Absolute Minimal Salt Water Aquarium

[mhart032]

As advised from the good people here i was going to do a small 12g salty and was advised to go bigger and i did. i got a 40hex stretch i spend just under 300 for everything. i bought 90% from craigslist, oceanic 40g hex tank, light stand rio 1100 powerhead, thermometer. $100.. then i bought a red sea prisim pro deluxe protein skimmer for $25 and the guy gave me 30lbs of base rock. aslo i got a testing kit with the 40 hex. then i bought my live rock online it was $75 bucks.. RO/DI water .50 a gallon from LFS and chems and red sea salt mix ended up being like $60. so im just under 300 for everything and im happy.

 

[Harry Gross]

SW "are expensive....so-to-speak but I've done my 100gal re-build s-l-o-w-l-y over time....onna 4-person family (w/baby on the way) budget... (me only part time employed...to date)taking my time..taking advice from A/A members and have created a beautiful thing that the whole family enjoys.At first I was slightly intimidated by all of the rumors.But A/A has gotten me through it .
Its been my experience that big or small...'price-wise'....theres not too much difference....so why not go for it and go big.You can get alot more variety going on...and leave yourself w/alot more options.

 

[Justin1989]

price wise there is a big difference depending on how big you go. Skimmers are the biggest price, along with sand live rock and lights. Ive spent probably 200 just on rock, another 125 on sand, and 180 on a skimmer. the lights were 375 that I got. However a cheap PC light would be around $60+.

 

[thincat]

If you went with a 20 gallon tank you really don't need a skimmer as a weekly pwc will accomplish the same thing. For a powerhead I think you will be able to get by with a Koralia 1. For substrate, if you go sand get dry aragonite intsead of live sand because IMO live sand isn't "live" and many others will say the same. For salt brands everybody has a favorite. for lighting if you get a deluxe full hood or a strip-light with the tank, I think you can get by with that for fish and live rock. For a test kit a lot of people use an API saltwater master test kit. Since you're getting live rock you won't need a filter. Heater, a 100 watt would work great. For thermometers, I just use temp tape which is cheap but not the most accurate. Get a refractometer, much better than a hydrometer. I think that's about all I can remember.

This is a great post!

 

[thincat]

The only thing I would differ with is "Heater, a 100 watt would work great". I would get two smaller heaters...2-50watts...Much safer IMO

 

[thominil]

i do not know if i would toss the idea of a filter and skimmer...i think you would have to do many water changes without..but i am no expert on that.

I went without a skimmer for 2 months with a bunch of coral and 4 fish (pushing stock limits) and did my weekly pwc and everything was fine.
Then I got my seaclone 100................decent skimmer just takes forever to adjust the air valve.

 

[thominil]

The only thing I would differ with is "Heater, a 100 watt would work great". I would get two smaller heaters...2-50watts...Much safer IMO

I agree I just never have used 2 heaters only used my 150 watt and hasn't failed me yet

 

[mrg02d]

Hello,
I cannot go bigger for size reasons as well as cost. I simply dont have anything strong enough to support something like a 50 gallon or so. I also dont have room for something 2-3feet in lenght. This is why I am considering the 20 gallon hexagonal tank. It is 15in by 24in tall.

So how little lighting could I get by with here? How much if I ever wanted some simple corals one day?

Thanks!
Matt

 

[thominil]

I don't remember seeing any fixture under 20" that could support coral. You could get a 20 gallon high like I have it's only 9in. wider. With that there is a wide range of lights you can buy. If you didn't get coral and only had live rock and fish you could get by with a standard full hood or striplight on the hexagon-style tank. Maybe someone else has come across a fixture that would fit a hex tank like that.

 

[bumblebee1976]

Hi there. I'm new to this aswell and I know everyone will disagree with me but the results of all my water tests prove that the tank I have chosen is healthy. It is a marine biorb 60l and I have taken things slowly with cuc and one small fish only, steadily introduced. The water params are all 0, apart from one slight hitch over 12 hours which quickly returned to 0 again. Honestly, I can't sing the praises of the biorb enough, it has gone so well. Nothing has died or become sick and I think the best piece of advice I can give you is to get some really mature live rock. I stocked with 3.5kg and I think this is what has done the job. Lots of livestock and coralline algae on the rock, the setup has cost about £300 or thereabouts. All the best with your new purchase, it is so exciting watching all the different lifeforms growing.

 

[mrg02d]

Hello,
I found this: 20 Gallon 24x13x16 <br> Rectangular Aquarium <br> By SeaClear<br><FONT face=Verdana color=#ff0000>FREE SHIPPING!</FONT>

Its a 20 gallon acrylic 24in long, 13in wide, 16in high. I think I will go with this. Shipping is free for me to on it!
I also found this for the light: 24" 65 watt Aqualight by Coralife

Its a 65W coralife light. 24in

This should be pretty good for what I want, and allow me to have some coral as well, no? This is as big as I can go with the furniture I have.

Thanks!
Matt

 

[handb94]

You can find a 20 gallon for a lot cheaper than that.

 

[mrg02d]

Hello,
Not an acrylic one shipped. Deffinately not from a local pet store. This same one is 160$ at my local shop (on sale this week for $160). I dont see small glass ones anymore in the stores near me. Nothing decent comes up on craigslist either. I will check out some other places around town for a glass tank.

How about that light?
Matt

 

[thincat]

Matt, I think you are good to go. That light should get you by with what you where talking about having.
Good luck and Happy Reefing...
PS: Remember to take it slow and watch your readings and don't be in a rush to add to many things.. One more thing.....No anemones Please.......

 

[thincat]

A shout out to our new member from England.....

 

[mrg02d]

Alright! I will order most the stuff tomorrow. I had an idea about the live rock. I live near the coast. About 45mins away. The water isnt very nice, but PLENTY of rocks along the shoreline. Would this limestone stuff be suitable? It looks just like the stuff I see for sale. Its actually a place where a river flows into the sea. (Gulf of mexico). Its easily accessible. Could I just take some pieces of this home in a bucket of water? Is this safe? Any tips on collecting live rock?

EDIT: Sand....How about this? : http://cgi.ebay.com/30-LBS-PURE-WHI...QQptZLHQ5fDefaultDomainQ5f0QQsalenotsupported

Matt

 

[thominil]

Being acrylic thats not a bad price. Just be warned, it will scratch very easily, so be careful. For the sand thats not bad either although you can just buy a 30lb. bag of dry aragonite for $30 and it will become live over time.

As for the rocks, I wouldn't, who knows what's on it.

 

[thincat]

You should check with the local laws as to collecting from the shoreline. If it is allowed just give it a good scrub before you put it in your tank. This will knock off loose things that you don''t want in your tank anyway.
I would try to get away from any freshwater rivers though.

 

[mrg02d]

Hehe, now that I think about it, it may be a BAD idea to collect. Florida has alot of laws against collecting near the coast I believe...Maybe something small. Just to get some stuff happening in my new aquarium!

Live rock is $$$!!!

How fast does this stuff "spread"? If I got alot of dead, base rock and a bit of live rock from the coastal areas (hand sized piece) how long might it take to cycle the aquarium and be ready for some hermit crabs? ( A ball park figure)

I have also read about putting a dead shrimp into the tank and letting it rot as a way to jumpstart the system? Any ways to get a very fast cycle?

Thanks,
Matt

 

[Dr_Doom2]

In the words of a fellow reefer-ette that I might not be able to mention on here (sally jo)

Save a Coral Reef...Grow Your Own!!