Can a nano be done on a student budget?

[hawaiiguy]

I'm wondering if anyone thinks it's possible to set up a small nano reef tank on a university student's budget (ie. no more than 20$ a month and 100-200$ start-up)?

I've kept a FW 10gal for a few years so I have the tank (I've been searching the papers and it's not uncommon to find a 30-50gal for about 100$ as well). I also have a hang-on-back filter and an undergravel filter that I could use (would I need better equipment for a nano reef?). I have two small fluorescent bulbs in the hood which I would probably have to upgrade if I wanted inverts (which I do, eventually!).

I've also heard that a nano tank is not for beginners since the slightest change in water quality could wipe out the whole system. I've never done SW before. Should I even bother trying or should I wait the 300 years or so until I'm done school and I can afford a larger system

 

[Jolieve]

I can see the appeal of a nano to a student. Doesn't take up a lot of space, easy to move it when you leave college, not as expensive.

Nanos can be as expensive to maintain as larger tanks, simply because you end up changing water more frequently, dosing more often, and topping them off every single day (even when it's chilly outside). The expense sheet for my 10 gallon nano in terms of what I need to buy on a regular basis (salt, phosban, filter pads) is about 20$ a month, but this does not include fresh food or flake food or... anything else. I buy all of those things for my 75 gallon tank, and they get used in the 10 gallon tank. So it's a safe bet to say that your expenses for the tank will be around 20-30$ a month, not including power.

Before you choose to get involved in setting up a nano, ask yourself if you realistically have time to do a water change every week without fail. Ask yourself if you will remember to stop by the tank every single day and top it off with a little fresh water? Evaporation happens fast in nanos, and a little evaporation can change the specific gravity in a small tank *very* quickly. Do you have someone who could get involved in taking care of it with you so they could help you in the event you need to leave town? If not, do you have someone who could watch the tank for you while you are gone?

If the answer to those questions is yes, then I think you can do it.

J.

 

[Anonymous]

Welcome to RDO!

My first saltwater/reef was a 15gal. If you're careful, go slow, and most importantly PAY ATTENTION to your reef. You should do fine.

Have you treated your tank with copper based medications? (ich, fungus ect meds) then you might want to spend $8 and get a new tank. It will save you in the long run.

Also, how handy are you? can you DIY things? you'll save a bunch of money that way. IE lights. If you can do some simple wiring (or has a friend who can) then you can make some cheap pc's for your tank.

Check around here, look through the nano, DIY, and New reefkeeper forums and you'll find lots of info.

You could definately set up a tank for $200. Check in your area and see if there's any reef clubs. Spend the money to become a member. It will help you out in the long run.

B

 

[hawaiiguy]

Thanks for the advice so far! I guess time is going to be the main factor for me. I am married though, so my wife could certainly help me out with the tank while I'm studying, taking tests, curled up in the corner of my room in the fetal position during finals week, etc.

Bingo, your question about copper treatments; yes, about a year ago I had an ick problem and I treated it chemically. The treatment permanently stained the silicone joints blue so I guess trace amounts of copper leeching into the tank could be a problem. I think I might hold out for a used tank that's a bit larger (30gal at least) before setting up. If I get a used tank, how can I be sure it hasn't been treated with meds?

Do I DIY you ask? Yes. Currently I'm working on a tank stand for my 10 gal (summer means no classes which means I have time for this kind of thing!) I'm sure I'd have no problem making a hood! Does anyone have some good links to DIY hoods, filters, Ca reactors, etc?

 

[Jolieve]

Hawaiiguy, I do the same thing. My hubby and I are in the hobby together, I started college last fall. We share the effort, though it did take him two years to get the point that I do know what I am talking about when I say that a tank is getting too much direct sunlight and that is the cause of its algae problems. *chuckle*

If your wife is willing to get involved with you, then I think you'll be doing great. I think you should hold out for the 30 if you can, but with a 30 I feel you will need a skimmer, which will be around 150$, unless you poke around on ebay for a used one. If you decide to try to find a used skimmer, look for an aqua c remora. Nice skimmers.

J.

 

[hawaiiguy]

Here's one I found on e-bay:

"JEBO 180 PROTEIN SKIMMER COMPLETE WITH FREE VENTURI POWERHEAD 275 G.P.H"

shipping is 25.00$.

There are multiple listings of this offer. Is it worth it?

 

[Jolieve]

Um... never heard of that brand, for the price, it might work... but I really think you should spend the extra 50$ for this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... =WDVW&rd=1

That's is an awesome skimmer, and 75$ is a steal for that piece of equipment.

J.

