Do Budget friendly aquariums exist?

[snorklr]

you know , what i think this forum needs is a sticky on what it costs to actually run a reef tank on top of the initial cost of setting one up...my mind boggles at the thought of a 16 yr old setting up a 150...at 16 i had a 10 gal full of stuff i caught in the canal behind my house...most of my stuff is currently used and DIY...but i have a 50 year collection of tools and the experience and confidence to use them...unless your parents give you a blank check i cannot see how anyone without a full time job can afford a reef tank no matter how cheaply you slap one together initially as the cost of livestock and the cost of replacing stuff you kill off while learning what you're doing is nothing to sneeze at...and if you have any intention of going away to college you will now leave your tank in the hands of your parents who may or may not want/ be capable of maintaining it....what will your mom do when your craigslist tank starts leaking?

 

[reefingBeAmazin22]

lots of good info here.

my 2 cents... get a used but nice set up. depending on where you live should be lots.
your young life is going to change for you, dont be tied to your a big reef.
enjoy it while mon and dad are paying the bills.
if you cant get a good used 40BR and amazing budget tanks!

after high school go TRAVEL no really DO IT. see the world ,fall in love with an foreign human of your liking. so many beautiful places and people on this earth. find your self, decide what you want to do.
trust me this year or 5 will be so much personal growth you will be a better human for it.

Thank you so much for the words of advice, that is very true, when I’m in my 20s my life realistically won’t have the room for a big tank, I think what u said makes a lot of sense and has opened my mind honestly, maybe I’ll wait till I settle

 

[JCTReefer]

Man if you were in my area, I’d say come and pick up my old 140. It’s like brand new, is reef ready and has been in controlled storage. I’d just give it away.

 

[reefingBeAmazin22]

Man if you were in my area, I’d say come and pick up my old 140. It’s like brand new, is reef ready and has been in controlled storage. I’d just give it away.

Lol do u live in IL

 

[JCTReefer]

Lol do u live in IL

Texas, a bit of a drive!!!!

 

[hotdrop]

I think you would have trouble setting up a 40b for under $600 even with the cheapest gear out there. Seriously go small for 2 years 20-40 gal is plenty or even a well equipped property geared nano tank.

 

[DaddyFish]

I read these posts about "great deals on used tanks" all the time, but in 18-months they have never panned out in my area. The tank has either been badly neglected, misrepresented as advertised, or some PITA blind reserve price on Ebay.
Marineland and Aqueon might not be the prettiest tanks, but they are constructed well-enough, affordable and much less likely to leak than something used, stored who knows how for how long or even worse... mishandled.

My advice...
You can get an Aqueon 90-gal from Petco for $200, a 75-gal which is slightly shorter version for $179. It's a 4' tank and manageable to handle with two people. Buy a new tank and then shop around for used equipment, especially lights, sumps and skimmers where the big-$$$ are spent.

 

[Reef.]

Yeah that’s probably true, I mainly want a 150 because I’m planning on the long term, it isn’t so big that it would be impossible to move it around but is big enough for me to have flexibility in stocking options, like I can’t put a tang in a 60, i recently saw the king of diy make a plywood aquarium and I thought he made it look really good fairly cheaply, I’m not saying I would be able to replicate that but would be cool

thinking long term is good but so is upgrading over time, buy decent equipment and it can move to a bigger tank over the years, part of the fun is the excitement from building a new system, going big straight away has its drawbacks too, if you are worried about the expense now believe me it will only get worse as the costs are more than you realise, the setup costs are just the start, remember too you will want to spend your money on other things p, cars, travel etc etc etc

 

[Soph-1689]

So I’m looking into getting a 150 gallon aquarium in the future and I’m kind of lost as what to get. I mean I look at water box and red sea’s All in one tanks, And the price just makes me do a double take, so I’m only 16, but how many 16 year olds do you know just carrying around 3 grand, I’m debating making a diy plywood tank, I’m also fine without an AIO, just a tank with maybe some pre drilled holes, I can make a stand and the sump, I think the best prices I’ve found so far are on glasscages.com, don’t know if any of you guys have shopped their, anyway any help is greatly appreciated

Hey dude I am looking for a 180 gallon and I’m 16 as well maybe we can try to help each other out!

 

[lotekfish]

My advice, on the tank and life in general especially in this strange time... stay nimble. Especially at your age. Keep yourself able to move to Colorado or Oregon or Puerto Rico on a moments notice to take a cool job or attend classes that really mean something. Having a 150 gallon tank is the opposite of nimble. You want a 20 gallon all-in-one that you can throw in the back seat of a car and go chase a dream. I DO see good deals on large tanks on Facebook or Craigslist and they are posted for.ev.er. because it can be hard to find a buyer for them. You do not want the tank to be the thing you are making life decisions around, as cool as they are, and you don't want to stick your parents with the burden of maintaining it, unless they are really into also and understand what it takes to maintain one.

my $.02

But I'm also very excited for you and highly encourage your interest in reef aquariums. It's a lifetime of learning.

