Which? Sw, Or Fw

I'm not sure if I want to do a saltwater tank, or a freshwater?
Can you guys help me figure it out?

Saltwater - 20 gallon long.
FOWLR

List

1 - Hydor 240ph Powerhead 30$.
2 - 5 gallon buckets 5$ each
1 - Aquatics Neotherm 100w 35$
1 - Refractometer 20$
1 - 25g Instant Ocean Sea Salt 10-25$
1 - Aquaclear 50. 38$
1 - NICREW LED 28" - 36" 38$
1 - Live Sand 20-30$
Live Rock

I'm a noobie with salt water.. so I need a lot of help
Here are some of my top questions about the list.

1 - The buckets, I need one for mixing the saltwater for WC's.
And the other for acclimation, do you do the drip acclimation? My question. Can I use the 5 gallon bucket I use for my Freshwater waterchanges for the water changes in this?

I can't use a python right? With the fill up system?
Since it has no salt in it.

2 - The refractometer, which ones do you guys use, what are the best ones but not that much $$.
Also, how do you use it? Whats it for? I'm watching YT videos on it, but I still wanted to ask.

3 - With the salt, if I put my tap water into a 5 gallon bucket, and get a wave maker, and mix it in there for about 15 minutes?
Also, how much do you dose each time?

--

Stocking -
x2 O. Clownfish
(any beginner inverts?)

Question about water.
Can I use my tap water, for the tank.

Then dose the salt in the 5 gallon bucket, mix it with the wavemaker, then add the water?
Is that a good looking process?

Any tips on saltwater?
I'm really wanting to try a saltwater tank!

Nart | stella1979 | Nanologist | Culprit | grantm91

 

Hey Prism. Stepping into saltwater was a little scary for me, but I wouldn't turn back now. It's been such a joy over these past 6-7 months.

Your list looks pretty good for a FOWLR, though the thing that's missing is substrate and rocks.

I'm a little busy right now, but promise to check back in a little while and do my best to answer your questions.

 

1 - And the other for acclimation, do you do the drip acclimation? It depends on what is being acclimated. For starfish/urchins/shrimp, yes we use drip acclimation. For fish, I use the 'Floating' method of acclimation.

Can I use the 5 gallon bucket I use for my FW waterchanges for the water changes in this? We do... Our buckets get used all over the house. I even use the same pump to pump water back in the Freshwater tanks as the Saltwater tanks, rinsing between uses of course.


2 - The refractometer, which ones do you guys use, what are the best ones but not that much $$.
Also, how do you use it? Whats it for? I'm watching YT videos on it, but I still wanted to ask. It is used for measuring the salinity of the salt water. We try to keep our tanks at specific gravity of 1.025 due to inverts/corals, but you can get away with lower for fish only, 1.020 or higher.

3 - With the salt, if I put my tap water into a 5 gallon bucket, and get a wave maker, and mix it in there for about 15 minutes? It takes longer than that for the salt mix to fully dissolve in fresh water. We usually wait at least 24 hours. If the water is clear before that though, you are probably ok to use the mixed water.
Also, how much do you dose each time? Sorry, dose what? If you are asking how much salt per gallon, the container should tell you. After you mix, then you would use your refractometer to verify the salinity.

--

Stocking -
x2 O. Clownfish
(any beginner inverts?) Banded trochus and nerite snails are my favorite snails. You can try some blue leg hermit crabs too and eventually a skunk cleaner shrimp or a fire shrimp. You really need to keep your nitrates under control (<20ppm) for inverts though.

Question about water.
Can I use my tap water, for the tank. I would not... At worst your water may have a lot of phosphates/nitrates/ammonia that will fuel algae growth, and at worst you may be introducing trace heavy metals that over time build up to deadly levels for your animals. This happened to us before we finally switched to RO/DI water.

Then dose the salt in the 5 gallon bucket, mix it with the wavemaker, then add the water? You may want to consider adding a heater to the mixing water depending on how cold the room is you are doing the mixing. <70 degree F water can be quite the unpleasant shock to your tank inhabitants.


Don't forget that when you notice the water level is low, DO NOT add salt water! The evaporated water is freshwater, so just add RO/DI water back to your tank. This is a classic mistake of people new to the hobby.

 

Hey Prism. Stepping into saltwater was a little scary for me, but I wouldn't turn back now. It's been such a joy over these past 6-7 months.

Your list looks pretty good for a FOWLR, though the thing that's missing is substrate and rocks.

I'm a little busy right now, but promise to check back in a little while and do my best to answer your questions.

Yes, I'm aware of it being hard at first, but I'll get the hang of it!
Ah! I totally forgot that, I knew I was missing something.

Take your time.

1 - And the other for acclimation, do you do the drip acclimation? It depends on what is being acclimated. For starfish/urchins/shrimp, yes we use drip acclimation. For fish, I use the 'Floating' method of acclimation.

Can I use the 5 gallon bucket I use for my FW waterchanges for the water changes in this? We do... Our buckets get used all over the house. I even use the same pump to pump water back in the Freshwater tanks as the Saltwater tanks, rinsing between uses of course.


2 - The refractometer, which ones do you guys use, what are the best ones but not that much $$.
Also, how do you use it? Whats it for? I'm watching YT videos on it, but I still wanted to ask. It is used for measuring the salinity of the salt water. We try to keep our tanks at specific gravity of 1.025 due to inverts/corals, but you can get away with lower for fish only, 1.020 or higher.

3 - With the salt, if I put my tap water into a 5 gallon bucket, and get a wave maker, and mix it in there for about 15 minutes? It takes longer than that for the salt mix to fully dissolve in fresh water. We usually wait at least 24 hours. If the water is clear before that though, you are probably ok to use the mixed water.
Also, how much do you dose each time? Sorry, dose what? If you are asking how much salt per gallon, the container should tell you. After you mix, then you would use your refractometer to verify the salinity.

--

Stocking -
x2 O. Clownfish
(any beginner inverts?) Banded trochus and nerite snails are my favorite snails. You can try some blue leg hermit crabs too and eventually a skunk cleaner shrimp or a fire shrimp. You really need to keep your nitrates under control (<20ppm) for inverts though.

Question about water.
Can I use my tap water, for the tank. I would not... At worst your water may have a lot of phosphates/nitrates/ammonia that will fuel algae growth, and at worst you may be introducing trace heavy metals that over time build up to deadly levels for your animals. This happened to us before we finally switched to RO/DI water.

Then dose the salt in the 5 gallon bucket, mix it with the wavemaker, then add the water? You may want to consider adding a heater to the mixing water depending on how cold the room is you are doing the mixing. <70 degree F water can be quite the unpleasant shock to your tank inhabitants.


Don't forget that when you notice the water level is low, DO NOT add salt water! The evaporated water is freshwater, so just add RO/DI water back to your tank. This is a classic mistake of people new to the hobby.

1 - Okay! So while acclimating the clownfish ect, I will do the float.
Hermit crabs/inverts the drip, got it!

Okay, that's great!


2 - I may add hermit crabs if I can, so would 1.025 be better?
How often do you need to test, and if its to low, or to high what do you add to get it down, or up?

3 - Ah, okay so using RO/DI would be faster? How long does it take for the RO/DI to mix it?
Yes, I was asking how much salt dose.

How much hermit crabs do you think I could do?
How much shrimp, or snails?

I can test my water, if you would like.
What RO/DI do you use?

Should I use the RO/DI to mix my water, or the wavemaker?
Does the RO/DI mix water, or does it not?

Thanks for the input!

 

I think my tap water would be good to use.
The parameters are..

Ammonia - 0ppm.
Nitrates - 0ppm.
Nitrites - 0ppm.

Do you think I could use it?
Do I still need to buy a RO/DI?

 

OK, so first of all, great answers from SecretiveFish There is one thing I want to mention about your first post. Please consider carefully if you will eventually want corals. Most often that quickly becomes the case, and then some of your purchased items from the list will be kind of a waste. If there is any chance you'll step into corals, please look into Current USA Marine lights. They are quite a bit more expensive than the Nicrew, but still a great bang for your buck and significantly cheaper than other reef lights. The other thing I would 2nd guess if you think you might want corals are the pumps. I have a 20 gallon long myself, and started with 2 Hydor pumps. Unfortunately one of them broke within the first few months. I replaced it with a Jebao SW2, which is only a little more expensive, and I now know that the Jebao is a much better pump. It's smaller/less obtrusive, can be switched off for feedings by pressing a button, and it is programmable so you can have the flow mimic the sway of the ocean. So yeah, just a couple of things to think about. Most FOWLR tanks don't make it a year before coral is added, but you may be an exception.

2 - I may add hermit crabs if I can, so would 1.025 be better?
How often do you need to test, and if its to low, or to high what do you add to get it down, or up?
I don't have any crabs, but I do know that hermits do well in reef tanks, which are kept at about 1.025. Hermits with blue 'furry' legs are not reef safe. I would avoid them if you're even thinking about any low light corals someday. The ones without furry legs are fine, as are the scarlet hermits as well as are zebras and dwarf yellow or red tips.

Saltwater tanks will need top off's, or freshwater added daily, due to evaporation. If salinity is high, you can add freshwater to bring it down. If your salinity is low, you may carefully top off with saltwater. Of course you'll be testing salinity as you go to make sure you are gradually changing it into the correct range. Nothing good happens fast in Saltwater tanks, so take your time with any alterations.

I can test my water, if you would like.
What RO/DI do you use?

Should I use the RO/DI to mix my water, or the wavemaker?
Does the RO/DI mix water, or does it not?

Let's address what RO/DI water is first. RO - Reverse Osmosis & DI - Deionization It's a super water filtration system! You can put the worst tap water through these filtration systems and afterwards, you will have the purest water you could think of. So pure that it's unsafe for humans to use as drinking water alone, because it is stripped of everything, including minerals that are vital to our health. Have you ever used a TDS meter? It will measure the Total Dissolved Solids in your water. In my case, my tap water's TDS is 325, (very high) but my RO/DI water's TDS is zero. RO/DI water is something you make at home if you've installed a RO/DI water filtration system. Otherwise, it's available to buy pretty cheaply at your LFS.

Your tap water may contain something nasty, like ammonia or nitrates, or heavy metals like mentioned above... you do not want to be in that situation, where something that you can't even test for is building up to very high levels in your tank, and you don't even know about it until it's too late.

As far as the good stuff that's in water? Well, your marine salt mix will contain the perfect levels of all those nutrients and minerals. Let's use calcium in an example. RO/DI water is pure, containing zero calcium. My tap water has a high calcium content, (among other things.) So, if I were to add my salt mix to my tap water, calcium would be out of range and very high. Yes, my tank needs calcium, but it needs it at the right level. Get what I mean? And calcium is just one of many things that is present in water.

I couldn't say that a RO/DI system is a must for you. It was for me though. My tap water isn't even great for freshwater tanks. With a 20 gallon though, you'd probably only change about 4 gallons a week after you're done cycling. That amount of RO/DI water could be purchased for less than $3 near me. You would still have to mix it with salt of course. The other thing to think about is if perhaps you just want to buy your saltwater already mixed. It's not a bad idea at all if you have a trustworthy LFS, and they should be using RO/DI water for the mixing. Culprit will be along eventually, and he can tell you more about the cost effectiveness of buying a RO/DI system vs. buying RO/DI water vs. buying prepared saltwater. He put a lot of research into that aspect of things and like us, is also running a 20 gallon long.

 

1 - The buckets, I need one for mixing the saltwater for WC's.
And the other for acclimation, do you do the ? My question. Can I use the 5 gallon I use for my FW waterchanges for the water changes in this?

I can't use a right? With the fill up system?
Since it has no salt in it.

2 - The refractometer, which ones do you guys use, what are the best ones but not that much $$.
Also, how do you use it? Whats it for? I'm watching YT videos on it, but I still wanted to ask.

3 - With the salt, if I put my tap water into a 5 gallon bucket, and get a , and mix it in there for about 15 minutes?
Also, how much do you dose each time?

1. You can use the same bucket that you mix salt in to drip acclimate with. Drip or float. Inverts you should drip, most fish and corals just float.

2. I am going to use one, its arriving today lol. I think stella and nart use the $20 ones off of ebay, but nart got a name brand to see which was better. You hold it horizantal, drop water on the slanted end, and look through the opposite end. The line between blue and clear is your sg.

3. Put RO/DI water into the bucket, put a powerhead in there (it can be any cheap sunsun one or whatever), add the right amunt of salt (there should be instructions telling you how much to put in), let it mix until its all dissolved around 15 minutes, check the salinity and add more salt or more water accordingly.

No... you can't use a python since you've gotta mix it.

Don't worry, saltwater is so much fun and really not that complicated once you figure out the basics.

List

1 - Hydor 240ph 30$.
2 - 5 gallon buckets 5$ each
1 - Aquatics Neotherm 100w 35$
1 - 20$
1 - 25g Sea 10-25$
1 - 50. 38$
1 - 28" - 36" 38$
1 - Live 20-30$

Looks good. I would swap the hydor powerhead for a Jebao SW2. It comes with a wavemaker, so it creates a wave maker, several reefers here have had them break like Nart and stella1979 I have the jebao sw 2 and can vouch for it. You can control the amount of flow, the time between wave pulses, pretty much everything. Good job picking the cobalt aquatics neotherm. You can get 50 gallons worth of salt off of amazon for $17. Just remeber, 25 gallons is only going to fill up your tank once, and then give one water change.

Are you going to make your own RO/DI water and mix your saltwater yourself? Becuase if you are you need a RO/DI unit, a mixing powerhead, (you can get a 2 pack of like 400 gph off of amazon for like $15, wouldn't trust em in my tank but just for 15 minutes of mixing water sure), a mixing heater (so the water change water is the same temp as your tank water). However, if you are buying RO/DI and saltwater from your LFS like I do, its less hassle. It does cost more money in the logn run but if you're just setting up and are on a budget its a good alternate route.

Stocking -
x2 O. Clownfish
(any beginner inverts?)

Question about water.
Can I use my tap water, for the tank.

How about:
2 clownfish
1 firefish
1 yasha goby
1 pistol shrimp
1 Skunk cleaner shrimp

And easy corals would be pulsing xenia, gsp, leather corals, and zoanthids.

No... you don't want to use your tap water. With Saltwater you have to be a lot stricter about water parameters. We measure nitrates in tenths, not tens lol.

 

The saltwater crew already answered everything above lol.

Not much else to add other then... if you do start one, just take it slow, patience, and plenty of research and fact finding and you'll be successful.

 

I think my tap water would be good to use.
The parameters are..

Ammonia - 0ppm.
Nitrates - 0ppm.
Nitrites - 0ppm.

Do you think I could use it?
Do I still need to buy a RO/DI?

This question gets asked a lot. The truth is, you have to know the TDS (total dissolved solids) and what's within the TDS to know if it's safe to use.
You'll see some FOWLR folks using tap water and it's worked for them and they'll preach it. But no two tap water source is the same unless ya'll live in the same area with the same pipes, water source and etc...

I would love to tell you yes you can use tap water, but the truth is no one really knows what is in your tap water unless you run a full lab-grade test on it. I thought of a method, which is to utilize the Triton test kit. If you aren't familiar with them, look it up. Essentially, you send them your water source and they run it through their lab grade equipment and send you back the results. You get the point.

Most FOWLR saltwater hobbyists won't use tap though, because of the investment going into the tank.
Bigger tank with bigger fishes can cost a lot, so they won't skimp on water to save $ 150 on an RODI unit. when their entire tank of fishes can easily cost a few grand. You get the point.

It's up to you... I wouldn't recommend it, but I've seen it done and a few of those people run into algae issues with the tank.
Asides from Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate... in SW, we also look closely at Phosphate in our water source. An imbalance of Nitrate and Phosphate can cause cyano algae etc...

 

Thanks for all the help! I'll think about it further.

 

Don't think too long Prism . We are all enablers here on the salty side, so let me say what we're all thinking... Doooo iiiiitttttt!

 

Don't think too long Prism . We are all enablers here on the salty side, so let me say what we're all thinking... Doooo iiiiitttttt!

I have a question, do any of you have a 20 gallon FOWLR?
How much money was spent on it in the first month?

I'm not sure with budget reasons.

 

Hmmm, it's hard to say. I have a tight budget too, so started buying stuff slowly well before adding water to the tank. The tank was probably the last purchase of the build actually. I regret not keeping track of cost too because I wish I could give folks like you an actual number.

You could save a lot initially by purchasing water instead of a RODI system. You could also use shop lights with CFL's to light the tank pretty cheaply. That's what I've got over qt tanks. However, if you consider the ongoing cost of water and bulbs, well eventually it will outweigh the cost of the RODI system and a good light.

 

Hmmm, it's hard to say. I have a tight budget too, so started buying stuff slowly well before adding water to the tank. The tank was probably the last purchase of the build actually. I regret not keeping track of cost too because I wish I could give folks like you an actual number.

You could save a lot initially by purchasing water instead of a RODI system. You could also use shop lights with CFL's to light the tank pretty cheaply. That's what I've got over qt tanks. However, if you consider the ongoing cost of water and bulbs, well eventually it will outweigh the cost of the RODI system and a good light.

How do you purchase water? Do you have to purchase it for every WC?
I'm not really wanting to purchase the RO/DI, since they are very expensive.

I'll look into the lighting.
Can I have an estimate how much you spent?

 

How do you purchase water? Do you have to purchase it for every WC?
I'm not really wanting to purchase the RO/DI, since they are very expensive.

I'll look into the lighting.
Can I have an estimate how much you spent?

If you have an LFS that has saltwater fish they will generally sell you both salt and RO/DI water. At my LFS RO/DI water is 50 cents a gallon, and saltwater 1 dollar a gallon. I just go, say I'm here to buy water, they fill up my buckets and I pay.

Here's my budget write up.
Jebao wavemaker $40.00
Cobalt Aquatics heater $30.00
Current USA Marine Light $125
Refractometer $20.00
Mixing Heater $10.00
Tank $20.00
Thermometer (x2) $5.00
substrate $20.00
Buckets $10
That's $280 to start. But, that's for a full reef. With going FOWLR with easy corals you could take your light down to mabye $20-$50 by using shop lights like stella said and putting high Kelvin bulbs in them

Oh and I purchase my water from my LFS, so I didn't need salt or a mixing powerhead.

 

If you have an LFS that has saltwater fish they will generally sell you both salt and RO/DI water. At my LFS RO/DI water is 50 cents a gallon, and saltwater 1 dollar a gallon. I just go, say I'm here to buy water, they fill up my buckets and I pay.

Here's my budget write up.
Jebao wavemaker $40.00
Cobalt Aquatics heater $30.00
Current USA Marine Light $125
Refractometer $20.00
Mixing Heater $10.00
Tank $20.00
Thermometer (x2) $5.00
substrate $20.00
Buckets $10
That's $280 to start. But, that's for a full reef. With going FOWLR with easy corals you could take your light down to mabye $20-$50 by using shop lights like stella said and putting high Kelvin bulbs in them

Oh and I purchase my water from my LFS, so I didn't need salt or a mixing powerhead.

I have a petco with saltwater fish, I'll have to ask if they sell their water.

Alrighty! So every water change I need to get more?
How much should I get every time?

So I simply bring a few 5 gallon buckets?
Sorry for all the questions!

 

I'll try to get you a ballpark after this evening when we're all home. My husband made most of the purchases and has the better memory.

Don't buy saltwater from Petco. You certainly don't want it from their system. LFS's keep their for sale water in huge containers like this



No exposure to livestock.. clean and free of disease.

 

Did you take that photo?
I don't know where to go for that..

I have a pet store that's only in texas, that has very good quality fish.
They have a huge saltwater area. If you want to look it up.. the name is Glass Aquatics.

(located only in texas)

 

I’m into my 20 gallon about 400 bucks so far. I use 6 gallon jugs and buy my water from my LFS. Costs about 60 bucks a week.

 

I’m into my 20 gallon about 400 bucks so far. I use 6 gallon jugs and buy my water from my LFS. Costs about 60 bucks a week.

Hm.. that’s a big amount of money for right now.
Maybe a saltwater tank isn’t the best for now.. My budget is around 250$.

 

Have you done a freshwater tank already?

 

Yes. I have lots of experience with FW.

 

For 20 lbs of live rock I paid about 6.50 a pound, but half or that was seeded, then for my live sand, I paid about 2 bucks a pound. Just to give you an idea on costs.

 

$60 bucks a week?? On water!??? Wow... how big of a tank do you have? I figure I'll spend about $20 a month on saltwater. THats a 4 gallons a week, plus 3 gallons of top off water.

I have a petco with saltwater fish, I'll have to ask if they sell their water.

Alrighty! So every water change I need to get more?
How much should I get every time?

So I simply bring a few 5 gallon buckets?
Sorry for all the questions!

No... Yes... it varies lol. Me, I have a 30 gallon Brute trash can and once a month I go to my LFS and get 20 gallons of saltwater in the brute, and 5 gallons of RO/DI in a 5 gallon bucket. Whenever I do a water change, I dip out 4 gallons, put my heater in, wait until its the right temp, then dump it in.

I would get a brute trashcan instead of getting water every single water change. That way you can do an emergency water change if you need to

 

I think you are forgetting a RODI system or a RO system or a DI system

 

I think you are forgetting a RODI system or a RO system or a DI system

It depends on if Prism is going to buy from an LFS or make there own. If budget is tight I would buy from LFS from now, save up for an RO/DI system later when you know you will continue reefing

 

I’m into my 20 gallon about 400 bucks so far. I use 6 gallon jugs and buy my water from my LFS. Costs about 60 bucks a week.

Why does it cost you $60/week for water Bill? In my experience saltwater is sold for a dollar or two per gallon. Some larger water changes may be necessary during cycling and/or curing rock, but generally you shouldn't need to change more than 4-5 gallons per week.

I agree with Culprit . It would be great if you can purchase water for now. Perhaps you can save for the RODI after the tank is set up. I also use a Brute, though it's a 10 gallon because I make water at home. Extra water for emergencies is important if you can't make it, and on top of that, getting 3 or 4 changes worth of water at a time will save considerably on gas and time.

Prism - Are you out in the sticks? I wondered because I've heard that the Saltwater hobby is pretty common in Texas. Austin Aqua Farms is a great coral retailer and they are out there, lol. Yeah, I know TX is a big place. I just wonder if there are any saltwater specialty stores near you that you just haven't come across. For me, I knew there were a couple, but when I really looked, I found some hidden gems.

OK, so I found this an old budgeting list.....

• Tank 20 gallon long- $30
• Glass lid - $20 (perhaps unnecessary for you)
• Aquaclear 70 - $50
• Pumps - 2 Hydor Koralia 425 for $45 (remember one Hydor pump of mine broke after only 3 months. I would suggest 2 Jebao SW2's for $100, ouch!)
• Heater - $20
• Rock - $60
• Substrate - $40
• Refractometer and calibration solution - $30

So, that's about $300, (or $350 with Jebao's), without factoring the cost of a light, a stand, or water. Also, there's the buckets/Brute, a light timer, cleaning tools and additional test kits, as you would surely need good phosphate and nitrate tests. In saltwater we want accurate nitrate readings below 10, and accurate phosphate readings below 1. For that reason, you want Salifert or RedSea brand tests, not API. Awww, I hate to be a bummer. Hopefully you can just take it slow like we did, lots of us operate on a tight budget.

 

Why does it cost you $60/week for water Bill? In my experience saltwater is sold for a dollar or two per gallon. Some larger water changes may be necessary during cycling and/or curing rock, but generally you shouldn't need to change more than 4-5 gallons per week.

I agree with Culprit . It would be great if you can purchase water for now. Perhaps you can save for the RODI after the tank is set up. I also use a Brute, though it's a 10 gallon because I make water at home. Extra water for emergencies is important if you can't make it, and on top of that, getting 3 or 4 changes worth of water at a time will save considerably on gas and time.

Prism - Are you out in the sticks? I wondered because I've heard that the Saltwater hobby is pretty common in Texas. Austin Aqua Farms is a great coral retailer and they are out there, lol. Yeah, I know TX is a big place. I just wonder if there are any saltwater specialty stores near you that you just haven't come across. For me, I knew there were a couple, but when I really looked, I found some hidden gems.

OK, so I found this an old budgeting list.....

• Tank 20 gallon long- $30
• Glass lid - $20 (perhaps unnecessary for you)
• Aquaclear 70 - $50
• Pumps - 2 Hydor Koralia 425 for $45 (remember one Hydor pump of mine broke after only 3 months. I would suggest 2 Jebao SW2's for $100, ouch!)
• Heater - $20
• Rock - $60
• Substrate - $40
• Refractometer and calibration solution - $30

So, that's about $300, (or $350 with Jebao's), without factoring the cost of a light, a stand, or water. Also, there's the buckets/Brute, a light timer, cleaning tools and additional test kits, as you would surely need good phosphate and nitrate tests. In saltwater we want accurate nitrate readings below 10, and accurate phosphate readings below 1. For that reason, you want Salifert or RedSea brand tests, not API. Awww, I hate to be a bummer. Hopefully you can just take it slow like we did, lots of us operate on a tight budget.

I live near dallas. I know, there are a lot of salties near me.
Most dentist, and doctors around me have them.

My budget is 250$.
Do you think I can could do it?

Also! I found out that my dad has an RO system that's not being used..
Could I just use that to mix my saltwater? How long does it take?

 

Well, alrighty then, $250 isn't so bad... for now. Do you think you'd be able to contribute a little more next month and the month after?

Remember, RO/RODI systems do not mix your saltwater, they purify your tap water, then you mix it with salt and heat it before adding it to your aquarium.

The time it takes to make RO water will be different depending on the system and your water pressure. But, for me with a 50 gallon per day system, it takes about 2 hours to make 4 gallons. Then, it takes about an hour to mix the salt completely in the 10 gallon Brute with a 1200 GPH pump and a 75W heater. It could take longer with a different salt, a different pump or a smaller heater.

So while I'd so no to $250 really getting you there, it can certainly get your foot in the door. The bulk of the cost is definitely upfront, but after the first few months of getting everything together and running, the monthly cost doesn't feel like much.

 

I’ve been cycling my tank. I do 5 gals a day.

 

Did you take that photo?

Oops, missed this earlier. I did take that photo, lol. Granted, these are the biggest water storage tanks I've seen at an LFS. I'll confess to being lucky in location, VIP Reef is one of the hidden gems I found near me. They are an LFS and an online business.

 

You can do it Prism, just watch your budget. Buy used if you can. I cycled my tank fast because I bought seeded rock. I was expecting it to take longer than it did. If you buy dry rock, it’ll be cheaper. You might check craigslist for some rock, I’ve seen people give it away because they was moving.

 

If you are on a tight budget, A) take it slow. You should be able to add some each month. Its what I do. I've been in the process of aquiring things for a few months now, and I'm almost ready to set up. B) scour craigslist and your local reef club if you have one. Search freshwater too, you never know what might pop up, from powerheads to lights. I found a biocube with a current marine orbit and a powerhead (biocube is all in one so it already has a return pump, ect.) for $130. For my freshwater side I found a $80 canister filter for $15 that was in perfect condition and only a few months old. You can get crazy great deals off of craigslist.

 

It definitely took me several months to acquire enough kit to get going as well. Patience is no fun, but more necessary than ever with saltwater. It's good practice to go slow from the start. The salty side of things has also been intensely rewarding for me. I don't mean to down my Freshwater tanks, but I've been doing that for a long time and it kind of became routine. I do feel more pride with my Saltwater setup these days. Someday that will settle too, then I'll be looking to you guys to help me set up an awesome planted tank.

 

Edit: Oops, I accidentally posted something here that was meant for another thread...

 

Thanks for all the support guys!
I'm going to do some research on what good saltwater places are near me.

I will let you know about if I find anything.
Also, I'll look on craigslist.

 

I think Wild Bill meant $6 a week right? not $60 lol.

Prism In my opinion, it's best to either find a used Innovative Marine 20, 25, or 30 gallon fusion tank. These are all in one tanks and you'll sometimes come across people selling them for a good price. It's a lot easier and cleaner to set-up an AIO tank than to get a Petco tank. Other AIO tanks are, Red Sea, JBJ, and Bio-Cubes. Most of these tanks are plug and play. You just need to get a heater and light and you are ready to rock and roll. Not only craigslist, check out Facebook Marketplace and find any local fish club forums.

 

Nope. 60 bucks. Now that I’m done cycling, it’ll go down in price.

 

Why did it take you $60 a week?? even during a cycle it shouldn't cost that much.

 

Because I fill my all my jugs. 6 gallons each, 5 jugs at 2 bucks a gallon.