Any advice where to go for a new setup?

[Luenny]

Hello all,

Nice to meet you all here. I am very new to marine, never keep any before but I am looking to get one to start my long time dream of owning a marine setup. I am looking for a small setup like 2 ft tank. Any advice for where to go for this? So far, I have asked Iwarna, Aquamarin and Jireh. Jireh has one very newbie startup tank where everything is in one tank, no chiller and filter is IOS and skimmer is in IOS. Looks like very good for no-ob like me but I am not sure is it good for the long run. Any thoughts on those?

- Luenny

[Harlequinmania]

Try look into those branded tank as well like redsea nano tank or you can even consider ask a tank maker customize a iOS tank for you as well.. prices isn't too far part nowadays

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[Thehaddonicarpet]

Madpetz has good IM nano, best is fusion 20g (2ft)


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[Tabungrahim]

What’s ur preference?

IOS tank or Sump tank



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[Simon Lim]

Choice of tank depends on what you want to keep. If you are thinking of coral & fish,I believe many will say you need a chiller


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[Luenny]

Actually I have no clue yet what to get. Was hoping if someone can guide me or point me to some shops that I can go ask around. I was told some beginner's corals do not need chiller so at first I was looking at IOS tank. However, IOS means next time I want to add things like chiller, etc, there is a limited space. Given that the tank is already small due to the internal sump. So if the price difference is not that much, I am open to external sump also. 

[R0B]

Personally my advice is to have a very clear idea of the asthetic you want to achieve and simply copy that. A well set up and carefully stocked 60cm cube, is way better than a half setup large tank!

That said, if your dream is to have a larger tank, then try not to compromise, go with the biggest tank and setup you can afford. Strangely it will save money in the long run as you won't be re-buying things). The tank bundles you get in shops are actually are a great starting point.

But... do set yourself a budget. If you want to save some money look out for someone decommissioning their tank & setup. You can also save money by being smart on what you buy as you dont need that much gear. (Although I have found that cheap comes at the cost of needing to invest more time). And yes do get a chiller (I used to be more diplomatic when answering 'do I need a chiller' questions, but now I simply say its essential). Basically it increases your chances of success (plus adds loads of other benefits like increase disolved oxygen which promote bacterial growth) and anything else in Singapore is honestly an unrealistic compromise.

If you really need help/guidance PM me and I would be most happy to walk you through step by step.

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[Otaku Reefer]

Best to go for sump and avoid IOS, very space limited to put equipment and makes it very cluttered. I had both and never going IOS route again


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[Luenny]

OK no IOS and with chiller. Will keep that in mind. Any suggestions on where to go shopping for tank or marine equipment? While I know most freshwater fish shops in Singapore, I am really new to marine and have no idea where to go. 

[Alypapa]

Hi u might want to consider preowned tank with sump that are in resonably good condition. Iwarna have some available and u can look out in this forum members who are decom their tank.

[dtdream]

  

8 minutes ago, Luenny said:

OK no IOS and with chiller. Will keep that in mind. Any suggestions on where to go shopping for tank or marine equipment? While I know most freshwater fish shops in Singapore, I am really new to marine and have no idea where to go. 

Hi Luenny,

I just got back into the hobby and was shopping around too

Unless  have a lot of spare time to go around, most probably its best to find a shop (or a couple) which is closer to you. I visited quite a few places and I won't name the places I was indifferent to, but here are the places I think should be okay.

In no particular order:

East:

Fresh n Marine (staffed by mostly young chaps who are helpful and friendly)

DE Aquatic (boss is accommodating and a nice guy)

Ah Beng Aquarium (boss initially looks abit fierce behind the mask, but also very nice actually)

Iwarna (Didn't really speak to anyone when I was there, but I used to buy quite abit of stuff from them 15 years ago. They still have everything you need for a new set up)

West: 

Suprem5 (I think less equipment to see at the shop but the guys there can advise you on your new set up, their rockscaping service seems pretty cool too if you're lazy to do that yourself)

Specialised Aquatics Solutions (Its feels like a very complete one stop shop for marine. Side note for future when you're finally stocking - their livestock looked the healthiest though a little pricier than other places.)

