Nano Reef - Cost Effective?

[JJ1234567]

I am writing this for one simple reason. Now that there is a seperate nano thread, people may come in here looking for advice without hitting the marine chit chat first.

I know from experience that often someone looking to set up a nano reef is thinking so for one of two reasons.
A) they dont have the space for a large tank
B) they dont have the money for a large tank, and think that a nano reef will be cheaper.


I am writting this thread to dispell the second reason. If the only reason you want to set up a nano tank is beacause of cost, then your about to be sorely dissapointed. After doing some number crunching I have discovered that my Nano cube (24gal DX, for sale btw) cost MORE for setup and upkeep than the tank I am currently assembling that is 65 gallons with two sumps. Let me explain.

NOTE: all these costs are what I paid, I tend to be a bargin shopper, so unless you have alot of patience expect to pay more on some things.


Cube set-up cost


Tank - 250$ + 24.99 SH
25 gallons water 15$
Salt Mix 20$
Refractometer 40$
150watt stealth heater 15$
40lbs live sand 45$
28lbs live rock @ 5.5/lb 154$
maxi-jet 1200 19$
powerstrip 10$
fan to help cool 8$
-----------------------------------------
total of 607$

downsides to this set up:

--small, requires frequent water changes
--really no place to put skimmer, while the hood is closed
--fuge area is small
--no real way to get a sump or whatnot without risking your exensive tank
--stock lighting is good, but does limit you as you grow in the hobby, and want to upgrade
--having the person that started your cube interest tell you his was cracking


upsides

--all in one unit
--sleek and stylish
--you can get a fuge, just not a big one
--nice tank dimensions


my new tank 65gal 36x18x24

tank 150$ (drilled for overflow w/3 returns +15)
plumbing 20$
384 watt orbit powercompact 200$
sump 10$ (plastic tub from wally world)
fuge tank 20$ (20gal long)
fuge light satalite PC 65w 50$
return pump rio 2100 30$
3x powerhead wavemaker system 75$
80lbs crushed argonite 50$
40lbs live rock @ 2.5 (uncured) 100$
stealth 300 watt heater 15$
stealth 50 watt heater 8$
-------------------------------------------------------
total 743$


for a difference of 136$ you get a bigger system, alot more light and freedom to add extras IE skimmers, calcium reactor, UV, sump to help buffer, etc.



so down to the nuts and bolts of it. A nano is for the most part, more work than a larger tank. Less water to buffer any mistakes. They experience temperature changes easier than larger tanks. And your not really saving alot of money over all.

that being said, if your going to start a nano reef, or even a nano fish only like my clown tanks; do it because you want the challange and the pride of mastering this artform. Dont do it because you think youll save money. Because in the end, the most expensive thing you put in your tank is the stock. The corals, inverts, and fish. A mistake that crashes your tank will cost you alot more than the measly 100$.

I hope this gives you something to think about. Read up on this before you start. Goto the Marine chit chat and check the posted thread, realm of knowaldge. Good books on there. OR check out Robert Fenners "the conceintous marine aquarist" or Kurtzs "Simple guide to Nano reef aquarium". It cannot be stressed enough that knowaldge is power. Make informed decisions and if you choose nano or larger, you will come out with a beautiful tank either way.

 

[parker313]

Excellent post! I gave up tallying the cost of my nano quite some time ago. It was getting too scary I have mine in an AGA 10 gallon so some of my costs are less, but in the end my tank is only half the size...

 

[yvez9]

i agress with you, save these points

the nano reef you put live rock and in the larger one you put base rock which is less than half the price, same goes for sand, live sand vs regular aragonite for half the price... all in all that's a 200$ difference if you go live sand all the way

plus for the nano, you bought a cube, i'm pretty sure if you would've bought everything seperate you could've saved a lot of money.

you didn't add the salt mix for the 65, which would be around 50$ nor the R/O water, which is probably another 30$

I still get your point it does get cheaper per gallon when you go for bigger tanks, but you must compare appels with apples, not oranges here...

All in all i'd say

so that's around 280$ more for the 65, on the top of the 136$ you calculated, so over 400$, which is 2/3 what you paid for the 25 gallon.... makes a huge difference in my mind!

