Set Up a Saltwater Aquarium

5 Ways to Save Money When Starting a Marine Aquarium

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  1. Avatar Tommy says:

    Is that a typo in section 2 where it says synthetic invertebrates?

    1. Avatar Jeff Kurtz says:

      He he! Yep! It’s supposed to be “photosynthetic” (although synthetic invertebrates certainly would be a lot easier to care for). Thanks for catching that, Tommy.

  2. Avatar Lisa Foster says:

    I will never purchase a used acrylic aquarium again. My Dad had one blow out the back panel, one of mine was bowing so badly I was advised to empty it because it was about to break, and another split a bottom seam. Especially beware acrylics stored anywhere that gets hot, like outdoors. Acrylic tanks and intense sun do not go well together.

    Glass, on the other hand, has held up every time, though I still check the seams thoroughly first and give it a leak test.

    My current tank is a used glass setup my Daddy got me for $2000 (a real shocker to me…he spent that much on me…though this was after I lost pretty much everything after my husband dumped me) and I LOVE IT. Pricing it out, the same setup new would have been in the ballpark of 4k-5k.

    My advice would be to buy the real setup you want, the first time. Upgrading basically forces you to buy a new setup, and you’ll never sell yours for what you paid.

    ALSO
    QUARANTINE EVERYTHING. One sick fish can cause the death of all the fish in your tank, and if you aren’t home to catch it in time the resulting ammonia may kill everything else.

  3. Avatar Chris says:

    Great post, thank you guys.
    Another tip is also to avoid supplements in the beginning. While some of them do have their uses, most of them are high-priced products with little effect.

  4. Avatar Al Ulrich says:

    This is a helpful post, thank you. Another way to keep costs down is to buy energy efficient pumps and powerheads to save money on electricity

    1. Avatar Jeff Kurtz says:

      Great point, Al! Anything that helps defray those ongoing (but unfortunately unavoidable) utility costs can make a major difference.

      Jeff

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