So you’re thinking about setting up your first tank, huh? Weellllll welcome to the party! While it’s not terribly difficult to do, it can be challenging to do CORRECTLY. Strap in and follow along, and we’ll get through this together.

How Much $

This is an important question. Obviously, it is impossible to quantify it, but a good estimate is $1000 to get up and running. You can bring this down a bit by going with used gear, and you can buy some of this stuff piecemeal to make it a little less of a hit all at once. After tank, stand, rock, sand, heater, lights, etc, you’ll be looking at $1000 or so.

You can easily go over $1000 by going with a bigger tank, which then requires more lights, bigger pumps, a sump, more and larger powerheads, etc.

Tank Size

Tank size depends largely on how much money you want to spend, and how much space you have. Smaller is not always better, and in the reef-keeping hobby, that is the case. A small tank means a small amount of water. Small mistakes can become big mistakes very quickly without any additional water buffer. I would recommend starting with roughly a 30g tank to get started. It is small enough to be affordable, but big enough to hold a few fish and some cool corals.

Tank Choice

There are so many different types of tanks to choose. What DOoOOOoOoOO?! It’s important to remember that if you go too big, too small, or too complex, there is a great chance that you will fail, not have fun, and get out of the hobby. Below are some of my recommendations with explanations.

A reef tank needs a few things to be successful:

  • A place to look at your fish (display area)
  • Some sort of filtration
  • Lighting suitable for a reef tank
  • A heater
  • A stand
  • Some way to generate flow

My recommendation for your first tank (or your 10th in most cases) is an ‘all-in-one’ (AIO) system. An AIO system can contain almost everything you need in a single purchase (with a few exceptions).

There are two great AIO systems that include the tank, filtration, great lighting, and for an extra cost a stand.

CoraLife BioCube

BioCube Coralife Size 32 LED Aquarium Reef Package (with New Improved Stand)

The CoraLife BioCube is a 32 gallon ‘nano tank’ that you can buy in a kit (link above to amazon). The kit comes with the tank (which includes lighting and basic filtration), protein skimmer, glass cleaner, hydrometer, and a tank stand. All of that for ~$640!

Check it out on Amazon (~$640): https://amzn.to/3vwLzdb

You will still need a heater, rock, sand, as well as fresh and saltwater (we’ll talk about these later on this page).

JBJ Nano-Cube WiFi

Another awesome and very similar (but more expensive) option is the JBJ 28G Nano-Cube WiFi  (MT-604).

Similar in size (both footprint and capacity), the JBJ nano-cube offers more or less the same features as the above CoraLife BioCube. The only difference is that you’ll have a harder time finding it as a combo package, and it tends to cost a little more, coming in at around $500 for just the tank.

Check it out at Petco: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/jbj-nano-cube-wifi-with-40w-led

Just as with the CoraLife, you will need a heater, rock, sand, as well as fresh and saltwater (we’ll talk about these later on this page). Additionally, this does not come with a protein skimmer (while the Coralife does). A skimmer isn’t necessary, but it is a ‘nice to have’.

Unlike the CoraLife, you will need a stand that is capable of supporting ~400lbs (an additional $150-$200).

Heater

I don’t care what climate in which you live. Unless you live in an active volcano, you will need a heater. For a smaller tank like those listed above, a 100w heater will do the job well (unless you like to keep your house super cold, then you might want to look at upgrading to a 150w).

Cobalt Aquatics Neo-Therm Pro

Cobalt makes a good-looking, quality, easy to use heater, that would fit well in any tank. A lot of great reviews and good history with this one. You can’t go wrong here, though it is the more expensive of the two.

Check it out on Amazon (~$80): https://amzn.to/3HvfK73

EHEIM Jager

This is a much more common option. Not necessarily because it’s better, but because it’s cheaper. It’ll get the job done, and you can find replacements at your local pet smart/petco if it craps out on you.

Personally, I’d rather buy both. Use the Cobalt as your primary, and have this as a backup in case the Cobalt fails (Note: ALL heaters WILL fail eventually. EVERYTHING in your tank will fail eventually. It’s about mitigation.).

