Need Some Opinions

[DarkSeraph]

I currently have a 10 gallon tank set up for freshwater, and a few fish and plants in there, however have wanted a larger tank. I recently bought a used 60gallon tank, and am going to build my own stand/canopy for it. My fiance and I have thought of making the 60 gallon tank into a freshwater planted largely because it would be cheaper than a marine/reef tank. After looking deeper into it (CO2 systems etc) I wonder if this is the case.

What equipment would I need to run the 60 gallon as a saltwater tank? Coincidentally, this tank already has a drain in the center of the bottom, for use with a sump I believe. I think I would want to start as just marine and get the hang of that, and then move on to a reef tank.

Thanks in advance for your help

 

[crypt]

hi
im currently in the process of starting a marine tank this post really helped me http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=3220 and as ive been told just keep reading reading reading i think nearly every newbie question has been asked already lol

 

[SkiFletch]

Well, here's a by far, non-inclusive list of parts you'd need for a marine system and a few for a lush planted system.

Marine
$150 - T5 Flourescent lighting with 10k and actinic bulbs (ebay)
$150-$400 - Live rock
$40 - Aragonite sand
$35-$90 - Powerheads for main tank circulation
$55 - Powerhead for sump
$60-$250 - Home built, or pre-built sump
$25 - Master Test kit
$15 - Other important tests (phosphate, GH)
$12-$55 - Hygrometer (measures salinity)
$30 - Miscellaneous plumbing
$50 - Protein skimmer (ebay)
$0-$150 - RO unit which you dont really need to invest in until you go with corals
$20 - Heater and thermometer
$0-$75 - 9w UV sterilizer (again, not 100% necessary until corals)

Thats at a minimum $642 and at maximum $1234

Heavily Planted Freshwater
$150 - T5 Flourescent lighting
$40 - sand or other substrate
$100-$250 biological filtration (canister filter with convenient maintenance setup)
$25 - Master Test Kit
$30 - Misc plumbing
$15 - Phosphate and GH tests
$20 - Heater/thermometer
$0-$75 - UV sterilizer (not important, but will help combat disease and contribute to overall fish health
$200-$400 - CO2 fetilization of various types. DIY's, kits, reactors, all sorts of options

Thats a min of $580 and max of $1005


I'm not really going to take into account fertilizers, foods, and salt, as they're negligable when compared to the main costs and pretty much a swap as far as cost goes for either setup. Also not included in there are the prices of stocking with life forms. Saltwater life is much more expensive and as you stock your tank you will find yourself spending more $. In either tank's case, having disease outbreaks and moving too quickly to purchase things and not researching them first can have drastic effects on the tank and maybe even kill all your inhabitants. So, move slowly and make good sound decisions. In the end, its up to you to decide what to do.

PS. DEFINITELY check out prices on Ebay for the items I noted as they are sometimes 2 to 5 times cheaper there than at many local fish stores. My LFS sells the lights I want for $325 and I can get them for $115 off ebay. Crazy. Also, look up lots of online stores if you find your LFS is pricey for hardware.

 

[DarkSeraph]

Thanks for the replies!

I can't seem to find much on DIY sumps, or really much on sumps at all. What does a sump really do? And how does the "drain" at the bottom of my tank get used?

 

[SkiFletch]

A sump is basically just a container underneath the tank. The drain allows water to drain into the sump. in the sump it is passed through some biological filtration, then into a refrigium with macro algae for nitrate removal (some people use remote deep sand beds here as well), and finally into a third chamber for pumping back up to the tank. melev's reef is a great resource for sump info.

 

[superman]

Can also save a good chunk of cash by just forgetting the UV sterilizer, The vast majority of people don't use them because of their limited applications and ease of killing off not only the bad stuff but the good stuff as well.