Cost Of Converting To A Nano

[lozzles]

hiyas ive been in freshwater for a while (6 years ish average community planted tanks and betta breeding)

and i probably wont go to marine until i finish uni as i'll be off in a year, however as a future plan...

i have a 27 gallon freshwater tank (juwel) and a 7ish gallon tank also freshwater both have filters heaters

etc ,could anyone give me a rough guide on how much cost it would be to covert one of these to marine ,

whether it would be tricky and which one you would convert. sorry for the long post but i love marine tanks

but have no idea whether i could own one.is it tricky to maintain once set up compared to freshwater?

thanks for any advice you can give and keep putting up piccys of your tanks !

 

[WheelmanCA19]

I can only speak of my personal experience and I'm still in the process of getting it running, but here is what I have purchased thus far for my 20 gallon saltwater conversion

3 powerheads x $11 = $33
aguaclear 500 (for a refugium) $35
live rock 15lbs @ 3lb (person was moving, so I got a steal) $45
crushed coral substrate 2 bags, $15/bag = $30
bag of salt, price matched petsmart $12
hydrometer $6
fake corals $15
blue damsel $3.99
test kit $25
protien skimmer $30 (you get what you pay for, i took it apart and am just using the powerhead from it

=$235

I still want to get some more live rock and I'll probally pick up a bag of live sand tonight after I get off work. Not saying this is what you need or even its what I need, just what I've done so far.

 

[parker313]

I would definitely convert the 27g as opposed to the 7g. Much more stable and much more space for fish. The cost could easily run you well over $500 just to get started. The live rock is really expensive - you'll need about 30 pounds in a 27g tank. At $7/lb that's $210 right there. Upgraded lighting, new sand and a skimmer will easily push you to the $500 mark. Then you start adding the expensive part - the corals and the fish.

Once you get them set up, they aren't necessarily trickier than FW, it's just a different process.

 

[lozzles]

cool thanks for the help at the moment cost wise it sadly doesnt seem feasible but definately a future richer me thing to do!

 

[Matchu]

Im planning on a nano with a 5.8UK gallon tank (7US gallons)

But I was hoping on spending less than £200 ($343)

I was planning on getting the equipment as cheap as possible, so would be buying them whenever I found a good deal.

So it'd really help if someone listed the equipment I needed.

Whats the best skimmer/skilter?

Is live rock and sand sufficient filtration?

TIA

 

[fish_keeper2]

equipment needed:
tank
stand
powerheads(to provide apporx. 20x flow)
heater
strong lighting(for soft corals you need 4-5 wpg and lps sps you will need more)
skimmer(dont know what the best ones are for the UK)
10lbs live sand(or some other argonite sand)
7lbs+ of live rock
an R/O unit(or get from lfs)
containers to hold R/O water
hydrometer/refractometer


and one thing ive learned from my short bit of experience......get a qauarantine tank!

 

[Matchu]

Would this be sufficient as a hydrometer?

http/www.southwest.com.au/~jfuller/liquids/hydrometers.htm

How many watts would you suggest the heater be on a 7US gallon??

So a 600l/hour powerhead??

Wouldnt a quarantine tank double the costs of the project?

 

[steelhealr]

Invest in a refractometer if you can. SH

 

[fish_keeper2]

about 10 watts per gal would be good.......so atleast a 70 watt. i would go for 2 smaller ones(like 2 50 watt) this way if one fails the other can keep the temp up till you can get another heater.

 

[sammydee]

Salinity is one of the most crucial factors in water quality.

I hate to say it but at the very least a good quality hydrometer is needed, if you can afford a refractometer that is infinitely preferable.

Marine tanks, even nano tanks are money eaters. I set out on the project of my 20 gallon with the same aim as you - spend under £200. I lost track of how much I have spent so far, but it's way over that amount. And I haven't finished getting all the live rock/cleanup crew I want. And that's without a single coral. AND that is without metal halides, sump, protein skimmer or any of those niceties.

Trust me. If you are on a budget, either go very small and be very careful, or be prepared to spend a bunch of money.

sam

 

[Matchu]

Salinity is one of the most crucial factors in water quality.

I hate to say it but at the very least a good quality hydrometer is needed, if you can afford a refractometer that is infinitely preferable.

Marine tanks, even nano tanks are money eaters. I set out on the project of my 20 gallon with the same aim as you - spend under £200. I lost track of how much I have spent so far, but it's way over that amount. And I haven't finished getting all the live rock/cleanup crew I want. And that's without a single coral. AND that is without metal halides, sump, protein skimmer or any of those niceties.

Trust me. If you are on a budget, either go very small and be very careful, or be prepared to spend a bunch of money.

sam

I'm not amazingly bothered about the cost, just as long as its spaced out, I don't like seeing big depressions in my bank account, but Ill set up a fish account at the bank and put £150 in it soonish.

100 watts sounds like a LOT for a 7 US gallon tank doesn't it??

Refractometer seems to add about £35 to the cost, not massive, but all the cost mounts up.

Halides look to be about £60??

ef