Hand me down tank- $0 Bio wheel filter- $40 Small skimmer- $70 Amazon light- $130 Heater- $20 Rock- $80 Sand- $15 Fish- $80 Coral- $60 Total- $495 Don’t let a budget keep you from getting into the hobby!
Everything sounds good except for the heater and filter. You can use a box filter, ive done that but its better to get a canister. For the heater id highly suggest getting a good reliable heater and not a cheap one. Its a safety concern
lies, if they want to have success they sure do. Water flow and light is something that you cant cheap out on. Your tanks lifespan will surely be a short life if you have weak flow and dim light.
@@chicagorc3967 lol bs 😂you can absolutely cheap out on flow, ac flow pumps are more than adequate when first starting. I didn’t buy any expensive stuff when I first started and 9 years later I still have almost all the corals I got in my first year.
@@chicagorc3967 I know that but that doesn't mean you need to get a 250 dollar one there are plenty of good options in the 80-150 range I also didn't say anything about light.
@@chicagorc3967 I have cheap water flow in my tank. The leather coral doesn’t seem to care… went from the size of a quarter to over a foot in diameter in a couple years. SPS grows like a weed with my cheap flow and Amazon light. Just have to have the basics down and it’s not that hard to have a growing and healthy tank.
My 20g price Petco sale tank - $20 Homebuilt stand - $15 in wood Wave maker(used) - $30 Rock(used) - $20 Live sand - $20 Tidal 55 - $70 Noo-Psyche k7 mini light - $130 AquaEl heater -$70 Corals I’m just getting started so far I’ve spent $100 on a couple zoas, mushroom, a Duncan and frammer. Fish $6 blue devil damsel. Future additions ATO $130 - I top off every day currently. Inkbird WiFi temp controller $50
Yeahhh, yellow tangs back then were less than $20 and easyyyy to find now they're upwards of $220 and no aquarium stores have them and they're captive bred and not an endangered fish.
£400 for a full tank 200l with 70l sump with ATO, stand, rock, roller mat, skimmer, 2 return pumps mp40 wave maker, loads of little wave makers. 2nd hand is the way to go if your starting imo.
If your just starting to get into aquariums don't get a saltwater. It will be an absolute costly nightmare. Instead go into freshwater. It costs just about 200 dollars for everything ( including fish and plants) for a 30 gallon. Perfect for beginners.
No, you just have to do it differently. The reef hobby has waaay too much elitism. I nice Fluval EVO with gsp, Xenia, Kenya tree, and one or two nano fish is simple and fun. I’ve spent more on my freshwater tank than my reef.
For reference, I got a used 20g tank and stand on FB marketplace, including HOB filter, food, siphon, and other supplies, for $40. Used that for my freshwater tank with new substrate ($50); and then just the cost of whatever plants, rocks, fish I wanted (~$100 but you could definitely get away with less)!
I just got a 180 gallon acrylic set up for dirt cheap. it came with a metal stand, 3 eco tech xr30s Gen 4s, 2 eco tech mp40s, a eco tech battery backup, a eshopps 2-200 skimmer, a eshopps 300g sump AND it was delivered from over a hour away for...... 200$ :) i cant believe my luck. i just picked up a jabao dosing pump today for 15$. im trying to do it as cheap as possible lol
I setup a 40gal breeder mostly diy with used/new goodies for alot less so yes you can get it done cheaper alot cheaper and I did everything in stages as to not break the bank all at once since I stretch my money so thin. Lol
Starting with high end products will save a lot of headaches, and problems, will get warranty, it’s is ok to go cheap but at the end you end up buying the quality gear spending way more.
Mine is a 30 gallon open glass aquarium 80$ tank 25$ powerhead 40$ sand 60$ salt 60$ for 20 and 50 fluval hob filter (i got a big discount with the 50) 70$ lights 65$ for rock And then small things i bought to maintain perameters and helps with tank
I have a 240 gallon and I'm not even gonna spend half as much. 2nd hand and diy is always my go too, thus hobby is way to expensive for no reason. Can't cut costs on the livestock but definitely with equipment. 3000 for a 40 gallon is crazy then double it?
