Need some info+estimated price

[twistoflime]

How much would it cost to set up a 30-50g frag tank? What equipment would I need? I know I'd need lights, tank, stand, skimmer, sump, I don't plan to add a calcium reactor or chiller. Is there anything else specific to a frag tank? I know the lights are going to be the most expencive thing. I'm also not sure if I want to use a sump, do you think that is nessesary? I'm going to have to pay for all this with alowence and money from frags so I need the cheapest way to set up an efficiant frag tank. Does any one have any ideas?

 

[weaglereefer]

Haha, those shallow clear plastic storage containers at big box stores coupled with a rubbermaid sump like suggested above. If your tank is only a few inches tall (6-7) you won't need much light to reach everything.

 

[hackman72]

twistoflime;418330 wrote: How much would it cost to set up a 30-50g frag tank? What equipment would I need? I know I'd need lights, tank, stand, skimmer, sump, I don't plan to add a calcium reactor or chiller. Is there anything else specific to a frag tank? I know the lights are going to be the most expencive thing. I'm also not sure if I want to use a sump, do you think that is nessesary? I'm going to have to pay for all this with alowence and money from frags so I need the cheapest way to set up an efficiant frag tank. Does any one have any ideas?

You can pass on a sump for a frag tank as long as you set it up like a sump. That's obviously not optimum for a variety of reasons but it can and has been done succesfully. IMO you're better off to let the sump be the sump and the tank be the tank...but that's just me.

BTW, I'm still going to get the frags so that'll help with this new project.

 

[justindville1987]

with you plumbing run it into your current tank so you dont have to do two water changes at the same time trust me i can be a head ache after a while

 

[twistoflime]

Ok, If I used the tubbaware thing what light should I use? I usually use mh but what is best for a frag tank? I think I'll add a sump aswell seeing that I'll save alot of money just by using a tubbaware container.

 

[twistoflime]

justindville1987;418343 wrote: with you plumbing run it into your current tank so you dont have to do two water changes at the same time trust me i can be a head ache after a while

That would be kindof complicated at this point plus it's not gonna look very good if I use tubbaware so my parents wouldn't like it being right next ot our "display" tank.

 

[hackman72]

dawgdude;418367 wrote: I usually advice against this for two reasons, one if you dt or frag tank crashes you lost everything and you can use the frag tank as a qt of sorts after dipping corals to make sure you got all the nasties on it.

+1 to seperate systems

 

[skriz]

MH is your best bang for your buck as far as lighting is concerned.

What corals will you be fragging?

You'll need pretty much everything you'd need for a display tank: filtration, flow, lighting, heating, cooling, etc. It all boils down to how much space you have for this system.

It doesn't have to be uber expensive. There are a lot of things you can do to cut costs, such as rubbermaids for sumps, etc.

 

[johnr2604]

justindville1987;418343 wrote: with you plumbing run it into your current tank so you dont have to do two water changes at the same time trust me i can be a head ache after a while

There are many different ways to do this. Like justindville said Its pretty cheap to plumb it into your main tank. All you need is a tank, pump and light. You can make it look nice but you will have to spend a little money. I don't have much money tied up in mine but it helps that I build my own stands and canopies. Here is an older pic.

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I also agree with Dawgdude and feel that its probably not the best way unless you have multiple systems already going. But if you do then It might be pretty cheap and look good. Plus it will get plenty of fish poop and there wont be any acclimation moving them back and forth. Another benefit is the corals heal in the exact same water the colony is used to which helps cut down on losses after fragging IMO. Just something more to think about.

 

[twistoflime]

We have plenty of places we can put the frag tank, so space is not an issue. I plan to have all sorts of corals in the frag tank. Sun corals, zoas and palys, and sps, even small frags of gorgonain. I'd also need to plumb the tank myself seeing as I won't beable to hire some one. I have never plumbed though so this could be a challange.

 

[thewarbrd]

I've been flip-flopping between a 33long and a sterrilite 'under the bed' container as a grow-out tank myself, so as people say you can do it as cheap as you want (function over form) or go all out with a purpose built frag table. I've read where some people have concern though that the plastic used in the clear storage containers will degrade faster under intense lighting we use for corals and may be prone to crack because of that, but no one has said if that would be 1 week or 10 years. I plan on a sump of some sort just for the added water volume and as a place to hold some live rock and heater, for that I plan on nothing more fancy than a used salt bucket.

Here's a writeup on someone using a sterrilite container:

http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/85-frag-tank-57365.html">http://www.3reef.com/forums/i-made/85-frag-tank-57365.html</a>

As far as looks, I plan on building a mini-stand or case to surround mine whether I do a real tank or a storage container, mainly because the wife has agreed if I do that then I can keep it on a dresser in our bedroom where we used to have a 55g freshwater. :)

 

[skriz]

I'd advise against using a "Sterilite" container. They're very weak and will break quite easily. I had one that I accidently left on my deck and it filled with rain water. later, with the water pressure and the sun, it collapsed. It became very brittle and assume it will do the same under a halide.

What size frag tank are you considering? Although not ideal, you could link two smaller tanks together for a frag tank. One section could be for zoas, palys, etc. and the other section for sps. This will be a cheaper option that can always be upgraded later.

I bought a bunch of 15g acrylic tanks and used them for coral/fish holding tanks and small sumps. I had my return pump, heater and skimmer in the 15g sump..worked well for what I needed. I have a stack of them in the garage that I'll trade you for zoas if you want?

If you can't build a stand, you can purchase one of those prefab metal shelving units from Home Depot. http://www.homedepot.com/Storage-Shelves-Shelving-Systems-Free-Standing-Bookcases/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5Zbccz/R-100006678/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053">Here's </a>a link to one that's under $50. There's also a smaller version for $40. This will give you a place to hold the frag tank(s), the sump, the equipment and supplements and hang your lighting. It's also extremely easy to assemble.

People are always selling mh setups for cheap. You can easily go with a 175w or even 250w fixture and be done with it. The bulbs last a long time and are cheap to replace.

If you're not going to have a calcium reactor running for the sps, you can just keep up with water changes and you should be okay. With a small water volume, it will be easy and inexpensive to do weekly or biweekly water changes. This will also help with not having a good skimmer implemented.

 

[johnr2604]

twistoflime;418443 wrote: We have plenty of places we can put the frag tank, so space is not an issue. I plan to have all sorts of corals in the frag tank. Sun corals, zoas and palys, and sps, even small frags of gorgonain. I'd also need to plumb the tank myself seeing as I won't beable to hire some one. I have never plumbed though so this could be a challange.

Don't worry about the plumbing. I'm sure someone on here close to you be willing to help and show you how.

 

[weaglereefer]

Just FYI, I have one of those shelves Raj linked in my room and have had 2 10g tanks filled and running on the same shelf without trouble. They're also the exact height of a bucket of salt, which is convenient.

 

[twistoflime]

That would be great, I just have to raise the money to buy all the supplies first.

Ok every one it's time to buy frags from Diane so that I can get the stuff to plumb the tank so Dawgdude can get some frags

dawgdude;418567 wrote: Ill come do your plumbing and only work for frags

 

[hackman72]

What size are you going to go with? 1" maybe? I've got some leftovers I can give you when I pick up the frags.

 

[twistoflime]

You mean the size of the pipes for plumbing...I have no idea. Would 1" be best?

Hackman72;418816 wrote: What size are you going to go with? 1" maybe? I've got some leftovers I can give you when I pick up the frags.

 

[steve]

1" for drains and 3/4" for returns more than likely.