new tank costs?

[tolkienapostle]

I have been wanting to set up a marine tank for a few months now. I have been taking care of a freshwater system for about a year now and feel that i have enough "practice" to take on this task. My only concern is cost. Can anyone give me a good estimate of the Cheapest way to set up a system without sacrificing to much quality. Dont bother about the tank, i can get one any size for a buck a gallon at any of the 7 LFS here in vegas. Thanks so much.

 

[vorlx]

Tank aside the bulk of the upfront cost for me was the following:

Lights... This one is a biggie. If you are planning on keeping corals/inverts you will need lighting. This can get expensive quick depending on what you need. You could ballpark 300-500 easily if you plan on keeping corals.

Live Rock... For me this was a huge expendature. I went with all cured live rock. I slowly upped my figure. The estimated amount in #'s is 1-1.5 (closer to 1.5) per gallon of water. Most LFS charge $6-8 per pound. Some will carry it a bit cheaper, some a bit higher. To reduce this large up front cost you could go with a % that is live and a % of base.

Substrate... This isn't to bad. I went with 2 bags (about 60#'s) of Aragonite. I think it ran around $25-30 a bag at my LFS.

Salt... This isn't to bad about $40-50 per container.

Water... RO/DI units are highly reccomended for long term success. This range from $150-300 for most units.

There are several other things.

Filtration, Skimmers, QT Tanks, Test Kits, Hydrometers, etc.

I ended up building a sump shortly after the start of my tank so that I could also have a refugium. So you have to factor in $100-200 for the pump, overflows (if your not predrilled), etc.

It adds up pretty quickly.

For my 75g from start to finish I easily spent several thousand dollars.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/blog.php?b=21

This is Grins list for what you will need so that you can price it yourself. =)

 

[Grins]

There are 1-2 reef clubs in the Vegas area. I suggest contacting them and starting with what quality used equipment might be available. You can get some fantastic deals when another member is upgrading or moving. This has links to clubs: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/blog.php?b=71

 

[wataugachicken]

also check craigslist and other classified ads for your area, as well as doing a search for local sellers on ebay or aquabid.

 

[InTr4nceWeTrust]

Cheapest way will be to buy used equipment. Somebody trying to get out of the hobby will probably be your best bet. I can only speak for SoCal, Orange County prices but a 60 gallon or smaller reef ready tank (without a chiller) will be $300 at best. If you don't want coral, $200. $100 if you're lucky. This doesn't include upkeep costs.

 

[clown-lover]

Costs are going to be dependent on how good you are at DIY.. I know on my 75 I've put at least 4 grand now into the tank, upgrades, and now eventually a tank stand build. I've heard conservative estimates of 35 to 65 bucks a gallon but I believe that number goes higher as the tank goes smaller to a certain extent. Those costs are also going to be dependent on what you want to do with your tank. I personally would put those numbers closer to 85 bucks a gallon if you don't DIY anything. And that would be before stocking anything.

But like others have suggested you can find deals on Craigslist, this site, other saltwater sites of people getting out of the hobby.. The tank is probably going to be the cheapest part of your investment really.