Here’s how much money it took to get my 30 gallon salt water tank going. I already had the tank but if I didn’t the kit was about 150 dollars. The sand was about 53 dollars for 2 bags to fill it. We where able to buy the salt water for 1 dollar a gallon. My heater was 20 dollars and my filter was about 34 dollars. My reef light was about 100 dollars off Amazon and works great. I spent another 50 to 60 dollars on the rock, and 20 dollars for a small coral.
I spent about 1700 ish on just getting a full setup for a 14g IM peninsula. BUT, That's definitely because i bought equiptment I KNOW i can still be using when i move to a larger tank in a year or more. Good equiptment with several years worth of warrantees.
Nah u can budget get one under 300 40 gallon aqueon tipically 50 percent off so 60 $ filter 40$ amazon sand 20$ petco heater 20 $ amazon light 60 $ amazon coral 60$ auto top off diy 0$
Just started to cycle a 90gal, im definitely over 3k. a lot of the peripherals are never discussed, and they add up. Ie, proper sickness treatment on standbuy, pumps, trashcan, tools, UPS backup power, cleaning equipment, testing equipment, no one mentions stocking 😅, you can do it for cheap, but you increase your chances of giving up faster because your equipment sucks or you lose everything cause you didnt properly prepare. Im finding out real fast that this cost 😤
You chose the most high end brands, a beginner doesn’t need AquaIllumination. Go with a Nicrew light, HOB gear, and a Sicce or Jebao pumps. A nice softie and LPS tank won’t be difficult. I lightly stocked tank could even run with poly filter in a nice canister (I like oase)
Ive got saltwater tubs with just an air bubbler and macro algae. The only reason saltwater tanks would ever cost that much is because youre trying to keep corals alive. Corals are very difficult to keep alive, but you can keep a saltwater tank very similarly to low tech freshwater tanks if you dont have corals.
110 gallons brand new equipment the best quality hardware ruffly about $8000.00 to 10.000.00 an counting is not just one time purchase is like a continuous buy food water conditioners chemicals an salt etc. 🧂 very costly with time BUT IS ALL WEALTH IT I LOVE IT
An experienced aquarium hobbyist can cut the cost for a 40 gallon sea salt tank below a thousand dollars easily, and fresh water tanks could be half that.
I set my 10 gallon up for 600 AUD or 380 USD. This video is the reason why so many people don't get into the hobby. The only thing a beginner needs to buy that's expensive is a good light and a protein skimmer.
Ive been doing freshwater for a collective decade or more, but have always wanted to start with saltwater. With freshwater. The bigger the tank, the easier it is to maintain (aka keep algea blooms at bay) does the same apply to saltwater?
Yeah sure 3k maybe when you buy the most expensive everything and top it off with things you don't need and a total of 6 expensive fish for a 40 gallon. I'm looking into it and maybe between 500 to 800 max for a proper beginner set up. That's like saying a freshwater 55 gallon tank is gonna cost 1500 to 2 grand when in reality you only spend 250 to 500 depending on what fish you want for either parameters
lucky I live in Cairns, North Queensland. Just have to take a little drive to a beach at low tide and low winds. and avoid Fisheries Patrol. @Green Zone? What Green Zone?"
and that's why I keep freshwater, a fully planted 40 gallon system with good quality equipment is 2000$ less then a 40g saltwater tank, but that being said I could probably set up a macro algae tank for similar price to the planted tank.
This budget is highly inaccurate. Number one pet smart has all in one tank kits for a 40 gallon. I just got a 55 gallon for 140 and a stand for 200. Plus think of how much money you’ve spent in dog food over the years compared to only having fish.
40breeder and stand-$200 Live sand and dry rock-$150 Lights-$160 Hob filter-$100 Wave maker-$80 Coral-$100 Fish-$200 Heater and InkBird-$80 Egg crate diffuser for lid-$20 Paint for background-$30 RODI unit-$100 Buckets and salt-$100 API test kit and refractometer-$70 Total-around $1,400 Should make for a decent setup and all new equipment. Some prices I errored on the side of caution.
