What was the initial cost for your reef?

[Richards_reef]

@679x check your local craigslist, there are people upgrading or getting out of the hobby (even new guys). There are whole systems, people are selling off all the time. You can get a slightly used full $4000-8000 system for half that price easy. I'm amazed at some of the deals i find.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

You have to decide what types of corals and fish you plan on keeping before you should even start making your list. This would determine lighting, bare bottom or sand and water flow. The stand can be self built and simple or custom built and extremely nice. The sump can be simple just a modified tank or one of the expensive acrylic sumps. Do you want a refugium or an ATS. Lighting could be done with one Orphek Atlantik full size or two of their compacts or multiple Radions. If this is your first tank I would keep it simple with an ATO but add the Apex controller later on. Tank, lighting, rock and skimmer are your biggest expense.
My system
250 gallon glass tank with dual corner over flows $1,200
80 gallon tank for sump and 40 gallon tall for ATO $300
Skimmer good for 450 gallon heavy stock $600
Two LED Orphek Atlantiks v2.1b $1650
4- Jebao wp60 wave pumps with twins controller $280
self built stand still need to enclose $200
3 Phosban 550 reactors with pumps $400
mag drive 18 return pump $200
Tunze ozmolator ATO $200
So not counting rock, salt, sand, test kits, coral or fish I have a 300 gallon system for around five grand. If I had a really special custom stand and hood built it could be five grand alone. If I went with a rimless or euro braced tank low iron with fancy overflow it could be close to 5 grand. Plan it out well and think about the fish and corals that you are going to keep. You can do this fairly inexpensive or can go crazy and the sky can be the limit on what you spend.

 

[jimmyzhou]

My first tank was 13.5 gallon so very cheap 200 bucks start. But. After 3 month of fail dead fish. ... I can't take anymore than upgrade to 125 gallon. To buying a tank and stand are cheap under 1000 But other stuff. Don't want to say lolz it just cost a half civic

 

[Roush427R]

I am putting together a peninsula tank from scratch.

120 gallon Aqueon aquarium - $300
Custom stand - $100
Synergy Reef overflow - $200
Giesemann Aurora 48" - $2200
Elite Aquatics rollermat sump - $550
Rollermat - $400
EcoTech Vectra L1 Pump - $450
2 EcoTech MP40's - $700
Lifereef protein skimmer - $500
Spectrapure RODI - $190
Apex Controller - $900
Pax Bellum ARID N24 Chaeto reactor (maybe) - $750

$7240.

 

[stevieduk]

I'm currently planning my first saltwater aquarium and I've been getting lots of help from this forum what a great place this is to learn about reefing and communicate with others who enjoy the same hobby!

I know that these kinds of threads have been made in the past, but I did a forum search to see how many existed, and the ones I found were few and from almost a year ago. So I've decided to make my own.

How much was the initial cost for your reef aquarium? Don't include prices for coral/fish/other livestock if you can help it. Link your build thread if you wish.

My current plan has the price around $4000 for a 55 gallon, and that doesn't include any living creatures. I made this thread because I was wondering whether people spent the same amount when they first set up their tank. I've explained to my parents that this hobby is an expensive one, and I don't think I was lying!

oooh way to much, first tank coral sand lights and 2 cannister filters was $80 for a 40 gallon tank and stand, off Ebay. Its still running the same system now 14 years later, you dont need to spend a lot, just get the essentials , and buy from the correct places, as there are a lot of suppliers will rip you off equipment wise

 

[stupatrol]

I'm just south of 20g for a 3000L including the sump

 

[padlocking]

Mine is about £2100 but can't remember for certain as I keep the price a secret for my wife.

 

[BroadBno615]

I'm spending about 6k on my 120 setup. But everything I have is nice. My sump alone cost about 600. Just depends how nice u want your setup to be

 

[shiftline]

Making me calculate this is going to be scary! I stocked up on parts over a long period to lesson the blow.. but adding up the "current" setup of parts form the past few years.


Custom 6' 15mm rimless saphire peninsula tank with sump/steel stand - $2300 ish
Extruded aluminum parts to build light arm - $180 ish
Ecotech XR150 Pros $ 400-500 x4
Vectra Return Pum,p - $380 ish
DIY reactors - $30 x2
Live Rock - $300 maybe?
Fancy red pipe and plumbing parts - $100-150?
pack of filter stocks - $80 ish
Used Neptune apex - $550
Jebao Dosing pump - $100
APex DOS - $400 (mainly traded though)
Jebao CP-40 - $180?
2x MP40QD - $400 x2

Corals.. -- thousands! haha
Fish? lots!


