Reef Discussion

V

'vspec'

Guest
Makes no difference, we stole bread for them at some point in the past and ended up here, the rest is history they say. :)
 

VaultBoy

Member
Jul 10, 2011
2,279
673
Gawler, S.A.
Makes no difference, we stole bread for them at some point in the past and ended up here, the rest is history they say. :)
I am not a descendant of criminals so speak for yourself 'vspec' proud to be the 6th generation of a setllers family. Dads family was on the first ship to settle is SA near Ceduna. Mums grandparents came from America sometime in the late 1800s.... So we are not all convicts damn it.[/rant]
 
V

'vspec'

Guest
Its far more civilised than my acronym thats for sure..lol
Back to her noobie thread shall we. We are filling it with junk talk :)
 

Koopa

Member
May 15, 2012
9
1
Adelaide
Wow this thread just got strangely off topic, haha. What a great read this has been for someone in the same boat, trying to work out which way to go, thanks guys.
 

chimaera

enjoy the little things
May 13, 2012
5,473
2,295
Sandringham
lighting will set you back 700-2000
as an example an illumagic 4 foot unit retails at M120 S/C/P $1,299.00
2xradeons is like 1500$?
maxspecs like 1600$ roughly
Why does she need advanced LED lighting? How about starting with something like this, surely plenty sufficient for softies. I have one that I plan on using for my display fuge (probably switching out the blue tub). $189
awww.reefoctopus.com.au_v2_images_store_Litemaster_2ft_TN.jpg



return pump 150-400 (can go cheaper although usualy use high power and noisy)
No reason for her to go above $150 in my opinion. $139.
athereefshop.com.au_images_Eheim_20compactPlus.png


skimmer 300-1500 (around 600-800 will get you a nice suitable skimmer)
Can get great skimmers for $100-300 - Bubble Magus (check eBay - expensive postage but you can get a NAC7 for $190 plus $50 postage) , Reef Octopus again.

salt 120 (700L of salt water)
Is NSW an option? At <$5 for 25L, it won't cost you much to get up and running.

RO unit 300-500 (necessity)
Which makes this not a necessity.

pumps. now you could get away doing this with 150$ worth of cheap pumps although i have allways had problems with cheap units.
a tunze setup for that size tank would be around 700-1000
Assume you mean wavemakers? 1x mp10 or 1x mp20 would be plenty surely? Or 3x Koralias. Or any number of other cheaper options.
.
I think some of you with big expensive systems forget that it is possible to run a fantastic mid-sized reef on a tight budget, and upgrade as you go and have the funds to do so.
 

VaultBoy

Member
Jul 10, 2011
2,279
673
Gawler, S.A.
chimaera I have to agree with most of what you have said... I have built my systems very cheaply (some might say ghetto!) and had reasonable success, however I would say if you are serious about reefing then an RO unit is a very high priority for a stable system (I may sound biased... PM me if you want a top quality RODI system for a very reasonable price!)

You can save money by collecting your own natural sea water and can compensate for a lesser quality skimmer with frequent water changes. This is obviously more labour intensive but certainly cheaper.

Also I would really recommed at least cheap LED lights as opposed to T5 or halides as they are cheaper long term and the decent chinese fixtures are pretty good bang for buck.
 

MTG

Moderator
Jul 10, 2011
10,664
2,149
Gold Coast
I am Mainly giving these recommendations on the fact that I and alot of people i know have wasted thousands and thousands of dollars on getting the incorrect equipment,
do it once
do it right the first time :)
constantly changing things on the tank causes issues, i have noticed this with all my systems the smallest change like a lighting change can cause dramas.
as for the RO unit. you still need RO water for top ups of evap.
one mp10 would no way near cut it. i have one on my 100L tank and i wouldn't put one on anything bigger then 150L,
hydors are a good cheaper alternative still has the quality without costing a fortune if you go 240v rather then DC
as for lighting halides or t5 is fine but after 2 years of bulb replacement you could have bought another LED unit. not to mention the power saving. i still love a nice 400W MH but the power..... no thanks.
onto return pumps,
its the heart of the tank, if it dies while your out everything is offline, including heater chiller, dosing pumps, ro topup , GFO, skimmer etc. if this pump dies while you are away for a few days you are ....... its worth the money to pay for quality for something that is so highly depended on.
 

