Reply With QuoteWhere do you live at?
Hi Guys,
I really interested to set up 1, but dunno how to start. basically i would like to try with 2 ft tanks. can pls provide me with some marine shop address that i can get my fish tank and all the necessary stuff? of couse with the minimum spending.. haha....
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Where do you live at?
If you've learnt, teach, if you have, give.
Don't walk behind me as I might not lead, don't walk in front of me as I might not follow. Walk beside me, as my friend.
Mohamad Rohaizal is my name. If it's too hard, use BFG. I don't mind.
Try looking for those used equipments in this or other forums and maybe you can get those US or European brands equipments(more reliable and efficient) much cheaper than brand newOriginally Posted by FACLAN
For minimum spending, you will have to do your homework and obviously buying 2nd hand is always cheaper than buying new.
Even for 2 ft tanks, there are many different dimensions...2 ft cube, 2x1x1, 2x1.5x1.5 etc. so you will have to decide what size you want. Then you will have to decide if you want a setup with a sump or a sumpless setup.
2nd hand is probably the best way to start on a budget.
Do you have a maximum budget in mind? maybe we can better advise you that way.
Hi.. thanks for the fast reply. i stay in bkt panjang area.
Currently don't have any budget in mind. hmm i think i want to try with a sump set up.
As you guys suggested, anyone here have second hand item that u want to sell away or give away? hahahaha.. please let me know. and if i want to buy a few of the brand new equipment, where can i get it?
B regards
Baton courtesy.....service with a smile!
It's good if you're going for a sump setup. But for marine, you'll need to go for customized setup as marine tank need thicker glass than a freshwater setup. Equipment wise you'll need-
1) Skimmer
2) Return pump
3) Lighting ( T5 or LED light )
4) Wavemaker
5) Chiller ( preferably with an external temperature probe )
6) Media reactor ( minimum 1 for carbon or 2 for carbon and phosphate absorbing media ) + 1 pump
7) Supplement addition ( calcium, magnesium and alkalinity are main supplement )
Tank, cabinet and sump ( Up to your specification )
These are just the minimum equipment you'll need. This hobby is by no mean a cheap hobby to begin with and it would be better if you have some disposable income to play with monthly. Starting the hobby would be a wallet thinning phase but once it is completed, maintenance is bearable. Of course, your electrical usage will rise but expect it to rise not less than $100 a month. Do your research and choose equipment that are not power hungry especially the skimmer, return pump and wavemaker as these are switch on 24/7. Chillers are the main electricity guzzling equipment followed by lighting.
Hope this helps!
If you've learnt, teach, if you have, give.
Don't walk behind me as I might not lead, don't walk in front of me as I might not follow. Walk beside me, as my friend.
Mohamad Rohaizal is my name. If it's too hard, use BFG. I don't mind.
Starting with a sump is a very good idea like BFG mentioned, it will improve stability and simplify maintenance.
You will most likely have to custom build a tank unless you can find a second hand marine tank with an overflow that fits your requirements.
Conservatively for a 2 - 3ft setup I would say budget at least $1 - $2k depending on how elaborate you want to get. Have you decided what kind of livestock you want to keep? Fish only or are you considering a reef tank, and if so only soft corals, or hard coral (SPS) also?
You can try the pasar malam at the singapore reef club forum, there is a lot of equipment available second hand, and tanks also.
Let me add on to what has been said in the above posts:
1) Budget ard 1.5K for a 2nd hand 2ft cube tank with 2nd hand equipment.
2) Depending on the corals you want (SPS, LPS, Softies) you may need MH (Metal halide) lights. If you are not keeping SPS, then T5 lights will be sufficient
3) For chiller, cheaper ones will be resun and Hailea, both China brands. Get a 1/5 HP chiller and it will be more than sufficient for your tank.
