very newb question on price and startup

[abomb]

Hello

i am curious as to what it would cost to start up and maintain a 15 gal high salt water tank.

not including cost of tank and decorations. could some one set up a list of things i would need such as powerheads, protein skimmers, and what kind of filter would be needed for this size of tank. then posibly like cost of some common coarl and maybe a smaller fish i could keep. i would really be intrested in knowing what a setup of this size would cost. also how much it owuld cost monthly to maintain. thankyou for all of your help.

ps i am a freshwater guy who has exp keeping fish for 4 years but would really like to look into saltwater. this comming after i saw some posts about smaller saltwater tanks.

adam

 

[Salttanker]

You will most likely get a lot of different prices on equipment and livestock based on experience. However, just know that 15G doesn't give you much room for error in the way of water conditions. In the SW world, there are a lot of factors that determine a healthy tank. I once had a 30G that was challenging for me to maintain. Since I switched over to my 90G last year it is so much easier.

Startup costs on a 15G are pretty minimal depending if you go FO, FOWLR, or REEF. A reef tank will set you back more than a FOWLR, so you would want to decide first what your plans are. If you want to keep corals, plan on getting a good lighting system, filtration, and a good skimmer. Things to consider:

Substrate
LR
Skimmer
Heater
Powerheads
Sump (optional but gives you more water volume).
Lighting - controversial subject you will most likely get many opinions.

I have seen a Nano setup complete at a lfs for around $160.00, but I don't think it came with a skimmer.
Some other people will chime in that have more experience with Nano's than I do that might be able to get you a package deal rather than separate pieces. HTH

Mike

 

[runway1]

Just as a baseline rule of thumb. Full retail (buying stuff from lfs) cost about $20/gal to set up a reef tank. That's $1000 for a 50 gal tank!

Personally, I think that's ludicrous but most people don't want to do the work and just buy at retail. I searched used, ebay, pennysaver (local rag), catologes and set up my 55 gal complete with 50#LR, 75# sand, skimmer, UV, stand, canopy and wet/dry for <$500. Lights are still NO, 80 watts and I'll upgrade them later.

Shop. Don't think those lfs prices are your only choice.