Just a reminder: Budget saltwater tanks don't exist

[Sump Crab]

What do you consider nice? What are you including in the $500 price?

Included in the price is probably around a 20 gallon tank, diy stand, heater, light, hob filter, powerhead, sand, salt, mix of ocean liverock and dry rock. That should put you close to $500.

Then you can add corals and fish as you choose. Here locally you can buy coral cheap through local hobbyists.

Won't be any sps Instagram tank but can definitely make a successful and beautiful softy/LPS tank.

 

[GARRIGA]

Rubbermaid 300g stock tanks are cheap per gallon. Placed on the floor. Guaranteed top view. Who wouldn’t love that. Run same but 100 next to it as a sump and reservoir for skimmer or just turn it into a monster refugium. Done right. Might be more entertaining than main. Split that in two. One side cryptic. $500 all in before equipment although that was before inflation. No clue what they cost now yet I’m sure cheaper than glass or acrylic but I get it. Not as aesthetically pleasing and going to need submersible camera to get a side view

 

[danimal1211]

Rubbermaid 300g stock tanks are cheap per gallon. Placed on the floor. Guaranteed top view. Who wouldn’t love that. Run same but 100 next to it as a sump and reservoir for skimmer or just turn it into a monster refugium. Done right. Might be more entertaining than main. Split that in two. One side cryptic. $500 all in before equipment although that was before inflation. No clue what they cost now yet I’m sure cheaper than glass or acrylic but I get it. Not as aesthetically pleasing and going to need submersible camera to get a side view

Have contemplated this for years a top-down only system would be pretty dang neat.

 

[GARRIGA]

Have contemplated this for years a top-down only system would be pretty dang neat.

Found this on YouTube. Never gets old looking at it and I love me some big flowery Monties

 

[GARRIGA]

Can stare at this long time

 

[AtlantiCat]

I won a nano light on here ($11 shipping), added it to a 4g cube tank ($50), with a 50w heater ($15), and a Sicce Nano Syncra pump ($30). Total spend: $106.

Granted, I already had the salt, RODI unit, leftover sand, extra rock, refractometer, and test kits....

I would say the *initial* investment can be pricy, but once you're invested, new tanks can be set up on a budget with no real issues.

If you're comparing it to freshwater, it's guaranteed to be more expensive, simply because there's more involved and the creatures are more sensitive and more expensive, but there's no reason it can't be done on a budget. Just adjust the tank size to your budget and don't waste money on the latest gadget or the most expensive corals. You don't need a giant tank; corals don't care what size tank they're growing in if it's set up correctly.

 

[cannoli56]

equipment is only half the battle, when you start to stock the aquarium, it can become expensive. Then god forbid if something goes south it can be twice what you paid for the equipment just to save the animals. We get into this hobby because when things are perfect it's the most surreal environment you'll ever see, and to know what you learned and were able to implement is very rewarding, in my humble option.

 

[Don’t fear the reefer]

"Budget" is a relative term. You don't have to spend $5k or $10k but it's hard to do something that works for less than $1000. I had an old 44g freshwater tank lying around that I repurposed. I found some random dude in PA who makes acrylic overflow siphons; plus the plumbing, maybe I paid $100. I got a $10 / 10g tank from Petco and a $50 insert kit from eBay = sump for $60. I added an Aquamaxx skimmer ($120) and media reactor ($45) from BRS, and a ~800gph Lifeguard pump ($70). Later I plopped another 10g next to the 10g sump, and pumped water between them with 2x Sicce Nanos ($25 each) = instant, fully enclosed refugium. I "splurged" on the Innovative Marine PTC heater ($180 maybe?). The one thing that's not on a budget is the Radion XR15 G6, but I snagged it on a Black Friday special. "Budget" is relative, but it can be done for WAY LESS than what the full-service market is asking. You just have to be creative, resourceful, and patient -- the exact same qualities you're going to need to grow a successful reef.

 

[leon.1980]

Reading your previous posts on here, it looks like your fairly new to reefing.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Also, you don't have to spend mega bucks on a instatank to have it look good. Look at all those here that ditch the hobby and wonder why they can't get a decent return on the majority of the LARGE investment.