For instance I price the Tidal 110 filter, could cut that cost in half with cheaper option. Could also save on lights by going with the basic Nicrew reef led light bar for around $70. Could go with a cheaper non DC wave maker for $20-$30. I chose the 75gpd RODI buddy instead of the 50gpd so could save $20 there too. Find rock on a local FB group could be as low as $2/lb. Tank and stand are Petco sale price on tank and basic metal stand from there.
My starter tank way cheaper Aqueon 10 gal 20 bucks 50% off sale petco with lid an crap light that had to be replaced Light $120 Heater $14 Filter $28 live sand $20 2 Live rocks in water already circulated $40 Bottles of reef an tank starter $40 Sea salt bad $10 Salt lvl gadge $5 Power head for water flow $14 6 months later 4 coral an 4 fish $180
Hand me down tank- $0
Bio wheel filter- $40
Small skimmer- $70
Amazon light- $130
Heater- $20
Rock- $80
Sand- $15
Fish- $80
Coral- $60
Total- $495
Don’t let a budget keep you from getting into the hobby!
$60 in corals? So you got 2 frags? 😂
Bio wheel filter?!?! At least get yourself a canister filter
Congrats, you have a crappy looking tank that breaks down in 3 months.
Please don't take advice from somebody who's not in the hobby.......
Everything sounds good except for the heater and filter. You can use a box filter, ive done that but its better to get a canister. For the heater id highly suggest getting a good reliable heater and not a cheap one. Its a safety concern
No Beginner needs a 250 wave maker
lies, if they want to have success they sure do. Water flow and light is something that you cant cheap out on. Your tanks lifespan will surely be a short life if you have weak flow and dim light.
@@chicagorc3967 lol bs 😂you can absolutely cheap out on flow, ac flow pumps are more than adequate when first starting.
I didn’t buy any expensive stuff when I first started and 9 years later I still have almost all the corals I got in my first year.
@@chicagorc3967 I know that but that doesn't mean you need to get a 250 dollar one there are plenty of good options in the 80-150 range I also didn't say anything about light.
@@harrisonbunge7341 i agree
@@chicagorc3967 I have cheap water flow in my tank. The leather coral doesn’t seem to care… went from the size of a quarter to over a foot in diameter in a couple years.
SPS grows like a weed with my cheap flow and Amazon light. Just have to have the basics down and it’s not that hard to have a growing and healthy tank.
lol feel like this just scares people away from the salt water hobby. It doesn't cost near that much to get going as a beginner.
Thats if you waste money buying from premIum places and premium equipment. I set up a 46 bowfront for like 600 bucks lol.
My 20g price
Petco sale tank - $20
Homebuilt stand - $15 in wood
Wave maker(used) - $30
Rock(used) - $20
Live sand - $20
Tidal 55 - $70
Noo-Psyche k7 mini light - $130
AquaEl heater -$70
Corals I’m just getting started so far I’ve spent $100 on a couple zoas, mushroom, a Duncan and frammer.
Fish $6 blue devil damsel.
Future additions
ATO $130 - I top off every day currently.
Inkbird WiFi temp controller $50
i think i spent around the same amount and a bit more in what i dose everyday!
Back in the day I had a 100 gallon saltwatwater aquarium system for 750 including nice fish.Too expensive now
Yeahhh, yellow tangs back then were less than $20 and easyyyy to find now they're upwards of $220 and no aquarium stores have them and they're captive bred and not an endangered fish.
You know inflation is a thing right???
@henryrandom7304 lmao
This is unreasonable their just trying to sell you expensive stuff
£400 for a full tank 200l with 70l sump with ATO, stand, rock, roller mat, skimmer, 2 return pumps mp40 wave maker, loads of little wave makers. 2nd hand is the way to go if your starting imo.
Remember heaters aren't necessary unless it's cold where you are and you can have any cheap light as long as you don't plan to have coral
If your just starting to get into aquariums don't get a saltwater. It will be an absolute costly nightmare. Instead go into freshwater. It costs just about 200 dollars for everything ( including fish and plants) for a 30 gallon. Perfect for beginners.
