Salt Virgin Needs Advice

[Leah]

This hobby is great and I think everyone should do it but from experience it is expensive
to say the least. And after forking out the big bucks it is also time consuming I would not
even care to guess at the time I spend on my tanks, granted I am a perfectionist. If I
remember from the early days trips to the L.F.S. for something or other seemed non-stop
Maybe some one out there may agree with me on this that even after buying good stuff
you still spend time fixing stuff...or is that just my bad luck. I would never dream of running a tank without a skimmer. You are setting yourself up for dissapointment it can
be and is frustrating even at the best of times. lol

[brizzo]

Take a look through the buy/sell section here on CanReef. There is *alot* of good deals to be had! Instead of being 'cheap', be practical and buy second hand

[ron101]

If I wanted to get my hands wet for bottom dollar without cutting unreasonable corners I would:

- NOT use a DSB. They do NOTHING for nutrient export; they just trap them until they reach critical mass and then release them back into the system. Use bare bottom or shallow crushed coral so that you can siphon out the crud. Yes I used to run one. There are extra costs for all the sand and the 'critters' that you supposedly need. Plus there is the loss of useable tank volume (an 18" tall tank becomes a 14" tall tank with a 4" DSB).

- Look for used lighting in the Buy/Sell section. You CAN save money if you go DIY if you know what you are doing. However, for first timers you usually end up spending more money and much more time experimenting until you get it right and even then you often have a ghetto system that looks marginal with no resale value.

- Not bother with a skimmer. I see absolutely no problem going skimmerless if you are sticking with a lower stocking level and soft/lps corals. IMO, like every industry there is propoganda to increase consumer consumption. Good skimmers cost a fair bit and cheap ones are next to worthless. I would only consider skimmers 'necessary' if you are pushing the envelope with stocking levels (not a good idea anyway) or if you want to go with SPS (in which case you have to buck up for other things as well.) Water changes and siphoning are the best forms of nutrient removal and for the price of a good skimmer you can buy a lot of salt mix. Down the road when budget permits, consider adding one.

- Go sumpless. Smaller tanks have thinner glass which have a good chance of breaking when drilled. Even if you succeed in drilling you have to buy the fittings and plumbing, build an overflow box, and buy a return pump. Again, more time and money.

If the tank does well you will probably want to upgrade down the road, then budget for what you want (bigger tank, reef ready, skimmer, Ca reactor, SPS, etc). In the meantime go for the simplest system but buy quality gear. In the hobby, equipment failures can cost you orders of magnitude more than the amount you saved on cheap gear.

[Hangfire]

I'm no expert in marine aquariums, but have you thought about setting up a nano tank. You could pick up a pico 3 gallon tank for around $60, and it comes with a light and a filter. You'd need to get a small heater, but that's about it. I've seen some very nice set ups on nano-reef.com with little more than that tank - some of the guys have upgraded their filters and lighting, but it would be fairly cheap. Just a thought.

[rstar]

I am a firm believer in the health of our critters. If going the "cheapest possible route" and "seeing if i can do it" or squeaking by just barely means your critters will suffer then they are better left in the ocean or at the store. We have a responsibility as aquarists to provide the best care in our means to these critters, and if that means no skimmer and the fewest waterchanges possible on a small tank you are setting yourself up for disaster. And no one on here wants to see anyone fail. I agree that there are cheap ways of getting into the hobby, but even at that level there are fundamental things you need to do lieu of something else like a skimmer (regular waterchanges) The addition of supplements, nutrient export. Which all in the long run adds up. I always tell friends who come by and are dazzled by my tank, who are considering setting one up for themselves that this is liekly one of the most expensive hobbies to get into. Ive added my bills up and over the last three years and have spent something like 11,000 dollars on equipment and live stock and ive only got a 90 gallon and chose to go the "medium route on most things) im guessing that my total doesnt hold a candle to what some people spend on theirs.

All i am saying is think long and hard before making a commitment to this hobby if the time isnt right. Often new people who come upon disaster loose hope and leave the hobby, no one wants to see that. Reefking is a long term hobby some fish will live 20 years, and coral given the proper care, will go on and on. Good luck with your choices and if you choose to continue, welcome to the hobby!

[Slick Fork]

Originally Posted by rstar

I am a firm believer in the health of our critters. If going the "cheapest possible route" and "seeing if i can do it" or squeaking by just barely means your critters will suffer then they are better left in the ocean or at the store. We have a responsibility as aquarists to provide the best care in our means to these critters, and if that means no skimmer and the fewest waterchanges possible on a small tank you are setting yourself up for disaster. And no one on here wants to see anyone fail. I agree that there are cheap ways of getting into the hobby, but even at that level there are fundamental things you need to do lieu of something else like a skimmer (regular waterchanges) The addition of supplements, nutrient export. Which all in the long run adds up. I always tell friends who come by and are dazzled by my tank, who are considering setting one up for themselves that this is liekly one of the most expensive hobbies to get into. Ive added my bills up and over the last three years and have spent something like 11,000 dollars on equipment and live stock and ive only got a 90 gallon and chose to go the "medium route on most things) im guessing that my total doesnt hold a candle to what some people spend on theirs.

All i am saying is think long and hard before making a commitment to this hobby if the time isnt right. Often new people who come upon disaster loose hope and leave the hobby, no one wants to see that. Reefking is a long term hobby some fish will live 20 years, and coral given the proper care, will go on and on. Good luck with your choices and if you choose to continue, welcome to the hobby!

Well Put

[moldrik]

I highly agree. With my tank, the only thing that I need to be careful with is space, so I don't have a lot of room to work with, so I need a compact system for skimming, etc.. However, I would definately spend the money. I love fish and I want to make sure that I have the right stuff to keep them healthy and happy.

I can see his perspective that he wants to keep a tank and he is low on funds. And yeah, the "responsible" route is to not get one, save your money, and invest it or something ( stocks are really low right now! ).

The more you cut corners and the more you cheap out, the worst of a headache you will have and the more money you will spend in the end replacing stuff that doesn't work as well as it should. So really, investing that extra $40 here and there, in the end, will save you money.

For you, living the student life, I think it's a matter of buying one thing at a time, for the right price, until you got most things ready to go.

Someone mentioned this as well, but if I wanted to go cheap, I would cut the sump/refugium that you're planning on setting up. You don't NEED it, and the keyword here is that: NEED. You WANT to keep an aquarium, so what do you NEED to keep it running properly, with good water condition, for the next X years ( right, years ).
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Suzuki GT380