 

[Diana]

I setup a 5.5 gallon nano tank. I had the tank, filter, and heater. I bought lights for $32, liverock for $30, and sand for $15. You could easily get a tank set up for under $100. However, its the stocking thats gonna cost you. Ive spent hundereds of dollars on corals and inverts. Ive tried to get frags for $2 here and $5 there, but it all adds up. Salt lasts me forever cus its such a small tank and waterchanges are very small. I really only need to top off about twice a week. I think im at around $400 for everything now.

Have a look through the Nano-Reef Buildoff threads to see details of setup and pricing for everyones nanos. Then youll get an idea of how much it will cost, and also what steps you need to take.

-Diana

 

[hawaiiguy]

Thanks Diana. I have been looking through the nano reef build off and some of the stuff in there is great! Does stocking cost so much because corals and inverts die frequently in a small system and you have to replace them? Or is it just plain expensive for a couple of inverts? I can't imagine I could fit very many into a ten gallon tank.

 

[Diana]

Its just plain expensive. Most of my corals and inverts have survived, and if something died then i try not to replace it cus theres a good chance it wont survive the second time. Like with those clown gobies, i tried two and both got ich within a week. So, no more clown gobies for me. Frags for most corals will cost you around $15, unless they are small small frags or single polyps. Inverts are not cheap either, snails and crabs between $1-3 and shrimp anywhere from $5 to $20+. My sexy shrimp were $7 each, and i bought about 8 of them, only 5 survived.

The idea of a stable nano reef is to have a working, thriving reef ecosystem in a small tank. If your nano reef is healthy, nothing should die and you should see spreading and growth. So basically it costs money right off the bat to stock the tank, and once everything is stable you'll really only need the basics like food, water conditioner, salt, and certian additives like calcium.

You dont have to stock your tank fully all at once either... add a few corals here and there and you will stay within budget and also take the time to learn about the individul species needs.

-Diana

 

[Jolieve]

water conditioner? For a reef? Man.. that's a blast from the past. Diana, you must have a really great tds on your tapwater if all you need to make it work for you is water conditioner. I envy you.

J.

 

[hawaiiguy]

Jolieve, what does tds mean? What is required with or instead of water conditioner?

 

[Jolieve]

hawaiiguy, most tap water is too.. gross to use in a reef tank. So you've got to find a way to filter it. For you, it might be best to talk to your LFS and see if they sell RO/DI water by the gallon. You will only need about five to ten gallons a month. For those of us with bigger tanks or multiple tanks.. who go through more than that (I end up using about 40 gallons of water a month on all three of my marine tanks), it's a good idea to get an RO/DI unit so you can filter your water on your own. If you have an RO/DI unit, you don't need to use a water conditioner because the water comes out of the unit dechlorinated and free of any icky things.

TDS stands for "total dissolved solids", and you use a tds meter to determine how many total dissolved solids there are in your tap water. The closer that number is to 0 the better. The higher that number is, the more problems you will have in your system with animals dying and pest algae blooms.

Many LFS's have tds meters that you can borrow or buy to check the quality of your tap water in your house. If your tap water's tds is 0 or very close to it, you are incredibly lucky and I will envy you

J.

 

[hawaiiguy]

I see, so basically tds is the amount of poop in the water! I can see why a low reading is good! :lol:

Would water through a Brita filter be as good as RO/DI water?

 

[Anonymous]

Other options for water are fill-your-own jug at the grocery store. Most of the times it's under $.50 a gallon, where an LFS will charge about $1.

You can always get cheaper frags from local reefers. One of the reef boards I 'm a member of had a frag swap last year. Frags of SPS were going for $2-5-25 depending on the frag. So there are ways to get around paying LFS prices.

I have a 20 gallon, and find that most full corals at the LFS are too big for my tank. So I try to just buy frags.

HTH
B

 

[Jolieve]

Brita is insufficient for our needs in the hobby, sorry. They are NICE for drinking water tho.

Also yes, the grocery store water filtration units work great too, I used one of those for a while myself.

J.

 

[Diana]

Hmmm, ive heard about using RO/DI water but never thought i needed it. I use a dechorinator and heavy metal remover for all my tanks and never had a problem. I guess north vancouver is known for its good water for a reason! Depends on the season though. So far, no problems.

 

[Jolieve]

Diana... you are not that far from me. Go get your water quality report... in a month or so, you might see vicious algae blooms. We're not that far from one of the largest phosphorous mines in North America..

J.

 

[Diana]

Really! Well, i'll check it out. Ive considered buying RO/DI water before, and it probebly wouldnt be that expensive since its only a 5 gallon i wouldnt need that much of it. I think i get my water from the Seymour watershed. Ill look into it for sure thanks.