No, you just have to do it differently. The reef hobby has waaay too much elitism. I nice Fluval EVO with gsp, Xenia, Kenya tree, and one or two nano fish is simple and fun. I’ve spent more on my freshwater tank than my reef.
Freshwater is boring.
I believe in Saltwater Supremacy.
For reference, I got a used 20g tank and stand on FB marketplace, including HOB filter, food, siphon, and other supplies, for $40. Used that for my freshwater tank with new substrate ($50); and then just the cost of whatever plants, rocks, fish I wanted (~$100 but you could definitely get away with less)!
I think it more depends on the person. Everyone has to start from somewhere and there are tons of how to videos to help.
Freshwater fish are boring thank you very much
I just got a 180 gallon acrylic set up for dirt cheap. it came with a metal stand, 3 eco tech xr30s Gen 4s, 2 eco tech mp40s, a eco tech battery backup, a eshopps 2-200 skimmer, a eshopps 300g sump AND it was delivered from over a hour away for...... 200$ :) i cant believe my luck. i just picked up a jabao dosing pump today for 15$. im trying to do it as cheap as possible lol
I call bullshit on this!
You dont need top of the line products to start a reef tank. The only thing i agree with this price are the live stocks.
I setup a 40gal breeder mostly diy with used/new goodies for alot less so yes you can get it done cheaper alot cheaper and I did everything in stages as to not break the bank all at once since I stretch my money so thin. Lol
Starting with high end products will save a lot of headaches, and problems, will get warranty, it’s is ok to go cheap but at the end you end up buying the quality gear spending way more.
Mine is a 30 gallon open glass aquarium
80$ tank
25$ powerhead
40$ sand
60$ salt
60$ for 20 and 50 fluval hob filter (i got a big discount with the 50)
70$ lights
65$ for rock
And then small things i bought to maintain perameters and helps with tank
This guy is trippen lol
I did mine fer under $100 Canadian, $30 fer the 20+g tank, and $45 fer the new pump fer 30 gallon tank, and its working fer now,
I have a 240 gallon and I'm not even gonna spend half as much. 2nd hand and diy is always my go too, thus hobby is way to expensive for no reason. Can't cut costs on the livestock but definitely with equipment. 3000 for a 40 gallon is crazy then double it?
I just picked up an elos 200XL (78.5x30.5x23.9) TURN KEY SYSTEM minus return pumps and wavemakers for 500 bucks. it all comes down to luck honestly.
Here’s how much money it took to get my 30 gallon salt water tank going.
I already had the tank but if I didn’t the kit was about 150 dollars. The sand was about 53 dollars for 2 bags to fill it. We where able to buy the salt water for 1 dollar a gallon. My heater was 20 dollars and my filter was about 34 dollars. My reef light was about 100 dollars off Amazon and works great. I spent another 50 to 60 dollars on the rock, and 20 dollars for a small coral.
These are Bulk Reef Supplies prices. You can get ALL of this stuff much cheaper when you aren't supporting that California lifestyle.
Welcome to the salt life 😊
I spent about 1700 ish on just getting a full setup for a 14g IM peninsula. BUT, That's definitely because i bought equiptment I KNOW i can still be using when i move to a larger tank in a year or more. Good equiptment with several years worth of warrantees.
I have a 24 gal setup cost me about $800.00
Man get a 60$ rodi filter that’s ridiculous
You need to buy the BRS brand RODI filter :^)
Why would you get premixed water and filtration salt to make it yourself.
Sounds about right to me…
I was debating aboutr setting one up today, thanks for talking me out of it lol
Nah u can budget get one under 300 40 gallon aqueon tipically 50 percent off so 60 $ filter 40$ amazon sand 20$ petco heater 20 $ amazon light 60 $ amazon coral 60$ auto top off diy 0$
I would definitely say you spend a ton over time but bare cost off equipment and decor is normally around 700 for a twenty.
Test kits , skimmer, roller , chiller , controller.. 😅
Just started to cycle a 90gal, im definitely over 3k. a lot of the peripherals are never discussed, and they add up. Ie, proper sickness treatment on standbuy, pumps, trashcan, tools, UPS backup power, cleaning equipment, testing equipment, no one mentions stocking 😅, you can do it for cheap, but you increase your chances of giving up faster because your equipment sucks or you lose everything cause you didnt properly prepare. Im finding out real fast that this cost 😤
that's about right
Is spent a good 300 on mine so far. Buy livestock over time and it should be less strain on the bank account.
You chose the most high end brands, a beginner doesn’t need AquaIllumination. Go with a Nicrew light, HOB gear, and a Sicce or Jebao pumps. A nice softie and LPS tank won’t be difficult. I lightly stocked tank could even run with poly filter in a nice canister (I like oase)
First tank is way cheaper
Yeah bro I think I’m gonna attempt to build a Coral reef aquarium under $300😬🙏
$8k for 110 gal system, full Neptune love
A good thank should cost a couple hundred bucks. Tank, filter, media, heater, light, food, chemicals, fish, decor, plants, thermometers it adds up
On my 50gallon reef I probably spent that or more with out noticing 😅
HAVE AN OUTSIDE motor/ water filter HANGING FROM THE BACK WALL with a caacity GREATER that the amount of Gallons of the Tank.🎉😂
Ive got saltwater tubs with just an air bubbler and macro algae. The only reason saltwater tanks would ever cost that much is because youre trying to keep corals alive. Corals are very difficult to keep alive, but you can keep a saltwater tank very similarly to low tech freshwater tanks if you dont have corals.
Can you do a 20 gallon tank version of this video
I dont think i will ever pay $250 for one wavemaker
I saw a wave pump on Amazon for $9 😅
It's way more expensive than that. A skimmer is atleast $400
110 gallons brand new equipment the best quality hardware ruffly about $8000.00 to 10.000.00 an counting is not just one time purchase is like a continuous buy food water conditioners chemicals an salt etc. 🧂 very costly with time BUT IS ALL WEALTH IT I LOVE IT
An experienced aquarium hobbyist can cut the cost for a 40 gallon sea salt tank below a thousand dollars easily, and fresh water tanks could be half that.
I'm a freshwater keeper looking to get into saltwater is there anything that I absolutely need (besides filters heaters and lights)
I set my 10 gallon up for 600 AUD or 380 USD. This video is the reason why so many people don't get into the hobby. The only thing a beginner needs to buy that's expensive is a good light and a protein skimmer.
Ive been doing freshwater for a collective decade or more, but have always wanted to start with saltwater. With freshwater. The bigger the tank, the easier it is to maintain (aka keep algea blooms at bay) does the same apply to saltwater?
money = saltwater
Try $4000 - $5000 as a Reef. That’s what you are demonstrating.
Wonder how much I have invested in my 600g? 🤣 I’ll leave that one alone..
Yo thats insane! 😂😂😂
Yep. I just had a custom 120 built :( you don’t even want to know the startup on that.
I got a 20 gallon freshwater low Tech tank it cost 700💀
how tf did u spend 700?
You played yourself
im not even $350 for my 20g including rodi and lighting, no fish or coral yet tho!
Dont forget the $10 for vasoline
I’d say about 1600$ getting more affordable options this seems more top of the time
Put it this way my 2x2x2 cube is about 2-3k
About 1400 for my 45gal
So far
Yeah sure 3k maybe when you buy the most expensive everything and top it off with things you don't need and a total of 6 expensive fish for a 40 gallon. I'm looking into it and maybe between 500 to 800 max for a proper beginner set up. That's like saying a freshwater 55 gallon tank is gonna cost 1500 to 2 grand when in reality you only spend 250 to 500 depending on what fish you want for either parameters
You can cut this cost down by 2000$ easily..
That would get me a 325gal
Yeah I spent maybe $250 on rocks alone…
Bought a red sea reefer with sump and all for 150 gotta find thoes deals
lucky I live in Cairns, North Queensland. Just have to take a little drive to a beach at low tide and low winds. and avoid Fisheries Patrol. @Green Zone? What Green Zone?"
Lucky. Why do you get to live in Australia and I'm stuck in Nebraska
@@edwardjennings6021 purely an accident of birth
It’s easier to just buy the presented water
To me it costed $400 for a 15 gallon tank with clownfish and damselfish a year ago.
