Mo' $$$$ Mo' Problems

Hello again,

Today I sat down and took a look at what this project is actually going to cost me. I didnt want to spend too much money but at the same time I need to make sure I get some quality equipment.

I called around and talked to the local fish stores to see what the prices and availability of live rock was. That was my first real check that this is not going to be a cheap hobby necessarily haha.

Liverock sells for ~$10/lb here with the cheapest price being ~$9/lb. I also found a local glass guy through my local fish forum who does some fantastic work. For roughly $2/gallon I could get a custom tank designed to my liking.

One thing I've learned about nano reef keeping is that it's a good idea to invest in your live rock and sand because it will act as a natural filter. It's important to have roughly one pound of live rock per gallon. The sand bed depth can vary but can be anywhere from 1-4" deep. I'm not sure how much of a sand bed I'm going to have so I've omitted them from my costs.

The following is a breakdown of my costs based on the previously mentioned numbers:

10 Gallon
Dimensions: 20x10x12"

Tank: ~20
Rock: 100

$120

15 Gallon
Dimensions: 24x12x12"

Tank: ~30
Rock: 135

$165

25 Gallon
Dimensions: 24x12x20"

Tank: ~50
Rock: 225

$275

As we can see, the price of a tank can rise quite drastically with a couple of gallons. I made the decision to go ahead with a 15 gallon tank for two reasons. First, every where I read about reef keeping I see the same statement "start as big as you can afford because you will want to upgrade". Second, a 15 gallon tank will provide more space for aquascaping and the opportunity to host more livestock.

I placed my order for a 15 gallon tank with the dimensions of 24"x12"x12" this past Friday and have since moved on to look at equipment.

Cheers!