New to this- need some advise please

[Michael78]

Hi All.

I'm new to this and want to buy my first tank and live stock. Any advise where to start? I went to a large distributor based in Midrand and while their range is amazing i found the prices a bit out of my budget.

any advise?

thank you.

 

[madmatt]

Have a look @Aquaria-SA they have tanks from nanos and all the way up to 3m monster.
Pumps,skimmer,lights,tank plumbing.

 

[noobsw]

What is your Budget on just a tank (with sump), Sand, live rock, salt, RO water to start the tank? You can start your tank of simple, let it cycle for a while before purchasing any livestock, you can therefore spread the initial amount you will spend over a few months.

 

[trad]

I'd say look in the for sale thread and pick up something second hand if you have a really tight budget. But really it comes down to your budget, you can spend ANYTHING even on a small tank you can easily spend more than R10k

Think about month costs / water changes etc. A really big tank can look empty with only 2-3 fish so even setup can cost a lot to stock. but a small tank can limit you initially. IMO start a little smaller and get good equipment.

 

[Michael78]

What is your Budget on just a tank (with sump), Sand, live rock, salt, RO water to start the tank? You can start your tank of simple, let it cycle for a while before purchasing any livestock, you can therefore spread the initial amount you will spend over a few months.

I'm looking at around R10-R14K all in (live rock but not live stock) I'd like a tank around 1m. Not sure if I'm being very optimistic or not.

 

[Michael78]

I'd say look in the for sale thread and pick up something second hand if you have a really tight budget. But really it comes down to your budget, you can spend ANYTHING even on a small tank you can easily spend more than R10k

Think about month costs / water changes etc. A really big tank can look empty with only 2-3 fish so even setup can cost a lot to stock. but a small tank can limit you initially. IMO start a little smaller and get good equipment.

Thanks for the advise. I'm considering going a bit smaller to start but also thinking maybe i buy the size i want from the start cos in the long run that will save me some money.

I will look on the for sale thread and see whats out there before buying new, even if its just the tank. Then i can buy the equipment new

 

[trad]

thinking maybe i buy the size i want from the start cos in the long run that will save me some money.

yeah buy it in pieces and if you patient you can save 50% or more if you pick it all up second hand.

I'm just enjoying my small tank at the moment because it's easier to maintain than the giants I've had in the past and everything is relatively cheaper because of the size of the tank (skimmer, heater, lights etc)

 

[Dexter]

Look in the sponsor section for @Secondwave. I'm sure Rick will sort you out quick quick without breaking the bank.

 

[trad]

More than enough budget if you got 2nd hand get a nice 4ft with overflow and sump