A few weeks old now but my most recent tank update

 

[Ojoh]

All new compontents on my reefer 170 and I am sitting at 5400 Canadian including shipping. This was with test kits, salt, rock and all the random goodies. No apex or power backup yet.

 

[G8trBait16]

My 75g is at about $3000 in just equipment and tank, a lot more with the acros and fish.
I am having a custom 240g made with stand (delivery mid may) cost me $2330
I already have 2 MP40's and a 48" 8x54w dimmable ATI fixture.
Need sump, New Apex, return pump, etc.

 

[MarsRover]

I'm currently planning my first saltwater aquarium and I've been getting lots of help from this forum what a great place this is to learn about reefing and communicate with others who enjoy the same hobby!

I know that these kinds of threads have been made in the past, but I did a forum search to see how many existed, and the ones I found were few and from almost a year ago. So I've decided to make my own.

How much was the initial cost for your reef aquarium? Don't include prices for coral/fish/other livestock if you can help it. Link your build thread if you wish.

My current plan has the price around $4000 for a 55 gallon, and that doesn't include any living creatures. I made this thread because I was wondering whether people spent the same amount when they first set up their tank. I've explained to my parents that this hobby is an expensive one, and I don't think I was lying!

Build thread: https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/2...-long-term-project.296077/page-6#post-3703904


I think the rule of thumb people use for reef tanks is $100-$150 per gallon to start.

My custom 230 tank alone is running me more than that. Shouldn't be hard to price out stuff ahead of time

 

[dgragg]

My custom 156g was $10,300 US. That's all in without livestock. I was married at the time of build so that includes a $2,284 custom stand. When I started to add livestock, she told me I needed a budget for my coral purchases. We're divorced now.

 

[Empress]

haha fair point! I guess i never looked into the background of the story lol My point still stands though. While i agree that you cant skimp on the pumps, lighting, or skimmer I never understood why someone would spend 100's on an acrylic sump, overflow or refugium when rubbermaid containers work so well unless its equipment you really want to show off.

I will say as far as pumps or submersible lighting go if your aquarium is substantially large (requiring 4000gph+) switching to pond equipment is the way to go (assuming no metal parts of course). Things labeled "saltwater" sometimes come with a markup due to association.

I have a 1200 gallon pond that cost me almost nothing in comparison to my reef tank. Neighbor gave me some heavy duty pond liner and some gorgeous landscaping rock. All I had to do was pay some guy to dig me a giant hole for $100 and I bought a $150 filter system and a $120 pump. Threw it together in one weekend and had fish in it 30 days later ( had to let it cycle). Nice thing about a pond is you don't have to worry about getting water all over the floor.

 

[Ashish Patel]

On my first tank I had this mentality that most of the money should go in the livestock. I had a 55Gallon and its fine for FOWLR but for Reef its difficult to aquascape and clean without bumping the glass - if possible go with a 75 or 90 Gallon. Its not going to increase your budget by more than few hundred bucks but you'll be glad you got the extra debth.



On my new setup I documented every purchased and saved where I could. however, I decided the tank, flow, and lighting could not be budgeted for these are the primary reasons I had some failures in the past. This is including every nook and cranky so it adds up quick! Tank (115Gallon), stand, pumps, and lighting was about $5500.

Here is my list

CTC aquarium
Reef octopus 202-C
Radion
Ecotech Battery backup
Ecotech vortech
Ecotech vortech
stand+B1225
Sea Swirl
Ghost overflow
Icecap Sump
Heater
Locline
liverock
TDS monitor
RO unit (new)
Salt
acryilc rod
PVC fittings (plumbing)
Aqua water pump (Waterchange)
Water float malida
Malida 5 pc quick connect valve
Kerick water float valvae
T-slot drop in skrews
Instand ocean bio-spira
Instand ocean expoxy (6 tubes)
Y valve for RO
Quick connect (variety) 10 pac
Drinking water carbon (coconut)
Vectra pump
Radion RMS hanging kit
Reeflink
Electric outlet cover
Surge protector iselect / Belkin outlet
Cord splitter Y for heater
Tropic Eden sand
Icecap ATO
Under cabinet lighting
Duct Raceway and cover (2)
Homedepot - Mis
Digital temperature
Marine pure
Net
Syphon vacumm jose
Seneye Par Meter
Miracle Mud

 

[needbiggertanks]

Nice list... Ashish patel..

I mentioned the cost of my first tank earlier but thought about my new build. I ended up making a list with an excel file and each page is a different "grouping" (circulation, display, etc.) I was bored so i input a bunch of formulas to automatically add everything up including taxes, graphed it all and added a gannt chart for a timetable to follow.

I immediately deleted the price of everything i wanted because i got too scared of that final number in the graph. Hahaha.