New 33g Reef Tank

[Moogled]

Hi guys.

I'm thinking of starting a reef tank, but I'm not sure what I'm getting myself into. I know the initial costs to start up a 33g tank, but as it stands, I'm VERY inexperienced and not sure if a reef tank is the right thing for me if I have a limited budget.

What are your personal experiences with reef tanks and how much money have you spent on it over X time?

[Xtasia]

65g.. over a period of 1.5 years...

$4500 in year 1 - this includes buying USED set up and then stocking it with livestock.

$1500 last 6 months. - lighting upgrade and stocking with livestock.

I feel the hurt.

[Skimmerking]

hey there Welome to CANREEF .

Who said you cant have a reef tank!!!! Who says you have to start out strong. Go with FISH only get used to the water chemistry first,
and then add a some softies after a good while of watching the tank and learning the tank limits and your boundries.


REMEMBER ITS ADDICTING , and it will comsume your money ....


good luck

[christyf5]

Ugh I started to do the money thing but as Ivy said, its painful.

If I were you I'd start reading now. Check out the internet, buy a book, take a browse through various fish stores and have a look at what interests you for livestock. Go visit some other reefers that have tanks about the size you are interested in setting up and see what they're keeping and what they're systems look like. That will help determine what kind of setup you want to have and what you want to put in it. I'm sure most of us will tell you that various upgrades in lighting/skimmers etc will break the bank (as it did with me, I've had 3 skimmers in the past 3 years, but then I'm a shopaholic ). Lets just say I could have done about 5 trips to Mexico. At the same point in time I think I'm almost done buying all my equipment (at least I had better be ).

Oh and don't forget tank upkeep, ie. salt, test kits, carbon, bulb changes, etc. Sometimes this can be costly too and on an ongoing basis (and thats not counting your hydro bill).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to deter you from your reef. I just wish someone had told me what I was getting into here. It truly is a fun addiction once you're sucked in though

[reeferaddict]

I agree with Christy.... read read read.... then read some more... count on between $25 and $50 per gallon to set up depending on new/used and complexity. I recommend keeping it very simple to start until you get some hands on experience and finally grasp what you will have been reading. When reading on the internet, beware that there are as many opinions as there are people and what works for one may not work for you. Delbeek, Sprung, Goldstein, Schimek, and Tullock are all good authors, (there are more as well), get one of their books for a good overview of the hobby. Even though you say you are on a limited budget, don't cut corners, especially in the beginning. Christy has gone through 3 skimmers, and that is common in this hobby. At first we all think we can get by with what we can afford at first, then we see that "must have" animal that we need MORE light, MORE skimming, and MORE flow than we have in our set ups. This forum has a great group of hobbyists with lots of experience, and keep your eye on the for sale stuff for some equipment and livestock deals. And yes... it IS addictive, I won't even comment on how much I have spent, but you can estimate in my situation that it's closer to the $50/gal range and I have over 200 gallons running. (Sure hope the missus doesn't read this thread... )

I hope I'm not discouraging you, it has been a very rewarding, relaxing hobby for me, albeit with its inheirent pitfalls. Additives alone for a tank your siZe will cost you between $25 and $50 per month...

Good luck, and keep us posted!

[Moogled]

Hey guys, thanks for all the detailed replies!

It looks like a reef tank is NOT for me. I'm a student and I don't think I can afford a reef tank, haha.

Sometime in the future, I will definitely look forward to having one!

[Richer]

I'm also a student and I initially started with a 33g reef tank... I count myself very lucky, as my initial startup cost was quite low. Nearly everything that I got, I got used.

33g tank and stand - $50
2 holes drilled - $20
Glass for overflow - $10
15g sump - $10
Acrylic for baffles - free out of scrap bin
Mag 9.5 (new) - $180 (I think)
2x96w PC fixture (new) - $240
~70 lbs Base rock - free (I just needed to clean up the tank that it came in)
~10 lbs LR - $50
Bakpak 2r Skimmer - $150

Total Startup cost: $710

My first few frags costed me nothing, or only a few bucks. Many people around this board are very generous.

I upgraded to MH lights later using ballasts that I got an electrical wholesaler... MH upgrades cost about 300-400 dollars including bulbs and 36" PFO reflector.

Later on, everything got moved into a 24" half cube and new 17g custom sump. That move only costed me two tubes of silicon, $50 worth of lumber, $20 worth of paint, primer and screws. I managed to sell off my MH setup and got myself a pendent and hqi ballast for maybe a few dollars more. I built my new skimmer for pretty cheap (considering size and its skimming capacity) as well.

Doing things yourself will save yourself a bundle if you do it correctly. Just keep an eye out, not just on aquaria forums, but on everything in general. If you're lucky, you'll usually come across something that can be used in the aquaria world... My girlfriend's father was going to through away sheets of 1/8" acrylic... I managed to save that, laminate them, and made my skimmer that way. I got some glass for cheap, and built my own half cube with 100% silicon that you can get at Home Depot for 6 bucks a tube. I built my own stand, which saved me a bundle.

In total, after counting all that I've bought, and all that I sold... I probably spent around $1000 on my setup and upgrades. Not bad for a student who only works full time 4 months out of the year and 8 hours/week during school months

-Rich

[Murminator]

If you don't mind "ghetto" keep an eye out for canreef deals here is my prop tank. (I should really do an update soon)
http://www.canreef.com/phpBB2/viewto...ghlight=ghetto

[Coldwater]

Let me start off by saying that I am 14. My aquarium has lived off $40 a month from a paper route. I havent bought anything new for the past two months or so (saving up for a new kick a$$ guitar). 33 gallons was the size I started off with. Hope you start its fun.

Matt