Used gear works, 'off the rack' glass tanks work. Don't be blinded by influencers that you see here and across the Internet.

The best looking tanks I've personally seen are from second hand acrylic, second hand (resealed) glass, a lot of diy and frankly some budget reefing (used pumps, powerheads, sumps, etc...).

Oh I know all about slow going. Lol.
My tank went up quick, but 2 years in I have a pair of clowns, single melanrius and a mandarin Dragonette for fish. I have a single sps, a hammer, a torch, a mushroom, a acan.
I just got a tuxedo urchin last week and a naso tang in qt now.
However, if I have to choose slow going or no tank at all, I am just fine with slow going. I have a nem that turned into a dozen or so. I’m probably going to start trading norms for frags soon from local reefers! Lol.

 

[SandNRocks]

Only a 5 gal but ~$150 out the door for everything.

 

[DanATL]

I see people too often asking "I need help setting up a budget fish tank" but the best you can do is try to get sales or used things. the amount of money you spend reflects the quality of the tank. If you have a different opinion I'm open to hearing different viewpoints.

East to set up a budget salt fish tank. Not much more than a freshwater tank. Just need salt and some damsels, clowns, mollies, etc.
The craziness is up to you

 

[WizardOfAAAHHHs]

I think you CAN do "budget" ! It just depends upon what are are willing to do, and what you are willing to sacrifice to get what you want! Personally, I'm a Disabled Veteran living on Social SCARCITY & V.A. Disability! My income is quite probably a JOKE to most of you! Well, it NO JOKE to ME! I recently got a rate increase & after decades of living frugally, I feel free to build the reef system many of YOU *>CAN'T<* even DREAM of! RIFLMAO! MOST OF YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THE CREATIVITY to come up with what I'm doing! SO FAR, I have 9 tanks - 10 IF you count the 40 gal. QT tank ! I do NOT use protein SCAMMERS , or a LOT of the other FANCY SCHMANCY stuff you high falootin' RICH folks buy. . . .THEN SELL TO GUYS LIKE >ME< ON MARKETPLACE 6 MONTHS LATER >IF< WE'LL EVEN BUY IT AT ALL! I'm willing to BET any of you Fancy Schmancy high budget people that I'll BEAT you in water quality with my set up! Alk & other additives aside! . . . but give me time & I'll figure THAT out, too! . . .You just have to get creative! My "FILTH-tration" system is 2 stage! I'll have a 45 gal. "TOTER" Trash bin in my basement with an external pump to push PRE-filtered water up to the Main - 96 gal. TOTER trash bin filter ! WHAT'S MY MEIDA ? You ask!. . . .VERY VERY SIMPLE! LOOK INSIDE THAT FANCY SCHMANCY HIGH DOLLAR GIZMO you paid a GAZILLION "CLAMS" for! What IS the BASE material? Commonly, I've found just 2 ! #1) SPONGE FOAM !. . . .I can get THAT from a SOFA CUSHION! . . . I just have to know how to CLEAN it well & PROPERLY ! NO PROBLEM! . . . .STEP #1) Lay said cushion in your bath tub & soak it down GOOD with ( AWWWHHH. . .OMG! ) Dawn DISH SOAP!! CALM DOWN HATERS! I'm barely starting! . . . while soaking it WELL & getting it really good & WET, I stomp it as if I'm stomping grapes to make wine! I stomp every nano-meter of that sponge until it CRIES for mercy!. . .THEN I STOMP IT SOME MORE! . . .all with water running on it so it rinses out the soap! I KEEP stomping & rinsing until EVERY BUBBLE is GONE, then I rinse some MORE! YOU'RE dang RIGHT I'M CAREFUL! I'm NO "SCARECROW" here! I >DO< have a BRAIN! . . . .and I'm dang GOOD at USING IT! I've become immune to the CRANIAL RECTALITUS PANDEMIC going on ! You may be thinking I'm an intellectual mule about now! Well, yes I am! At 67 yrs old & with the life I've had, I've dang well EARNED that right! . . .So. . . .moving on! When every minute trace of bubbles have disappeared , I take the largest box of BAKING SODA I can find, and I coat the sponge foam heavily with it! Then I soak the sponge good & wet again, stomping as before! This rinses out every minute trace of ANY soap or other potential contaminants ! Rinse & stomp until you get CLEAR water & you're good to go! . . . . .6" of the finest filtration media you could EVER wish for!. . . . HOLD THE BUS there EINSTEIN! I'M NOT DONE! At the bottom of EACH "CAN-I-STIR" ( YES I SURE CAN!. . .HOLD MY BREWSKI & WATCH THIS! ) I'll put as much Live rock & OR dry rock as I can muster ! YOU think 1.5 - 2lbs per gallon is "SUFFICIENT" ! NOT! I've PROVEN that 2 lbs per gallon is MINIMAL & 3 lbs or MORE is OPTIMAL! There are KEYS to my methods! I HOPE you're taking notes! THEN I put a layer of the 6" thick sponge,. . . .NOW LOOK again at your FANCY SCHMANCY filters! What's the OTHER media you see that you pay - AGAIN - a PREMIUM for & GET a MINIMUM amount off?!?!. . .. give up!. . .I THOUGHT SO. . . .POLY FIL ! YUPPERS!. . . .SIMPLE PILLOW STUFFING that you CAN buy either ONLINE, or at OH GOLLY - WALLY WORLD! . . . OR fabric stores! USE THOSE "KIDNEYS" & THINK! BOX? HA! WHAT dang "BOX" .. .THERE'S A BOX? REALLY!?!? . . . RIFLMAO!
