Recommended Equipment & Cost

[seamonkee]

Yes! Finally convinced my fiancee that I CAN handle marine fishes. So nice of her... she gave me $500 for my 2 feet setup to learn the hobby and if my current 2 ft tank is stable and ok, she then agrees to have a bigger (5 footer) in our new house when we shift in the middle of next year. Yeah! Yeah! YEah!

She is now doing the budgeting so I need advice from you brudders (We are looking at a 5 x 2.5 x 2 cabinet)

Her criteria: reef setup with mainly soft corals (probably zoos+mushies) + tangs + clams and at least one clownfish (she is really into Nemo lah)

So brudders, please give me your advice, recommended equipment and cost for each equipment... (Chiller, skimmer, sump size, pump, lighting and the full works)... Just recommend the best.. cause she is picking up the tab...

One thing I always want to ask, is there a reason why people put chiller outside the cabinet and not inside with the sump? Which is better?

Also, if nearer to the date and I need one or two brudders to help with my project... can? The most I offer some $$$ or some LS lor....

Cheerios!

[edwincis]

If chiller is placed inside the cabinet the hot air is unable to disperse and cause the chiller to overwork.

[Tanggy]

If you wanna put the chiller in the cabinet, make sure it is open at the back and there is a comfortble gap between the cabinet and the wall. If not, the chiller wont be efficient and waste power. And also the hot air from the compressor will heat up the water in the sump casing the chiller to work even harder resulting in higher elect consumtion and shorter lifespan of chiller.

[seamonkee]

OIC... becoz I thot initally that to hide the chiller will make the whole setup look nicer... then I see a lot of brudders here put it outside... now I know the reason... thanks

And yeah, I know it's a good six months away before I start my project but hey, any equipment (+ costing for each) recommendations will be greatly appreciated... have to give my fiancee an estimated total figure... (She's an accountant so it's her nature to ask from me a spreadsheet showing all equipment list + cost....)

I will be very grateful for any equipment recommendation given.... thanks!

[Tanggy]

Will roughly cost you >4k with MH lights(min 2x250.) and Chiller (1HP)

Tank will cost approx $1500, chiller $1400, MH $500-$1000,

equipement pumps/powerheads - 300-600

skimmer - 100 - 1000

Live rocks 80-100kg : 400-500 at 5/kg or fuji at 15/kg

Coral sand 100+

list goes on.....

[Achilles Tang]

Congrats!!!

Anyway, there is a similar thread on costs for a 4 - 6 ft tank here.

[marinebetta]

Since mine is roughly the same size, these are my thoughts:

Cost of tank and cabinet will vary due to the specifications you want. I think you can get a regular tank and cabinet for about $1,500 to $1,800? (don't know cause mine cost quite a bit more than that)

Pump: you know my bias - Deltec! from $500-$600 up to $1K plus depending on capacity

Lights: IMO if you are just doing softies and zoos, then probably do not need a MH; T5 would be good. Price? not sure as mine are DIY and using Icecap ballast and SRS reflectors, which put the price right off the normal scale...Can check with our sponsors - ATI lights sound good

Chiller: if using T5 I think you can get away without a chiller but better have contigency plans for it (space etc). Reckon on $1,500? - check with sponsors on their chiller - pretty good and reasonable. I am going DIY....if needed.

Skimmer: get the best you can afford.....either some bro's DIY product or some of the well known european and american brands. The new Macro needlewheel skimmers sound promising but not sure of real life performance - maybe Morgan can let us know

Sump: as large as you can fit in under the cabinet with space for TUBBY, kalk reactor. You probably don't need a calcium reactor unless you're keen on clams and SPS. IMO and after a false start, I think a sump designed AFTER getting the cabinet/stand would be better - you will then know the exact dimensions you can use!

Hope this helps....

[seamonkee]

Thanks brudders!

Talked to my fiancee... around $6000-$7000... that's the cap she set for me.. so should be ok...

marinebetta: kalk reactor and calcum reactor... are they different or the same?

Also, this will be the first time I am going into sump/refugium system so will probably need more advice from you all nearer to the date... especially piping....

Till date, I am impressed with tank maker Lim Han Teck, recommended by COokiemunster... anyone else who has uses his service and can pm me feedback? ... also can pm if you have any other good recommendations...

I want chenggai wood, George Fischer piping, Dow Corning Black silicon..... greedy greedy...

[seamonkee]

I will work on my spreadsheet budget and post it up later... maybe u guys can help by telling me what equipment I left out or those I dunno the pricing...

I realised also that a lot of reefers here get "sponsorship" support from wife & gf... hhmmppph... realise gals really like marine tanks and are willing to fork out the money...

