Planning a reef tank ?'s

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
Live rock cost depends on the type of rock and your area. Some LFS sell live rock encrusted with coraline algae for $10/lb+. Newly cured liverock without coraline go for $2-3/lb.

A good idea is to get mostly base\dry rock for cheap and seed with a few lbs of live rock. While your tank cycles, the base/dry rock will become live.
 
AquaRick said:
Live rock cost depends on the type of rock and your area. Some LFS sell live rock encrusted with coraline algae for $10/lb+. Newly cured liverock without coraline go for $2-3/lb.

A good idea is to get mostly base\dry rock for cheap and seed with a few lbs of live rock. While your tank cycles, the base/dry rock will become live.
Click to expand...

Why do you want algae on your rocks? Guess I need to google that. Thank you also for the info on the lights. :)
 
Coraline is an encrusting hard algae that looks nice. It's the purple/pink stuff you see on the rocks of mature tanks. If entered into your tank, it will eventually grow over all your rock. This is the good stuff; not the nuisance algae that you want to avoid.
 
Bearchumjs said:
The light unit I'm looking at getting has 4 T-5's. It says two are actinic? What on earth are those and what is their purpose?

And the beautiful worm brain coral I had posted a picture of earlier in this thread was still at petco today and it looked terrible. Not as vibrant and beautiful as when I saw it before. Poor thing. :(

Also, what is a decent price for live rock per pound?
Click to expand...

I think aqua rick covered the actinics just remember that if you want to keep any sps or clams you will probably need more than 4 t5s. As for live rock I never pay mone than $3\lb look on craigslist and ask people who are selling tanks on there if they will sell their rock. Most times they will. If that fails I know I can get it for $5\ lb from my fish guy and 7.99\lb at my lfs. Personally would never spend that much on rock but my budget for my tank is a little tighter than most
 
jwalsh said:
just remember that if you want to keep any sps or clams you will probably need more than 4 t5s
Click to expand...

6? 3 blue 3 regular? My preliminary plan is to just get the 4 t-5 light unit. I added up the prices of everything I need for the tank and it was ~$1200! (not including the fish and their food!) I know I don't have to have lights until the tank is cycled. Maybe I'll buy those last and be able to get a 6 light unit. As for now I'm in the "I pretty much know what I need and now I have to come up with the $$$$!" stage. My researching has slowed down. I'm not feverishly searching the Internet for articles and videos for 3 or 4 hours a night. I'm just looking casually and asking questions when I have them. Once I do get everything I'm going to take it very slow. My plan is to have the tank cycle, get a clown fish. If I keep it alive for a few weeks, I'll add the gold headed sleeper goby (the fish I really want!). And if that stays alive- I'll add a fire shrimp. Then I'll probably add a small school of the orange lined cardinal fish followed by more clean up crew and a feather duster worm. If I can keep all those alive for 6 months or so I will add a gsp and maybe some mushrooms to get the coral life started.

If my plan is to wait that long for coral, I could technically get a much less expensive light for the first 6 months or couldn't I?

See what you did there? You made me go on and on again! LOL! I am so jealous of all the tank pictures I see on here... It will be so rewarding when i finally get mine up and running. Maybe I should get a job at the fish store so I can get a discount. My aquarium budget is pretty darn tight as well. I bet it takes a year just to be ready to cycle!
 
AquaRick said:
Coraline is an encrusting hard algae that looks nice. It's the purple/pink stuff you see on the rocks of mature tanks. If entered into your tank, it will eventually grow over all your rock. This is the good stuff; not the nuisance algae that you want to avoid.
Click to expand...

That's what the pretty stuff is! And I didn't even have to google it. Thank you!!
 
Bearchumjs said:
6? 3 blue 3 regular? My preliminary plan is to just get the 4 t-5 light unit. I added up the prices of everything I need for the tank and it was ~$1200! (not including the fish and their food!) I know I don't have to have lights until the tank is cycled. Maybe I'll buy those last and be able to get a 6 light unit. As for now I'm in the "I pretty much know what I need and now I have to come up with the $$$$!" stage. My researching has slowed down. I'm not feverishly searching the Internet for articles and videos for 3 or 4 hours a night. I'm just looking casually and asking questions when I have them. Once I do get everything I'm going to take it very slow. My plan is to have the tank cycle, get a clown fish. If I keep it alive for a few weeks, I'll add the gold headed sleeper goby (the fish I really want!). And if that stays alive- I'll add a fire shrimp. Then I'll probably add a small school of the orange lined cardinal fish followed by more clean up crew and a feather duster worm. If I can keep all those alive for 6 months or so I will add a gsp and maybe some mushrooms to get the coral life started.

If my plan is to wait that long for coral, I could technically get a much less expensive light for the first 6 months or couldn't I?

