how much ya got?

yup. that expensive, braugh.

How Much for a 10 Gallon Mini-Reef Clownfish Tank?
The cost to set up a simple 10g "Nemo and Friends" reef aquarium.+
http://0.tqn.com/d/saltaquarium/1/G/...0gnemo_598.JPG

By Stan & Debbie Hauter, About.com Guides
See More About:

setting up an aquarium
reef tanks
mini-reef aquariums

"Having a saltwater aquarium doesn't have to cost and arm and a leg."

This is a little 10 gallon tank we refer to as a "Nemo and Friends" aquarium. You don't have to go big to have a saltwater aquarium, and this small aquarium didn't cost much at all to set up.
Photo © Debbie and Stan Hauter
How much would it cost to set up a 10 gallon mini-reef tank with clownfishes? Of course product prices will vary, but the total estimated cost to buy all the items listed here for setting up what we like to call a simple 10g "Nemo and Friends" aquarium (see full photo view), about $273.00 to $348.00. These figures include reef lighting that will support soft corals.

Here's a breakdown on everything:

All-Glass Aquarium/Aqueon 10 gallon aquarium = $13.00 - 17.00

Aqueon 20 Power Filter = $20.00 - 28.00

All-Glass Aquarium 20" Incandescent Full Hood = $35.00 - 45.00

2 Coralife 18 watt 50/50 Mini-Compact Bulbs = $25.00 - 35.00

Hagen AquaClear 20 Powerhead = $22.00 - 28.00

Marineland Visi-Therm 50w Submersible Stealth Heater = $18.00 - 23.00

Thermometer = $2.00 - 3.00

Mag-Float 30 Magnetic Algae Cleaner = $6.00 - 9.00

20 lbs. CaribSea Arag-Alive Sand (Fiji Pink) = $25.00 - 31.00

3 small pieces (about 5 lbs.) Fiji Live Rock = $35.00 - 45.00

Instant Ocean Salt 10 Gallon = $6.00 - 8.00

Instant Ocean Hydrometer = $8.00 - 11.00

2 Tank-Raised Ocellaris/False Percula Clownfish = $35.00 - 50.00

1 Four Stripe Damsel = $5.00 - 8.00

2 Blue-Legged Hermit Crabs = $3.00 - 6.00

1 Astrea Snail = $2.00 - 4.00

1 large Mexican Turbo Snail = $3.00 - 5.00

Artifical Plants: 1 Aquarium Systems SeaGarden Caulerpa Vertcellata and 1 Dictyota Rossa, 1 Tetra Water Wonders 9" Corkscrew Val = $10.00 - 15.00

1 large natural sea shell (Not included in estimate due to such wide ranging prices.)

Total Estimated Set Up Cost = $273.00 - 348.00

(*Prices reflect comparison online to retail average cost of items in February 2009.)

First off the fish cost a lot more. And you have to be prepared for them to die, because like I said before, you can do everything by the book and they may still die. You need the proper lighting and proper filters, typically very expensive stuff.

It's mainly the maintenance. Needs to be cleaned very frequently and the PH balance needs to constantly monitored.

That's why I went w/ a freshwater community tank. I lost track of how much I've spent for my 55g, but it must be over $1000 by now.

Plus, w/ a freshwater, you can go w/ a planted tank. Here's a pic of mine...

Very cool tank.

If I ever owned one, I'd def go Freshwater.

Owning a Saltwater tank is more work than owning a dog...with much less satisfaction.

I'll second everything mentioned.

I've had all sorts of tanks for +35 yrs. Never salt due to the expense and a mostly overlooked fact the for every gal of water, freshwater will hold 4x the number of fish vs salt due to the oxygen available.

I want a busy, full of bright fish, low maintainance and low cost.



http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:A...9O5rAJAaoyc_bg


These are just a few quickly found.

And the options are endless: planted, cichlid tank (african/south american/rift lake), passive, aggressive, small/big fish, barb tank (great for small tanks), compatiblity issues...



http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish...e=18439&size=1


http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish...e=21224&size=1


http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/fish...php?file=21054

wow, that does sure look purdy (really).

i recently just shut my 55 gallon down after 15 years worth of use. even made it through 3 moves. ended up with a parrot fish that was a living debbil. and even he made it 5 years.
i'll start it up again, but i'm gonna move it to the the basement that's part of a finish plan, so probably in the next 5 years, too.

