A different type of tank build

Dr_zilla · 11/15/2009, 09:16 PM

We all know keeping a proper saltwater tank is never cheap, in fact often times it is quite the opposite. I have been out of the hobby for a few years but a recent deal I randomly fell upon had me asking the wife if we could start up a tank. I told her that the tank/stand was "a really good deal" and that it won't be too expensive (a clear white lie). I am hoping that she will get interested in the hobby because she loves talking to my freshwater plant tank that only has 2 fish. I figure if she thinks two tetras are cool she should get hooked on a reef quickly. When I had my other two nano-reefs, (a 10 gallon and a 26 bowfront) I was single and didn't have to report my expenditures to anyone. Oh how times have changed. Hence this thread.

Every penny that goes into my tank will be documented here for at least the startup/first year. I am doing this more for myself but also if anyone is looking for estimates for a similar setup. I am going to try to have a high quality/lowest possible cost ratio going but we will see. I hope to keep mostly softies and some LPS. I hope to get involved in the NYC reefing community and get lots of cheap little frags. I love cheap corals as much as the pricey ones. I am thinking my showpieces will be a nice big colony of pulsing xenia and either an open brain, brain or one of those really colorful scolymia corals as the centerpiece for my waterbox.
I have been looking at these tank threads and although people complain about not having the money, you rarely hear what they paid.

Here we go, I live in NY so I will include tax and shipping if applicable and will round up to the nearest whole dollar.

Unless asked, I will not mention where I got stuff as to not upset the sponsors or mods (even though I did purchase some of these things from sponsors)

1st, got the tank and salt. Didn't get reef crystals. IO worked well for me in the past.

$45 - 160 gallon bucket of IO salt.
$260 - 28 Gallon nano-cube system with free stand (tank arrived cracked, waiting for a replacement on Nov. 25th. will cycle the LR in a tank lent to me by chraddam who is the man btw)
good thing is the place I got it from gave me a 25$ credit for my trouble. Better than nothing.
$6 shipping for both. no tax

$16 - Pentair/Lifegard LITTLE TIME or TEMP Digital clock/thermometer
$17 Aquarium Systems Maxi-Jet 900 (MP900)
$20 Seachem MultiTest Marine Basic
$40 Salinity Refractometer
$12 shipping no tax.

$4 5-gallon bucket with lid (for mixing water changes)
$7 18-gallon rubbermaid with lid (for lots of different things; storing rocks when I am aquascaping, separating problem animals to mixing bigger amounts of saltwater)
$0 shipping bought local (tax included in prices)

$160 5 stage RODI unit with DI Bypass Assembly ( i need to drink too) and TDS Meter
$25 shipping no tax.

$28 - 5$ coupon 100 watt ViaAqua titanium heater
$6 shipping no tax

Going to order.
$120 - 40 pounds premium coralline encrusted Bahama Honeycomb
aquacultured LR (I like the idea of aquacultured rock and coral and try
to support this when possible, I also have had it before and loved it)
$34 20 pounds of live sand
$10 box charge
$50 air freight shipping, no tax yet (this is a guess, will edit with true cost Monday when I order and receive
at the airport)

This is enough to start the cycle.

Corals purchased in advance of a NYC fall frag swap.
tubbs blue 10 for 10-15 polyps
very purple with green center 5 for 20$
bright orange paly 5-10 for $20
green mouth people eaters 10 for $10
heads of frogspawn $10
cats eyes 10 for 15$
A disc of GSP for $5

admission for fall swap $20
Total Cost so far:
$970

Gotta steal some pantyhose from my wife to throw my activated carbon (old) in. free... but dangerous if caught.

-Zilla

jbird69 · 11/15/2009, 10:08 PM

I really like the idea of this documentary. Ill follow along!

ANC · 11/16/2009, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr_zilla

Gotta steal some pantyhose from my wife to throw my activated carbon (old) in. free... but dangerous if caught.

-Zilla

Lmao watch your back. Crossing enemy lines is very dangerous. Great thread will definately be following along. Good luck.

Snakebyt · 11/16/2009, 02:29 AM

i am way too scared to document what i spend on my tank, im sure the numbers would scare me and possably get me divorced..but hey, the divorce might prove to be cheaper.. lol

Shane Hoffman · 11/16/2009, 03:01 AM

Seeing shocking numbers like these to set up a nano is exacly why I buy used, almost exclusively. I spent less than 600 to set up my 150 (including LR and sand)....Granted it takes hours of scouring craigslist and ebay and sometimes waiting weeks to find what I need........the only thing I purchased new was my dual reactor from BRS....

