30g breeder budget frag build

[KristianS]

Greetings,

Brainstorming to start a 30g breeder frag tank on a budget. Currently I have a 3.7g pico that is growing very quickly. Soon my tank will be overrun by coral and i will need to frag pieces. I dont want to throw them away, and would like a frag tank to keep them in for sale/trade/growout to put in my next big tank. I only have reef experience with the aio pico. The final move is going to be a 90-180g display, turning pico into dwarf seahorse tank and have the breeder for frag trade/sale/grow.

So far:
30g breeder and stand
10g basic tank with sump kit from ebay
Budget ebay skimmer
Chaeto/rubble in fuge
Egg crate rack

Need to brainstorm:
Lighting options (looking at current usa)
Plumbing and overflow (no experience in this as used to aio)
Power heads (no experience in this due to upgrading pump in aio)

Want it to look as clean as possible for my fiance. She loves reefs but it has to be low maintenance and have aesthetic as it will be in our guest bedroom that family stays in when visiting.

Planning/saving for a wedding/house so low cost is great, without sacrificing success. Looking forward to brainstorming with everyone.

 

[JasonK84]

"On a budget" is relative. Any idea what that dollar amount would be? As far as aesthetics go it should all be hidden within the sump cabinet. Cord management will go a long way in keeping a "clean" look under the cabinet.

 

[JasonK84]

And welcome to R2R!

 

[KristianS]

Tank and stand $100
10g/sump kit/silicone $35
Skimmer $50
Light-as close to $100 as feasible
Plumbing and powerheads =unsure really dont know what a simple cheap aesthetic option would be? Overflow?
Tank would be bare bottom
Clean up crew
Cheap fuge light


Try to keep it under $400-500 all together

 

[JasonK84]

Fuge light-home Depot clamp light with plant grow bulb

Tank light- eBay

Overflow-eBay

Return pump- eBay

Circulation pump-??? eBay

$242.00 + tank, stand, skimmer, ATO, fuge light. It can be done on the cheap. Not sure of the quality of some of the items but it'll get it going anyway. I've found eBay to have many options.

 

[NY_Caveman]

The lighting depends on what you will be using it for. If you want soft corals and some select SPS, the Current USA light may suffice. If you want more needy corals like SPS or an anemone, you may want to use a black box LED. T5s are probably an option for either but I have not used them.

Your tank is about 36” so you would need two 16”, 165 Watt black box units or one 32”, 300W unit for adequate coverage.

 

[SilverCityReef]

The lighting depends on what you will be using it for. If you want soft corals and some select SPS, the Current USA light may suffice. If you want more needy corals like SPS or an anemone, you may want to use a black box LED. T5s are probably an option for either but I have not used them.

Your tank is about 36” so you would need two 16”, 165 Watt black box units or one 32”, 300W unit for adequate coverage.

Not my thread but curious what the black box lights are? You commented on my post but one thing I'm still not sure if I'm picking right is lighting. I want to setup for the more high end stuff even though I will most likely start with easier, cheaper coral.

 

[NY_Caveman]

“Black box” refers to LED lights that typically come in a simple black box. Several manufacturers make them from low priced versions like MarsAqua and Viparspectra to higher end options like SB Reef Lights (which I use). The typical unit has 55 LEDs and 3 Watt LED diodes for a total of 165 W. Most have a white and a blue channel and require a timer to be used. The SB Reef Lights I use came with WiFi control, so it cost a little more. They also have a “no frills” Basic version that compares to the others I mentioned.

What I really like about the Black Box units is it is very easy to open the box and create custom configurations of lenses or even diodes. Parts are also fairly easily replaced.

 

[JasonK84]

I've got the ocean revive t247 light on my 30 gallon and it has timers built into it but no wifi.

 

[KristianS]

I have an asta lumin 20 on my 3.7g. Its 48w and does very well. I guess where i get the most confused is light size to tank. But it seems like you only want about 2-3” on either side of light. Thank you guys for reccomendationa. As this comes together (likely december) ill do a build thread or post here

 

[KristianS]

Currently what i have is : birdsnest, zoas, candy canes, gsp, mushroom, frogspawn. Plan on also picking up some montis, acans, favia, blastos and maybe some acros