I place 4 - 6" of Poly-fil in alternating layers with the sponge foam, above the rock & go all the way to the top with it. Another great "media" to use is CLEAN / *NEW* floor scrubber pads that commercial / industrial floor cleaning companies use! They're essentially SCOTCH-BRITE PADS! They're available in various grades of coarseness / fine-ness & when included in a system such as I'm building & describing here, they are great homes for beneficial bacterial to set up housekeeping & THAT, MY "FRIENDS" is what it's all about! Like that old TV commercial said that MOST of you won't have a CLUE as to what I'm referring to - " SCRUBBING BUBBLES!. . . . .SCRUBBING BUBBLES! . . .THAT'S US, THAT'S US! . . . . . .WHY work HARD if you don't HAVE toooooooooooo ( as it goes down the drain! ) ! When you THINK hard, you won't NEED to WORK hard!. . .BUT - when you think hard AND work hard - others will be AMAZED. . . AND > I < am The WIZARD of AAAHHH's !! . . . .riflmao!. . .oh! you >think< I'm DONE?!?!?! . . . . .. NOT EVEN >CLOSE< !
I *ALSO* subscribe VEHEMENTLY to the use of the JAUBERT PLENUM system / method! TRUE - it eats up a LOT of tank space . . .>IF< you include the plenum IN the display tank! You DON'T HAVE to, though! It CAN be added EXTERNALLY !! GOOGLE IT, EINSTEIN!
I have a 45 gal. acrylic tank that I'm WATER BRIDGING >THOUGH MY HOME OFFICE / Living Room WALL< to a 75 gal. acrylic tank IN my Home Office ! WIZARDRY, as I said! LOL! ( OH LIGHTEN UP crabs! Get over yourselves! NOBODY like KARENS & KEVINS & Negative NEILS & NELLIES! ) I have a 65 gal. *2ND HAND* tank that I bought for a mere $10 BUCKS! DUH! the RICH guy bumped a corner of it & THOUGHT he'd RUINED the tank & it would leak! OMG! DUH. . . .TEST IT EINSTEIN! It's just a mere pebble chip that doesn't effect the tank in the least! Sanitize it with VINEGAR & BAKING SODA . . .like I did in the Bait & Tackle Shop my family had when I was a kid & it was MY job to clean the tanks! WHO KNEW it would serve me SO WELL later in life!? !! It's going into the entry to my bedroom where there's still about 36" to walk through & I'll enjoy watching my fish & corals in that tank as I fall asleep at night & wake each morning! MY BLUE HEAVEN!
I have another GLASS 75 gal. tank I've built into a wall going from my kitchen into my living room - in a transition area. BREAKFAST BAR!!! . . . .WITH HIGH DOLLAR GRANITE COUNTER TOP that I GOT on MARKETPLACE - .. . .$14K worth. . . .for $100 bucks!! BAAAA. . .DA DAH DAH, SSSHHHA BOOM. . .CAN'T TOUCH THIS! SHOOOOOP! THERE IT IS! HOW'S >THAT< for "BUDGET" Mr. Fancy Bucks pants??!?! The MOST I've paid for ANY of my 9 tanks is the 120 gal. that'll be my MIXED REEF tank in my Living room on the North wall below the narrow 1900 built stairs. WITH the BLAAAAAAACK ( SAY IT LIKE YOU'RE PUKIN'! ) painted OAK cabinet that I sanded down to bare wood on the HIGH spots & allowed the black to be an ACCENT ( ANYONE who PAINTS >*OAK*< . . .or ANY beautiful hardwood ought to be strung up by their . . .I CAN'T SAY THAT HERE. . . .& THEN shot! ) . . .and stained it Cordova CHERRY & it's STUNNING, kids! STUNNING! . . .I paid $300 bucks for that & I've waited 5 YEARS to get that tank wet. . . .AND COUNTING!. . .I MOVED IT OVER 700 MILES from ColumPUS, NOhiNO to my present home in GOD'S COUNTRY, NORTH of the TENSION LINE & right along the TRANQUILITY LINE! I've PAID my DUES! BTW - I'm no greenhorn in this hobby, in case you were thinking that! My 1st foray was in 1993! So - B.C. !. . . .BEFORE CELL PHONES!. . . .BEFORE COMPUTERS. . . !
I also have 2 - 125 gal tanks that'll be DAISY CHAINED via WATER BRIDGES to my 230 gal. HIGH BOY - 66" L x 45" H x 18" W. tank set as a peninsula on a pedestal on the NEW sub-floor I'm building above the original UN-INSULATED ( I CURED that now! ) floor that's been costing me in excess of $500 mo. in heating bills in the SUB-ARCTIC winters here! ( -40 F for WEEKS !! )
I'll be setting up a NON-PROFIT organization to benefit Disabled Veterans dealing with PTSD & DEPRESSION due to Battlefield experiences. I'll be gathering *USED* tanks. . . .hopefully SOME donated. . . .and equipment, setting up COMPLETE REEF SYSTEMS per the Veteran's desires & their families . . .and DONATING them completely FREE of charge! STOCKED & ALL! Reef aquariums, as you likely know, are PROVEN to be HIGHLY THERAPEUTIC & have been instrumental in reconnecting veterans with their families & loved ones as nothing else can! TRIBAL ELDERS teach that we exist to make this world a better place! I TAKE THAT INTENSELY SERIOUSLY! WE ARE >OBLIGATED< to make the world BETTER because we exist! LET THAT SINK IN BEFORE CRITICIZING >ANYONE< for ANYTHING!! OK!?!? MITAKU OYASIN - ALL MY RELATIONS !

