What is a good estimate of the cost of setting up a 30 gallon saltwater aquarium?

Question

I know they are expensive to set up and I wanted to get others answers as to the approximate cost of setting up a 30. I have had years of experience with fresh to include breeding. This question is without any fish or stand.

Answer 1

It depends on what kind of setup you do. I would say use a Prizm. They are a little tricky to adjust, but they work.Then use a hang on the back filter.

Your big expense is going to be your live rock and your lighting. In a tank that small, you will likely be doing mostly corals, so you will need 1.5 to 2 pounds of live rock per gallon, and some good lights. Coralife makes a great set of lights. 3-5 watts per gallon. You will want about 30 pounds of sand. Dont get the live sand, just get the dry stuff. The live sand is just dead bacteria by the time it gets to you.

Here is a rough estimate for Charlotte North Carolina.

Prizm $130
Tank: $75 for a decent one
Filter: $60
Live rock: $10 per pound, so about $450-600
Sand: $40
Lights $200-300 roughly

Be prepared to spend about a thousand dollars just getting your equipment. Mix your own salt water. Much cheaper that way. I prefer the Oceanic brand salt, but they all work well. This is also just a very rough list of what you will need and by no means comprehensive.There are many other things you will want. If you have some of these things, wash them well and you can reuse them in your tank. You can also get alot of stuff online for cheap. Petsmart is also a good place for some of the dry goods. The store you buy your fish from is a good place to get information, and you can also go to www.reefcentral.com. It is a forum based website and it has a free membership. People on there are more than willing to help out beginners.

Answer 2

It depends.

Fish Only (FO) will be the least expensive set up. You'll need a tank, stand, substrate, standard aquarium lights, filter, salt, test kits, heater, and hydrometer/refractometer.

Fish Only with Live Rock (FOWLR) will cost a bit more. You'll need all the items above (excluding the filters) plus powerheads, live sand and live rock. The live sand and live rock can cost a few dollars per pound (each) and you'll need 1-2 pounds of live rock per gallon.

Reef Tank will cost a lot more. Similar set up to the FOWLR plus high intensity lighting.

Not mandatory but highly recommended items: overflows, refugium, quality protein skimmer, sump, phosphate & calcium reactors, reef additives, fans, etc.

All the above doesn't even take into account the price of the live stock.

Cost will depend on your set up, how you stock it and how much things cost in your area etc.

Answer 3

Well live rock is approx. 11.00 per pound, you need 30 pounds. Sand 30 pounds, at 5.00 per pound. Test kit 30 bucks, you can purchase the salt water at the pet store, 1.50 a gallon at 30 gallons. a good tank and stand sale will start at 200.00 plus lighting another 40.00. So your looking at 300 or more. We just started one 1/1/2007. We are ahead by two weeks for a tank set up due to purchasing store water and live rock.

Answer 4

At least a few hundo... I spent over $1500... As I'm sure u no, salt fish are very expensive and the hardware needs to be able to withstand the corrosive effects of the salt...