Where does, or should, the money go?

[MightyMike]

$100 dream...

I'm asking everyone! Imagine if you will, that $100 will buy you your first full-blown reef tank. (ok, ok now that your finished laughing, wipe the tears from your eyes, try and keep reading) This dollar amount is for the sake of figuring percentages and ratios. Where did, or would you knowing what you know now, spend the money? So for example, if you would spend say one third of your available $ towards the whole tank, on the skimmer, then that would be $33 of the total $100. I'm curious to see what folks have to say about their equipment; please include everything you can think of from test-kits to tank-stands, although do not feel obligated to include items you simply do without. Also, I'm not trying to ignore the nano-reefers out there, so please join in, i'm siked to hear your .02 as well. I'm really curious to see what people find most valuable in their tanks!! thanks in advance to whole MR family- :hug:

 

[nyfireman3097]

Well In my new tank i spent 98% on equiptment and tank and 2% on fish
I have a
Bubble King 250 INT Skimmer
Red Dragon 8.2 Return
"Dialyseas"
2 400w Radiums on Luminarc's
Jetstream Shuran Calcium Reactor
and 2 T5's on Icecap 430 w/ Icecap Reflectors
So Thats like $98 on equipment
$1 for the New 120G Tank
$1 for my new wrasses
I hope this is what your asking for

 

[bad coffee]

Percentage wise, I'd spend

60% on GOOD equipment. Good skimmer. good lights. good pumps. buy stuff you won't have to (want to) upgrade.

10% on furniture. Anything that would hold the tank. Depending on the light setup, no canopy

10% on dry stuff. Test kits, food, ect.

25% on what's going in the tank.

B

 

[nyfireman3097]

lol Brett thats %105

 

[bad coffee]

it's never been a problem before! EVERY one of us has 'that extra $5 for fish stuff' tucked away somewhere. But when you set your budget at $2500 that extra 5% is a new pump!

B

 

[MightyMike]

Hahah yea isn't the 105% so telling? was hoping for exactly that, I mean I'd be interested to see more specific percentages, but that's cuz i'm a nut . . . c'mon folks!! help me out here

 

[bad coffee]

GRAND TOTAL! $2,090.14 Money left: $409.86
That's the 'big box' from my budget spreadsheet.

What's not included yet is
Plumbing
electrical boxes
Anything in the tank.
Salt, ro filters,

More to spend. And I'm breaking my budget really quickly.

B

 

[joseney21]

$150 rodi 3.69%
$500 skimmer (asm g5) 12.31%
$120 sump 2.95%
$300 powerheads (or closed loop pump) return pump 7.39%
$650 lights (two 250 se retros 2 48" vho) 16%
$200 tests kits and refractometer 4.92%
$60 additives and food (pickling lime, epson salt, dow flake & baking soda )1.47%
$90 sand 2.2%
$800 live rock (assuming 200 lbs @$4/lb, i have way over 200 lbs) 19.7%
$350 stand canopy plumbing (all diy) 8.6%
$800 initial livestock 19.7%
$40 salt .98%
total $4060

more or less my setup now. i forgot to add cost of tank (then again my tank was free 90g btw) and other little things. it's still a good ~

 

[nyfireman3097]

120G AGA $375
2 400w radiums $69 each with luminarc reflectors.
http://pacificgardensupply.com/prodd...?prod=L3&cat=2
Red dragon 8.2 2
http://www.captiveoceans.com/mm5/mer...ode=Red_Dragon
Bubbleking 250 INT
http://www.captiveoceans.com/mm5/mer...de=Bubble_King
http://www.captiveoceans.com/mm5/mer...e=250_Internal
Zeo
http://www.zeovitusa.com/mm5/
Jetstream calcium reactor
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch..._Code=creactor
3 Tunze 6100?s on multicontroller
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...ory_Code=TUNZE
Tunze wavebox
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...ory_Code=TUNZE
1/2 HP Pacific Coast Chiller
http://www.reefexotics.com/chillers.htm (4th one down)


Add on's
2 T5's one Red bulb and one Actinic bulb on a Solar Dimmer system
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/aquat...AR1000-L2.html
Premium Aquatics Lighthouse Controller
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/aquat...es/PA-LHC.html
Dailyseas system
http://seavisions.com/prod02.htm
Actuator to raise hood by remote control
http://www.firgelliauto.com/default.php?cPath=84
Getting rid of my seaswilrs and bought these the other day
2 Wavyseas
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merch...ode=Wavemaking

These are link with prices of everything I have nnot including the wood and stuff for the stand and canopy w/ all the electrical and stain paint, plumbing, blah blah blah..........................

 

[TimberTDI]

Uh, my reef budget only added up to $50.oo?
:Thinking:

 

[dacrystal]

Don't do like what I did... Korralin "Top of The Line" Calcium Reactor. All Mag and Eheim Pumps. Oceanic Tank. MH and PC Light Fixture. Expensive Corals. Ohh, and then a Red Sea Prism Skimmer. I had this setup on a 75 Gallon Reefer for about a year.


RATIO 95% Everything Else
5% Skimmer

-------Bad Idea--------


I bought Kenny's (Nsr250NYC) ASM G3 skimmer and by how well my corals are now doing and the gunk that I have to constantly empty due to the smell. I feel like the percentage should have been more in favor of a skimmer.


Like that guy Jackson's tag line............

GET A BIGGER SKIMMER:bagfish:

 

[loismustdie]

This is a great question. If I can be so vague:
1/3 would go to the tank/stand/hood and skimming.
1/3 pumps (return pump and tunze), plumbing (all valves, unions, check valves, etc.) RO/DI and salt (this is the one thing the hobbyist has FULL control over is how good the water is from the start. If they don't at least DI their water, you ARE A WASTE OF TIME)
1/3 to lighting and supplements/test kits. 10,000K MH and T-5 actinics. Supplements/test kits... if you don't test, don't dose. I dose, so I have to test.
chris