75 gal reef - how much is it going to set me back?

[Tomo]

Sorry, I'm sure this has been covered before but the search has never worked for me.

My wife bought me a 75 gal (built in overflow) AGA with stand for Christmas as a bigger home for my 1 year old lionfish. He was in a 45 gal. Unfortunately he threw up 3 silversides that I fed him and died in the cloudy mess it left before I got home from work.

Reef keeping has always intrigued me so I start researching starting a reef tank and after cuising RC for a few months now I'm getting sticker shock!

I was thinking I could handle an initial setup of around $2500 (spread out over a few months) but I've seen several here on RC that claim they are $5K into their 1 year old 75 gal reef!

Is that what I can expect after a year? Because I might just have to get another lionfish and call it good.

Thanks,
Pat

[Dubbin1]

If you watch your spending then you can have a nice reef in your price range. I have what I feel is a pretty nice 75g reef and I'm guessing that I have less then $2500 in it including the corals.

This is an older picture but it gives you what you can expect.

[elephen]

Well you have to calculate in alot.

Startup costs and ongoing consts (food, electricity, salt, water, filters, carbon, bulbs, etc etc etc).

I'm almost completed setting up my new AGA 120RR and it is ALOT more then I had originally planned. $650 for wood + finishing supplies for stand and canopy. $185 for CL pump, $450 for tank + drilling, $185 for return pump, $50 for eductors, $35 for new titanium heater, $100 for misc plumbing parts, $35 for extra bucket of salt and whatever else there is.

There is alot of stuff to purchase, even more if your going to run a reef. It all depends on the equipment you want. Top of the line stuff brings top of the line dollar. I think $2500 for a 75g reef is do-able, you'll just have to plan it out and budget it.

[bheron]

Its really tought to put nail that down. It really depends on how far you want to go with livestock and equipment. some people go all out buying every piece of equipment needed, and brand new. others canget buy without all the stuff and buying things used. thats why you see such a disparity. and then you have to talk about "startup costs" and "maintenance costs" - the latter meaning, the cost to aquire new livestock to fill your tank, the cost of things like sea salt, food, and then the addition of costs to your electrical bill!

not trying to scare you. I would say, to be sure, expect to pay $2500 in the beginning to get started, make some mistakes which also cost you more, and take it from there. then, be honest with yourself that you'll have a certain amount of ongoing maintenance costs after that.

i myself, just upgraded my 75gallon tank to a 210 gallon tank. i had a good deal of the equipment, and solid expereience on my side, and i really wanted to keep the costs low. some people wouldve spent 5-7k easily on my setup. i really micromanaged the cost side, b/c I set a budget beforehand. In the end, it cost me $3000 total for this setup (LINK TO THREAD )



I also have some nice monthly costs that I'm just starting to feel.

Thats my opinion. Some people will say 5k, some will say more or less. Just be prepared! But, in the end, you will be rewarded.

Good luck and keep searching!

[Craig Lambert]

Dubbin1,

Not to hyjack the thread, but I'm curious about your rock? What type is it?

[rizkeeper]

It's possible, I would be patient and wait for fellow reefers in your area to upgrade and sell old equipment, or jump out of the hobby all together....you'll get great deals that way.

BUt plan for your long term plans...Most people go cheap up front then end up buying the same piece of equipment twice...

Lighting and skimmer will be your two biggest purchases....start there!!!

[LobsterOfJustice]

Ive spent well over $4000 on my 75 - but if I didnt want to I wouldnt have. My Ca Reactor on order was just over $700, same with my Tunze setup. My halides I bought used for around $350. A lot of people dont have these things - it all depends on what you want to keep and how serious you want to get into reef keeping.

BTW, you can put a lionfish in a reef...

[onereefnotenuf]

you can get by with spending less than 5k without a doubt.
here is a very rough estimate:
mh hood w/vho or pc 500.00 and up
sump 100.00(you said the tank is drilled so you may already have a sump)
decent skimmer 200.00 to 300.00
return pump 75.00 to 300.00 or more
r.o. unit 75.00 to 200.00 or more.
live rock 75 to 100 lbs. price varies greatly from 2.50 a lb to 10.00+ per lb.
coral. once again this varies a lot and you won't be getting it all at once. maybe 50.00 per piece average and 10 pieces in the first year, 500.00
fish. this is the biggest variable. you could get by with 2 small fish for 20.00 each or you could go to the other end of the spectrum and get 5 or 6 100.00 fish. this is one area where you will be spreading the expense over at least six months or more.clean up crew another big variable. hermits,snails, shrimp,etc.
100.00 or so.
so total some where between 2000.00 and 3000.00.

this is just the basics. chiller, kalkwasser dosing system, wavemaker,water top off,additives,heater(many don't need one)
timer,u.v. sterilizer(debatable) are all good things to have but with the exception of additives and a timer, you could get by without some or all of these items.