Dont get me wrong I am not knocking those that buy new.....its just to hard for me to part with my money......I would love to unwrap shiny new equipment 30 seconds after I get it home....I just struggle with giving up the cash to do that.....

neoyhng · 11/16/2009, 03:06 AM

I will never let my wife reading this thread....

sra127 · 11/16/2009, 11:10 AM

i didnt document it to the t when i was doing it, but kept a tally going on in my head. i spent probably 1200.00 to set-up my 14 gal nano and fully stock it to look good (bought everything from lfs, including rock at 7 per lb). i then spent around 200 to upgrade skimmer and lights (150 hqi pendant). i honestly think (if i knew then what i know now) i could have gotten it all for under 500. live and learn.

oh yeah, dont let wifey know, she would kill me....

Dr_zilla · 11/16/2009, 11:35 AM

If buying all used and a system, then yes under 500 is possible. I did not use an LFS for anything. I would support the good ones in the area but btw taxes and high prices, it is just not economically feasible. I still am closing in on the 1000$ mark. I bought the things new but from the cheapest reputable sites on the internet and could have easily saved money if I bought lower quality items (ie: hydrometer instead of refractometer, glass heater instead of titanium, cheapo RODI instead of a quality one etc) Thanks for reading, the rock is coming tomorrow and I will put up a pic when I get it.

Zilla

Dr_zilla · 12/18/2009, 07:37 AM

I haven't posted anything on this thread in a long time but I have since aquired another nano-cube, this time a 29- Biocube. I got it with about 30 pounds of Fiji LR and some Xenia for $200!! I have set up that as my main display and my brand new 28- JBJ is just about finished curing the LR. I have some pics and will be posting them at sometime this weekend. Added a controller, a lot of frags, and a sapphire skimmer. The total cost with both tanks is about $1600 right now!!! But it is worth it, the main tank is looking great and I will start aquascaping with the 2nd soon.

Dr Z

11/15/2009, 09:16 PM	#1
Dr_zilla TDS Addict Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 307	A different type of tank build We all know keeping a proper saltwater tank is never cheap, in fact often times it is quite the opposite. I have been out of the hobby for a few years but a recent deal I randomly fell upon had me asking the wife if we could start up a tank. I told her that the tank/stand was "a really good deal" and that it won't be too expensive (a clear white lie). I am hoping that she will get interested in the hobby because she loves talking to my freshwater plant tank that only has 2 fish. I figure if she thinks two tetras are cool she should get hooked on a reef quickly. When I had my other two nano-reefs, (a 10 gallon and a 26 bowfront) I was single and didn't have to report my expenditures to anyone. Oh how times have changed. Hence this thread. Every penny that goes into my tank will be documented here for at least the startup/first year. I am doing this more for myself but also if anyone is looking for estimates for a similar setup. I am going to try to have a high quality/lowest possible cost ratio going but we will see. I hope to keep mostly softies and some LPS. I hope to get involved in the NYC reefing community and get lots of cheap little frags. I love cheap corals as much as the pricey ones. I am thinking my showpieces will be a nice big colony of pulsing xenia and either an open brain, brain or one of those really colorful scolymia corals as the centerpiece for my waterbox. I have been looking at these tank threads and although people complain about not having the money, you rarely hear what they paid. Here we go, I live in NY so I will include tax and shipping if applicable and will round up to the nearest whole dollar. Unless asked, I will not mention where I got stuff as to not upset the sponsors or mods (even though I did purchase some of these things from sponsors) 1st, got the tank and salt. Didn't get reef crystals. IO worked well for me in the past. $45 - 160 gallon bucket of IO salt. $260 - 28 Gallon nano-cube system with free stand (tank arrived cracked, waiting for a replacement on Nov. 25th. will cycle the LR in a tank lent to me by chraddam who is the man btw) good thing is the place I got it from gave me a 25$ credit for my trouble. Better than nothing. $6 shipping for both. no tax $16 - Pentair/Lifegard LITTLE TIME or TEMP Digital clock/thermometer $17 Aquarium Systems Maxi-Jet 900 (MP900) $20 Seachem MultiTest Marine Basic $40 Salinity Refractometer $12 shipping no tax. $4 5-gallon bucket with lid (for mixing water changes) $7 18-gallon rubbermaid with lid (for lots of different things; storing rocks when I am aquascaping, separating problem animals to mixing bigger amounts of saltwater) $0 shipping bought local (tax included in prices) $160 5 stage RODI unit with DI Bypass Assembly ( i need to drink too) and TDS Meter $25 shipping no tax. $28 - 5$ coupon 100 watt ViaAqua titanium heater $6 shipping no tax Going to order. $120 - 40 pounds premium coralline encrusted Bahama Honeycomb aquacultured LR (I like the idea of aquacultured rock and coral and try to support this when possible, I also have had it before and loved it) $34 20 pounds of live sand $10 box charge $50 air freight shipping, no tax yet (this is a guess, will edit with true cost Monday when I order and receive at the airport) This is enough to start the cycle. Corals purchased in advance of a NYC fall frag swap. tubbs blue 10 for 10-15 polyps very purple with green center 5 for 20$ bright orange paly 5-10 for $20 green mouth people eaters 10 for $10 heads of frogspawn $10 cats eyes 10 for 15$ A disc of GSP for $5 admission for fall swap $20 Total Cost so far: $970 Gotta steal some pantyhose from my wife to throw my activated carbon (old) in. free... but dangerous if caught. -Zilla

