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Price range of making a nano reef.

18K views 100 replies 9 participants last post by  Jaybird5 
#1 ·
Alrighty, I have never done anything saltwater related, but I think it would be very interesting. As soon as my 35g is done cycling I am putting the 10 gallon fish in the 35. So now I will have a empty 10 gallon and a 5.5 gallon. Which one should I use? The 10g has been around for a month and is cycled completely. The 5.5g is currently cycling and is not done. I am willing to get rid of all the progress I have made on one of those tanks. The big thing is will I have enough money to start and maintain these tanks. Right now I have a little more then $150. I get $50 every two weeks from cutting grass.

Time for what I need:
I know I probably will not need a protein skimmer or a filter. But right now both tanks have a top fin 10 HOB filter with carbon and a sponge. I know I will need a new hood so a versatop should work. I want corals, so I know I need a good light. The 10g has leds that came with the tank. I do not know if that is any good at all. So next should be a powerhead that is 200gph or 2 100gph for the 10g and a 100gph for the 5.5g. I have no clue what the Reverse Osmosis or RO/Deionization filter even is. Then I should need the salt and the Saltwater Hydrometer or Refractometer (which I heard are pricey). Now should be the live rock which should not be too bad as I only have 10g and 5.5g. So 10lbs or 6lbs should work. Next should be the substrate and I do not know what to use. I heard live sand is not really alive and does not put much bacteria in the water. So can pool filter sand work? Alright so what should be the cost of all of this? Any ideas?
 
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#2 ·
The light that came with your 10 is probly not good enough for salt.Tha's no biggy,just get replacement.(we'll find one). The ro/di is a good investment, but for the 10 you could easily buy distilled or ro from LFS and not need to invest so much.Live sand is good substrate (comes with bacteria in a packet!),or crushed coral.Pool filter sand is a no,no in salt.Where I live live rock is $8.99 a pound or $8 if you buy 10lbs.It's rock so the wieght adds up easy.Powerheads or hydors are easy to find on ebay and much cheaper over the net.
Here's a link for a refractometer,pretty cheap
RHS 10ATCC Black Salinity Refractometer Dual Scale PPT SG Replaces Hydrometer | eBay.
RM should chime in and if you haven't search his "what you might need for saltwater" sticky.
Always plenty of help here for new salt keepers(RM is the best!).
 
#99 ·
Agreed on the evo, Thanks coral....My father has a jbj 3 gal picotope which is saltwater...I passed on the link on to him. Im also thinking about buying this light as a night light and xtra lighting during the day. Not sure yet. But Nice links!
 
#4 ·
Only thing for me to add is that yiu could use a couple Maxjet powerheads in the tank instead of te bigger Hydors, not saying the Hydor is bad though.
Pretty sure we can wrangle down an LED light that's 12" with 3w LEDs for a 10g that won't break the bank. Ill throw down tonight when I'm a my computer.Or CB can hun ine up for ya, he knows what he's lookin for.
I like the Crushed Coral as its a good SW PH buffer. Othe than that CB pretty much has ya covered.
But overall, I'd say $150 isn't going to cover the start up cost.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Thank you so much! I have a few questions though... What about my topfin10 power filter? Does it even matter? Would it help at all? For mechanical filtration? So you would say no protein skimmer? Also should I get two small powerheads that equal my tank or just one that works?
So all I need is:
*better light
*crushed coral substrate or live sand
*power heads
*salt mix (instant ocean)
*live rock and dead rock
*Refractormeter
*Better top.
Anything else?
 
#6 ·
That's a good list to start with.You don't a protien skimmer as with only 10 g you do water changes easy enough to control nutrients.You will also need an API master reef test kit.
Beamsworks EVO 18 Aquarium LED Light 10x 3W Coral Reef Marine Planted 45 60cm | eBay
Green Element LED Light EVO Clip Clamp Hang on 3W x6 Reef Coral Planted Aquarium | eBay
Beamswork Green Element Aquarium EVO 12 3WX6 LED Light Lamp 30 45cm 11" 17" Reef | eBay
Couple other lights.Your looking for 3 watt bulbs,nothing less.
Here's the test kit
Amazon.com: API Reef Master Test Kit: Pet Supplies
There are greater choices for smaller powerheads than the hydors for sure.
 
#49 · (Edited)
In my experience, clownfish are happier and healthier when kept in genus pairs. They're a super social fish. I believe a pair could be successfully kept in a 10-gallon environment. I keep several different species of clowns and have grown most fond of the pure and hybrid Ocellaris varieties...they like to have a good time. Wild Saddlebacks are my second favorite. If you're hoping to keep an anemone, I've learned that wild clownfish tend to host almost instantly versus aquacultured clowns as sometimes never. With some coaxing though, many aquacultured clowns will take to an anemone. In my experience, certain anemones can be successfully kept in a properly set-up and maintained 10-gallon tank. Anemones are best kept in a tank that's been seasoned for at least several months.

Beyond that, I'd like to strongly advise against buying a clownfish from a large pet store chain. If you do, consider freshwater dipping them several days in a row...even if they're asymptomatic of disease. If you're willing to spend the extra money it costs to buy from a reputable clownfish breeder, I'd be happy to reference. I've personally found the difference in their clownfish, versus pet store clownfish, in terms of overall health and vitality including deformity and growth potential, to be significant.
 
#13 ·
#19 ·
12"-20" marine aquarium lights on ebay(I almost always have to add "on ebay" to get there.)If looking for leds make sure you go for 3 watt bulbs and look for optics(angle light is spread).
as far as the maxi jet 110 is not crazy but if it can go up to 500 it is probly bigger(size) than you want.I'll look.
 
#35 ·
I really like my LED's. You can't really beat how crisp and pure the white light is. And for what good T-5 bulbs cost, and than to replace every year-ish, I'd vote LED's too. They just work and good deals can be found on the fixtures.
 
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