List of EVERYTHING for a 75 gallon reef tank.

[Sir Alex]

Is this everything I'll need for my 75 gallon tank except corals, salt, and food? Everything is written in the order that I'll be ordering it and if there isn't a space between the lines it's because the items are from the same order.

75 gallon tank with overflow, cabinet stand, sump, and return pump - $400 + $50 shipping

RO/DI filter - $138

150 Pounds Key Largo Dry Rock - $319
160 Pounds (not going to use it all) Bahama Argonite Dry Sand - $109

Reef Octopus Extreme xs-160 - $299.99

3X Sicce Voyager 4 Powerhead - $253

Odyssea 48" metal hallide light - $239

Fish Acclimation Kit - $2.99
Aquarium Background 48" x 30" (black) - $21.99
MarineLand 300W Heater $26.99
2X VeggieMag - $29.98

Cleaner Crew from Reefcleaners.org - don't know how much it's going to cost. Anyone know?

Coral rx (8oz.) - $17.99

Diamond Watchman Goby - $23.99 + $34.99 shipping
2X Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp (medium) - $39.98
Brittle Sea Star, Fancy - $15.99
Porcelain Crab - $19.99

Tail Spot Blenny - $18.99 + 34.99 shipping
Blue Tuxedo Urchin (medium) $14.99

Foxface Lo (small) - $27.99 + 34.99 shipping
3X Hawaiian Feather Duster - $38.97

Six Line Wrasse - 14.99 + 34.99 shipping
Derasa Clam, 2 to 3 inches - $49.99

Kole Tang (small) - $29.99 + $34.99 shipping

2X Tank-Bred Occelaris Clownfish (small) - $29.98 + $34.99 shipping

Bubble Tip Anemone (medium) - $18.99 + $34.99 shipping

Total: $2,202.79 + $294.93 shipping:sad::cry::sad::cry:


I'd like to be able to bring the cost down a bit...

 

[SeaBee]

God, Can't you save some money on the shipping? That looks like half your cost.

 

[Sir Alex]

You should have seen it before I found the rocks with free shipping, it was like $500 shipping total. If only there was something local... I was at petco recently and they had fish for the same price as on liveaquaria (or cheaper) without the $35 shipping. But I've heard not to buy fish from petco...

 

[little_fish]

Seriously, you can get your powerheads cheaper than that. Also, look local! buy used! It will save you a ton of money.

 

[BL1]

There has to be an actual LFS close to you, even a 30 min drive would save you money on shipping. You don't need to buy that background either, just spend $5 on spray paint.

 

[little_fish]

You are making this waaaaay more expensive than it needs to be

 

[Sir Alex]

You are making this waaaaay more expensive than it needs to be

Thank god!!! My father's telling me that it's going to cost thousands of dollars and it's not going to work and that it's a waste of money (even though it's mine).:grumble:

About the local fish store... I have one that has about 10 fish, 20 cc sea stars, several snails and hermit crabs, a cleaner shrimp, and a couple of dead lizards (kinda joke)... I also have a petco near by but I've heard that they have really unhealthy fish. There are several large fish stores over an hour away but I've read some really bad reviews about them. There's one HUGE one that from what I've heard is full of diseased fish. All the others have crazy employees and owners...:grumble:

 

[Bifferwine]

Yeah, skip the background and paint the back of the tank instead. You can get a can of black spray paint for $2.

That livestock shipping is insane. Shop at your LFS instead for livestock. Dry goods are usually cheaper online, even when shipping is factored in.

You sure you want to spend that much on 3 powerheads?? :)

 

[Sir Alex]

It's better then spending $500 dollars per powerhead on one of those vortechs or what ever they're called... About petco, do you think it would be a mistake to buy fish from them?

 

[SeaBee]

Fish acclimation kit? Its an air line with a small air valve in it.

We use just an air line with a knot tied loosely in it. That should save you 2.99!

You sure dont need a anenome fo like a year....

Two veggie mags?

Get a titanium heater, similar cost and way better, and the marineland I had had to be adjusted constantly, until I removed it and now thats used for water changes.

And I dont know how deep of a sandbed you want, but I bet you could cut that in half....

 

[little_fish]

Also, you should go to those stores and talk to the employees and form your own opinion about the store. If 20 people go into a store, the one person had a bad experience is going to much more vocal about it then the 19 people who had a good experience. Those people's experience are not the whole picture. Go there and form you own opinions.

 

[SeaBee]

It's better then spending $500 dollars per powerhead on one of those vortechs or what ever they're called... About petco, do you think it would be a mistake to buy fish from them?

I would consider it like a rescue mission to save those poor fish.....

I think the advice at Petco is what you need to be careful of.

 

[Sir Alex]

Fish acclimation kit? Its an air line with a small air valve in it.

We use just an air line with a knot tied loosely in it. That should save you 2.99!

I don't have a thin air line tube, it would probably cost me just as much to buy just a regular one.

You sure dont need a anenome fo like a year....

Yah, but I want to have one eventually

Two veggie mags?

I didn't want them to fight over one. I guess I only need one?

Get a titanium heater, similar cost and way better, and the marineland I had had to be adjusted constantly, until I removed it and now thats used for water changes.

Okay...

And I dont know how deep of a sandbed you want, but I bet you could cut that in half....

What do you suggest? My father said that the about 1/4" sand bed in my 110 cost like $80 from the LFS.

 

[Sir Alex]

Also, you should go to those stores and talk to the employees and form your own opinion about the store. If 20 people go into a store, the one person had a bad experience is going to much more vocal about it then the 19 people who had a good experience. Those people's experience are not the whole picture. Go there and form you own opinions.

Well...

 

[Sir Alex]

I would consider it like a rescue mission to save those poor fish.....

I think the advice at Petco is what you need to be careful of.

Well, I don't want to buy fish with cyanide poisoning...

 

[BL1]

75 pounds of sand should be about 1" deep. And you should be able to buy it cheaper from petco, I bought my sand from petsmart.

 

[Bifferwine]

Get Koralia powerheads instead. They are like $30 or $40 apiece I think. That will cut that cost by a large amount.

I agree with BL1 -- get the sand at Petco and Petsmart.

It's rare to see a fish with cyanide poisoning and every Petco is different. In my city, there are a couple that I will shop at, and I have several fish from there that have been fine for years. Different employees will take care of their stores differently. Sometimes you get a Petco "Aquatic Specialist" that actually knows something about fish, and the fish aren't always in bad shape.

I'd rather give a fish from Petco a shot than pay 3 times the value of the fish in shipping!

 

[little_fish]

Alex, very few fish now are caught with cyanide poisoning. And you are very concerned about it, take the time to look up the symptoms and avoid those fish.

Why do you instantly dismiss these stores? You know nothing about the situation that caused those people to post those reviews. Take those reviews as a guide and go check them out for yourself and form your own educated opinion.

 

[SeaBee]

I dont know Biff, I paid $62 for a Koralia 1050 last week, LFS price. But you need to support your LFS or they wont be there for long....once you find a good one.

 

[Bifferwine]

The Evos start at $45 online. The 1050 cost $55 online, so you didn't pay that much more, SeaBee. I shop at my LFS for most things, but my LFS's mark up on dry goods is so insane that I just can't patronize them for those sorts of products. My LFS charges $12 to $15 a pound for completely dead "live rock" and the bulbs they sell are more than twice the price what I would pay online.

Water Pumps & Wavemakers: Hydor Koralia Evolution