 

[DropBear Actual]

I don’t know about that. I run a 130L bare bottom reef on an extremely oversized canister, a Jebao wave maker, and a stand along surface skimmer. All in all I think it cost me about $800 and ongoing costs are livestock, food, electricity and RODI filters as needed which is negligible. I live on the west coast of Australia, 8 minutes from the beach so we use NSW. Tank is flourishing. I think that is budget don’t you…?

About 2 months ago I started an experiment tank, 40L pico cube with 36L water. Bare bottom, couple of big chunks of rock. That’s it. No filter, no sump, no canister. I will probably put the stand alone surface skimmer in there occasionally if the scum builds up. I have had to order a proper LED cause the one that came with it is crap. Tank is nearly cycled. It’ll be primarily coral with a couple of token clowns.

Got the idea from the reefbuilders hands off tank and Danny’s aquariums YouTube. I’ll be after change as needed (but at 36L that’s 4L a week) with NSW and that’s it. All up cost me about $300


What I will say is that reefing (apart from livestock) can be as cheap or as expensive as you like. That said, the more money you spend on various equipment, the easier it can be. For example, skimmers and roller mats reduce the pressure for water changes. Refugiums and macro algae deal with the nutrient problem. More wave makers allow for better chaotic flow. It’s still doable without this, but often requires more attention… more care.

 

[William Chiavetta]

@William Chiavetta

I read your opening post and you've definitely got some engagement...but then you've had to walk back and say this a lot:


Having been here on/off for a few years now, slow down before making that initial post to make sure it says exactly what you mean. You came in hot and got some people firing back at you, and I really think if you had been more detailed in your opening post then it would have gone smoother. I even second guessed your intentions when I recognized your avatar photo as being from AlgaeBarn's site, so for some people that's going to set off "troll alarms". So maybe just proof read next time before you post.

As multiple others have posted, a "budget" is set by the user - so for some like me, I traded for my 240gal and some of the gear or I reused equipment from other tanks I decided to shut down, so financial costs for set up were really low. I think the only out of pocket expense at start up was rock, sand, and salt.

Is there a "cheap" tank? Not really... "Cheap-er" maybe.

Yes I would agree and I have learned to be more careful

 

[William Chiavetta]

East to set up a budget salt fish tank. Not much more than a freshwater tank. Just need salt and some damsels, clowns, mollies, etc.
The craziness is up to you

Haha the equipment is a lot more though

 

[748S911]

I think you CAN do "budget" ! It just depends upon what are are willing to do, and what you are willing to sacrifice to get what you want! Personally, I'm a Disabled Veteran living on Social SCARCITY & V.A. Disability! My income is quite probably a JOKE to most of you! Well, it NO JOKE to ME! I recently got a rate increase & after decades of living frugally, I feel free to build the reef system many of YOU *>CAN'T<* even DREAM of! RIFLMAO! MOST OF YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THE CREATIVITY to come up with what I'm doing! SO FAR, I have 9 tanks - 10 IF you count the 40 gal. QT tank ! I do NOT use protein SCAMMERS , or a LOT of the other FANCY SCHMANCY stuff you high falootin' RICH folks buy. . . .THEN SELL TO GUYS LIKE >ME< ON MARKETPLACE 6 MONTHS LATER >IF< WE'LL EVEN BUY IT AT ALL! I'm willing to BET any of you Fancy Schmancy high budget people that I'll BEAT you in water quality with my set up! Alk & other additives aside! . . . but give me time & I'll figure THAT out, too! . . .You just have to get creative! My "FILTH-tration" system is 2 stage! I'll have a 45 gal. "TOTER" Trash bin in my basement with an external pump to push PRE-filtered water up to the Main - 96 gal. TOTER trash bin filter ! WHAT'S MY MEIDA ? You ask!. . . .VERY VERY SIMPLE! LOOK INSIDE THAT FANCY SCHMANCY HIGH DOLLAR GIZMO you paid a GAZILLION "CLAMS" for! What IS the BASE material? Commonly, I've found just 2 ! #1) SPONGE FOAM !. . . .I can get THAT from a SOFA CUSHION! . . . I just have to know how to CLEAN it well & PROPERLY ! NO PROBLEM! . . . .STEP #1) Lay said cushion in your bath tub & soak it down GOOD with ( AWWWHHH. . .OMG! ) Dawn DISH SOAP!! CALM DOWN HATERS! I'm barely starting! . . . while soaking it WELL & getting it really good & WET, I stomp it as if I'm stomping grapes to make wine! I stomp every nano-meter of that sponge until it CRIES for mercy!. . .THEN I STOMP IT SOME MORE! . . .all with water running on it so it rinses out the soap! I KEEP stomping & rinsing until EVERY BUBBLE is GONE, then I rinse some MORE! YOU'RE dang RIGHT I'M CAREFUL! I'm NO "SCARECROW" here! I >DO< have a BRAIN! . . . .and I'm dang GOOD at USING IT! I've become immune to the CRANIAL RECTALITUS PANDEMIC going on ! You may be thinking I'm an intellectual mule about now! Well, yes I am! At 67 yrs old & with the life I've