In the literal sea of threads about admittedly gorgeous tank builds, I fear that it makes the dollars needed to invest in this hobby intimidating to new reefers thinking about getting into this hobby. Fifteen years ago, it surely intimated ME to see all the warnings that this hobby is an expensive one to persue. Now, I cant lie that those gorgeous rimless and teched out builds make me drool, but its important where the new reefers are concerned, to let them them know you dont have to have deep pockets to reap the fruit of this amazingly fulfilling hobby. So this is my trashy budget reef.
But, before I go into that, my heart goes out to the reefers who lost livestock here in Florida after Irma, those in Texas after Harvey, and anyone else who suffered a crash. To all of you, dont give up. As with any disaster, we rebuild; and dont forget all the equipment that was invested in, will continue to serve you well as you move forward in all aspects of life.
As for my build, I am in my third year of my latest tank. I had moved and needed to break down my last tank. Two kids and a budget were a strain on my finances but I needed my little slice of ocean to maintain my sanity. So I went to Craigslist. I found a 75 gallon tank with home baffled sump for 100 bucks. Upon arrival at the sellers home, I was informed this was a quarantine tank for his specatcular 500 gallon main tank. His family was moving and they needed this tank gone. I was quick to snatch it up. My significant other was very concerned not only about my spending 100 bucks, but also how much money was going to be invested thereafter. (To be honest, it was also a little ugly.) But after some time with a sawsall and a few coats of paint, BAM! I was no longer alone in this hobby. In fact, I dare to say aside from parameters and dosing, my fiance now spends as much time waching our tank as I do. But is it pretty? Comparatively speaking, probaly not. Its scratched to hell and all my pics focus on working around them. Cleaning? yeah, those scratches collect algae like you wouldnt believe. And what about corals? Well, we have a couple we paid a bundle for at reef-a-palooza, but aside from that....run of the mill 5 dollar frags. If you love this hobby, you are just as happy watching your 5 dollar frags grow into full blown colonies as your JF 500 dollar frags(Modestly speaking). And this is my point, you dont HAVE to spend a fortune to be happy with your tank, but if you CAN, then more power to you. In my heart, I dont want to see anyone miss out because their tank may not be a Red Sea Reefer or they cant afford a sweet protein skimmer. R2R is such a great resource for those with little knowledge about getting started. I just want those budget reefers to know, you can love your slice of ocean.
But, before I go into that, my heart goes out to the reefers who lost livestock here in Florida after Irma, those in Texas after Harvey, and anyone else who suffered a crash. To all of you, dont give up. As with any disaster, we rebuild; and dont forget all the equipment that was invested in, will continue to serve you well as you move forward in all aspects of life.
As for my build, I am in my third year of my latest tank. I had moved and needed to break down my last tank. Two kids and a budget were a strain on my finances but I needed my little slice of ocean to maintain my sanity. So I went to Craigslist. I found a 75 gallon tank with home baffled sump for 100 bucks. Upon arrival at the sellers home, I was informed this was a quarantine tank for his specatcular 500 gallon main tank. His family was moving and they needed this tank gone. I was quick to snatch it up. My significant other was very concerned not only about my spending 100 bucks, but also how much money was going to be invested thereafter. (To be honest, it was also a little ugly.) But after some time with a sawsall and a few coats of paint, BAM! I was no longer alone in this hobby. In fact, I dare to say aside from parameters and dosing, my fiance now spends as much time waching our tank as I do. But is it pretty? Comparatively speaking, probaly not. Its scratched to hell and all my pics focus on working around them. Cleaning? yeah, those scratches collect algae like you wouldnt believe. And what about corals? Well, we have a couple we paid a bundle for at reef-a-palooza, but aside from that....run of the mill 5 dollar frags. If you love this hobby, you are just as happy watching your 5 dollar frags grow into full blown colonies as your JF 500 dollar frags(Modestly speaking). And this is my point, you dont HAVE to spend a fortune to be happy with your tank, but if you CAN, then more power to you. In my heart, I dont want to see anyone miss out because their tank may not be a Red Sea Reefer or they cant afford a sweet protein skimmer. R2R is such a great resource for those with little knowledge about getting started. I just want those budget reefers to know, you can love your slice of ocean.