Ask my fiancee for an electric guitar that cost around $2k and she nearly bite off my head and ask her for a 5 feet tank? She can say ok without batting an eyelid... Geez, the wonders of woman.... that's why got "Wonder Woman"...

She probably reckon I can't lug a 5 feet tank to pick up gals but I can do so with an electric guitar...

[terryansimon]

fish tank = unable to produce sound via amplifier.

guitar = able to produce nausea inducing sounds via a pedal which you'll probably get her to get as well.

I think my mum really regretted getting me the GT5. hahaha

[joachimsim]

How come SeamonKee,,,you keep asking finacee for sponsorship?

Wah, she so supply you with money all the time?

[ervine]

Wah your fiancee sponsor you one ah?? I WANT ALSO!!!

[ah^siao]

where u meet her one? got identical one not?

intro leh.. hahhaa.. i need some one to finance me too

[Tanggy]

Wish I can ask someone to sponsor me 7k for a new tank. Then can go all the way for a 6x2.5x2.5 Tank!!! With 3x400watt MH and a 1.5HP chiller (or get a multispit aircon compress and put outside), 150kg of live rocks etc..... drool.........

[KingFish]

Geez, the wonders of woman.... that's why got "Wonder Woman"...

... thats a good one

Do look in the thread AT pointed out, it should be helpful.

[seamonkee]

How come SeamonKee,,,you keep asking finacee for sponsorship?

Wah, she so supply you with money all the time?

Aiyah, it's just that she was caught up with the Nemo craze... that's why she so supportive of this hobby. I told her I want to go back to freshwater but she said over her dead body! ouch!

She dun give me $$$ all the time lah... dun get the wrong idea... but I am just amazed that she volunteer to cough up $6k for my marine tank so easily where else she gets a cheaper alternative of a $2k electric guitar to keep me happy... (even though I prefer to get the guitar rather than the tank in the first place)... gals' mind hard to fathom, man!...

terryansimon: nice tank setup u got there, gave me a lot of inspiration and ideas...

ahsiao & ervince: not surprise to see reefers here with supportive wife & gf... I seen a lot of cases here already... maybe it's a conspiracy by them to keep you busy at home attending to your tank rather than going out and see other chiobus...

[Wei]

Hi,

to use GF, its not cheap. Of course, that include all the valves, unions, etc. Not those impossible to maintain type of piping work.

Terryansimon will know. Not cheap.

Wei

[terryansimon]

Wei...

in this case I think he meant girlfriend and not george fischer. hahaha.

[seamonkee]

Wei...

in this case I think he meant girlfriend and not george fischer. hahaha.

Hahaha... that's a good one...

Anyway, when she was my gf, she not so supportive lah... but now getting married and moving to our new place. She specifically mentioned that she wants a nice marine tank as centrepiece... so we have to budget into our renovation cost also...

Terryansimon: how u get your george fischer? Got lobang?

[seamonkee]

Hi,

to use GF, its not cheap. Of course, that include all the valves, unions, etc. Not those impossible to maintain type of piping work.

Terryansimon will know. Not cheap.

Wei

To use gf, it's not cheap...

even if he's refering to girlfriend... in theory wise, quite true also lah...

To "use" gf, you must give her your whole life and 24hr attention then can "use"... hahaa...

[Tanggy]

To use gf, it's not cheap...

even if he's refering to girlfriend... in theory wise, quite true also lah...   

To "use" gf, you must give her your whole life and 24hr attention then can "use"... hahaa...   

But better to use GF then GF use you rite?? even more expensive!!! Especially those High CC ones!!!

[seamonkee]

But better to use GF then GF use you rite?? even more expensive!!! Especially those High CC ones!!!

HIgh CC?!? What's dat?

[terryansimon]

pervertted ole me says ###### size.

GF pipes arh? YOU REALLY WANT AH?!

[Benz...]

IMO pipes are pipes... GF may look nice and all that but the common Singa plastics one work as well... so can save a bit of cash there....

with your budget.. well you can easily get all the basic items needed... i spent almost 5k for me 4ft and now after three weeks am upgarding to a bigger tank... ahem.. only 5ft la...

my advise would be to get the important basic items like pump, PS, chiller and MH.. no matter what.. MH would always look nice than your tubes... as for your sump... decide on the type that you want... you can build your sump, tank and cabinet together... no probz but do enusre that you have everything sketch out on paper to yor rsatisfaction before commencing on the actual building of it.. remember... the planning part is very important... cos me motto is that " we dont plan to fail... but we often fail to plan...."

as for the type of equipments... u need to decide what sort of tank you wanna keep.. then from there you will be able to tell the sort of equipment that you need...

this is just me 2 cents worth.. you need help.. just holler lor...

[terryansimon]

seamonkee...

if you really REALLY want gf pipes, apart from the look cool factor, and if your wallet is deep enough, let me know. (=