thinking of starting a nano- costs?

[sphelps]

I managed to setup a fluval edge nano on low budget:

Fluval edge used of Kijiji: $60
6 LED retro from RapidLED: $80
Aluminum ½” x 8” flat bar for heat sink: Free from friend
Acrylic Shield and aluminum screen bracket to mount acrylic shield over lights (HD): $30
Maxi Jet 1200 for return: $30
Recycling bin from HD used for sump: $8
Broken used fluval 304 modified and used inline with sump: Free from local reefer
10 lbs of rock and rubble: Free from local reefers
Substrate: $20
Heater: $25
Top of vase from IKEA: $20
Humidifier float for top off from HD: $8
Misc Plumbing Parts: $20
Custom stand: $400 LOL

[Sean]

I agree with going for a pico, I purchased a Nano Cube because I thought it would of been a cheaper alternative to a huge setup, after buying a bunch of add-ons like skimmers pumps and chillers I end up with a system that still required constant water changes and wasn't much cheaper. For my pico I love how my water change time is mainly making sure the levels are correct and not filling or draining buckets. The down fall is you are very limited on what you can put in there.. but then on the other hand that means you are going to spend less money on making your tank look full.

[jess128]

Thanks for all the advice, I really appreciate it. I'll look into a pico. I think I might want to upgrade it fairly quickly though so I'm leaning towards a 10 or 15 gallon cube. I've also done some research and am finding that a skimmer might not be necessary with enough LR, but that's a whole other thread topic
Thanks ponokareefer for all the info, that definitely helps too

[ponokareefer]

Your welcome. Good luck with starting out.