Newbie to buy an existing old tank set up or start new???
 

I have kept a freshwater tank for over ten years and have been yearning to go to marine. Should I buy an existing small setup 33 gal. Or should I buy new and start fresh with a bigger tank and slowly build. Would a $500.00 budget be reasonable??? Would like to be able to do a nano reef tank with small fish. Any suggestions?

Hi, welcome to Canreef! The first thing you need to do is decide what you want to keep in a marine setup. This will determine the requirements (cost) for setting up a system. A decent nano can probably be built for $500, or a good powerhead could also cost $500. Lighting is amajor cost in reef setups, and again, depending on what you want to keep, that could eat up a big chunk of your budget. There wasa thread a while ago about the costs of setting up a nano vs. larger systems; I'll try and find it for you.

You could probably get a lot more equipment for your 500$ if it were used, I say go that route.

I agree with Jack, go on the buy N Sell or through here and you can find some decent setups to purchase outright.

The problem is getting exactly what you want in the paper. I've done it before and was able to sell off the parts I didn't need, but again, know what you need before you go buying a setup that may not work for you. Overall, it is more economical to buy used (most of the time).

I said $500 a year ago and by June had spent close to $3,500. :lol:

Learn to love SW slowly.

Buy a

couple pieces of nice live rock and sit back...
:mrgreen:

Nice equipment comes up for sale on the Canreef buy/sell forum so keep your eyes peeled there too.

Thanks for the tips guys. I will look throught the classified forum and the buysell. The other thing. How loud is a typical setup?

What?

:mrgreen: