Saltwater start up - Do I really need all this?

[saltylilthang]

Hello! I am not new to aqariums but new to saltwater. I am very well aware of the cycling and testing phase of tanks.
My question is the intial setup and cost of a tank and do I truly need all this crud. I have the following things I wish to buy just for the tank alone (not including livestock wont be for a hot minute)

Waterbox AIO20 with stand $511(I can find this secondhand lets cut the price to 1/3 of that)
Prime or Nicrew light $265 vs $107 (or if someone recommends a budget friendly light)
Heater (preferably contactless) $45
temperature gauge $5
Lid (will be DIY-ing this) $30
Caribsea $25
Liverocks $60 (estimating)
Test Kit $60
Saltwater $20
Sock filters (4) $25
Total Estimated: $851 (give or take)


Now these are some things I know could be usefull but do I need for my intial setup?

Wavemaker $60
Top off system $50
Skimmer $60-13- (depends on what I get)
Upgraded pump $60

Please let me know if I need more or less and what to expect. People seem to make it sound like it's super hard and super expensive but ive seen very nice low maintence tanks with not a lot of add ons. My lifestyle allows me to be around my tanks 24/7. I am trying to keep the startup budget friendly aka under 1k but been told to expect to double my spending which I won't do, not in this economy. Let me know everyones thoughts!

 

[boacvh]

Do you intend to keep corals? Sps? Fish only? This will likely change responses above somewhat.
I'd say for a 20 the power head is not necessary but probably desired to customize your flow.
Top off system. Same. Necessary? No. But it will make your life much easier. I didn't have one for the first few months.
Skimmer? No. Not necessary. Plenty of people don't have them. But they have their benefits and frankly is the easiest maintenance
Upgraded pump. Not sure. Will leave it to aio owners to opine on that one.
Test kits I'd say go for slightly better ones out there, probably costlier but more piece of mind

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

cleaning products, testing products, buckets, extra powerheads and heaters to mix salt, plus all the emergency stuff you will need, plus all the fancy stuff you will want, plus cost of dead livestock, cost of errors...... the money adds up very quickly, you are just at the tip of the iceburg.

EDIT: not to mention the ongoing maintenance cost of reef tanks which is actually more than the maintenance cost of my car

 

[lil sumpin]

Welcome to R2R!

 

[Naekuh]

I am trying to keep the startup budget friendly aka under 1k but been told to expect to double my spending which I won't do, not in this economy. Let me know everyones thoughts!

melvsreef states that on average the typical reef system can cost anywhere from 51 dollars / gal.
When building mine at one point i gave up trying to budget... because cheaper stuff (is good) but at the same time, is missing some convience.

As for lights, there is also the noopsyche n7.
Its a decient light.

NooPsyche K7 PRO III kit with arm bracket

NP K7 PRO III v3 Aquarium LED Coral Light. Better spectrum out / Excellent Growth / Feed Almost all the of the SPS/LPS coral in one reef tank isn't a dream especially red coral / Natural perfect mixing and Shimmer / Superior Color Mixing / The best mixing spectrum technology / Affordable price...

noopsychereeflight.com

And i hear OK stuff about this Kessil knockoff.
A7 2.0

Personally i would like to try it, but i am not in need of anymore lights.

 

[coralboi56]

Hello! I am not new to aqariums but new to saltwater. I am very well aware of the cycling and testing phase of tanks.
My question is the intial setup and cost of a tank and do I truly need all this crud. I have the following things I wish to buy just for the tank alone (not including livestock wont be for a hot minute)

Waterbox AIO20 with stand $511(I can find this secondhand lets cut the price to 1/3 of that)
Prime or Nicrew light $265 vs $107 (or if someone recommends a budget friendly light)
Heater (preferably contactless) $45
temperature gauge $5
Lid (will be DIY-ing this) $30
Caribsea $25
Liverocks $60 (estimating)
Test Kit $60
Saltwater $20
Sock filters (4) $25
Total Estimated: $851 (give or take)


Now these are some things I know could be usefull but do I need for my intial setup?

Wavemaker $60
Top off system $50
Skimmer $60-13- (depends on what I get)
Upgraded pump $60

Please let me know if I need more or less and what to expect. People seem to make it sound like it's super hard and super expensive but ive seen very nice low maintence tanks with not a lot of add ons. My lifestyle allows me to be around my tanks 24/7. I am trying to keep the startup budget friendly aka under 1k but been told to expect to double my spending which I won't do, not in this economy. Let me know everyones thoughts!

So in my very first tank, all I had was the tank, heater, a budget friendly light, wave maker, sand, and saltwater.

Lids are definitely optional, just get fish that are known NON jumpers (keep in mind though, any fish CAN jump, just some are more notorious than others, like gobies and wrasses)
Live rock won't be $60. Probably more 30-40 just because you can't get as many rocks in a 20g.
Top offs are definitely optional, but also highly recommended. I've been doing this for 4 years and have never had an ATO.
Skimmers are 100% not required, especially in a nano system

 

[saltylilthang]

Do you intend to keep corals? Sps? Fish only? This will likely change responses above somewhat.
I'd say for a 20 the power head is not necessary but probably desired to customize your flow.
Top off system. Same. Necessary? No. But it will make your life much easier. I didn't have one for the first few months.
Skimmer? No. Not necessary. Plenty of people don't have them. But they have their benefits and frankly is the easiest maintenance
Upgraded pump. Not sure. Will leave it to aio owners to opine on that one.
Test kits I'd say go for slightly better ones out there, probably costlier but more piece of mind

corals, 2 clowns, invertabretes. I am thinking of getting a cheaper setup (not AIO) and maybe forgoing a stand for the time being? I am also looking into people rehoming their saltwater setups. I found a nice one with all fish/coral/items for $400 although will need to rehome their blueface angelfish (whoever sold him that fish didn't tell him it needs a 200+ gallon tank). I know maintenance will be high up on the list but luckily I don't spend my money on anything besides bills, food and pets (no rent for the win) so owning another tank (and possibly rehoming my smaller freshwater so I go back to 2) will be financially maintainable.

 

[saltylilthang]

melvsreef states that on average the typical reef system can cost anywhere from 51 dollars / gal.
When building mine at one point i gave up trying to budget... because cheaper stuff (is good) but at the same time, is missing some convience.

As for lights, there is also the noopsyche n7.
Its a decient light.

NooPsyche K7 PRO III kit with arm bracket

NP K7 PRO III v3 Aquarium LED Coral Light. Better spectrum out / Excellent Growth / Feed Almost all the of the SPS/LPS coral in one reef tank isn't a dream especially red coral / Natural perfect mixing and Shimmer / Superior Color Mixing / The best mixing spectrum technology / Affordable price...

noopsychereeflight.com

And i hear OK stuff about this Kessil knockoff.
A7 2.0

Personally i would like to try it, but i am not in need of anymore lights.

I think thats if you go all out I will upgrade down the line but want a standard setup. I'm all about the deals!

 

[saltylilthang]

cleaning products, testing products, buckets, extra powerheads and heaters to mix salt, plus all the emergency stuff you will need, plus all the fancy stuff you will want, plus cost of dead livestock, cost of errors...... the money adds up very quickly, you are just at the tip of the iceburg.

EDIT: not to mention the ongoing maintenance cost of reef tanks which is actually more than the maintenance cost of my car

IDK how much your car maintanence is goodness. On average im expecting 500/year for a nano (food/water/electricity/etc.) Im not hurting for money but will definetly budget my way through this hobby, just like I do with freshwater.

 

[Jekyl]

You will need at least 2 heaters and a controller. No need for temp gauge.

Auto top off is nice, but not required if you can be dilligent.

 

[saltylilthang]

You will need at least 2 heaters and a controller. No need for temp gauge.

Auto top off is nice, but not required if you can be dilligent.

Why do I need 2 heaters? Clowns need max 80 in the tank, which I can maintain with 1 good heater. I also like having a gauge incase of heater malfunction hence why it's added to my list of needs.

 

[Jekyl]

Why do I need 2 heaters? Clowns need max 80 in the tank, which I can maintain with 1 good heater. I also like having a gauge incase of heater malfunction hence why it's added to my list of needs.

What happens when a heater fails at 10pm? What are you going to use to heat your water during changes?

As for the temp gauge you should get a heater controller instead. It will have a temp gauge included and will prevent any heaters from being stuck on and creating fish soup. I recommend inkbird.

 

[saltylilthang]

So in my very first tank, all I had was the tank, heater, a budget friendly light, wave maker, sand, and saltwater.

Lids are definitely optional, just get fish that are known NON jumpers (keep in mind though, any fish CAN jump, just some are more notorious than others, like gobies and wrasses)
Live rock won't be $60. Probably more 30-40 just because you can't get as many rocks in a 20g.
Top offs are definitely optional, but also highly recommended. I've been doing this for 4 years and have never had an ATO.
Skimmers are 100% not required, especially in a nano system

ahh okay! I hear clowns are a flight risk so I found how to DIY one. Plus, we have cats in this house and they do like to drink fish water. For starters I do want bare minimum especially while cycling. I am looking on the market for someone rehoming their entire setup and may have found one but only time will tell! I am in no rush to get everything off the bat.

 

[Troylee]

I mean to start off in the right direction, yes you need everything you stated in your original post.. it’s not cheap that’s for sure! 500 a year might be doable but gonna cost you more up front with test kits, food, dosing elements etc etc.

 

[saltylilthang]

What happens when a heater fails at 10pm? What are you going to use to heat your water during changes?

As for the temp gauge you should get a heater controller instead. It will have a temp gauge included and will prevent any heaters from being stuck on and creating fish soup. I recommend inkbird.

you underestimate how hot it gets down south but true I may get one as backup although I don't think i need to worry about that issue until maybe 3-5 years down the line, especially with a nicer heater. Ill look into temp gauge!

 

[Jekyl]

you underestimate how hot it gets down south but true I may get one as backup although I don't think i need to worry about that issue until maybe 3-5 years down the line, especially with a nicer heater. Ill look into temp gauge!

Heaters are the number 1 cause of tank failure in the hobby. Just an fyi.

 

[doubleshot00]

Your list looks about right. I have the same tank BTW.

I would get a ATO sooner than later. A Jebao Wavemaker will work just fine. SLW-10.

You can wait on the light to if your planning on letting it mature a bit before adding corals. The nicrew is a nice light but once you get an AI Prime you will love it.

Eheim or cobalt heater would be my choice. I have a cobalt in my two nanos.

Check the Market here for used deals. Good luck

 

[PotatoPig]

corals

If you plan on keeping corals the lights are non-optional, and you’ll want some sort of power head even for low maintenance soft corals. The $107 is probably the absolute minimum you can expect to spend here.

Skimmers and ATO are optional, although do ease up on maintenance.

A DIY stand or second hand system will, as you note, save you $.

The salt water is also going to be a recurring expense. 20 gallons is kinda at the point where an RODI system has a long enough ROI it’s not a no brainer (75 gallons plus and you’ll break even within weeks, 20 gallons and you’re closer to a year or two depending on water change schedule).

 

[eliaslikesfish]

yes, absolutely.

 

[saltylilthang]

Heaters are the number 1 cause of tank failure in the hobby. Just an fyi.

I know luckily I live very close to LFS so I can always run down to the store