Check it out on Amazon (~$30): https://amzn.to/3vyInxx

(Optional but recommended) Temperature Controller

Heaters work until they don’t. It’s a great idea to spend a few extra dollars to protect your thousand-dollar (and hundreds of hours) investment. A temp controller like the Inkbird ITC-308 has a port for your heater, cooler, and temperature probe. When heaters fail, they will often fail on and burn up your tank. This device will automatically kill power to the heater if it goes above the set value. It can also control a fan/chiller to cool your tank if you live in a hot area where you need to run a fan/chiller. Spend the $35 bucks and save yourself the heartache.

Check it out on Amazon (~$35): https://amzn.to/3tllR8J

Sand and Rock

So, you’ve got your tank, you’ve got your stand, you’ve got a heater, and you’re ready to get some water in this beast. Before you do that, let’s talk about your sand and rock.

Sand and rock are not only important for aesthetic purposes, but they also serve as filtration and fish habitat. You’re trying to build a habitat for your wildlife (that likely includes corals) and it is EXTREMELY important that their needs are met. Fish need a place to hide, a place to exercise, a place to rest, and a place of their own to feel safe. If you don’t consider this while building your tank, your fish could become aggressive or stressed, and potentially die.

Rock

The rock work in your tank will serve a few purposes. It will act as a biological filter for waste, as the place your fish hide/sleep, and where you attach your corals.

You’ve got a couple choices when it comes to rock. Live rock and dry rock.

Whichever you choose, I recommend purchasing this from your local fish store, or a local reefer group. Rock is expensive to ship. Why would you ship actual rocks?

Live Rock

Live rock is rock that has already been cycled and upon which friendly bacteria is already living. In the past, people would get live rock directly from the ocean, but that is getting harder and harder these days (and I don’t recommend doing so. Leave the ocean alone.). Now, you can often buy live rock from your local fish store or your local reefers group. This live rock is rock that they have cycled themselves (normally starting out as dry rock).

The benefits of going with live rock are that your tank is more or less cycled day one, and you can start adding fish or corals.

The downside would be that you have no idea in which conditions that rock was cycled and you could be introducing harmful or difficult pests/critters/plants into your tank by adding it. It also tends to be more expensive ($6-$8/lb).

Dry Rock

Dry rock comes in many forms, shapes, sizes, and colors. The one thing that holds true with all of them is that it is, in fact, dry. This is rock that needs to be cycled and will often lack all color.

The benefits are that dry rock is cheaper (usually $2-$4/lb), it will not contain pests (if you pre-treat it properly), and it is easy to work with.

The downsides would be that it takes about 30 days to properly cycle a tank and your rocks, and that it will take a few months for your rocks to color up.

How much rock should I buy?

This is where your LFS really comes in handy. They will often have a small area where you can actually lay out (in tap) the base of your aquarium, and then grab rocks that they have and build yourself a little aquascape. Once you have roughed something out, you will know how much rock to buy.

If you happen to live in the boonies and don’t have access to an LFS, the general rule of thumb is to buy 1lb/gallon of tank. If you have a 30g tank, buy 30lb of dry rock (a bit more if live because live will be shipped wet, making it super expensive to ship).

Sand

Sand also has its pros and cons.

Adding sand will make your tank look more like a natural reef and act as home to beneficial bacteria and cool critters, but, it can also hide waste if not properly cared for.

I personally like to have sand in my tanks, and the type of sand you add is really up to you! It depends on the color you like and the type of tank you want.

This is another purchase that I would recommend making from your LFS as it is shipped in 10-20lb bags and I think shipping rock is just silly (unless you have Amazon Prime shipping). That being said, the amount you’ll need depends on your aquascape. I would recommend having no more than 1″ of sand in your tank. It will shift around a bit as your powerheads and critters do their thing, but any more than 1″ to start off with will start to become a waste collector and can get out of hand.

I’d start with 20lbs and then add more if necessary after that.

Nature’s Ocean Bio-Activ Live Aragonite Reef Sand 20 lb $20 on Amazon
Caribsea Arag-Alive Fiji Aquarium Sand, 10-Pound $23 on Amazon

Water and Water Testing

Ok great, so now your tank is set up, but I’m pretty sure your fish would be pissed if you added them without any water, or without testing your water!

Jugs and Containers

First, you need something in which to keep and transport your water. My recommendation is to have 1 jug for saltwater, 1 jug for freshwater, and 1 WHITE bucket for tank cleaning.

These are the jugs that everyone uses. They’re solid, they’re 5g, and they’ll likely last you forever. Buy 2 of these.