newbiereef

Member
Nov 8, 2011
874
154
gracemere
return laguan mines second hand and runs a charm best 100 bucks i have spent lil hermit was not overly happy the other day slight headache
 

allira

Member
Jan 7, 2012
30
3
Lennox Head
I think some of you with big expensive systems forget that it is possible to run a fantastic mid-sized reef on a tight budget, and upgrade as you go and have the funds to do so.
Thanks for all of that, it's that sort of information that I was really looking for. Basically the cheapest (but not worst quality) way to go would be the best for me, considering I'm still at school and don't have a lot of cash. I'd much prefer to just upgrade when I can afford it.

On the topic of RO, I get my water from the ocean. If/whenever I set up my 4ft I would be doing the same because I think natural is the best way to go. I am happy to do 50L water changes every week - not only good exercise but I live right next to the ocean anyway so it's convenient.

At the current time, I'm not going to be upgrading at least until the end half of the year. I've had a bit of a think and an intense arragement of funding and it's just not possible to do so safely, ensuring I don't kill everything, while I convert my tanks. I want to do it right.

I am Mainly giving these recommendations on the fact that I and alot of people i know have wasted thousands and thousands of dollars on getting the incorrect equipment,
do it once
do it right the first time :)
constantly changing things on the tank causes issues, i have noticed this with all my systems the smallest change like a lighting change can cause dramas.
I fully understand and respect what you're saying. It must be so frustrating for you to see so many people just waste time and money and kill their system by doing it impatiently and incorrectly. Which is why I have chosen to save up and wait a while. As much as I think you're incredibly wise with the products you've referred to me, some are fairly overpriced and after reading through a lot of peoples builds, sometimes the best isn't always the best choice for everyone. But you have been a really great help, so thanks a lot!!

You've all been so immensely helpful and I cannot thank you enough. I really do hope other newbies can read through this and gain enough knowledge as I have.
 

chimaera

enjoy the little things
May 13, 2012
5,473
2,295
Sandringham
Sounds sensible! With your water, remember you will need some RO for topups, but you can pick that up pretty cheaply from an LFS (or at least you can here, $2 for 25L).
 

newbiereef

Member
Nov 8, 2011
874
154
gracemere
Thanks for all of that, it's that sort of information that I was really looking for. Basically the cheapest (but not worst quality) way to go would be the best for me, considering I'm still at school and don't have a lot of cash. I'd much prefer to just upgrade when I can afford it.

On the topic of RO, I get my water from the ocean. If/whenever I set up my 4ft I would be doing the same because I think natural is the best way to go. I am happy to do 50L water changes every week - not only good exercise but I live right next to the ocean anyway so it's convenient.

At the current time, I'm not going to be upgrading at least until the end half of the year. I've had a bit of a think and an intense arragement of funding and it's just not possible to do so safely, ensuring I don't kill everything, while I convert my tanks. I want to do it right.


I fully understand and respect what you're saying. It must be so frustrating for you to see so many people just waste time and money and kill their system by doing it impatiently and incorrectly. Which is why I have chosen to save up and wait a while. As much as I think you're incredibly wise with the products you've referred to me, some are fairly overpriced and after reading through a lot of peoples builds, sometimes the best isn't always the best choice for everyone. But you have been a really great help, so thanks a lot!!

You've all been so immensely helpful and I cannot thank you enough. I really do hope other newbies can read through this and gain enough knowledge as I have.
:worship not often you get a wrap like that is it folks welcome to the world of reefing.

shop around for equipment talk to other reefers use ebay. i have picked up most of my gear from other forum members seconf\d hand for a steal. even bought my skimmer (berlin x2 red sea ) from the uk on ebay. some times you can get top name gear from people whom are getting out of the hobby or have upgraded