had, I've dang well EARNED that right! . . .So. . . .moving on! When every minute trace of bubbles have disappeared , I take the largest box of BAKING SODA I can find, and I coat the sponge foam heavily with it! Then I soak the sponge good & wet again, stomping as before! This rinses out every minute trace of ANY soap or other potential contaminants ! Rinse & stomp until you get CLEAR water & you're good to go! . . . . .6" of the finest filtration media you could EVER wish for!. . . . HOLD THE BUS there EINSTEIN! I'M NOT DONE! At the bottom of EACH "CAN-I-STIR" ( YES I SURE CAN!. . .HOLD MY BREWSKI & WATCH THIS! ) I'll put as much Live rock & OR dry rock as I can muster ! YOU think 1.5 - 2lbs per gallon is "SUFFICIENT" ! NOT! I've PROVEN that 2 lbs per gallon is MINIMAL & 3 lbs or MORE is OPTIMAL! There are KEYS to my methods! I HOPE you're taking notes! THEN I put a layer of the 6" thick sponge,. . . .NOW LOOK again at your FANCY SCHMANCY filters! What's the OTHER media you see that you pay - AGAIN - a PREMIUM for & GET a MINIMUM amount off?!?!. . .. give up!. . .I THOUGHT SO. . . .POLY FIL ! YUPPERS!. . . .SIMPLE PILLOW STUFFING that you CAN buy either ONLINE, or at OH GOLLY - WALLY WORLD! . . . OR fabric stores! USE THOSE "KIDNEYS" & THINK! BOX? HA! WHAT dang "BOX" .. .THERE'S A BOX? REALLY!?!? . . . RIFLMAO!
I place 4 - 6" of Poly-fil in alternating layers with the sponge foam, above the rock & go all the way to the top with it. Another great "media" to use is CLEAN / *NEW* floor scrubber pads that commercial / industrial floor cleaning companies use! They're essentially SCOTCH-BRITE PADS! They're available in various grades of coarseness / fine-ness & when included in a system such as I'm building & describing here, they are great homes for beneficial bacterial to set up housekeeping & THAT, MY "FRIENDS" is what it's all about! Like that old TV commercial said that MOST of you won't have a CLUE as to what I'm referring to - " SCRUBBING BUBBLES!. . . . .SCRUBBING BUBBLES! . . .THAT'S US, THAT'S US! . . . . . .WHY work HARD if you don't HAVE toooooooooooo ( as it goes down the drain! ) ! When you THINK hard, you won't NEED to WORK hard!. . .BUT - when you think hard AND work hard - others will be AMAZED. . . AND > I < am The WIZARD of AAAHHH's !! . . . .riflmao!. . .oh! you >think< I'm DONE?!?!?! . . . . .. NOT EVEN >CLOSE< !
I *ALSO* subscribe VEHEMENTLY to the use of the JAUBERT PLENUM system / method! TRUE - it eats up a LOT of tank space . . .>IF< you include the plenum IN the display tank! You DON'T HAVE to, though! It CAN be added EXTERNALLY !! GOOGLE IT, EINSTEIN!
I have a 45 gal. acrylic tank that I'm WATER BRIDGING >THOUGH MY HOME OFFICE / Living Room WALL< to a 75 gal. acrylic tank IN my Home Office ! WIZARDRY, as I said! LOL! ( OH LIGHTEN UP crabs! Get over yourselves! NOBODY like KARENS & KEVINS & Negative NEILS & NELLIES! ) I have a 65 gal. *2ND HAND* tank that I bought for a mere $10 BUCKS! DUH! the RICH guy bumped a corner of it & THOUGHT he'd RUINED the tank & it would leak! OMG! DUH. . . .TEST IT EINSTEIN! It's just a mere pebble chip that doesn't effect the tank in the least! Sanitize it with VINEGAR & BAKING SODA . . .like I did in the Bait & Tackle Shop my family had when I was a kid & it was MY job to clean the tanks! WHO KNEW it would serve me SO WELL later in life!? !! It's going into the entry to my bedroom where there's still about 36" to walk through & I'll enjoy watching my fish & corals in that tank as I fall asleep at night & wake each morning! MY BLUE HEAVEN!
