hypothetically....can you start w/o so much $$$

[happygirl65]

I was looking into all the costs associated with starting a reef tank

(my husband is not supportive at all after seeing the latest DFS catalog)

And I was wondering (since the lights are quite expensive) if one could say start off with live rock and fish and then "upgrade" at a later date with lighting and other cool critters?

I was thinking this might even give an opportunity to get everything seasoned in really well before adding corals etc.

What say you? I look to you experienced SW folks for guidance.

 

[fijiwigi]

I think that is a great idea. The fish don't need expensive lighting only the corals do. You could start off FOWLR and then upgrade lighting later. Most reef tanks are FOWLR anyway for a few months until they are coral ready. You could have a cool assortment of invertabrates as well. Just get the light last when you are all set up and ready for corals

Really all you need to get started is Salt RO/DI water mixing tubs and a refractometer. Some test kits powerheads, heaters, Live rock and substrate Thats it. about $600 dollars or so will get you started. Protein skimmer would be next than a sump if you choose(not necessary) then lighting. If you get 1.5 to 2 pounds of rock per gallon about 80# with a 46gallon you will not need a filter just the powerheads for flow(get some strong ones)

 

[Innovator]

Are we assuming this is for a 46g, as Fiji mentioned?

 

[happygirl65]

I should have mentioned that...yes for the 46 gallon bowfront.

I think it would be so cool. It has the added benfit of being in the kitchen which is where I spend 90% of my time.

So if I am reading this right as long as you have enough Live Rock you don't actually need a sump or filter, just enough powerheads to give strong flow/current?

 

[fijiwigi]

So if I am reading this right as long as you have enough Live Rock you don't actually need a sump or filter, just enough powerheads to give strong flow/current?

Mine is in the kitchen as well I think where most people spend most of there time have you ever noticed that anytime you have a party everyone always ends up in the kitchen


Yes you only need live rock and flow and thats it you just need a lot of live rock to have enough surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow on. I think its called the Berlin Method

the sump although not necessary is great because it gets the ugly equipment out of the way and adds more water volume which gives you more room for error. If you have a refugium section in your sump the Macroalgae absorbs whatever nitrates are left also helping to keep water parameters in check.

 

[cmor1701d]

The LR will be your biological filter, housing the bacteria that turn ammonia into intrities and nitrites into nitrates. Partial water changes will have to be relied on to remove the nitrates and other buildup in the water column. That is fine for a FO or FOWLR aquarium. You could also run a mechanical filter (cannister or hob) if you wanted to.
Later you can add a sump and overlfow box to give you more water volume, a place to hide the heater and a place to to grow some macro algae. Next step would be to add a protein skimmer.

When you are ready for a reef tank you can add a quality light system.

It will important that you always keep REEF in the back of your head when you stock your tank. Don't buy anything on impulse (EVER)!. Always check to make sure it is reef compatible and always QT livestock before adding it to the main tank.

I basically took this path starting 5 years ago. I'm on my 2nd sump (replaced the original wet/dry with a sump) and my third light fixture.

I think you are ready to take the plunge. I can hear your new little fishies speakeing through the glass. "Resistance is futile. Your life as it has been is over. Freedom is irrelevant. Self-determination is irrelevant. You must comply. From this time forward, you will service us."

 

[happygirl65]

HA ha ha! SO true.....lol. I think my background in FW has prepared me well. I mean at least I understand the nitrogen cycle, and the importance of stability of all measured parameters. And honestly I don't think there is anything difficult about fishkeeping in general if you are willing to do the maintenance and measure parameters.

If there is anything I have learned from diving into the FW planted tank arena it is that it is easy to make things seem harder than they are but in every case planning is key.

You are SO right about never buying on impulse. The ONE time I did that based on some bad advice from an LFS employee I got home with a fish that had to be set up long term in it's own tank since it was truly not compatible with my community. I never do that anymore, I always research exhaustively before deciding.

Thanks so much for the advice. I am kind of getting excited now.

 

[melosu58]

I agree with the others that you can most certainly start with a FOWLR tank and do the corals at a later date. I`m glad you are going to SW. To be honest with you I think sometimes that planted tanks are harder than SW. I tried my hand in one and it was rough.

 

[Innovator]

Drill it....now go!

 

[Wizzard~Of~Ozz]

Drill it....now go!

I would say this is a good idea, when I bought my 120, even though it was going to be planted, I had it drilled so I could move to SW. Ended up with a sump on a planted tank for a while too..

Even if you don't want to do it yet, you can pick up ABS threaded plugs from HD.

 

[happygirl65]

Drill it....now go!

Whoah man...That scares the heck out of me....lol.

I will probably buy a whole new tank if it has to be drilled and have them custom build it for me that way. The LFS that I got my 90 from a few months ago builds them to order anyway. I do agree that a sump is the way to go for filtration. It's funny I used to think that the tank was expensive but even after going planted I can see that the tank price is a drop in the bucket to the total expense of any elaborate tank.

I do have an empty 55 gallon acrylic that I retired due to scratches. I will have to see if maybe I can work on restoring it....that one would be easy to drill without fear. Although I think the bowfront would look cool because of the shape and giving me more room in the front for the rock etc. I think that the 55 was limited due to depth for aquascaping.

I plan to keep my planted tanks going as my husband has told me in our addition that includes a formal living room I can have all of my fish tanks in there. But I was thinking that perhaps I could practice on the smaller tank and then have something built for whatever the perfect spot ends up being in that new room. (maybe between 125-200gal since the 90 looks small to me now )

I get kind of OCD about my tanks when I get going so I am sure you will see many posts from me asking questions...lol.

So what size sump should I go for with a 36 or 55 gal tank? And can you point me in the DIY direction for building one?

 

[fijiwigi]

So what size sump should I go for with a 36 or 55 gal tank? And can you point me in the DIY direction for building one?

It depends do you just want a sump to hide equipment or do you want one with a refugium section? The standard rule of thumb for a refugium is a minimum of about 20% of the main display's total volume so with a 36 I would go with at least a 10gallon tank and a 55 at least a 20gallon tank but the refugium section will be much smaller than the sump tank's water volume so you want to get the biggest possible sump that you have room for. Bigger is better with my 46g I had it custom made so that I could have the biggest refugium that would possibly fit under my cabinet.

 

[happygirl65]

Hey thanks. All great information. I really appreciate it.

 

[pat8you]

Great advise from everyone so far. the only thing i can think to add that i have learned is a good skimmer is worth its weight in gold if you are going to start a reef tank. Make sure you have one in your sump up and running for a couple weeks before you start adding your corals. Good luck

 

[happygirl65]

OK thanks!

 

[oneoffcustom]

Just A Quick Reply. I Found A Killer Deal At Pets Mart On Lighting. It Is No Metal Halids, But T5's Are Next In Line For Supporting Corals. At My Local Pets Mart I Found Two 24" 24 Watt T5 Lighting Ballasts For 12.50, They Are Made By Fluval, A Line Called Glo. You Will Never See This Deal So It May Not Be All Pets Marts. For 56 Dollars I Was Able To Get All My Lighting For 1 Ballast And 2 Bulbs. You Should Look Into It If You Have A Pets Mart Around.

 

[roka64]

Another money saving idea is use base or lace rock with a little bit of LR. I have found the initial start up costs are what really get you, but the monthly is very little.