Thinking about a new hobby...

Hi all, I'm obviously new here and looking forward to "meeting" you all.

I'm thinking about starting a saltwater aquarium and am looking for some advice. First a little background, I have very little experience with freshwater aquariums and no experience in saltwater at all. The little experience that I do have was with a 10g freshwater community aquarium that I kept for about 10 years. Long story short, I lost interest, placed the aquarium in the kids rooms and well as they say the rest is history.

Nevertheless, I've always enjoyed the beauty of a properly kept saltwater aquarium and have always had the desire to build one of my own, particularly a reef aquarium. However, in all honesty, I've always been put off by the cost. Recently though, I've been thinking about it again and reading all that I can online, but the amount of information out there is a little overwhelming at present and I'm still not seeing concrete answers to my questions.

Therefore, before I invest hours more in something that I may not be able to pursue at present, I wanted to ask a few questions here.

One lesson that I learned from the 10g setup is that I do not want to go small again. It's just too much work for very little return, one is just limited in so many ways.

Right now, I'm thinking of building a reef setup in the 75 - 150 gal. size range. Specifically I like the size of the 135g tanks that I have found. To begin with, I would like to have a modest collection of corals and fish. I know that may be getting in too deep too quick but I'm still in the thinking stage right now. Anyway, I do have a couple of questions for now.

1. About what does it cost to operate an aquarium of that size on a monthly basis? I'm especially interested in the cost of electricity.

2. Can someone link me to a list of components that are needed for a 135g. reef setup? I've seen some listing that tell some of the basic components necessary, but I haven't seen anything that specifically stated what size pumps, heaters, etc. that a tank that size would require.

Thanks for all the help, I'm sorry for the length of the post, but hey that's what happens when you run into a .

BTW, to help determine costs, I am located in East TN. My house is kept at a constant 72-75 degrees year round and the tank would be located in a darker corner of my living room.

 

Hi Trekker

1stly - welcome to 3 reef

Your specific questions

1 - hard/ impossible for me to answer that - my geographical location coupled with the fact I dont know where you are posting from, means I dont know, what your regions cost per unit or KW of electricity used are? but if you know that, once you know the power rating of all the components you use its a simple mathematic formula to work out approx costs ( there are variables - a heater for example only uses the electric when its on, if you live in a cold climate , it spends more time on, thus your costs are more for that particular component)

if you add your location to your details - someone near you will probably be able to help with an appox figure based on their own set up

2- again this does depend on what you want to keep a tank full of beginners / easy to care for corals are less demanding in terms of equipement required than a tank full of SPS (small polyp stony corals or the reef builders if you like)

heat - with 135 gallons and assuming your in moderate weather location - I believe 2 x 200 watt heaters would be good - its better to have 2 small ones than 1 large one if one fails you dont get a massive temp drop
again your location does affect advise given.

heat 2 - you might, depending on climate need to consider a chiller unit - the closer the tank temp gets to 90 the quicker your corals with throw the towel in IME

light - T5s would be good if financing is a concern, cheaper than MH to purchase and to run and you dont get the heat issues with them that you get with MH either - also a bank of T5s - 6 or 8 x 80 watt lamps would mean you could keep some/ many more light demanding corals should you ever wish to do so - but a 4 lamp unit would also accomodate many many species of corals IMO

skimming - the back bone of many great looking reef tanks - buy one rated for more water than you have in your system and you will not regret it IMO

Filtration - sump, fuge combinations are the most popular method today, often combined with the Berlin = system - which is means having a lot of rock (base/or live its all live ultimately) up to 2lb per gallon is used and plenty of water flow - somehere between 30 and 50 times your tanks volume in water movement


Now I know I have typed a lot

post your location or add it to your details - that often helps

also check through the show off your fish tank threads for ideas and inspiration

Steve

 

Welcome to 3Reef. This hobby can be quite expensive especially in the beginning, but if your budget can take it, the results are well worth it IMO. You can save quite a lot of money by looking for used setups and/or equipment.

 

Hey trekker. Welcome to 3reef.

You're instinct serves you well. The smaller the tank the harder it is to maintain. The larger the tank the more expensive it is to set up and maintain. Personally, I think 75 gal would be a perfect size to start with. Large enough to be stable.

Cost is a big issue. I wouldn't worry about the monthly cost. It is the startup cost that is the issue. Filtration these days is done with live rock. It is basically rock pulled from the ocean and cured. It is full of bacteria, algae and little organisms. It costs about $8/lb. The rule of thumb is to use 1-2 lbs per gal. So, for a 75 gal you are looking at $600 to $1200 for rock. You can also buy base rock. This rock isn't live it is shipped dry but it is a lot cheaper (maybe $3/lb). You will still have to add some live rock to get the good bacteria and algae going. It just takes longer.

In addition to live rock you'll want to get a protein skimmer. This will be in place of the mechanical filters with pads that you may have used in the past. This may run about $200.

The next most expensive item is your lighting if you want to go with a reef aquarium. Since you are concerned about monthly electricity usage consider a T5 fixture. A 48" T5 fixture with 6 bulbs will consume 324 watts. So this is a little more than keeping 3 100 W light bulbs on. Metal Halide lights are also common but they consume more electricity and will cost you more on a monthly basis. A T5 fixture will run you about $400 for a 75 gal tank.

Also it is very important to use a reverse osmosis filter to purify your water before you use it for your tank. Don't underestimate the importance of this. Using tap water will likely lead to a lot of algae growth in your tank. Unfortunately this will cost about $200 too. A lot of people buy water from the local fish store (LFS) or from the machines at the grocery store. This will work too.

It is not a cheap hobby but once you get it all up and running it is extremely rewarding and addicting.

 

Do it, join the rest of us "addicts" once you start, you will NEVER stop!!!

 

The only advice I will give is don't try to cut corners to save money. Do it right the first time and your future fish and corals will have a better life span. And you will be much happier.

 

+1000000


Perfect Advice

 

I agree Vegas.... The more corners you cut the more its really costs you in the end.

Do it right the first time and there will be little room for error.

If you need answers I will always be here to provide the best factual answers I can...

 

Patience is the absolute key in this hobbby!!!!!.... Patience and persistence will eventually produce the tank you desire... no matter if you are poor or a millionare!

 

Wow thanks to everyone for all the quick responses! I can already tell that I'm going to enjoy being a part of the forums here.

To follow the advice of Steve, I've included my location (East Tennessee) to help with the cost computations. More specifically I've included my cost per kwh, which is $.0857. In addition, I realize that the start-up costs can be astronomical (at least in my world) to start a new tank (I read where one guy had $15,000 invested in a 75g. But I was worried about the ongoing maintenance costs as well, because the same guy said that his electricity bill for the tank alone was about $225 per month, plus supplies equaled a $350 PER MONTH upkeep. Costs of this nature would quickly end my dreams of a reef aquarium.

I've learned a lot from everyone's posts already and I really appreciate the detailed responses. I'm sure as I continue to read over your posts, I'll have more questions.