I have another GLASS 75 gal. tank I've built into a wall going from my kitchen into my living room - in a transition area. BREAKFAST BAR!!! . . . .WITH HIGH DOLLAR GRANITE COUNTER TOP that I GOT on MARKETPLACE - .. . .$14K worth. . . .for $100 bucks!! BAAAA. . .DA DAH DAH, SSSHHHA BOOM. . .CAN'T TOUCH THIS! SHOOOOOP! THERE IT IS! HOW'S >THAT< for "BUDGET" Mr. Fancy Bucks pants??!?! The MOST I've paid for ANY of my 9 tanks is the 120 gal. that'll be my MIXED REEF tank in my Living room on the North wall below the narrow 1900 built stairs. WITH the BLAAAAAAACK ( SAY IT LIKE YOU'RE PUKIN'! ) painted OAK cabinet that I sanded down to bare wood on the HIGH spots & allowed the black to be an ACCENT ( ANYONE who PAINTS >*OAK*< . . .or ANY beautiful hardwood ought to be strung up by their . . .I CAN'T SAY THAT HERE. . . .& THEN shot! ) . . .and stained it Cordova CHERRY & it's STUNNING, kids! STUNNING! . . .I paid $300 bucks for that & I've waited 5 YEARS to get that tank wet. . . .AND COUNTING!. . .I MOVED IT OVER 700 MILES from ColumPUS, NOhiNO to my present home in GOD'S COUNTRY, NORTH of the TENSION LINE & right along the TRANQUILITY LINE! I've PAID my DUES! BTW - I'm no greenhorn in this hobby, in case you were thinking that! My 1st foray was in 1993! So - B.C. !. . . .BEFORE CELL PHONES!. . . .BEFORE COMPUTERS. . . !
I also have 2 - 125 gal tanks that'll be DAISY CHAINED via WATER BRIDGES to my 230 gal. HIGH BOY - 66" L x 45" H x 18" W. tank set as a peninsula on a pedestal on the NEW sub-floor I'm building above the original UN-INSULATED ( I CURED that now! ) floor that's been costing me in excess of $500 mo. in heating bills in the SUB-ARCTIC winters here! ( -40 F for WEEKS !! )
I'll be setting up a NON-PROFIT organization to benefit Disabled Veterans dealing with PTSD & DEPRESSION due to Battlefield experiences. I'll be gathering *USED* tanks. . . .hopefully SOME donated. . . .and equipment, setting up COMPLETE REEF SYSTEMS per the Veteran's desires & their families . . .and DONATING them completely FREE of charge! STOCKED & ALL! Reef aquariums, as you likely know, are PROVEN to be HIGHLY THERAPEUTIC & have been instrumental in reconnecting veterans with their families & loved ones as nothing else can! TRIBAL ELDERS teach that we exist to make this world a better place! I TAKE THAT INTENSELY SERIOUSLY! WE ARE >OBLIGATED< to make the world BETTER because we exist! LET THAT SINK IN BEFORE CRITICIZING >ANYONE< for ANYTHING!! OK!?!? MITAKU OYASIN - ALL MY RELATIONS !

I'd love to see a picture of your system, please share. Thats pretty awesome that you're setting up a non profit for our disabled vets and bringing them to the wonderful world of reefing keeping. Happy Reefing!

 

[KrisReef]

The quality of life an individual feels necessary for their captive fish is an individual decision/belief, and everyone's is different. Not sure how you deduced what you said from what I said, but kudos for it.

Yeah, I figured that my old compass is toxic and I probably should have not mentioned it. Old is passing away and the new is perfect, or will be once the morals that we worshipped are all gone.

Tip my hat!

 

[areefer01]

Budget saltwater tanks can, and do, exist. They only don't if the budget is unrealistic, ignores common sense, and the hobbyist fails to understand that reefs take time to grow out.

 

[Reefer Matt]

Sorry! I thought of this after seeing this thread again! Lol!

 

[AnomMatty]

Yeah, I figured that my old compass is toxic and I probably should have not mentioned it. Old is passing away and the new is perfect, or will be once the morals that we worshipped are all gone.

Tip my hat!

I'm guessing I was having a hard time reading the eclecticism through text. Everyone has their own road with different markers, half the fun is sharing our experiences how we have them. Happy reefing!