The R2R Budget Reef Tank: What do we need and what do we want?

[M Stein]

4. Do you have any specific manufacturers or companies that you would recommend for certain products on a budget reef? LIST WHAT YOU KNOW!

I'll do that as I go.

1. What tank would be a good budget starter tank? Size, brand?

Obviously, the smaller the cheaper. But I would recommend a 20 Gallon for a good value to cost ratio.
I can't recommend a brand though because the prices differ depending on the time and place.

2. What are the necessary pieces of equipment that will be needed?

1) Tank - I just covered the first one, which is the tank itself. A plain tank would be cheaper than an all in one.

2) Heater - Always necessary. here's a good place to get them https://stores.cllpetsupplies.com/heaters-chillers/
Get a thermometer too.

3) Hang on back filter - This will add surface agitation (for oxygenation) and remove pigments and other gunk.

4) Biofilter - this can either be live rock/substrate or a sponge filter.
This is the cheapest and possibly the best rock, for a 20 gallon I would get 10 pounds - https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/brs-reef-saver-dry-aquarium-live-rock.html
Here's some live sand
An air pump https://stores.cllpetsupplies.com/aquarium-air-pump-adjustable-30-65gph-with-accessories/
And a sponge filter https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/sponge-filter-hydra.html

5) Light - You can get by with a PAR38 but you might want to really invest here. The cheaper lights come with their drawbacks (more algae, less growth, undesirable ambience).



6) Lid - So the fish don't jump out (it can be doen without sometimes). DIY one yourself with some old window screen or get netting here https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/1-8-clear-netting.html. Build the frame using something or the other (be creative).


Additionally, you also need some water changing equipment.

1) Bucket - Get two of them, one for making water in, and one for emptying tank water into https://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Home-Depot-5-Gal-Homer-Bucket-05GLHD2/100087613

2) Heater - get a cheap one https://stores.cllpetsupplies.com/heaters-chillers/

3) Pump - to mix the water https://stores.cllpetsupplies.com/wavemakers/

4) Refractometer - Yeah, you could do with a hydrometer, but I wouldn't (you could though).


5) Siphon - https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/search?w=siphon

3. What are the necessary dry goods, consumables that will be needed?

1) Salt -

2) Water - either make your own by declorinating it or keep buying (not budget friendly)

3) Food - Pellet and/or flake.

 

[sneekapeek]

Completely wrong some of us cheap reefers have just as much successs. It is however more work can’t argue that though.

I can agree. It’s a lot of work that most people don’t have the time to put in. I will reiterate, it’s doable, but more than likely people wouldn’t be able to sustain for years on end because life gets in the way. Left and right I hear tank shutdowns. My old lfs did not run a heater, cooler, protein skimmer, etc. His expense was purified water, salt and electricity for lighting and return pump. It’s a full time job and his livelihood was on the line, so he had to put in the work. For some it can make sense, but for others it’s not feasible.
If I had to start over with the knowledge I have now, I’d setup an environment around the tank that favors it’s conditions and run the least amount of equipment possible. At the end of the day, I’d be paying for something and that’s the bottom line.

 

[ZoWhat]

A reef rank under $500 ?????

You'd have better success taking up bird watching instead

Lololololololololol

 

[LiveFreeAndReef]

10 gallon tank-$15
Aquaclear 30-$35
Hipagero A029-$65
Fluval M50-$19
Ebay dry rock-$23 (10lbs)
Jebao SLW-5-$55
Total cost before livestock: 212 measly dollars

Algae covered glass: priceless lol

 

[LPS Bum]

For years I kept a very simple but beautiful 20 gallon reef tank. The equipment consisted of the tank (no stand as it was on a sturdy dresser), a HOB filter with a removable filter pad, a bag of carbon and a bio wheel, a heater, a powerhead for extra flow, and (this is dating myself) a Coralife power compact lighting system. That was it in terms of equipment.

I had Fiji live rock (back when you could get it) and some sugar sand. Weekly 20% water changes kept the LPS and soft corals pretty healthy and happy (had a few small fish in there as well). Simple and economical, but beautiful.

 

[Nemo&Friends]

I think a lot of the fancy equipment are not necessary.
Mandatory are
tank
rocks, preferably live
filtration, could be simple HOB .
light
possibly power head in bigger tank
The total price will depend on the size of the tank.
A beginner would see if he enjoy the hobby, before investing more.

