t have a sump, but I do have a skimmer, fairly inexpensive lights (were $500 at the time), and did manual topping off. We dosed bacteria in a bottle also and let the tank sit for a month or two. The only issue we’ve had in six years was a massive hair algae outbreak due to not using properly RODI water we bought from a store. Now we make our own. Within the last year, we bought an ATO and new lights. The lights will be here this week. My tank is a little champ and was started on the cheap. Here’s a little video from today. The next project, it upgrading flow. My MP10 needs a new wet side bc one of the blades broke off.
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