Thanks for the compliments, guys! We've had our 55g setup for almost 2 years. We also have a 5g planted freshwater in our bedroom that houses an African Dwarf Frog, 5 Red Cherry Shrimp, 3 Lyretail Guppies, and a shitload of Pond Snails.

holy crap

that are gonna die!!!

these cost $1-2

school of some of these

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/imag...etrazona_2.jpg

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/barbs/ruby-barb.jpg


http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/barbs/blue-danio.jpg

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/imag...n_innesi_1.jpg


toss in one of these

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/imag...ens_male_3.jpg


10 gal cost ~ $150 fresh water, active, colorful. And if a fish dies, go get another for a buck or two!!!

For all of you that are going to set up a tank and current tanks that you want to make EXTREMELY low maintainance.

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article64.html


Cliff note version:

Undergravel filter are highly efficient filters. The whole gravel bed is a filter. Pain to keep clean because the crap is being sucked down into the gravel, thus much vacuuming is needed. Also, large rocks can create dead spots and if the fish dig, creats "holes" in the filter.

A reverse flow undergravel filter forces water the opposite direction, upwards thru the gravel with the pre-filter on the power head gathering all the crap. Thus to clean the filters, just pop off the pre-filter, rinse it off, re-attach...and done!!

An OVER ENGINEERED reverse flow utilizes egg crate light diffusers. Those are the white with lil open square fluorescent light covers.

http://www.eplastics.com/core/media/...1d46d98&whence

Stack those with the blue/white filter media in between the diffusers. Cover the whole stack with nylon screen. Then cover with vineer of gravel for the fish to play with and for looks. The true filter bed is the layered media. Mine is stacked with 3 layers of media. In my 120g tank, that equals 18 square ft for bacteria sites to form.

In addition, I have the traditional hang on the back and canister filters.

Result = to maintain a 120g with 25 fish is ~30 min every 2 weeks:)

i believe your first photo is a variation of a black skirt. i've had a set of these guys that lasted 6-8 years. EXTREMELY low maintanance. and they're fun to watch, which is a necessity IMHO.

6-8 years is pretty good! You must have been doing something right or else you got lucky w/ the stock.

The 4th pic that was posted, Neon Tetras... I had a school of 9 and now I'm down to 2. They are beautiful, but not very hardy at all. I've heard that Cardinal Tetras are way better.

I have a nice school of 5-Harlequin Rasboras and 6-Silver Tip Tetras. Here are a few pics of my little guys...

actually, i had a set of 4 originally. then i added 6 more. lost 2 after about 3 years, but the others were extremely hardy.
those neons are a sweet fish. i never had much luck with them. but i've known people that had them repo at an insane rate. i think i had too many fish myself.

That's because it is. It's catering to the Johnson County crowd. People who want a pretty tank, but aren't really interested in the hobby.

Aquarium Wholesale in the Great Mall in Olathe has a ton of stuff. They also have a bunch of used tanks for a semi-reasonable price.

Midwest Reefs (north of 152 on N. Oak) is a good place for livestock. Steve will answer most questions you have, and is a nice guy.

Paradise on 119th & Metcalf is where I bought my first tank. I was in there a few weeks ago and he's really let his livestock go to crap. A lot of dead fish and the ones that were still in there were hanging by a thread.

My best piece of advice to you if you're just starting out: use craigslist. There are a ton of tanks out out there that people are just trying to unload because they want out. You can get them for a fraction of what you can in the store. I bought a 120 gal off there a few months ago, it's my latest project.

Good luck, it's an incredibly fun, challenging, and frustrating hobby at times. But I still have a blast with it.

Last coupla points.

#1 I plumbed a good sized pond pump with pvc to provide a circular current. At one end of the tank I put a pvc 45 degree angle just under the tanks surface. This shoots a garden hose type of water jet diaganoly down thru the right side of the tank. They love to go play in the current:) At the other end of the tank, there is a pipe above the surface parralell with the surface. The two flow in a clockwise motion around the tank. I've valved the 2 pipes so the major pressure goes to the 45 jet current. The above the surface one is a trickle dropping in to help with areating the water.

Besides the play current, (which is a hoot when a small fish goes thru it, it blastes them a foot down stream) is the pond pumps large pre-filter. Due to its' size, provides the best collector of tank crap. When combined with the 3 reverse flow pre-filers, is another reason the tank is so low maintainance.

#2 Buy an auto fish feeder. Not that expensive and nice to have. Thus Im not forced to make time to go feed the fish. They are always hungery, for entertainment purposes, I can choose to go "supplement" their diet. And of course when on vacation or gone on weekends.

#3 Use a light timer to auto turn on the lights. Another nice low maintainance item since the tank is down in the mancave.

When all put together...I dont have to do Jack, but watch them play.