I've done freshwater lots and now I'm curious to do a saltwater fish only setup. Does anyone have any idea what cost range I'm looking for a 125 gallon (before fish) to include the filter, protein skimmer, sump, stand, substrate, saltwater and all the rest of the neccesities. I'm not looking to go with a tricked out setup but I also don't want something that will barely get by or pull my hair out trying to maintain it. I looked around and it seems that it will cost around $2000-$3000. But I've never done saltwater so I really have nothing to judge the cost against. Hopefully someone out there will have recently set one up to compare against. Thanks.
starting a new 125 Salt tank
- Thread starter schoch79
- Start date
We've got one that we're working on that's about that size.
Tank, stand and sump for $300 -- used
Live rock will probably be $400
Skimmer probably $250
Lighting probably $500 (down the road, when it prepares to go to reef)
Powerheads probably $100
Total: $1550
Then, of course, there's livestock, sand, and various bits and pieces, like salt and probably an RO unit.
Many of these things can be done over time, so it's not necessarily something that needs to be bought all at once. For example, the tank came with lighting, but it won't be enough for corals/anemones, but it will be good enough for the first six months or a year until the tank is stable.
I think we saved a ton on the tank, but it takes careful watching and waiting on getting a good deal. I often see whole setups on Craigslist, etc.
Tank, stand and sump for $300 -- used
Live rock will probably be $400
Skimmer probably $250
Lighting probably $500 (down the road, when it prepares to go to reef)
Powerheads probably $100
Total: $1550
Then, of course, there's livestock, sand, and various bits and pieces, like salt and probably an RO unit.
Many of these things can be done over time, so it's not necessarily something that needs to be bought all at once. For example, the tank came with lighting, but it won't be enough for corals/anemones, but it will be good enough for the first six months or a year until the tank is stable.
I think we saved a ton on the tank, but it takes careful watching and waiting on getting a good deal. I often see whole setups on Craigslist, etc.
