saltwater cost??

[rocketboy]

alright well i thinking of turning my 29g into a sw tank ,and was wondering roughly what the total cost would be? don't really need to get into specifics as of now its going to be a few months down the road.

thanks,


Adam

[Alchemist]

I've recently done a 25g....liverock about $5 per pound from suppliers here...I think you need about 1lb per gallon.  Lights depending on what you want to keep.....T5s seem to be the choice for cost effectiveness right now, I got PC lights which cost approx $200 which gives me over 5 watts per gallon which is good for soft corals....you can do it cheaper with T5s if you are handy and build them yourself.  You'll need powerheads at about $20-30...each.....don't know how many you'll need maybe 2-3.  I bought a nano-skimmer for $29 but you can spend much much more if you want to.  Crushed coral or sand base too......not sure on the price for this.  You might also want a simple filter with carbon in like an aquaclear or for instance I have a Fluval external canister and the outflow from this adds more water movement.

Some of the members of this forum can save you a lot of money.....seek them out.

[rocketboy]

so ill be looking at around $400 give or take, does that sound about right?

[Alchemist]

.....to start with yes......but you'll want to put things in it.  Fish start at about $9 for Damsels (aggressive in general though) and then the price just keeps going up depending on what you want....most common marine fish are around $25 to $45 and then corals are around $35 upwards unless you buy frags.  Also you'll need a hydrometer or a refractometer (I highly reccomend this), which runs from about $20 to $50 (for the refractometer).  Test kits...you need to keep a close eye on the water quality...say around $40 for a basic general kit that measures pH, nitrate, nitrite and ammonia.  Don't forget your heater unless you have one from freshwater use.  Then there's salt!!  Suppliers here can do you a better deal than you'll find in a local fish store usually.

Seriously though the cost goes up a lot if you want to keep corals as the lights take up a large amount of the finances.  Also the live rock is pricey for the larger quantities you have to get....but it is neat stuff...lots of stuff comes out of it after a while.

The one thing I would highly recommend spending extra on...is the refractometer.  You can save money on the other things by some shrewd shopping.

[artw]

I just set up a 20g for under $500, I'll post specifics in another thread.

[rockgarden]

Don't forget the plastic turkey baster from Walmart.  A very useful addition to any marine fish room.  Don't ask why.  Just get one 

Ron

[kennyman]

I think it is pretty hard to keep a tank that size with a few stony corals, softies and fish under $1K. You might get it going for less but you wont be long breaking a grand once its fully running.

[porcupinepuffer]

Here's a calculator for figuring this out.
Do some research and take what you THINK you might endup spending; then multiply it by about 3.
Now you'll get the actual cost 

[Alchemist]

Nah...I think with a little clever shopping you can do it for well under a grand.  Make your own lights...use some second hand stuff...watch out for deals etc.  Might take a little patience but it can be done.  You don't need brand new stuff...with lights for example new bulbs are more important than new ballasts.  My $30 skimmer seems to be doing a great job too!

[mlee]

I've seen $30 to $50 per gallon as a general rule thrown around.

[Heidi]

One way to save you $$$...if you are not going to set it up for awhile, wait for Big Al's boxing day sales....you can save yourself lots of cash. But definately watch on the classifieds as well - you can usually find the pieces you need OR find someone selling their whole tank set up cause they are moving to a bigger one. 

[cn]

This is my 20g two years ago. It cost me under $300 to set it up ( not including the tank, stand, pump as i converted from fresh to salt ).
Light is normal output flourescent 18W 12,000k & actinic, 20lbs rock, Rona white silica play sand plus two fish and couple soft corals. No skimmer, no sump. Picture was taken after 8 months.



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[laffy]

you can spend anywhere from 500 to 5k. it depends what you want to keep and which equipment you end up choosing.  you can save alot of money by getting your things through the private sponsors.

[pwrca]

Like most posts have already indicated you can save money by buying second-hand stuff from the classifieds here on this site.  It is not a cheap hobby, so be prepared to spend some $'s, but in the end it is very gratifying and addictive.  I get more entertainment from my aquarium than I do from the TV.  Its fasinating can watch it for hours.

[rocketboy]

thanks everyone for your responses. from what i take from this is that if i keep it simple and do some smart shopping i would able to do it for around $500 maybe even less  . i was thinking of doing it like CNs set up nothing to fancy, i would use a skimmer though (cant go wrong with one).

I'm sorry rockgarden i have to ask what the turkey baster is for? lol

thanks again

Adam

[sniggir]

turkey basters are great! you can use them for spot feeding, to blow around nasty cyno all sorts of things... how is you in wall tank coming along....now that would have been crazy to make a SW tank lol

[beowulf]

Don't forget the plastic turkey baster from Walmart.  A very useful addition to any marine fish room.  Don't ask why.  Just get one 

Ron

Indeed and it can also be useful in your freshwater tanks.