Budget 40B advice and opinions

[dball711]

aXio;921848 wrote: Please consider if you want this to be a truly accurate example of what you could on a "budget" then you have to take into account that all these plastic/acrylic sheets your using for the sump area will have to be bought and cut which will cost money. You had them laying around which save you money. Also you need buy some sort of silicone or adhesive to glue it in place. Then also consider all the labor put into it. For some time is a lot more valuable the others.

I guess what I'm getting at is that you should figure all the costs if you had to actually buy everything needed for this build and include that in this guide, just so it's fully accurate. Some times these types of builds can be a lot more money then people realize. And then amount of $$ you save might not even be worth all the extra work involved in the end. Love the post by the way!

I’m not sure the OP was trying to capture the cost of everything that goes into the build, especially the labor. The DIY part is what allows many of us to afford more than what a limited budget can support. Recognizing every part would also include the cost of water, a chunk of shrimp to start the cycle, test kits, rock, sand, electricity to run a table saw and router, bits and blades…it can go on and on.

My point is that most DIY folks will have an abundance of supplies on hand so it’s really not something I would figure into my budget. My understanding of what the OP was going after was to show that it doesn’t take a huge budget to get a decent set up going. Not sure this is meant for someone starting out as much as someone that already has a tank and wants another. I think the cost of setting up any tank is dependent on what you may already have on hand. Look at what Clat4AU did with $100.

Don’t get me wrong I agree with you that anyone starting out really needs to know the expense that this hobby can incur.

Buy the way, thanks to Premier Aquatics for getting me a smoking deal on my new Deep Blue 75g, it really helped me to stay on budget and afford more livestock!

 

[jdavid]

I did a tank on a budget for my bedside table. It's a 10 gallon tank from Walmart, a two little fishies reactor running carbon with a maxi jet pump, a koralia powerhead, and a kessil a150w.

All for only $200!!!

Budget reefing. That's like an oxymoron

 

[cosigner]

dball711;921902 wrote: I’m not sure the OP was trying to capture the cost of everything that goes into the build, especially the labor. The DIY part is what allows many of us to afford more than what a limited budget can support. Recognizing every part would also include the cost of water, a chunk of shrimp to start the cycle, test kits, rock, sand, electricity to run a table saw and router, bits and blades…it can go on and on.

My point is that most DIY folks will have an abundance of supplies on hand so it’s really not something I would figure into my budget. My understanding of what the OP was going after was to show that it doesn’t take a huge budget to get a decent set up going. Not sure this is meant for someone starting out as much as someone that already has a tank and wants another. I think the cost of setting up any tank is dependent on what you may already have on hand. Look at what Clat4AU did with $100.

Don’t get me wrong I agree with you that anyone starting out really needs to know the expense that this hobby can incur.

Buy the way, thanks to Premier Aquatics for getting me a smoking deal on my new Deep Blue 75g, it really helped me to stay on budget and afford more livestock!

Exactly! I'm not going to include the cost of everything. Everyone has access to something or that helps cut costs, or knows someone to get killer deals from. This isn't the write up on this tank, I'll do that when I have more to post. Most of us usually have a few buckets or boxes full of used equipment and I plan on using my "stash" to help keep the cost down.

Right now I have $100 tied up in this and all in really lacking is deciding what I'm going to do about a stand, and if in going to use a skimmer that I have now, or buy a better one. The most expensive part was the MH I bought.

This isn't going to be a tacky looking tank either. It will be nice and clean, easy to maintain, and beautiful to stare at. Again, I'm not budgeting this because I can't afford it, I'm doing it to show what a little creativity, DIY work, and spare parts can turn into.

 

[enderg60]

If it were me, I would not bother with doing any chambers at all. Find a large hang on skimmer, shove your heater inside it, and put some carbon in the outlet box of the skimmer. No other external filtration is needed besides the live rock.

I would however look into getting a float valve auto top off setup(you can use a small pump and a 5g bucket) and some dosing pumps for 2 part.

I have done at least 5 tanks 45g and under this way and it works great.

Keep it simple and lazy to maintain and you will have much more fun.

Edit: Stand wise since you want a peninsula its gonna be really hard to find something without custom making it.

 

[cosigner]

EnderG60;921953 wrote: If it were me, I would not bother with doing any chambers at all. Find a large hang on skimmer, shove your heater inside it, and put some carbon in the outlet box of the skimmer. No other external filtration is needed besides the live rock.

I would however look into getting a float valve auto top off setup(you can use a small pump and a 5g bucket) and some dosing pumps for 2 part.

I have done at least 5 tanks 45g and under this way and it works great.

Keep it simple and lazy to maintain and you will have much more fun.

Edit: Stand wise since you want a peninsula its gonna be really hard to find something without custom making it.

This is definitely another option. I'm not to say I won't change my mind by the time in finished. As far as the stand goes, I have a nice heavy duty cabinet that I could turn into a stand, but I've been thinking about a 2x4 frame with drywall sides and sliding doors.

Edit: EnderG60, what type of skimmer have you done this with with success? I have a Remora C that I could use, it would fit the heater, but not carbon too.

 

[enderg60]

Ive used cabinets for stands before, just make sure its not pressed fiber board or MDF.

Ive used large prisms and coralife super skimmers

 

[cosigner]

Thanks man...

 

[jdavid]

Did you say drywall?? As in gypsum board? Now that is original

 

[cosigner]

JDavid;921974 wrote: Did you say drywall?? As in gypsum board? Now that is original

The idea was to make it blend into the wall... I already have some extra base board that could go around it. I think it would look nice.

 

[jdavid]

That actually might work out pretty well.
Have you seen http://www.atlantareefclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=87109">this thread? </a>

Edit: If you build a frame and then put a plywood top on, you could make the top so that it hangs over the three faces the same width of the drywall, so that the top edge isn't exposed. then caulk it, and apply the molding (chair rail would look nice around the top) directly to the edge of the ply.

Does that make sense? Just an idea. Ok I'm on board. Doooo itt

 

[cosigner]

No, I haven't seen that thread, but I'm about to read it all... thanks.

And yes, what you're saying makes perfect sense. The only thing that has me hesitating on using drywall is it would be ruined if any water were to get spilled, and that is almost inevitable.

 

[jdavid]

Gypsum does expand and ruin when wet, definitely. And that's why I was skeptical at first. But then I thought, if you spill a glass of water on a wall inside your house, it's not going to fall apart, because it's painted. If it begins to expland, what are you really out? 1 sheet of gypsum, and then you just replace it with ply. Right? I think we need a second opinion though

 

[cosigner]

Makes sense...

 

[labernathy]

Looks like an interesting build! I will be following along with yours to get ideas as I do basically the same thing.