Dream reef tank

[bettaowner]

I am a freshwater fishkeeper but I wish I had a reef tank more than anything. I would want a 100 gallon reef tank with LED lights For corals I'm thinking mushrooms, gorgonians, bubble coral, rice coral, brain coral, and maybe acroporas. I would want some hardy zoas too. For fish I think clownfish, gobies, anthias, and maybe a tang. Any ideas? Does this sound like a good idea or does this have more holes in it than swiss cheese?

 

[Saratj1]

Could probably be done on a shoestring budget of around $1500. I'm working on a 135g myself with similar goals, it's mostly an issue of time and money.

 

[Jmkb02]

100 gal with all of that, I would put a budget of around 2000 and up. This is only because assuming you only have freshwater fish, there a quite a few things you need that you probably dot have as of now. You can do it, ask lots Of questions on here. Everyone is great and full I knowledge.

 

[Grizz]

Try to find a reef club in your area You'll find the best deals and advice there (and here) I get some hard to find corals from my club most frags are $10 or less

 

[Animal-Chin]

I am a freshwater fishkeeper but I wish I had a reef tank more than anything. I would want a 100 gallon reef tank with LED lights For corals I'm thinking mushrooms, gorgonians, bubble coral, rice coral, brain coral, and maybe acroporas. I would want some hardy zoas too. For fish I think clownfish, gobies, anthias, and maybe a tang. Any ideas? Does this sound like a good idea or does this have more holes in it than swiss cheese?

Sounds awesome. If you're buying a tank might as well through a few more gallons in. If you're already at 100 why not go 125 or something. The bigger the tank the easier to keep and the more fish you can have. You're starting big anyway (I started with 14 gallon) so any equipment you need (sump, skimmer, heaters, ect) will have to be rated for a large tank anyway....

Just my 2 cents, a 100 gallon would be amazing too...

 

[melosu58]

It can be done. You can do it slowly like I did. There is no rush.

 

[Nu-Nu the eel]

Well you will need alot of $$$ or else its not possible :/

 

[Animal-Chin]

lol ya money helps, that or a big credit limit on the card...

 

[Saratj1]

Break down of my costs do far, and some of my projected costs:

Tank and stand - I traded about $350 worth of computer parts for a 135g tank and stand.

Stand- stand was bad so I'm building my own. I have $90 in lumber, and will put another $50 in paint and trim, handles hinges ect. So $150

Sump- got a 55g off Craigslist for $50.
1200gph overflow kit off eBay -$ 60
1050gph deep blue triton 4 return pump- $80
Around 6 baffles cut from glass shop- $50
Misc plumbing approx. $50
Protein skimmer- approx. $200
Heaters- approx. -$60
Refugium DIY led approx 20-30w -$50
I bought a rack mount electrical control-$30

Led lighting- I'm either going with 3 taotronics 120w leds. Or 3 x 100w emitters DIY Kessil style, with some DIY accent lighting. Either of these will be around $400.

Sand and rock- I just posted a thread on cheap sand so maybe $20 for sand, and probably $250 for a starter pack of live rock approx . 50lbs, may add more live rock and base rock later to spread the expense out. 50lbs would be a start and help the tank stabilize during the cycling process. So all and all approx. $300

Then the live stock, and that will be an ongoing thing who knows what will be spent on that.

So all and all around $1500, I've budgeted so far. I'm a little less than half way through my project, my next purchases will be paint for the stand, a protein skimmer, and the sump baffles. These items will be purchased in the next couple weeks. I just bought the return pump.

I have a time frame of around 4 months on this project.

 

[Phranque]

For a 100g or larger reef, you will easily need a budget of $2000-$2500+, and that's doing some serious value shopping.

I got my 28g nano for a nice price on CL, have scored a few very sweet deals on critters & corals, and I can easily say I still have $1500 wrapped up in this little thing when you add up all stuff that has to be purchased.... sand, rock, heater, power strips, timers, powerheads, decent skimmer, refractometer, quality tests kits, RODI system, salt mix, etc, etc.... a lot of it is smaller stuff that can be spread out, but it adds up FAST.