I do not have skimmer, sump, computerized system or RODI. These are probably nice to have, but I do not think they are mandatory.
If your source of water is not good, maybe you can buy water at your LFS, more work but can be done. Water would not be cheap, but neither are the RODI system and the replacement filters.
Of course I only have 1 gorgonian coral, as I am more interested in fish.
I am suspecting that most of the long timer, who have been in the hobby for over 20 years, started that way, and it should still be possible.
The expensive parts are the corals and the fish, especially if you choose rare ones.

 

[glb]

Ps- regular Instant Ocean Salt works for me. I have a mixed reef tank and the corals are thriving. I’ve never felt the need to spend more on salt.

 

[Pete Witteried]

Lighting seems to be the big problem to me.

 

[Striket85]

Setting up my 29g now. Middle of cycling. Got the tank and stand with canister filter for free from a friend. So far, 2 AI Prime 16 HD's, wave maker, HOB skimmer, RODI unit, new heater and heater management, ATO, I'm probably $1,000 into it but I also have no patience.

 

[LiveFreeAndReef]

Lighting seems to be the big problem to me.

How so?

 

[Falreef]

What’s the “budget “?
Must include livestock and maintenance.
10-20 gallons.
What budget?

 

[glb]

Not quite one of the questions, but I don’t typically buy expensive livestock. There’s lots of beautiful corals and fish that are reasonable.

 

[Dave0]

Maybe if you are an existing reefer, but brand new to the hobby it's a resounding NO!

TL;DR. It's cost me £900 to get this:



If I had priced everything up first, I very much doubt I would have started the hobby at all. Luckily for me, I was already in too deep when I realised I couldn't afford it so I now have 2 clowns (Fred and Ginger), a zoa, a mushroom and the start of a GDP back wall.

Long version:
I am brand new to the hobby, my tank has been running for a week, after finishing its cycle. I'm in England and before I began I estimated I could get going for £400 for a 75l. No chance, and I even built my own acrylic tank. The list of equipment is phenomenal, and the odd £10 here/£20 there soon adds up. I've spent about £100 just on testing equipment and kits. Existing reefers can reuse buckets/water tanks/RO units/refractometers/testing kits but newbies have a huge upfront cost of getting everything. Below is my full list of equipment, none of it high end, and all necessary (it's so tempting to leave stuff out just so I can pretend to myself I haven't spent a fortune, but this is it warts and all).

Item and where I got it	Cost
Plasticsheetshop.co.uk
8mm cast acrylic for sides and bottom, 3 mm extruded for lid all cut to size	£126​
From charterhouse aquatics:
Seachem Tidal 35 HOB Filter. There are cheaper but for a small amount extra, may as well go the best. Its pump is in the tank so no need to 'prime' it, and it is super quiet	£40​
Fritz RPM Salt 14lbs.	£24​
CaribSea LiveSand 20lbs. Not much more expensive than dry sand, and decided to believe the marketing about tank cycling	£28​
API Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrate Tests. They don't need to be accurate, just need to know the cycle is going	£20​
DD H2Ocean Refractometer. Very good reviews, decided not to mess around with cheap equipment for THE most important test	£36​
ATM Colony Bacteria 118ml. Maybe it's not just marketing bull…	£10​
25L Bottle for RO water	£10​
KH, Phos, Mg, Ca tests. Will use Salifert, great reviews, good price	£54​
Coral dip	£9​
Siphon	£8​
Amazon
Light, Nicrew 50W.	£90​
Heater, AQUAEL 115513 Plastic Heater Ultra Heater 75 W	£22​
Cheapo water pump for mixing salt water	£8​
Tensol 12, glue for builiding tank	£8​
Powerhead, Jebao RW4	£50​
Mat for under tank	£8​
ATO (plastic cube to screw a 1L bottle of water into)	£6​
RODI water 4 stage filter	£60​
Sera Thermometer	£5​
Filter floss	£9​
Aquatic Emporium, my brilliant LFS
10kg Dry rock	£60​
DD aquascape construction epoxy	£7​
Fish and coral	£80​
.35 reference water for calibrating refractometer	£6​
Food	£10.00​
Random
Cycling crate (used while glue drying on my new tank)	£3.50​
10L RO water container (inc the water)	£10​
RO water to fill main tank	£16​
Airstone and airline to help the cycle	£7​
Auto feeder for holiday	£18​
Still to get
Acrylic scraper cleaner. Probably go for Mag Float for acrylic	£17​
Stuff I could reuse from stuff I already have:
Air pump	£7​
Glass heater for warming the salt mixing water	£15​
Grand total	£888​

Don't get me started on the money I will have to spend for more fish, coral and a CUC. Do I get a skimmer? Do I get a proper ATO system?