 

[reefingBeAmazin22]

Hey dude I am looking for a 180 gallon and I’m 16 as well maybe we can try to help each other out!

Yeah like where is everybody getting all this money from? Stable incomes? Hah

 

[Conchman]

As most have said the bigger the tank, the bigger the budgets, usually. More lights, more dosing, more everything. Just my opinion, I would start a little smaller. As some have stated and with the world the way it is, good deals on almost new equipment can be found. As most of us upgrade, we stack tons of stuff in closets and basements until our significant others order us to clear it out, most times at a fair loss. Also starting a little smaller will allow you to get your husbandry skills down. I would not recommend anyone start with a pico, nor would I recommend someone start with a massive setup. Most times the best answer is in between, just my 2 cents..

 

[EMeyer]

There are lots of places to save money when setting up your aquarium. The tank is the first place to start. Start by ignoring any aquarium with a brand name in front of it. What you want is a regular old glass tank. Buy used, and expect to pay $1 per gallon. Keep looking til you find one at that price.

 

[Paulie069]

Yeah like where is everybody getting all this money from? Stable incomes? Hah

You’d be surprised at what you can find for free, keep your eyes open and scan site platform for selling equipment
I myself have found a 180gal tank for free and now working on getting a sump to accommodate main tank size and I’ve gotten two leads one free other 300 ,, so deals are out there
Craig’s list is great place to find awesome deals in the area,, I got my first setup a55gal tank with 20gal sump, lights, protein skimmer, heater, return pump, power heads , and bunch odds n ends for. ,,150 bucks,,,
So look and you will find

 

[reefingBeAmazin22]

There are lots of places to save money when setting up your aquarium. The tank is the first place to start. Start by ignoring any aquarium with a brand name in front of it. What you want is a regular old glass tank. Buy used, and expect to pay $1 per gallon. Keep looking til you find one at that price.

Thanks!

 

[Tango99]

Why not consider a used nano reef to make sure this is something you'll want to scale to 150g? It will also be small enough in case you need to move it -- which might be the case if you have to go to college etc.... CoralFish12g on you tube went through the 16yo stage - might be worth taking a look at his videos. I agree with others - there are a lot of costs with setting up a tank. For us north of the border, even salt for water costs around 50 cents a gallon (for the cheaper salt) -- add on the RO/DI equipment, rocks, corals and fish and all of a sudden the tank setup costs are the least of your worries.

 

[reefingBeAmazin22]

Why not consider a used nano reef to make sure this is something you'll want to scale to 150g? It will also be small enough in case you need to move it -- which might be the case if you have to go to college etc.... CoralFish12g on you tube went through the 16yo stage - might be worth taking a look at his videos. I agree with others - there are a lot of costs with setting up a tank. For us north of the border, even salt for water costs around 50 cents a gallon (for the cheaper salt) -- add on the RO/DI equipment, rocks, corals and fish and all of a sudden the tank setup costs are the least of your worries.

Yeah I agree I’ve watched his videos, I think his 12 gallon will be similar to my 20 gallon, I don’t want no big tank anymore, at least for now, when I’m ready be prepared for a 2000 gallon build thread lol

 

[Paulie069]

Much luck with your adventure in reefing brother it’s very addicting and time consuming, but well worth it,, I personally would do a seahorse tank,, they bring lots of smiles and joy when watching them do their thing,, I’ve got 34 ponies in my tank right now

 

[SliceGolfer]

Lots of great advice in this thread. I looked at your post history and I am going to make one more suggestion. Respectfully, you need to gain more experience. Your history states that almost a month ago, you said saltwater was new to you. So much to learn between a 20g and a 150g. Cost, maintenance, trends, emergencies, failsafes, backups, trial and error. Like many have said, we have closets of crap we’ve replaced because we wanted nicer, or through trial and error. It’s much easier to buy for small than large.

I like where your mind is at. Keep asking questions, learn from others (and their mistakes) and enjoy the hobby. Much like everything else in life, bigger does not equal better

 

[Michael White]

Best cheap tank: 40 breeder when they have a $1 per gal sale$40, aquaclear 70 hob filter $40, coralife skimmer $60, heater $20, 25 lbs dry base rock(min) $62.50 at cheapest current, jebao or similar powerhead from amazon $20-45. Viparspectra or Mars Aqua reef led $100-125 on amazon. That’s about the cheapest tank you can build from new equipment, and that doesn’t include salt, fish, or coral. The easiest tank is a cube, only need one of everything, so like a 60 cube. Also. Tanks over that size become a real pain to move if you don’t intend on rehoming all of your corals and fish every time you move. If I was your age and had a serious love for the hobby. I’d get a nice all in one cube, good industry support to upgrade to high end gear over time, easily moved, and not too much work to gt a family member or room mate to take care of it for short periods of time.