 

[Jmkb02]

Hate to sound like a downer bettaowner but it adds up very quickly. I am currently working on a 125 setup now. I have the tank, the lighting, sump, overflow, and uv light. I am having a stand built. I am already in well over 1200 and I still need sand, a pump, live rock, and a heater. This will probably bring my total in over 1800 and this is all before any live stock. It's well worth it but I would try to maybe start a bit smaller and try to find a full setup on Craigslist or online.

 

[bettaowner]

This tank won't be setup any time soon. I was just wondering if the choice of lighting and livestock was good. Any ideas. Cost will be a river to cross latter.

 

[Jmkb02]

Stock and LEDs are great choices. You can find a great selection of LEDs now a days for a decent price that will support any coral including sps. Can I ask why you wouldnt consider going a little larger? Not trying to convince you but a 125 will be much easier to find and probably cheaper in the long run as well. Most 125's are 6 ft which you can find the other tank and media products. Just saying... Oh an keep your eye open on Craigslist. You'd be surprised what people will get rid of for close to nothing especially around rent time. I picked up a 1/4 hp chiller for 50 bucks. All it needed was a new filter and good to go.

 

[bettaowner]

I would have no problems getting the 125. Are there any other fish or corals I could add? Maybe a wrasse or some zoas?

 

[Jmkb02]

Well with a 125 they are normally 6 feet long, which opens quite a few more options for tangs. Also they are normally around 3 feet deep so your not limited to any coral as mh will be more than enough for any coral you wish to grow. And a reef safe wrasse would be a great addition as well as most any other reef safe fish. You can prob do some pretty in depth research on your stock list by going to liveaquaria.com and looking at their reef safe fish. Since its a ways away until you plan to build your tank, you can really take the time to plan this entire thing out. If you are planning to build a reef, I would recommend looking into a Refugium if possible. They really are beneficial towards a reef.

 

[Saratj1]

Well with a 125 they are normally 6 feet long, which opens quite a few more options for tangs. Also they are normally around 3 feet deep so your not limited to any coral as mh will be more than enough for any coral you wish to grow. And a reef safe wrasse would be a great addition as well as most any other reef safe fish. You can prob do some pretty in depth research on your stock list by going to liveaquaria.com and looking at their reef safe fish. Since its a ways away until you plan to build your tank, you can really take the time to plan this entire thing out. If you are planning to build a reef, I would recommend looking into a Refugium if possible. They really are beneficial towards a reef.

Not quite 3ft deep, my 135 measures 72x18x24, I believe a 125 is 72x18x22, but yeah If your looking to go big i believe the 125/135 or a 180 is the way to go. They are big enough to *nearly hold anything you want, but not so big that you have a bunch of super high end custom stuff to run the tank. You start getting into the 240g range the price increases dramatically.

 

[Jmkb02]

+1, I have seen some 125's at 3 feet high. I was just saying that metal halides would suffice for any coral especially if the the tank is under 3 feet deep. IMO a 180 is a bit too big for a starter tank, especially as media does seem to take a jump in price. That's just me though. It really comes down to your stock list and what you want, plan, or no offense I hope, afford. Saltwater, as you will learn, can get very expensive very fast.

 

[angelfish4]

Hi all,
Not sure why most responses are about costs, this is just dreaming like, "if I win the lottery i'l l...". So my dream tank will be a in wall buld 8-10 ft. long, 4 ft. tall, 4 ft. front to back. With Radon lighting and vortec power heads so i can have lightning storms in my tank. The lighting and flow will be varied in parts of the tank so I can keep every type of coral I want. All the plumbing and hardware will go into the back room or down to the basement. (need to buy more lotto)

 

[Jmkb02]

I think it's more along the lines a possible dream tank. As in Bettaowner wants a salt tank one day and his "dream" would be to do...

Btw, that would be an awesome tank. 1200 gallons would be huge and you could do so so much with it.

 

[bettaowner]

Do all reef tanks need a refugium?