It is a money pit. I hope I don't regret it, I just keep imagining the beautiful tank when it's stocked and everything is growing.

Dave

 

[ClownSchool]

I thought it would be a cool idea for us all to put together a budget reef tank for anyone looking to get into the hobby and not spend a crazy amount of money. What we need to do is come up with everything that will be needed to set up the tank as well as sustain it's success for at least a year. Not sure how this will all pan out but let's give it a shot! I would like to compile all the data at some point and have a really good list that a new hobbyist could go by! So help us out!

PS. I don't expect everyone to completely answer these questions so just answer what you can or want to answer.

Let's outfit this tank up to the point where we can add water. NO LIVESTOCK!

MUST BE ALL NEW EQUIPMENT!

1. What tank would be a good budget starter tank? Size, brand?

2. What are the necessary pieces of equipment that will be needed?

3. What are the necessary dry goods, consumables that will be needed?

4. Do you have any specific manufacturers or companies that you would recommend for certain products on a budget reef? LIST WHAT YOU KNOW!


budget reef image via @aaron186

My 55 gallon tank and stand bought used for $100.
Two new power heads for $30 each.
Fluval FX4 canister filter for $250
Eshopps HOB protein skimmer $210
Heater $40
Two AI Hydra 32 with bar $800
Generic HOB refugium $45

 

[PITA TANK]

40 gallon breeder- $40
ehiem heater- $25
Seachem tidal 75- $60
Dry rock and sand- $100 from addictive reefkeeping
salt-IO 55 gallon $13
Budget light- $100 (nicrew, black box, etc.)
Seachem prime- $5
powerhead- $20

Total: $363

90% my first setup worked well

 

[Reef_prop88]

I think it's very possible to set up a budget reef tank as long as the tank is small enough so you don't need super expensive lights and filter. You should be able to go without a skimmer as long as you keep up on regular water changes. Just have to keep it simple and properly establish the tank before loading it up with fish and corals.

 

[ProxyAquarist]

My son is in the same situation. He has experience one true freshwater and one salt water lake tank, but is new to reefing and on a budget.

He is a college student on a budget so ....

1. Good budget starter tank? Size, brand?
- He is using a 20 gallon long donated by a Scoutmaster.
- That said, he got another 10 gallon at a PETCO "Dollar Per Gallon" sale as a quarantine tank.

2. Necessary pieces of equipment?
- Stand - He built it from discarded wood. He did the math, and it should hold in excess of 8,500 lbs.
- Pad/Mat for Tank - He used a recycled sleeping bag pad.
- Filtration - He has a donated canister filter with media & media bags
- Lights - Initially he used a donated LED desk lamp, but now is using a Current Reef Light that was on clearance at BRS (birthday gift).
- Thermometer - $5 digital LCD thermometer from old freshwater tank.
- Heater - 2 brand new Cobalt heaters, each 1/2 of required wattage for the tank size. Both are new to avoid heater failure that often occurs after a year. They are both half the required wattage for the tank size to avoid cooking the inhabitants if a heater fails and locks in the on position.
- Test Kit - He use API for qualitative assessment, Hannah for Nitrate & Phosphate.
- Refractometer - To test salinity
- Water Siphon - 5$ of clear 1/2 inch tubing from hardware store.
- Bucket - One or more 5 gallon buckets
- Towels - Old towels to cover floor or furniture during water changes
- Quarantine Tank with Heater, Emergency Air Stone & Pump - 10 Gal tank from dollar/gal sale, the pump & air stone were recycled
- Sample Container
- Emergency Medication - Example: Ich-X for Ich

