Cost of a new marine tank

I think you are underestimating by alot.

For a nano reef you would need at a bare minimum something like this:

tank
lights
salt
ro/di water
heater
refractometer
test kits
powerhead
pump/filter
sand
live rock

if you would like to save money, you should try to join your local reef club.. members are always trying to dump stuff fast when they move, etc.. though nano sized stuff is usually harder to find since people always need it for a frag tank, qt tank, etc..

If you look at the profile of the user Grins, she has a shopping list and as well as a directory of reef clubs that were quite helpful to me.

How bout this for a tank? http://www.fishtanksdirect.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1327 I think it comes with lights. Looks like it could be a good start for a nano. But there is alot of other things you are still going to need. I started with just buying 1 or 2 items every couple weeks to keep the starting costs down. I think the first thing i bought was a heater then a bag of salt and so on. It gave me something to look forward to every time i got paid. And in that time of just getting things together i just did alot of research and asked alot of questions. Good luck!! Getting everything together and getting started is a very fun part of the hobby. Enjoy it

Depends on how you want to go about it.

http://fishyfrolics.com/forum/index.php?topic=86.0

This was my start, documented before AC. I have no regrets. I now am getting a 55 up an running.

I still have my 29 and a more current pick at
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=133235&page=3

This 29 is my favorite.

It's funny! I at first said the same thing to my GF that has a 20gal tall SW tank at her parents house. Hey how much did this cost to get started? Then I found this site. I blame it on her and all of you. LOL :O) I was looking at a 20gal long at first and then this happened. I started it on Jan 21 and thought it would take about 3 months to get it to the cycling point. Then something happened and I couldn't sleep. Well to be honest I don't sleep anyway but it's all you peoples fault. :O) Thank you!

Buy used. Shop carefully. You'll save so much. Keep on the lookout for people getting out of the hobby or moving. Here's a nice rundown of what you'll need. I'm basing it on my searches for equipment.

10 gallon tank $0 - $10
People will sell them for around $5 or $10. Sometimes they give them away. PetCo has monthly sales on them for $10.

Lights $20 and up
$20 will get you FOWLR lights. Reef lighting will be $50-$80 for PC fixtures. MH will be $100 and up.

Live Rock $20 - $40
About once a month I see somebody selling LR for $1 - $2 a pound. You'll need about 20 pounds.

Live Sand $0 - $20
Pretty much the same thing with LR except it's $0 - $1 a pound.

Heater $5 - $10

Powerhead $5 - $40
Depends on how much flow you need and what kind of powerhead you want.

Test Kits $30

Hydrometer or Refractometer $5 - $30
Everybody says buy a refractometer. You can calibrate a hydrometer (glass) pretty close to the accuracy of a hydrometer. It's up to you really. Avoid plastic hydrometers, though.

Filter (optional) $5 - $10
Your LR is your real filter. A HOB filter can be added for more flow and some filtration via carbon if you wish. Not really necessary.

Fish and coral $???
I currently have 1 sixline wrasse, 1 cleaner shrimp, 1 scarlet hermit crab, 2 astrea snails, 4 unknown snails, 10+ mushroom coral, and 1 capnella tree. Total cost $12. You'll get owned if you buy from your LFS. Check classifieds for some great deals.

Maintainence costs $???
Water, salt, food, bulbs, electricity.

The only costs that I listed that may be very different for you are the tank, fish/coral, and live rock. Those are the only things I've found that aren't cost effective when purchased online. The other items I listed are online classified prices.

Hope this was helpful (and I hope I didn't forget anything).