Newb question - money question

[savager]

Hi, I've been thinking about getting SW tank for awhile. And I've reading all the faqs last couple of days from this site. BTW, this site is totally awsome, GREAT JOB GUYS!

Anyway, I am thinking about 40 to 50 gallon tanks. How much money I am going to spend? I am not going crazy with this, small setting. Try to keep few marine lives, this is my first try and I don't want to go too extreme. I need to set my budget before I actually start this. Any ballpark price range here? My wife isn't too crazy about whole idea but if this is not going to break my bank account, I think she'll be fine with my new hobby. Thanks guys.

[Agu]

Average is about $25 to $30 per gallon. Even with substantial DIY skills you really can't shave much off that average.

ime,

[savager]

Thanks Agu. So if I get 40 g tank, I should expect to spend about $1k to $1.2k initially, right? Ok, that's about within my budget to start, my wife might have different figure though, LOL. Anyway, I should go out to the pet shop near future.

I live in NJ, any good SW fish pet shop around here? Any recommendation if you live near me? Thanks.

[fewfish]

I live in NJ, any good SW fish pet shop around here


You might want to check out the reefers club forum for your area. http://reefcentral.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=80

HTH

[racrumrine]

If money is tight, this is the time of year where a lot of people are selling off their complete tanks; and if you are lucky, you can pick them up for as little as 10-25% of original retail.

That said, you have to be ready to take care of what you are buying. Thus, I suggest you do a lot of research before you take the plunge.

Check out sites like craigslist, ebay and the selling forums on this site for sweet deals on used setups.

People in the business tell me that when the outside weather turns nice, a lot of people get disinterested in indoor hobbies (such as ours). Their loss, your gain.

Best of luck,

Roy

[coralfarm123]

You can get some great equipment in the selling forums here on RC. It is usually about half the price you would pay retail. You can also probably get some better pricing from online vendors rather than many LFS who tend to have higher prices.

[Northtampatang]

As a true estimate, I have to agree with the 1K range for a 40-50 gallon. A little less if you plan on doing fish only.

My2c's