I got a new 30g and want a reef tank...is this ok?

[NeXuZ]

I recently got two 30g tanks fro christmas and I want to have a marine tank, it's kinda been a dream of mine. I have extra freshwater filter and such and I'm only 17 and don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on new equipment. Is there anyway for me to convert my freshwater equipment still in good condition (aqua clear, Fluval power heads) into a usefull means for a marine tank?

NeX

 

[jamal-188]

I would say so. The most expensive part is probably the insane lighting it takes to keep corals and the amount of LR required. You should be able to do a FO tank without spending an insane amount of money. Read the articles on here and anything else you can to learn as much as possible before you do anything. I have wasted a ton of money because I was impatient and rushed into this hobby without learning first.

 

[loganj]

The first money you should spend is on a copy of "The Concientious Marine Aquarist" by Robert Fenner. That book will help you more than any other purchase you can make starting out. You can certainly have a successful marine tank on a budget as long as you set it up right to start with. Patience is the key. You can, for example, buy mostly base rock instead of dropping a couple of hundred on all LR. It will just take longer to mature into something that looks nice. Along with patience, as jamal-188 mentioned, is research. Read and read and read some more before you act. We will help you in any way we can. If you are handy with tools, you can build quite a bit of the equipment you'll need instead of buying it. Welcome to AA.com!