See what you did there? You made me go on and on again! LOL! I am so jealous of all the tank pictures I see on here... It will be so rewarding when i finally get mine up and running. Maybe I should get a job at the fish store so I can get a discount. My aquarium budget is pretty darn tight as well. I bet it takes a year just to be ready to cycle!
Click to expand...

If you did but the better ligh you wouldn't have to wait 6 months for gsp if you have everything stable for a month you could get some.. Thats one of the toughest corals
 
I just set up my very first saltwater tank two months ago reluctant to do so because of the price investment and not quite knowing what's was doing exactly. I have two clowns a chromie and a purple dottyback that are all doing great I also have mushrooms zoas a Duncan a frogspawn a tracyphylia brain Xenia also feather duster a hermits an snails that all are thriving. The hardest part is getting started and getting things stable IMO. I believe my total cost is just around $1,300.
 
Wait...green star polyps one of the toughest corals? Far from the truth, it is a beginner coral that turns into a weed.

You are correct that if you want to hold off on corals then you would not require a more expensive light...but I did similar and am kicking myself as I now go about spending the money I should have ontop of what I already invested into it. If you are concerned about the money part, look into LED. I keep reading more and more about cheap LED units that have the capacity to supply enough light for SPS. In Doug's 250 wall build they are talking about them. Should be somewhere around page 98-100. I ended up going the LED route, but went with Ecotech Radions so I could set everything up with my computer rather than having timers. My first one will arrive next week.
 
You can find reasonably priced lighting on the net. Aquatraders carries odyssea brand lighting and they work well and are less sexpensive. I got a fixture with 1 250w halide 4 t5 and 4 led moon lights for 179$ it works great and all my clorals love it. Check them out. Great price and I love mine worth every penny.
 
But their metal halides for a 55g tank are an overkill. If you get a 4 bulb and a 2 bulb t5 fixture you'd be all set for $150.
 
I have the fixture I was talking about before on a 29 gal believe me its not over kill my corals love it! My aussie duncan sprouted 3 extra heads in 2 weeks of getting it and my acan has gone from 2" to 4" in a month. So its not overkill believe me
 
jwalsh said:
I have the fixture I was talking about before on a 29 gal believe me its not over kill my corals love it! My aussie duncan sprouted 3 extra heads in 2 weeks of getting it and my acan has gone from 2" to 4" in a month. So its not overkill believe me
Click to expand...

I had the same fixture as well and sold it. If go with the t5s. Better par and less heat. Costs less too.
 
[QUOTE="jwalsh"...they work well and are less sexpensive.[/QUOTE]


I LMAO at that typo. Anyway, would you happen to have a link to that unit? I was looking at an odyssea unit that had 4 t-5's and 4 LED moonlights for I think around $109. I might be more interested in the one with the MH included.
 
EriksFish315 said:
Metal Halide Aquarium Lighting - Metal Halide Fixture available in 18", 24", 30", 36", 48", 60", and 72".
Click to expand...

That's the link! And yes it was a typo my bad lol but stick with the advance plus models stay away from the expandables even though they are cheaper I have heard many bad things about the bracket system on them. I don't remember what size tank you have but a 30" fixture is $179 a 36" is I think $240 and I think the 48" is $300 still rediculously cheap for the wattage they put out. One small word of advice if you get one. Change the bulbs out right away. The ones that come with it are junk. I replaced the t5 with ati's and the halide with a phenix 14000k
 
jwalsh said:
You can find reasonably priced lighting on the net. Aquatraders carries odyssea brand lighting and they work well and are less sexpensive. I got a fixture with 1 250w halide 4 t5 and 4 led moon lights for 179$ it works great and all my clorals love it. Check them out. Great price and I love mine worth every penny.
Click to expand...

Is this the one? http://www.aquatraders.com/30in-Metal-Halide-HQI-T5-Aquarium-Light-p/54262.htm

I'd have to get a 48 inch unit and they are $239. :cry: http://www.aquatraders.com/Odyssea-48in-Metal-Halide-T5-Aquarium-Light-p/54248.htm

Unless the 30 inch unit would be big enough and have enough light for a 55 gallon.... I have no idea how I'd get it on though. There is a difference in length of 18 inches...

Decisions decisions! I've got plenty of time to think about it!
 
Yeah that's the one I have but I have a 29 gal. I forgot what size you had sorry but even at $239 for a 48" fixture that's cheap because I think it has 2 250w mh and atleast 4 t5s maybe 6 I don't remember. Either way with a mh fixture you can grow whatever you want with out ever having to add on or buy another fixture. I personally am very indecisive as to what I ever want to do with my tank so I made sure I was limiting myself as far as lighting. Just something to think about
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Reef Rock
Replies
1
Views
702
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
B
Fish
Replies
3
Views
289
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
D
New reef tank
Replies
2
Views
528
Dhurga
D
M
Possible Tankmates?
Replies
1
Views
134
Andy Sager
Andy Sager
BarbieGrl84
Molly aggression and time out tanks
Replies
7
Views
716
af2018
af2018

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom