SPS dominated TOTM quality 6' tank on a $1k budget challenge; AKA a really bad idea.

[five.five-six]

Here is my first post from another site, I'll try to get R2R up to speed on where I am without posting the entire 100+ replies to my other thread.

Where I am now is the the tank has been wet about 2 weeks, the hardware is all hooked up except for the APEX classic that was just sent back to neptune to check out a problem with pH probes

budget wise I'm in trouble. not totally screwed but in trouble. There's $118.12 left in my budget and $127 in cash from selling extras I have accumulated.

Conservatively, there's $500 in dry goods to sell though I think I might sell twice that much.

Do click to expand, I have SCMAS meeting to get to but I'll fix the pictures later.

So, here is my challenge: to build a TOTM quality SPS tank in under 30 months for under $1,000 not including salt or electricity. I get to start with $1,000 and the contents of my biocube 29 which already has good test kits, APEX classic and some supplements, fuge light, ATO, Tunze 6055 etc..


The rules:
Any money I get from selling tank stuff can be spent on tank stuff without counting against the $1,000. Leftover materials in my garage will not count against the $1,000. My wife will be refereeing and the penalties will be harsh.


I'm down to $800 here are my first 2 $100 expenditures:

135 gallon tank, stand, canopy and sump $100

Here is the tank peninsula style after my wife spent a LOT of time and energy cleaning corraline algae

A large lot of used aquarium stuff $100


There was a lot of stuff, and it looks like I am going metal halide lighting as there were 2 functional 250X2 halide setups. Also 3 X corellia 4's and this skimmer for which I am currently looking for an impeller. If I find an impeller, I'll clean it up

Before I fill this tank up, I still need to:

* Find sand, live rock
* Build a canopy that opens on both sides
* Build a removable cover for the back of the existing stand
* Wife wants more bracing inside the stand
* Figure some way to get flow at the front of the tank without a magnet on the tank being the first thing you see when you walk in my frond door
* Fix my skimmer or get a new one.

This is a tough challenge, I have $800 left and 30 months to go. It works out to about $27/month. I will document everything I spend in this thread.

 

[five.five-six]

So, here is my chalange: to build a TOTM quality SPS tank in under 30 months for under $1,000 not including salt or electricity. I get to start with $1,000 and the contents of my biocube 29 which already has good test kits, APEX classic and some supplements, fuge light, ATO, Tunze 6055 etc..


The rules:
Any money I get from selling tank stuff can be spent on tank stuff without counting against the $1,000. Leftover materials in my garage will not count against the $1,000. My wife will be refereeing and the penalties will be harsh.


I'm down to $800 here are my first 2 $100 expenditures:

135 gallon tank, stand, canopy and sump $100

Here is the tank peninsula style after my wife spent a LOT of time and energy cleaning corraline algae

A large lot of used aquarium stuff $100


There was a lot of stuff, and it looks like I am going metal halide lighting as there were 2 functional 250X2 halide setups. Also 3 X corellia 4's and this skimmer for which I am currently looking for an impeller. If I find an impeller, I'll clean it up

Before I fill this tank up, I still need to:

* Find sand, live rock
* Build a canopy that opens on both sides
* Build a removable cover for the back of the existing stand
* Wife wants more bracing inside the stand
* Figure some way to get flow at the front of the tank without a magnet on the tank being the first thing you see when you walk in my frond door
* Fix my skimmer or get a new one.

This is a tough challenge, I have $800 left and 30 months to go. It works out to about $27/month. I will document everything I spend in this thread.

 

[five.five-six]

I'm going to hit the highlights of the last month


Decided to build a new open style canopy for the halides, keep heat down and gets them off the water.


Here is my halide rig, it lifts out of the canopy for easy removal and is mounted on unistrut so it's fully adjustable



Leak test with the lights and fresh water, also fresh water decorations LOL



Added actenics with custom reflectors, I got over 20 CFL actenics and a workhorese ballest in my $100 lot of stuff, they across the tank but cover remarkably well



I wasn't happy with the stand so I took it down retrofitted more bracing. I like easy access so I installed a piano hinge and the entire side flips up



Here is the hottest woman I know helping to paint it.

 

[five.five-six]

New total: $861.90/$1k, stack of cash $ $126, PayPal $0.0

Danmb you marine Depot and your scratch n dent sale. I spent $60 at marine Depot of which a small portion got me a trigger systems sump, exactly the dimensions I was looking for just without the giant cracks. A short trip over to paragon plastics for some scrap and advice on fixing it for $4.00. Filled it with water, punched and kicked it a few times and we are GTG. Plenty of room for my big Euroreef skimmer with Eheim 1260 pump, it's a beast for this tank


You can see the repairs, 2 good sized cracks on the front, I sheeted about 80% of the front with 1/8" acrylic and placed strips over the cracks on the inside. Similar repair on the one small crack on the back side

Cut out one of the center baffles that I didn't want, cut out the 2 mini sock holders which were on the wrong side for me and cut down and glued in a HOB style regular sock holder right where I wanted it.