Bro this varys so much you could get a 40$ 40 gallon tank with a 80$ stand and a bunch of cheap stuff
You can build a stand for $15
and that's why I keep freshwater, a fully planted 40 gallon system with good quality equipment is 2000$ less then a 40g saltwater tank, but that being said I could probably set up a macro algae tank for similar price to the planted tank.
My freshwater and saltwater 40 gallons are roughly the same cost lmao
All used equipment priceless 😅😅😅😅
This budget is highly inaccurate. Number one pet smart has all in one tank kits for a 40 gallon. I just got a 55 gallon for 140 and a stand for 200. Plus think of how much money you’ve spent in dog food over the years compared to only having fish.
More realistic tank:
tank: 30-100$
stand:200$
filter:250$
small skimmer:100$
power head:30$
Aliexpress light:150$ tested 140par at 60cm depth
sand&salt: 150$
rodi: 300$
fish&coral: 250$
40breeder and stand-$200
Live sand and dry rock-$150
Lights-$160
Hob filter-$100
Wave maker-$80
Coral-$100
Fish-$200
Heater and InkBird-$80
Egg crate diffuser for lid-$20
Paint for background-$30
RODI unit-$100
Buckets and salt-$100
API test kit and refractometer-$70
Total-around $1,400
Should make for a decent setup and all new equipment. Some prices I errored on the side of caution.
For instance I price the Tidal 110 filter, could cut that cost in half with cheaper option. Could also save on lights by going with the basic Nicrew reef led light bar for around $70. Could go with a cheaper non DC wave maker for $20-$30. I chose the 75gpd RODI buddy instead of the 50gpd so could save $20 there too. Find rock on a local FB group could be as low as $2/lb. Tank and stand are Petco sale price on tank and basic metal stand from there.
My 40 breeder was $64 and my stand was $15 from lumber i got at the store and built myself. You paid double of what you shoulda.
Well I was thinking about doing a salt water tank but I think i’m just gonna stick with freshwater….
I wasted 100$ an got my salt water fish an used salt water from my fish store to have fish the same day in my 20g tank
I even spent a lot on the freshwater tank how much more for the saltwater 😅🤷🏻♀️
Bro mine was like 800 but it’s a 15 gallon
what if you live close to sea and get your water directly
Some of those things don’t need to cost as much as youre saying
My starter tank way cheaper
Aqueon 10 gal 20 bucks 50% off sale petco with lid an crap light that had to be replaced
Light $120
Heater $14
Filter $28
live sand $20
2 Live rocks in water already circulated $40
Bottles of reef an tank starter $40
Sea salt bad $10
Salt lvl gadge $5
Power head for water flow $14
6 months later 4 coral an 4 fish $180
A seachem tidal 55 is 50-60$ and a 40 gallon breeder is 100$ if it’s not a hand-me-down it doesn’t have to be like that
I bought my 40 breeder at petco for $60 on sale wtf are you on?
You don't need all of that to start a tank.
And thats why the hobby isn't as popular as it should be . Almost every company is taking the utter pis# with prices for equipment
nah I think i’m just gonna stick to my freshwater tanks tbh lol
In my country 20 dollars only hahaha
Skip brs stuff. And can set a 40 gal easliy for $900.
Lol 😂 I known and the keep up with maintenance 😉
Just make it yourself it’s more than a quarter of the price
Bruh……. All these are marked up 70% lol
The only thing that's expensive is the fish and do research on tank mates because they are expensive fish
If you live in south asia its 1000x cheaper
No if used Nature Flow like me
I live in tropical North Queensland about 200 miles from the GBR can I use sea water from the local beach?
400 for fish I got 5 fish for 125
Best I got is 10 dollar tank 40 dollar lamp 0 dollar fish rocks sand and invertebrates I took from the ocean
Fish and coral is not that much a lot of people will actually give you their fish/coral
This is a stretch, you can get everything he said for significantly cheaper
Nah g- I'm good, I think I'll just stick to my cheaper freshwater tanks
bro, no one needs all these expensive things.....