aquascapist wrote:Thanks Partha.
Honestly, coming from the freshwater planted side to reef can be daunting. The upfront cost would obviously be getting the right equipment. Light has been the biggest expenditure for me followed by the protein skimmer. I already had a chiller running since my planted days as my tank is on the second floor and gets its fare amount of sun. I started with t5ho but quickly realised longterm it would turn out to be expensive as I would have to keep replacing the tubes every year. Actinic tubes can run steep. I tried making DIY LED bulbs but couldnt find suitable spectrum for reef available locally. Ultimately plunged into getting a comercial fixture from zetlight. Best investment so far. Tank remains cool and coral growth has been amazing.
My filtration setup is fairly simple. I rely heavily on skimmer for nutrient outtake. I'm also using large amount of live rock in display as well as sump to reduce nitrate and to some extent phosphate with the addition of vinegar. I also tried an algae scrubber for sometime with good results but it tends to be too messy so went back to vodka and vinegar dosing. I also run activated carbon to mitigate some of the toxins made by corals.
All in all I might have spent close to 50k including live rock and sand. These costs dont include fauna. I'm fairly sure that the costs can be brought down for a smaller tank as lighting needs and filtration needs go down. I also have less bioload in terms of fish but i do end up feeding my corals a lot.
The costs can be a bit heavy if invested in one go. I would advise to break it down.
P.S. If you do want to give it a shot, I have 6 t5 tubes lying with me for donation
Edit: Forgot to mention one of the most overlooked equipments being a R.O. unit. Ordinary tap water just wont cut for a reef tank.
thats a lot of money! but i guess totally worth it!
on cyclopeeze but so far unsuccessful.
but its stayed strong for the last 8 months. Other inhabitants include 2 percula clowns, 2 dartfish sp.(unidentified), one red fairy wrasse, 2 scarlet reef hermits and 1 red and 1 blue linckia star. My plans are to keep 4 of skunk cleaner shrimp, a small goby (any suggestions) and a pair of firefish.