starting a reef tank

Wow, so your going to budget over $800 a month for a reef tank GO BIG!!!

 

First rule of reef keeping, nothing goes fast.....except money. You will need lots of patience to really enjoy the hobby. Generally the bigger the tank the easier it is to maintain. Dilution is the solution to pollution here. If you can afford to spend $800 a month to maintain a tank I would definitely go bigger than a 30 gallon.

 

joseph... my very first reef was a 30g... it is not easy, but do-able... the best way to ok with a small tank is an over efficient skimmer, regular water changes, low feed amounts, COMPLETE bioload (including a efficient nutrient cycling) and patience.

Practically speaking- great skimmer (wait to invest if you have to, water changes can fix the lack of this), nice size water changes.... a deep sand bed (for hosting beneficial bacteria completely) , few fish, few corals, and time. Invest when you can LATER... go slow now. wait for deals.

I run a 14g right now, with a flourishing reef... just fine. BE PATIENT is the best #1 advice.

 

I guess I'm just a little confused about your budget then, if you only have about $100 I would try to find a used setup $100 won't do much if your looking at new equipment or save a few hunderd and get 29 biocube or nano cube they make good starter tanks.

 

FYI that setup you see there on RC has over $3,000 in equipment alone.

 

I've got a 75 gallon tank. Its a nice size to maintain (although I'd like a bigger one - I don't have a good space for a larger one). One of the advantages of a larger tank (say 75 gal over a 30 gal) is that (IMO) it is easier to maintain stable water chemistry which is a very important aspect for a successful system.


Secondly, if you do get hooked on this hobby you will WANT a larger system, but maybe the 75 gal will satifsy you for longer than a 30 gal tank will.


If you only have $100, I'd recommend that you plan for a larger system, and use the $200/week that you have toward gradually picking up the components that you need/want. It may be a couple months before you have everything, but I think you would be happier going that route than diving in and getting something that is so-so.


Unless you buy cycled live rock, it will take a few weeks or longer for the rock to cycle. You could also consider buying your live rock initially, putting it in a rubbermaid container with salt water, heater, and circulation pump. Let it take the tine it needs to cycle while you accumulate extra $'s and buy the other equipment.

 

Go over to Coral Haven in Bettendorf and talk to the guys there. They will tell ya what you need to do and what to expect. They are awesome guys and will help you with any question that you may have.

 

The pics sure look like MDF but I'm wondering if he laminated it some how? I surely would not paint MDF to use as an aquarium stand. You will splash/drip water on it from working in the tank and MDF does not hold up well with water.

 

Joseph!

Building that stand would be easy. He used 2x4 and MDF for top and sides if my memory serves me correctly. The cost of building it would b more then or just at 100.00 dollars. I know this because I build stands a lot and just in the 2x4 you would have 60 bucks or so.


Its a good goal to have and I would do the best you can to get what you want. The tank on the other had will cost you more then 100.00 for sure new. Maybe used you could find one for 1/2 the price of new. His total build looked to have cost 3 to 4 grand! I have 6k into my 220rr and its a budget tank. I started with a nice 29gal build and say that you can start small with no problems if you keep your noise to the grind stone and start out with some good seasoned live rock.


Here is what you need:

Tank & stand





I used a HOB skimmer and put some bags of Chemi pur in the out put back into tank to keep water filtered.





Lighting I used a T5 I bought from Ebay


http://www.ebay.com/itm/T5-Quad-36-Timer-Aquarium-Light-Strip-Marine-Reef-Coral-Cichlid-156W-LED-Fan-HO-/300968577124?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4613200864





A good heater and buy some live rock from a member on here if you can and pick up some sand if you want too. You can buy the live sand and its even better starting up your tank.


You will end up with a great looking set up like this