North:

Seasonal Aquarium Pte Ltd (Ah chek seems very experienced and a friendly guy)

Madpetz (Might be good if you're setting up a smaller tank, fair selection of different types of rocks, and they even sell loose sand - other places I saw generally you need to buy a whole bag).

Btw most shops offer a little discount if you get more stuff and ask politely

Lastly, as other reefers mentioned, you can consider pre-owned tanks to save some money. If you put in abit of work, you can make it look nice and new too. There's a reefer here name subzeroLT and if search for this tank thread you can see how he refurbished an old tank and it looks really nice now!

[Mel]

I’m getting mine from fresh and marine. 
so far so good 

[Mochi]

I'm using a 2ft IOS tank (40g) and also a chiller, it isn't a bad idea if you just want a set up that is not too space consuming, but also depends on what you plan to stock the tank with  I got my IOS tank custom made at Fresh and Marine if that helps!

[Luenny]

Thanks all for the advice. I ordered my red sea reefer from Madpetz already. Waiting patiently for arrival now. *Pulling hair*


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[dtdream]

2 hours ago, Luenny said:

Thanks all for the advice. I ordered my red sea reefer from Madpetz already. Waiting patiently for arrival now. *Pulling hair*


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congrats! did you end up getting the reefer 170? thats a 2ft one.

[Luenny]

Reefer 200

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[dtdream]

1 hour ago, Luenny said:

Reefer 200

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Happy days. Must have been tempted by the display at Madpetz eh!

[Luenny]

Actually I went to a few places but all told me no stock and don't know when will be available. So when Madpetz told me can order I took the chance.

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[dtdream]

Ah ok, actually most shops can help you order. Just that the lead time is quite uncertain and dependent on the local distributor, who is not that great in my opinion and experience.

Red Sea tanks do look nice, and support from Red Sea themselves is fantastic. I ordered a Red Sea tank too, but also still waiting.. hopefully soon!

[Thehaddonicarpet]

  
Hi Luenny,
I just got back into the hobby and was shopping around too
Unless  have a lot of spare time to go around, most probably its best to find a shop (or a couple) which is closer to you. I visited quite a few places and I won't name the places I was indifferent to, but here are the places I think should be okay.
In no particular order:
East:
Fresh n Marine (staffed by mostly young chaps who are helpful and friendly)
DE Aquatic (boss is accommodating and a nice guy)
Ah Beng Aquarium (boss initially looks abit fierce behind the mask, but also very nice actually)
Iwarna (Didn't really speak to anyone when I was there, but I used to buy quite abit of stuff from them 15 years ago. They still have everything you need for a new set up)
West: 
Suprem5 (I think less equipment to see at the shop but the guys there can advise you on your new set up, their rockscaping service seems pretty cool too if you're lazy to do that yourself)
Specialised Aquatics Solutions (Its feels like a very complete one stop shop for marine. Side note for future when you're finally stocking - their livestock looked the healthiest though a little pricier than other places.)
North:
Seasonal Aquarium Pte Ltd (Ah chek seems very experienced and a friendly guy)
Madpetz (Might be good if you're setting up a smaller tank, fair selection of different types of rocks, and they even sell loose sand - other places I saw generally you need to buy a whole bag).
Btw most shops offer a little discount if you get more stuff and ask politely
Lastly, as other reefers mentioned, you can consider pre-owned tanks to save some money. If you put in abit of work, you can make it look nice and new too. There's a reefer here name subzeroLT and if search for this tank thread you can see how he refurbished an old tank and it looks really nice now!

Do you know how much madpetz sells loose sand for?


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[dtdream]

23 minutes ago, Thehaddonicarpet said:

Do you know how much madpetz sells loose sand for?


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Hey sorry don’t remember, give them a call? 

[SaltedFishSkin]

Luenny, can you give us an update on your marine journey?

[Luenny]

Still patiently waiting for tank to arrive.

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[Validator]

I got a 200XL too.  I waited two months as advised by the shop I got it from.  I took the chance to gather info and knowledge about reefing in the meantime and also to gather any parts second hand that I needed.

 

Oh yes and it was also time for me to soften the ground for the missus.  From confessing to the purchase, to slowly hinting it's arrival to informing her where I was going to place the tank. LOL

[Tabungrahim]

Hi any idea how to drill a fish tank? Any shop can help to drill tank? I would like to make a 2 feet tank with sump.


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