11/15/2009, 10:08 PM	#2
jbird69 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: The beautiful State of Jefferson Posts: 2,751	I really like the idea of this documentary. Ill follow along! __________________ Broke Back Mountain is not a movie, its the pile of dead ninjas in Chuck Norris' back yard

11/16/2009, 03:01 AM	#5
Shane Hoffman Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: 45 mins from Chicago Posts: 2,009	Seeing shocking numbers like these to set up a nano is exacly why I buy used, almost exclusively. I spent less than 600 to set up my 150 (including LR and sand)....Granted it takes hours of scouring craigslist and ebay and sometimes waiting weeks to find what I need........the only thing I purchased new was my dual reactor from BRS.... Dont get me wrong I am not knocking those that buy new.....its just to hard for me to part with my money......I would love to unwrap shiny new equipment 30 seconds after I get it home....I just struggle with giving up the cash to do that..... __________________ A wise man once said "Never play leap frog with a unicorn" Current Tank Info: 150 gallon glass with 20 gallon sump, 175lbs of coraline covered live rock, EuroReef skimmer rated for 250gal, 25watt Aqua UV sterilizer, Fluval FX5, Hamilton 3x250watt MH, 160 watt Blue actinic....Mixed reef

11/16/2009, 02:29 AM	#4
Snakebyt Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Lubbock Tx Posts: 2,141	i am way too scared to document what i spend on my tank, im sure the numbers would scare me and possably get me divorced..but hey, the divorce might prove to be cheaper.. lol

11/16/2009, 03:06 AM	#6
neoyhng Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Hong Kong Posts: 154	I will never let my wife reading this thread....

11/16/2009, 11:10 AM	#7
sra127 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Pembroke Pines, Fl Posts: 673	i didnt document it to the t when i was doing it, but kept a tally going on in my head. i spent probably 1200.00 to set-up my 14 gal nano and fully stock it to look good (bought everything from lfs, including rock at 7 per lb). i then spent around 200 to upgrade skimmer and lights (150 hqi pendant). i honestly think (if i knew then what i know now) i could have gotten it all for under 500. live and learn. oh yeah, dont let wifey know, she would kill me....

11/16/2009, 11:35 AM	#8
Dr_zilla TDS Addict Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 307	If buying all used and a system, then yes under 500 is possible. I did not use an LFS for anything. I would support the good ones in the area but btw taxes and high prices, it is just not economically feasible. I still am closing in on the 1000$ mark. I bought the things new but from the cheapest reputable sites on the internet and could have easily saved money if I bought lower quality items (ie: hydrometer instead of refractometer, glass heater instead of titanium, cheapo RODI instead of a quality one etc) Thanks for reading, the rock is coming tomorrow and I will put up a pic when I get it. Zilla

12/18/2009, 07:37 AM	#9
Dr_zilla TDS Addict Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2000 Location: Brooklyn, NY Posts: 307	I haven't posted anything on this thread in a long time but I have since aquired another nano-cube, this time a 29- Biocube. I got it with about 30 pounds of Fiji LR and some Xenia for $200!! I have set up that as my main display and my brand new 28- JBJ is just about finished curing the LR. I have some pics and will be posting them at sometime this weekend. Added a controller, a lot of frags, and a sapphire skimmer. The total cost with both tanks is about $1600 right now!!! But it is worth it, the main tank is looking great and I will start aquascaping with the 2nd soon. Dr Z