 

[fish_keeper2]

I agree that its not much of a difference in price. i spent nearly 400 bucks to set up my 10 gal nano. i figrue about 120 bucks for my fish and cleaning crew(not bought all at once of course) and when im ready for corals im going to have to upgrade my lighting which the ballast ive been looking at cost 100 bucks plus the cheapest corals ive seen so far are really small ones at 20 bucks each. if this were a freshwater tank i could have set up 29gal at the same price )

 

[steelhealr]

Bingo. It's a common misconception that it is cheaper. I tell people that you will run up quite a large bar tab. Although some people have gotten the initial startup costs to about $400, the amount of time involved, lost livestock and small water volume require a large amount of upkeep.

But hey...this is the nano world and, why it IS a good reason to have a separate section. Although the science of keeping a marine tank is the same for a nano or mini reef, management techniques are very different.

Nano reefs are:
-small
- difficult to manage during startup
-can rapidly overtake larger tank costs despite cheap startup
-not maintenance free; they virtually require 5-10 minutes of work daily aside from weekly maintenance
-restrictive of what you can keep in your tank
-prone to a rapid crash if errors are made from lack of research and reading before startup

However, nano reefs ALSO are:
1) stunning
2) small
3) a labor of love
4) challenging at times
5) an answer to those who DON"T have room for a 75 gallon
6) very rewarding when you sit back and stare at a piece of the ocean floor for a job well done.

JMO.

SH
-

 

[Ethos]

Tank - 250$ + 24.99 SH

There are ways to cut costs considerably though. For instance, I already have a tank w/ light

25 gallons water 15$
Salt Mix 20$

Why not buy just the water you need, and buy Premixed?
Then buy alittle pack of SW mix, for futuer water changes.. You dont save much money here

40lbs live sand 45$

If you have LR, You dont need sand

28lbs live rock @ 5.5/lb 154$

Since most people are starting 10Gs, I dont think you need 28 lbs.
You need like..14 pounds was what i was told

powerstrip/fan to help cool 18$

So, for all the itams laying around the house already, I guess I saved alot of money.
Here's my total tallie up -
LR - $80
SW - $30.00(estimate)
Refractometer - $40
Odds and Ends - $50

Tallie Up - about $200
You can run a very basic setup for around $200.
That is, as long as you already have some of the needed aquitment.

 

[Opcn]

Ethos, Live sand helps cure live rock and sand does help produce lots O pod life.

 

[JJ1234567]

ok ok ok...I think a few of you missed the point and took my words a little too literally. If you have peices lying around the house, then yes you will save money. If you cut coners and use base rock (like I am in my 65) then you will save money. That wasnt the point. The point was that a person considering a nano reef should not come in here just because they think that it will be cheaper. You should not cut corners in regards to cost in this trade too often. I admit that a nano is cheaper! But purportionitly the larger the tank the cheaper it gets. It also has a larger buffering ability to cut down on what could be costly mistakes. I didnt say that you shouldnt start a nano, I was trying to get the point out that you should start a nano because you want a challange, or because you want something beautiful and unique. NOT because you want to go marine but cheap out.

 

[bunjiweb]

I dont get it when people go on about how its "not that much more expensive" to set up a big system compared to a small one. It's simply not true. Yes if you want to just count the costs of equipment it will be similar, but it depends what you class as "big". I wouldnt set up another marine tank unless it was AT LEAST 100gallons.

Fish, LiveRock & Corals are the main expence and the this is the only reason i wouldnt go for a bigger tank. I could spend thousands on corals and fish for a larger tank, yet with a smaller tank i am very much confined.

Yes, bigger tanks are cheaper "per-gallon" if you could possibly calculate that.... But i completly disagree with what seems to be a somewhat confused view...

Ben

 

[Clownfish11790]

Yes, I agree with bunjiweb. Although the intial set-up may be around the same price the coral will be extremelly expensive. Also it depends how big your tank is. The deeper it is the more intense lighting. Also with a big tank and intenst lighting you will need a chiller which can cost about 500 dollars. A nano cube over all is cheaper than a big setup.

 

[steelhealr]

Careful with the 'cheaper nano cube' quote. The starting price for one at my lfs at the time I purchased mine on Ebay was $300. That tank needs a lot of modifications if you want it to hum instead of chug...extra pump, fuge light, LR rubble, Hydor Flo return, surface skimmer modification. Not so cheap. SH