New Build - Prices

+1 to this.

I started with a 70 gallon wide drilled and It was the best decision in terms of expandability, stability, and cost. On a smaller tank, forgetting to add top-off water or accidentally feeding too much creates more serious issues than on a larger tank.

Some other advice is to really think about what sort of setup you want with filtration. I would highly recommend a drilled tank with a sump. After having a drilled tank with a corner overflow, I wish I would have drilled 3 holes and made a coast to coast beananimal overflow instead due to noise and skimming performance of the corner

The sump portion of the tank is going to be an invaluable asset to you later on as you expand, get more equipment, dose any chemicals, want to set up a fuge, acclimate critters etc.

It sounds like you're on the right track. Good luck, and remember there's a search box in the upper right. It answered a ton of my questions starting off as well.

 

As for power heads, The aquaclear 70 is alright, but there are better ones IMO for similar prices. I like Korlia, they are more compact, look better IMO and do a great job. Also, you will want more flow then 400gph, that's really not a lot. If you get a tank between 55-75 gallons, I would go with about 1500-2000gph. So maybe 2 koralia 3s, or 2 Korlia 2s, something alone those lines.

My other biggest recommendation to you is do not buy cheap equipment or equipment you can "get by" on. You will spend more money in the long run to replace/upgrade equipment. This is coming from my own personal experience and years in the hobby. One of the biggest mistakes new hobbyists make is that they buy cheap, inferior equipment, then post about how something broke, isn't working right or can't support what they want. If your budget is $1000, if you go used, you can pretty easily setup a 75 for that price. You can setup a 55 with mostly new equipment, although I always recommend to buy used if you can as that will save you a lot of money.

 

A 70 or 90 gallon is a good tank to start with easier then a 50 in my opinion as werid as it may seem a bigger tank is easier to maintain. With you 1K budget you can still get a good set up used with alot of extras. As far as powerheads go I am a big fan of Korlia but these are on the lower price end but do a fantastic job. If you have to money to spend you can go for a EVOTECH powerhead but they will cost you around $300 each! Little to much for my blood. What kind of filtration are you going to be doing. If a reef I hope you are going to be investing in a sump system YES? As far as skimmers go a Ocotpus is a good starter skimmer and on the inexpensive side compared to some of the top of the line ones out there.

 

Sump sump sump. Get a sump. It's the one thing I would never run without. Ever since getting one, things have been much easier. And I love the fact that with a sump the water level in your display tank never fluctuates (the water evaporation shows up in the return area of the sump where only you can see it). I have 1300gph or so of flow in a 38g tank, so I'd recommend two Koralia Evolution 1050 power-heads, pointed right at each other to make a nice chaotic flow. If you ever decide to do a wavemaker, such as a Red Sea Wavemaker Pro, these power-heads will work with it. The older Koralias (#1, #2, #3 and #4) can eventually fail with a wave-maker.

 

throwing in my $.02

If you read the posts around here and are comfortable with some DIY then your budget will feel a lot larger especially when looking for used gear.

Many threads around this site on DIY sumps, fuges, stands, canopies, etc. They are definitely worth the read.

 

Thanks for the imput guys. Planning on getting as much as i can "Secondhand" (but New in box) since prices really seem to drop for those stuff on ebay.
Also will get the Sump tank secondhand since thats gonna be hidden under the tank. Gonna build the stand myself as well. So should save myself a bit there .

 

Sounds like a good plan. If you need sump plans I have a good CAD drawing that you can customize to fit your stand PM me...that is if you can't find the millions of drawings on this site

 

i just set up a 55G with 25G sump and it can be done for 1k. you are gonna have to order lots online tho. things that will save you money are base rock over live, glass over acrylic and DIY stand. drilling the tank is cheaper too because the drill bit will be ~10$ on ebay and a good overflow costs 100$. dont try to cut costs on your lights or you skimmer, make sure you get quality on sale(i cheaped out on lights and already regret it). the more you are willing to scavenge, DIY or buy used the more cost effecient you will be. also spreading it out is a good idea. dont try to do everything in a day.

GOOD LUCK!!

 

Just thought i would give everyone an update, i ended up picking up a 375litre tank /w curved front yesterday ! So now my build is officialy... official! ;D

Guy bought the tank 2 days ago and his wife didnt let him have it so i got it brand new for $200 with lighting (sadly only 2xt5 but that can be expanded)!