[musty baby]

Meh. Putting a lionfish in a reef would rid you of lots of the interesting inverts, IMO.

You can get by fairly cheap in the grand scheme of things if you take your time and plan things out. Buying base rock rather than live, non-live sand, use the leftovers from your old setup (A 45 would make a nice sized refugium ), buying cheap frags from fellow reefers rather than whole colonies at the LFS, etc. I'd say the two most important, as everyone else has said, are a good skimmer and strong lighting. I actually have a POS seaclone skimmer and would upgrade but my refugium seems to be keeping everything clean anyway. With patience you can save a LOT of money.

[Tomo]

Cool, thanks for the ideas everyone. I see light!!

BTW: Wouldn't my lionfish eventually eat my other fish?

[cioutlaw]

when is your birthday? maybe your wife could buy the rest then

[tokitay]

Here is an honest accounting of what we recently spent on our 125 gallon tank and equipment. I found the tank in the paper and scoured RC, E-Bay, and my local fish club for other components.

Used 125 all glass tank w/custom internal overflow, ASM G2 skimmer, and an Iwaki MD30RXT pump, wet/dry filter, and separate 10 gal. skimmer sump. $500

15 gallon refugium, lights, drilling, and pump $ 125

3-175 watt metal halide lights, T5 actinics, hood, new bulbs, and moonlights $ 460

Assorted fittings, plumbing parts, etc. $100

Live rock (150 lbs.), live sand (120 lbs.), RO watermaker, and salt mix $700

Test kits, refractometer, spare garbage cans, mag-floats, thermometers,hoses, and assorted stuff $300

First buy of fish, macro algae, anenomes, clean up crew, etc. $300

So I guess the total so far is $ 2485.00. Undoubtedly I will add more fish, corals, etc. Plus the upkeep, water changes, bulb changes, etc., etc.

Long and short of it is it is not a cheap hobby. It is also full of new and everchanging challenges. There are always sick fish, dead fish, failed equipment, etc. This means time, as well as money.

But for those of us that are addicted there is no greater fix than staring hypnotically into our tanks for hours on end. This, my friend, is PRICELESS!

Good Luck!
Lee

[mdellyd]

You can keep a Lionfish in reef tank just like any Grouper type hunter, but they will eat any and all shrimp and any fish their size or smaller which makes it hard to find compatible tankmates. You could keep a Lionfish in a reef tank with some big tangs like Nasos or Sohals or with other Groupers.

[elephen]

Originally posted by onereefnotenuf
decent skimmer 200.00 to 300.00

Not sure if your running a seaclone but a good skimmer will run you $300-2000, that is, if you want a good skimmer.

[Tomo]

2K for a skimmer?? wow!!

As far as the lion, although they are my favorite my wife wants a few smaller ones swimming around so no can do.

Pat

[andynyc]

Originally posted by elephen
Not sure if your running a seaclone but a good skimmer will run you $300-2000, that is, if you want a good skimmer.

I think that price is a little inflated... if you spend anywhere passed $350 (and even that price is crazy) on a GREAT protein skimmer for a 75gallon tank... boy did the LFS do you in.

[poppin_fresh]

Personally, I dont think you want to jump full-bore into a reef anyway. Start the tank FOWLR and gradually move into a reef tank. It will allow you to spread the expenses out over a longer time while allowing the tank to mature. This will allow you time to gain experience and buy better lighting, filtration, RO/DI etc.

[Dubbin1]

Originally posted by Craig Lambert
Dubbin1,

Not to hyjack the thread, but I'm curious about your rock? What type is it?

Well there is a few pieces of tonga branch and a mix of others that I really have no idea what it is. When I got into the hobby I just thought LR was LR so I have no idea on how to ID the stuff. Almost half of it though is baserock that I picked up for $1.69lb.

[shawnaus17]

OMG people were are you getting this money I

[Nicholo]

You can get an ASM G2 for like $220. That is great for a 75g.