That's the beauty of a $30 sump, I have no problem cutting and gluing it as I like LOL

Added a 20 pound bag of fiji pink, thanks MD! Took a shot of the cloudy water and it gives a good idea of how well those 3 stupid CFL actenics cover the tank. Not bad!

 

[five.five-six]

The biggest single expense to date on the system has been the 2 6105's (used) to create a gyre. the importance of flow in a SPS tank is hard to be overstated. This is what happens after 3 days with the 6105's set at 50% (at 100% they create vortexes at the far end of the tank sucking down pea sized bubbles and dragging them 1/2 way across the bottom)

 

[Sandroni]

Niccccee.

 

[Sandroni]

Also welcome!

 

[Katrina71]

That tank is going to be gorgeous!

 

[Maritimer]

I like the idea of pulling this off on a budget - and it looks like you're doing an excellent job so far, though shaving that budget pretty closely!

Don't want any penalties from the hottest woman you know!

~Bruce

 

[five.five-six]

I like the idea of pulling this off on a budget - and it looks like you're doing an excellent job so far, though shaving that budget pretty closely!

Don't want any penalties from the hottest woman you know!

~Bruce

Well, I think there may be a spanking involved.

I have accumulated a bunch of sellable dry goods along the way. Conservatively, I can sell them for $500. If things go well, for instance someone wants to buy my hammelton 2X250 halide fixture, ther could be in excess of $1,000 left.

I won't be stocking with any high end or designer livestock unles it's donated, trades or won at a club meeting.

Really, my biggest hurdle will be when my frags transition to colonies in about a year and I cn no longer maintain ALK and calcium with kalkwasser topoff. A decent CaCl2 reactor with a good regulator is has the potential to bust my budged and if all goes well, it will become a necessity.

 

[Ryan@ShelteredReef]

Really, my biggest hurdle will be when my frags transition to colonies in about a year and I cn no longer maintain ALK and calcium with kalkwasser topoff. A decent CaCl2 reactor with a good regulator is has the potential to bust my budged and if all goes well, it will become a necessity.

On the plus side, by the time the tank necessitates a Ca reactor you'll probably be able to fund it's purchase by selling off some frags.

 

[revhtree]

This is a cool thread! Keep us updated!

 

[five.five-six]

Ok, now I did it. I went to the LFS to get some chromises, check my water for ammonia and have them look at my pH probe that was giving me trouble.

Ammonia and nitrite are fine but while rummaging around for a pH meter to check out my probe he comes out with a used korallin reactor full of agragate, asks if I want to buy it $180, I say I would not buy it at all without CO2 bottle and regulator, which he produced and let me play with for about 1/2 hr.

The regulator was used but worked well and the tank was full but with expired hydro date I offered $100, we settled on my chromises, 8 SPS frags and the reactor $160 cash.

I obviously don't need a cacl2 reactor yet... but I will and I don't think I will find a better deal than that.





CaCl2 reactor, fish and frags $160
Melafix dip $17.44

 

[five.five-six]

Since I obviously need to sell some stuff to continue, I was looking in my old imageshack account and found these:

 

[five.five-six]

On the plus side, by the time the tank necessitates a Ca reactor you'll probably be able to fund it's purchase by selling off some frags.

I had discussed this with my wife at the beginning of this project. My last tank, pictures above, was a SPS factory. I was selling frags once or twice a month. Lots of people in our home, good people but strangers none the less. My wife had asked that we don't do that again.

That said, her parents were over yesterday and while discussing the tank and the $1k budget, she mentioned that I could sell frags from it to offsett costs. I really do enjoy meeting people.

 

[five.five-six]

I just got a pair of ARO ballests, thank you mreoensf!!! My lamps look great on those!

Normally I'm mister super neat and tidy wireing harnes, this time I decided to take a differant approach. I made a cable tray with D-rings, for cable magement. It is really nice when I have to service equiptment and functionally the cables are safely out of the way

 

[Fishmanz]

1k budget...that's actually quite easy for a 135g

 

[five.five-six]

1k budget...that's actually quite easy for a 135g

I sure hope you're right, but the build only started Aug 14. I still have 29 months to go!

 

[MattL22]

Entertaining thread thanks for posting and good luck I try very hard to be frugal with my reef purchases but when I check my debit card and add up aquarium stuff it's always a shock don't really see it being feasible sometimes you just need stuff lol

 

[five.five-six]

Entertaining thread thanks for posting and good luck I try very hard to be frugal with my reef purchases but when I check my debit card and add up aquarium stuff it's always a shock don't really see it being feasible sometimes you just need stuff lol

Thank you,

If you look at the original thread on another site, I actually chronicle every purchase made including incidentals like screws and paint and hardware parts.

It makes it a lot more dificult when you add up EVERYTHING. I even included my SCMASA dues.