starter tank

i have a 10 year old thats wants to get into saltwater. im lookingat a mayb 40g or lower may a 29g or there abouts. dont want send send lots a money since im still new to the hobby. so thats every1 knows its my step daughter. im trying to bond with her cause her father is scum. so if theres a cheap or simi cheap tank without having to build 1 myself would be nice.

 

I don't believe in going "cheap", because you get what you pay for. Now you can find used items on craigslist: new york city classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events sometimes for a good deal (heck sometimes a steal too!).

This hobby is not really a cheap one but is defnitely worth the time and effort that you put into it! If I were going to spend the money, I would go 29gal Nano cube which should have mostly everything that you will need for about $350. You will want probably 30 lbs of sand and 50 lbs of rock which will run you probably around another $150 (ish). You can go to ReefCleaners.org | Clean Up Crews and Macro Algae or www.bulkreefsupply.org for your dry rock which they both are very good rocks.

You will want an RODI unit which will cost about $100 - $250 (depending on quality) because it will be cheaper than going to your local fish storefor RODI water in the long run.

I run Red Sea Coral Salt Pro which costs about $70 a bucket (5 gallon bucket) but that would last you forever and again probably cheaper in the long run vice buying it in small quantities.

Fish will run you between $5 - $$$$$ a piece. Whatever you do, do not buy a damsel! They are aggressive/mean little fish and will attack you other fish.

You will want a refractometer: $30 vice a hydrometer ($11ish) because refractometers are more accurate

even before all of this you will want to READ READ READ! That is the most important. Go Slow and let it Grow.

Best of Luck and dont be afraid to ask questions!

 

I would DEFINITELY suggest Craigslist. I recently purchased a full 24g aquapod set-up for $150 (tank, heater, light, pump, rock, sand, etc). You just need to be patient and allow time for the right deal to come up.

The only thing that you need to realize that costs quickly creep up on you in this hobby. One of the things most people don't realize is that it is somewhat expensive to maintain a saltwater tank- salt, supplements, RO/DI water, etc. Just make sure you understand this isn't a one time investment...

I agree with almost everything Foreverfishy said above, except that you may not need an RO/DI unit right off the bat. It depends what your situation is. I bought one because the closest place to get RO/DI water for me was 30 min away and cost $1 per gallon. You might have a local store that is closer or cheaper and you will probably only need 5 gallons/ week for a biocube water change.

And finally, as fishy said- do your research! That is the one thing that will help more than anything else. It will help you understand costs/ time involved, benefits of certain equipment, etc.

Have you thought about what type of tank you will want to have: fish only, fish only with live rock, reef tank?

 

i have a 55g DT. i have an ro/di uint. i just thought maybe asking here would give me a clue. i plan on moving where there nothing around as lfs and such. i do have eveything memtion above for mine that i could use for hers so no worries theres. just need some sort of tank discription to get thats all. and craigslist really wont help where im going. ill be bout 4 hours away from getting anything from that site even though i feel i can make it.

 

Depending on your location, and how soon you want to get something going, you may keep an eye out at petco. Every so often, they run a $1/gallon sale on aquariums.

 

yea it wouldnt be for a few months like around tax time.

 

Like mentioned before craigslist is the way too go usually because you can get everything included for a way cheaper price then new. Just keep an eye out, you would be sick if you knew what i paid for my 120 with a good bit of the essentials included...i still chuckle to myself at the amazing deal i got lol. But i lucked out and the family just wanted someone who would enjoy it and not turn around and sell it for a profit...and man oh man do i enjoy the heck out of it haha! Like i said just keep an eye out...i type in "reef" and "saltwater" into my local CL search everyday just to see if anyones selling anything im looking for.