3. Necessary dry goods, consumables?
- Salt
- Fish/Coral/Critter food
- DeClorinator - We use Prime or Fritz ACCR.

My son added these items to ease his journey :
- Bacteria - Active bacteria can speed the tank start up.
- Feeding Utensils -New bulb syringe and recycled tweezers
- Media Reactor with floss, carbon, GFO - Adding a small reactor from the start can help with routine issues and emergencies. When all is fine, it contains floss (pillow stuffing, 8$ for huge bag at Walmart) to "polish" the water. If Phosphate is high he adds GFO. Carbon is used to remove medicine, remove water yellow tint, and as a short term emergency measure if inhabitants appear stressed.
- UV : He got a 8 watt Aqua Ultraviolet unit for algae prevention. ($170 at BRS; Holiday Gift)

4. Do you have any specific manufacturers or companies that you would recommend for certain products on a budget reef? LIST WHAT YOU KNOW!
- We recommend:
Hannah - Nitrate High Range, Phosphate Low Range, and Phosphate High Range spectrometer testers, are simple, reliable, inexpensive, and accurate enough for the reefing hobby. The Hannah Nitrate Low Range spectrometer tester has many more steps and is awkward to use.

Note that right now, the Nitrate HR refill packets are hard to find or have inflated prices. one gets 25 tests from the included packets, but it may be a while on replacements. Thus, I'd purchase a Phosphate Low Range, and Phosphate High Range tester first.

As a rule, for critical equipment buy new, and for non-critical equipment consider recycled, reused, and less expensive items. Note, I said "inexpensive" not "cheap." Quality at a low price is okay; poor quality is a recipe for disaster.

Best wishes and I hope this helps,
Jim

 

[KrisReef]

A budget is a planning tool. What I keep hearing on here is; "Nothing good in reefing happens fast."

The best way to not waste money is to plan alot and spend what you need the first time. Buy the best you can afford, brand recommendations are found in the (re)search tool at the top of this page.

 

[dkfrosty1]

I didn’t start completely inexpensive, as I bought some pretty expensive lights and an mp40 pump, but if I was to start again knowing what I know now, I could probably have done it a lot less expensive.
I don’t have skimmers or top offs, or calcium things or any of the fancy gadgets and my tank is doing well So far…. (10 months in) the little mini hyjjers that I picked up inexpensively are Quiet and easy. ive Seen all kinds of suggestions for less expensive lighting. its definitely possible.

 

[Ray the pathologist]

40 gallon breeder petsmart - best beginner size tank 40
Stand imagitarium. petsmart fits tank is modern/ black metal 105
Lights 2 x smatfarm amazon 2x $119 gives great spread/par/color/sunrise. 238
RO buddy aq. life. amazon - need this for reef 70
refractometer amazon - 22$ professional reef 22
IO Salt 150 gallon. amazon 39
Eheim Thermocontrol Heater Kens fish - 150 watt German made reliable 37
ato fzone amazon great triple sensor smart ato need trim the brace to fit 73
grech cbg 800. amazon hob UV sterilizer - for qt or main- can use media as well. 49
aquatic life mini 115. amazon. small skimmer better than none at all 45
carib sea 40lb Fiji pink amazon. live with bacteria gravel for great price 2 bags/15 each 30
carib sea 40 lb rock amazon south seas base rock for reef scaping 87
1/2" 6 ft safety siphon. amazon. essential for not swallowing aquarium water 14
live biorubble aquabiomics best starter rubble for reef 49
sachem prime amazon 500 ml. great for emergencies and new tank 17
all for reef powder SA tropic marine powder great way to supplement 49
api reef master test amazon great starter kit for testing reef 33

= $997. (I have used all of this stuff before - this is basically my current frag tank and works really well !!!)


for under 1000 you have reef tank great lights that will grow any sps, flow from the skimmer and HOB test kits salt
sand and rock and live rubble starter and even an ato!

could add a jebao wavemaker next for $70

add some basic livestock very hardy for $150 such as:
coral banded shrimp - looks cool!
lawnmower blenny - cleans up tank
pair of clowns - need Nemo
yellow tail damsel - kids think its a mini dory
royal gramma - beautiful sturdy guy with amazing color
urchin - awesome cleaner
hermit crab and conch shell for cleaning gravel

add some basic corals for $150 such as:
green leather
purple stylo
rose BTA
red monti
zoas