brendan
Aquarium Advice Activist
I'm thinking of starting a Salt Water aquarium and I was wondering what the start up cost would be and what equipment would be needed. Your experience would be appreciated.
TIA
Brendan
TIA
Brendan
Newby start up costs
- Thread starter brendan
- Start date
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.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I would start by reading all the articles in the articles section before you do anything. Then when you think you've read enough, read more and then read more and then finally read some more. I wish I would have read and learned more before diving head first into this hobby, I've wasted hundrends of dollars because I didn't know what I was doing.
A few questions for you first?
what size tank do you plan on going with
what do you plan on keeping, fish, inverts, corals
what is your budget, that will help determine the above questions
I knew this hobby was expensive when I started, however I had no idea..... whatever you think you will spend multiply that by 10.
Just for example, my tank which is 110G which I'm starting to gradually add corals, I've spent roughly $600 on lighting alone so far, and that nothing compared to some others on here.
Some things you'll need to consider in your costs
aqurium/stand/canopy
heater(s)
rock, LR if you plan on anything more than fish only
sand recommended over cc for your substrate
various test kits, amonia/nitrite/ph for sure plus a few others later on if you decide to go reef
possibly a skimmer
several powerheads
sump/fuge
various plumbing supplies
Quarantine tank if you are smart and don't want to learn the hard way like I did
can't think right now, I'm so tired from finals week but I'm sure others will chime in. Its all the little things that add up that will kill you when you're not expecting it.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do, I'm not trying to scare you, just letting you know what's ahead. This is a very rewarding hobby once you've had a few upsetting frustrating times trying to figure out why things are working the way they are "supposed" to. I've been ready to tear by tank down a few times but I've learned so much from being on here, now I love this hobby and my 5 tanks. I spend countless hours just watching them. Wouldn't trade them for anytihing
A few questions for you first?
what size tank do you plan on going with
what do you plan on keeping, fish, inverts, corals
what is your budget, that will help determine the above questions
I knew this hobby was expensive when I started, however I had no idea..... whatever you think you will spend multiply that by 10.
Just for example, my tank which is 110G which I'm starting to gradually add corals, I've spent roughly $600 on lighting alone so far, and that nothing compared to some others on here.
Some things you'll need to consider in your costs
aqurium/stand/canopy
heater(s)
rock, LR if you plan on anything more than fish only
sand recommended over cc for your substrate
various test kits, amonia/nitrite/ph for sure plus a few others later on if you decide to go reef
possibly a skimmer
several powerheads
sump/fuge
various plumbing supplies
Quarantine tank if you are smart and don't want to learn the hard way like I did
can't think right now, I'm so tired from finals week but I'm sure others will chime in. Its all the little things that add up that will kill you when you're not expecting it.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do, I'm not trying to scare you, just letting you know what's ahead. This is a very rewarding hobby once you've had a few upsetting frustrating times trying to figure out why things are working the way they are "supposed" to. I've been ready to tear by tank down a few times but I've learned so much from being on here, now I love this hobby and my 5 tanks. I spend countless hours just watching them. Wouldn't trade them for anytihing
Fish only tanks are going to be overall les expensive than reef setups because you dont need to spend the money for the high output lights.
Small tanks while they are less expensive they are not near as inexpensive as a freshwater setup. Mostly because of the fish cost. Most fish in saltwater are $5 or more where as most fish in FW are $2 or less.
As was said above if you could give us some ideas as to your goal and size we can help you get things lined up so you only have to buy things once.
Small tanks while they are less expensive they are not near as inexpensive as a freshwater setup. Mostly because of the fish cost. Most fish in saltwater are $5 or more where as most fish in FW are $2 or less.
As was said above if you could give us some ideas as to your goal and size we can help you get things lined up so you only have to buy things once.
Bearfan
Aquarium Advice Addict
captivereefs
Aquarium Advice Addict
a good number to figure on is $30 per gallon to get it ready for corals and fish.This of coursea ssums you start from scratch and buy nothing used.
Similar threads
