How much would a nano reef setup generally cost?
I have a lot of experience with keeping freshwater/brackish fish, but don’t have the money to buy a huge 120 gal tank for any large saltwater fish.. so then i discovered nano tanks, im pretty sure i would be able to handle something like this but i need to know how much they cost to set up
I plan on getting a 10 gal tank for the set up any advise on a nice brand for someone on a budget?
Any one with nano experience please help/ give advise, detailed answers would be appreciated :]
Tagged with: brackish fish • budget • gal tank • money • saltwater fish • tanks
Filed under: Getting Started with A Reef Tank
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You shouldn’t set up a saltwater tank in anything under a 30 gallon.
I mean, you CAN… But it is MUCH harder to maintain the water quality and chemical levels in a smaller saltwater tank compared to the biggest one.
In fact, for saltwater beginners, they almost always suggest at least a 30 gallon, though the 55 gallon would be the best.
Even with a small set up like that, you could be looking at a few hundred dollars.
Save your money, and go with the bigger, nicer, and easier option.
Sadly, you can spend just as much setting up a nano saltwater tank as a 120g!!
A 10g really will be quite a challenge to keep, daily careful maintenance, and there aren’t really any fish suitable for a tank that small.
If you are interested in going nano, do a LOT more reading about it before you start to buy equipment:
http://www.nano-reef.com/
http://www.nanoreefs.co.uk/forums/index.php?act=idx
http://www.fishforums.net/index.php?/forum/73-nano-reefs/
catx is right, you can easily spend as much setting up a nano reef as you can setting up a larger tank (say, 75 gallons), especially if the 75 is to be used for fish only, or FOWLR (fish only with live rock (includes non-photosynthetic inverts)). That being said, there are some all-inclusive kids like the aquapod, biocube, and nanocube that try to bring in all of the technology into a simple, relatively inexpensive medium.
Keep in mind these tanks usually need daily top off with freshwater, and religious weekly water changes (as they cannot usually fit skimmers). It can be done…but make sure you have the time, energy, and devotion to do it. Also keep in mind that your fish will be VERY limited, so plan your full stocking well in advance. Go with one of the larger setups…the 24 gallon range is usually popular.
All-in-all, you can easily spend $1K on the tank, stand, maintenance and initial equipment (hydrometer, pump and heater to pre-mix saltwater in a separate container, RO/DI filter for your freshwater/mixing water, testing supplies, etc.), live rock, and initial stocking. It’s not a cheap hobby.