Newbie Incoming

[cornelious0_0]

Hey everyone, just wanted to stop in and say hi. Just joined the forums as I'm looking to setup a Nano system of my own and the community looked very welcoming.

3 years back I had a 33 gallon saltwater setup that did relatively well and I'm ready to give it another go. The money isn't quite available to start another tank even that large and the JBJ 12g Nano cube has recently become VERY appealing to me.

In terms of the essential starting materials (sand/rock/salt/etc) how much of an up front investment do you forsee with a tank of this size? I would like to be able to budget for the full amount including enough rock to start cycling the tank as opposed to picking up the cube kit and realising I'm nowhere near ready to go.

I'm more then willing to do reading/research of my own as I feel bad to be so out of the loop again. I'm going to treat things as though I never knew anything to begin with as to give myself the best possible chance to (re)learn what I might need to.

Any links/tips would be greatly appreciated as I get ready to start things up. I'll probably be looking at a month or two before I would be able to purchase the 12G cube so there should be plenty of time to get acquainted with everyone and more comfortable with this hobby.

[Fat Tony]

Welcome to TRT!

The average cost for buying and setting up a tank is in the 50-60/ gallon range.

[ibanez2k]

Welcome to TRT! I agree with Tony. $50 - $60 per gallon is pretty spot on to what you'll pay to get your tank set up and going. In the long run though, maintenance considering, it may actually cost you less if you have a larger tank. I have two nanos myself and when I think about what is spent keeping those tanks stable I'm really wondering if it might be less expensive to maintain one tank equaling the volume of both my nanos. Just something to consider since you have time before you make any purchases. You have come to the right place though! This site is AWESOME and there are a lot of seasoned marine aquarists here who are more than willing to share their knowledge. Search the forums on this site and you will learn an incredible amount.

[VWD]

Welcome to TRT!

[Loverotties]

Welcome to TRT!

[jenglish]

Welcome.

I think I am below 50 bucks a gallon... but maybe I don't want to dig out a calculator and find out

[cornelious0_0]

Thanks everyone, nice to feel at home right from the get go.

I have recently been toying with the idea of saving and setting up something in the 30g range instead, I know as soon as the setup the nano I'll want something bigger anyways.

Think it'd be worth getting a tank as small as 30g drilled for a sump system and going "all out" within the space constraints I may have? I really can't afford anything much larger but I also don't wanna skimp on anything, if I've got room for a sump/skimmer/power heads/etc I want it.

Any thoughts?

[jenglish]

THe 30 cubes offer a lot of room to arrange things in. I have a 30 long that I have plans to drill and put another 30 for a sump, so yes it is worth it. If you have a cube metal Halides are the way to go IMO. MSX, Vertex, and octopus are all good brands of skimmers that are reasonably priced.

For water movement Koralia are popular for dependability and good flow on a reasonable budget.


You can check out a lot of equipment and compare with the comparison shopping tab at the top of the screen

[cutietwo]

I kept track of what I spent on my tank when I firs started. AFter I surpassed a thousand that stopped lol! Really don't think of the money you spend/waste on it only what you get to enjoy

[Loverotties]

Oh don't keep a record of how much!If the other half saw that!Yikes(but then again she probally spends more on her pocketbooks and all the bondo(makeup) they buy)is more then my reef!

[cornelious0_0]

Just as an update...

I'm picking up a 33 gallon tank with a fairly nice wood stand and a large variety of water test kits and other (freshwater) related items for $100. I know it's ideal to run a saltwater tank with a sump system but I also know that it can be done without. I'm going to gradually pickup the material items I will need to setup at least an average marine tank over the coming months.

I'll probably check out JL soon and make a list of what I'm considering and get you guys to take a loot and maybe point out where I could/should go with something else.

[Loverotties]

Click on comparison shopping to get good prices .