4) For skimmer, best would be a 2nd hand deltec, otherwise 2nd hand H&S, Reef Octopus, Bubble Magus etc would also be sufficient
5) Supplements dosing is required if you keep SPS but may not be necessary if you keep only LPS and softies and do weekly 10% water change
6) For carbon and phosphate media, no necessity to buy the expensive brands. Cheaper brands will work as well as the more expensive brands.
its seems like it really costly......
hmm think cant affort to come out with 2k in once...but will slowly buy the equipment. first, will look for a suitable fish tank first ... ahhaha btw i search from singapore reef club, and see 1 fish tank
http://www.sgreefclub.com/forum/inde...howtopic=87812 3ft fish tank.
can u guys advice, is it a good 1 to start with?
really thanks a lot for all your advice....
Do more read up for setting up a marine tank as it required higher commitment.
It is good that you start up with proper and reliable equipments for long run rather than keep upgrading when you think the equipment is less efficient.
Maintaining a coral tank is quite challenging especially for small tank.
Plan for your livestocks which you intend to keep. Like softies, LPS, SPS or fowlr.
Then you can plan for those equipments that needs for your setup and calculate your budget.
Using sump tank is a good approach where you can put your equipments as well as increase the total volume of water for more stable water parameters.
The equipments as listed by BFG already a quick guide for you to know the requirement for a marine tank.
Good luck to your setup and hope can see the update from you in near future.
Hi,
yesterday i just bought a 2 hand resun chiller and i might wanted to sell it due to the previous ower was used for marine tank.
If intersested pls sms 98730126 .
Hi ALL,
Thanks a lot for your comment... i have been reading from other forum as well. its seems like its really a challenge to set up one. and its not cheap.
So i am thinking of doing thing slowly. i mean i want to buy those item slowly.. i am looking for a tank first.. after that i will be trying to get the other slowly.
SFC, thanks for your offer, but i will go slowly, and will contact u if i need 1 later on.
Baton courtesy.....service with a smile!
Faclan, if you do want to carry on with the intent of having a marine tank, get the biggest you can afford. For example, if you wish to get a 2ft cube ( 2x2x2ft ), you could get a 3x2x2ft tank instead. Save the trouble of upgrading and also you would have more space to aquascape your marine tank. As for equipment, if the European brand are too high a budget to come out, you could go for Reef Octopus brand, it's quite similar in design to a certain top brand from German. Their return pump, the Bubble Blaster series are low wattage pump, might be equal to Eheim in power consumption, even lower and with 3 year warranty to boot!
The marine link in the marine section has list of websites for you to do your research. Plan carefully and take your time to do your research. We have our own AQ calculator for you to calculate the power consumption of equipment that you would choose to use. If you decide to start, go all out.If you stopped halfway, you would never be able to recover all the investment you made. Think carefully if funds are your achilles heel. There's no such thing as a cheap marine set up and nothing good ever happen fast in the marine tank.
Hope this helps!
If you've learnt, teach, if you have, give.
Don't walk behind me as I might not lead, don't walk in front of me as I might not follow. Walk beside me, as my friend.
Mohamad Rohaizal is my name. If it's too hard, use BFG. I don't mind.
If budget is a concern, look to start out with an all-in-one "Nano" tank, like the JBJ 28G, or the larger Red Sea MAX.
I put nano in inverted commas because they are really not that small, 28 Gallons and up, but they are considered nano tanks by marine standards, and you will not be able to keep large fish like tangs, or demanding coral like SPS, and will need to be extra disciplined about water changes etc.
Hi Guys,
I decided to do thing slowly, manage to get a second hand 3,2,2 feet tank today and will be delivery by this sat, hopefully all will go well...
Btw thanks a lot for all bro's info... cheers...=p
Take your time to accumulate equipment and set up the tank.
Patience and extensive research will make your marine setup more rewarding and successful.
Hi Fuzzy bro,
Yup.. really agree.. thats why as suggested i go pasar malam at sgreef to get those second hand item... btw anyone here can suggest which water chiller is the best for my tank?... and how much is the cost?
Thanks again
If money no object, look at Teco or Artica for chillers.
On a budget, IMHO, Hailea is the best price to performance.
For a 3x2x2 tank, I would recommend at least a 1/5HP or 1/4HP chiller.
me staying at bp too
you can consider my equipment used
chiller 1/4, skimmer apf600 if you don't intend to upgrade
as for livestock, LCK201 or coralfarm is the best place in our area
happy reefing
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