NEVER!

 

Styx -

That looks hella big for only a 10g...must be the pic angle.

I'm still trying to figure out how to spend my $1k (reef project budget) right now. If I decide to do piece by piece...than I will being holding off a bit longer to get all my equipment. I know $1k wont cover it all. Or, I just might do a 24g w/ upgraded light and get everything including livestock for under $700. Or the RSM34...for $1k with the upgraded light and no livestock for $1k.

Decisions...decisions....

 

I perfer the challenge of a budget DIY setup. anyone can go out and buy a turn key cube setup for a song and dance. I always had to be froogle and piece together my setups from scratch. fabricating my own sump, skimmers and lights. I like the RSM setup its not worth the price. most of your budget usually goes to the halide setup. I was always lucky finding ballasts and what not for next to nothing. my 10 was lit by a 400w mh that cost less than $120. if you know exactly what to buy you will save a lot by not buying all the useless crap like I did (skilters suck) my 3.5 would be running if I didn't need to buy a chiller. the key to reefing I'd to buy as big a tank that you can afford to equip and stock and then stick the biggest damn light you can over it and wait. general rule of thumb is your setup fully stocked will end up costing 100 times your gallon size its best to know that going in.

 

Yep..but still being a newbie, I have no clue what to buy. That's why I like the all-in-one set ups.

If I piece a set up it will be no bigger than a tall 75g.

 

you need a lot of stuff, at the minimum you need a tank, Lighting, pumps for circulation and a heater anything else is extra just to make your life easier

 

styx, you forgot a PROTEIN SKIMMER on the necessities list. its amazing what those things pulled out and i cant imagine not skimming a reef tank.

this thread just inspired me to go buy a 20H for my apartment at school... thanks alot. any reccomendations on lighting - thinking MH or PC but am torn ive found a 20" fixture w/ 150w HQI MH with led white and actinic for $250... and PCs can be had for 130...

styx, as far as the planted tank goes, if you look into the 2L bottles for c02 with yeast and stuff it may be a good option for you. its butt cheap, and you only have to refill them like every 2 weeks and they produce like 1 bubble every 10 sec which is more than enough for a planted tank.

 

skimmers arnt absolutly necissary like lights are, my 10g didn't have one and it was fine, they do make life alot easier tho, I wouldn't use anything less than MH BTW

 

Yep.






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This one time when I was little my sister and I had fish. We put them in the same tank and they ate each other. It was cool.


Thats my fish tank experience.

 

after hearing about nano reefs in this thread for the first time, i have been reading and reading up on it. Sounds pretty sweet, and I think its something I may wanna try. Went and priced some stuff today (tank, pumps, heater, sand, lighting) however...my pet store doesnt sell any liverock. Where are you getting your liverock and coral at? stores? or can u buy online?

i saw a protien skimmer also...what does this do?

 

you HAVE to find a specialty store that knows thier SW, I have three such stores that specialize in saltwater in my area. one has the best livestock by far in the city of cincinnati, I will only buy livestock from them, you can buy online but shipping has to be overnight or 2 day air at max and its uber expensive. try to stay away from the all in one pet stores too,

protien skimmers skim all the gunk out of the water, some are better some are worse. just dont skimp on the equipment unless you like buying stuff twice case in point those cheap heaters are inacurate, got one thats fully submersable like the ebo jager. dont forget a refractometer, test kits, and salt

www.hellolights.com
www.marinedepot.com

start there

 

Cool, I think SW setups are by far the best looking... I know nothing about them, but have a friend that does and said to set up the biggest tank you can buy or build....

He has a 550 custom tank it took 6 men to bring in his house, also a 150, 85 and a 75 gal.....

He has been after me to build a custom tank (being a Glass Mech) and said he's got most everything I would need for setup laying around his house from upgrading his tanks over the years....

I may just take him up on it one day....

 

yup always buy/build the biggest tank you can afford to equip/stock. at one point I had a 90, 55, 50, 40, 10 and 2.5 laying around (only the 10 was fully equiped/stocked) I now only have the 55 stocked with FW fish and the empty 3.5g at my place. I can't afford the hobby since I bought the truck. I do still have the 50 I want to set up when I do get some $$$. I actually have a 40g acrylic tank that would work as the sump. 400w mh and an aqua c urchin pro I could use. I just can't afford a few thousand in corals right now

 

You have any problems with salt deposits around the tank? A old friend of mine had a huge 100g and his walls around the tank was covered in salt from evaporation. Of course he wasn't the cleanest person in the world but he had one hell of a setup. Guess like any open water in a home will grow mildew and anything else.

 

salt creep like that is usually formed by like splashing water

 

achap:

a quick breakdown of how proten skimmers work:

protein skimmers mix water and air at high speeds (done by a pump and air tube on most skimmers) and the foam that is created is chocked full of liquified proteins that are carried in the water. the foam builds and overflows into a small holding cup at the top of the skimmer and isolates the proteins (excess food, POO) out of your tank. if you're getting into the hobby read ALOT before buying anything. make up your mind on your entire setup and do it all at once. read about the nitrogen cycle and how it works to fully understand the benefits of a protein skimmer - in particular poo=nitrates > nitrites > ammonia --- and all three should be as close to 0 as they can. reef water must be the clean