How much it would cost to start a saltwater tank

[fishboy 1077]

Can someone please tell me how much it would cost to start a 20 gallon saltwater tank i already have the tank,filter and heater please also tell me what else I need as well as what fish I could keep on my tank

[MJSerik]

My first question is what kind of filter. Second, you need a salt mix, live sand, live rock, power head depending on your filter, lights if you're going reef, API test kit, and some other stuff I'm sure I'm missing.

[AquaRick]

Originally Posted by fishboy 1077

Can someone please tell me how much it would cost to start a 20 gallon saltwater tank i already have the tank,filter and heater please also tell me what else I need as well as what fish I could keep on my tank

It really depends on what type of livestock you want to keep. Corals, fish, anemone?

Corals and anemones will require decent/expensive lighting.

If you're just going fish (FOWLR tank) then you would just need a powerhead, some rock and sand.

[fishboy 1077]

Ok thanks for the help

[Mebbid]

Originally Posted by fishboy 1077

Can someone please tell me how much it would cost to start a 20 gallon saltwater tank i already have the tank,filter and heater please also tell me what else I need as well as what fish I could keep on my tank

Not counting the tank and stand it cost me about 350 to set up my 20g tank. It's a mixed reef with powerful lighting, a refugium, and I bought cured live rock for it. That includes a bucket of salt.

[fishboy 1077]

Wow that's a lot of money

[Mebbid]

Originally Posted by fishboy 1077

Wow that's a lot of money

Its not bad. I would have saved about $40 if I had just bought base rock as opposed to cured live rock. I would have saved another $70 if I hadn't wanted a light that could grow the corals that I wanted. The refugium was an extra $80 or so but it really helped make my system very healthy.

[fishboy 1077]

Ok thanks again I think I just want as basic as a tank as I can get

[Mebbid]

Well in that case all you need is a hang on back filter and some salt. You don't really even need live rock. However without the extras you are going to be doing a lot of water changes which adds up over time. On a 20g tank you will probably need to do a 50% water change weekly if you have no sources of nitrate reduction. You are looking at $150 yearly in salt costs doing that.

On my tank I do on average a 3g water change every other week thanks to my refugium. Assuming no issues that's running me about $30 a year in salt costs.

[nubreefer1228]

It's not a cheap hobby.

[Grizz]

As stated it all depends on what type of system you plan on Cost will run from $5-25 per gallon A FOWLR can run you little $5 per gl. A full blown SPS $25+ per gl. One word of advice get lights that will support SPS coral. New Dimmable 120W Aquarium Coral Reef Fish Tank White Blue LED Light Black Shell | eBay We all say all we want is a FOWLER thats where the addiction starts.

[sharkiegirl94]

Mines a 29 gal and it's already costing me $750...saltwater is expensive...get used to it.

[tangs27]

If you go with fish sand and live rock you can actually spend significantly less. To start my first salt tank I paid 100 for salt, sand, rock and fish. An additional 100 for the 55 gallon tank and stand. I just did a fowlr setup and bought the setup from someone who didn't want their tank anymore. Check Craigslist for deals I saved a ton of money buying things off there. I didn't want to spend a large amount as I'm not really into corals and I knew I could upgrade later if I ended up staying in saltwater.

[Pimp My Fish]

It is a lot more expensive than freshwater. My 10 gallon FOWLR cost about 400+ dollars. My 20 fresh didn't even cost 100.

[reisy00]

About 700 if you want to sustain coral and have a nice health tank while limiting work and maintenance cost. More money up front = less work and less money in the long run.