Check them out on Amazon (~$20): https://amzn.to/3vyuVKk

Next is the ever-exciting white 5-gallon bucket. This will be used when you do water changes. It is important that it is white for reasons that will be explained in the tank maintenance section later. If you can find one locally cheaper, go for it. Just make sure it’s white, and 5 gallons.

Check it out on Amazon (~$25): https://amzn.to/3MklB2o

Saltwater

This is a saltwater reef tank, it stands to reason that you’ll need saltwater. Because this is likely your first tank, I’d recommend buying your saltwater from your LFS. It’s not expensive (usually <$5 to fill a 5gal jug), it’s easy, and you’ll probably be at the LFS anyways buying fish, corals, or food.

Most LFSs will allow you to borrow a bunch of jugs for your first tank fill-up. This will save you from having to buy a bunch of jugs. Ask them nicely and I’m sure they’ll help you out.

Freshwater

“But WhatDo guy, this is a saltwater tank, why do I need freshwater?#!@#!”.

When saltwater evaporates, the water itself turns to a gas, but the salt remains in the tank. When you top off your water, you need to top off with freshwater to ensure your tank maintains a constant salinity (salt to water ratio). You can also purchase this from your LFS. Just make sure you keep your salt and freshwater jugs separate and labeled.

Making your own fresh/saltwater

This is of course an option, however, I would recommend holding off on this for now. I will do another section on RODI systems and making your own water at another time.

For now, recognize that buying salt, and a quality RODI system is fairly expensive ($100+/bucket of good salt, but $350+ for a good RODI system), and unless you live a million miles away from an LFS, for a tank of this size, it is unnecessary.

Tap water?

No. I don’t care what people say, do not use tap water for your reef tank. This isn’t a goldfish tank. These are delicate, expensive creatures (and corals). Your tap water has a TON of chemicals and will always cause issues like algae or just straight up kill your livestock.

If someone tells you that it’s ok to use tap water for your reef tank, stop talking to that person. They hate you and want to kill your fish or cause you a ton of trouble.

Water Testing and Equipment

Understanding your water is super important in a reef tank. Making sure the parameters are where they should be is key to keeping your livestock and corals alive. In order to do so, you need the correct equipment.

Salinity

The CoraLife Biocube combo above comes with a hydrometer, but it is a relatively rudimentary tool and can often be inaccurate. I never recommend those.

The cheapest tool I’d recommend is a refractometer. It is fairly simple and relatively accurate, though can be difficult to get a super accurate reading. Either way, much better than a hydrometer.

Check it out on Amazon (~$20): https://amzn.to/3MlpvIG

A better option would be the Hanna Salinity Tester HI98319. It is digital, and when calibrated can give you extremely accurate, extremely fast readings. You will spend more on it initially, but in the long run, you’ll save time and hassle.

Check it out on Amazon (~$75): https://amzn.to/346ngrc

All Other Parameters

Nearly all other important parameters can be covered by a reef test kit. Like salinity, you can go analog or digital.

The standard test kit is the “API Marine Reef Master Test Kit”. It covers nearly all of the stuff you want to test as a beginner, it’s simple, and it’s cheap.

Check it out on Amazon (~$35): https://amzn.to/3ICox8D

The baller option is the Hanna Reef Professional Checker Kit. This kit comes with the above salinity tester, as well as testers for MOST of the other things you’ll want to test (alkalinity, calcium, phosphate). It does lack a tester for PH which you will have to buy separately.

Hanna Instruments HIREEF Reef Professional Checker Kit V2 (~$265): https://amzn.to/3vx4tAF
Hanna PH Checker (~$55): https://amzn.to/346ogLY

Cleaning and Maintenance

The final pieces to the equipment puzzle are cleaning and maintenance supplies. These tools aren’t terribly expensive, but they are important.

Cleaning the Glass

While a flat razor blade does the job just fine, it is inconvenient as you have to have your arm in the tank, which should be avoided when possible. A good way to keep your glass clean without sticking your arm in the tank is with a magfloat. One piece goes in the tank, the other goes outside the tank, and they ‘connect’ via magnet, allowing you to scrub the inside of your glass.

Mag-Float-30 Small Glass Aquarium (~$20): https://amzn.to/3hvDs8n

Cleaning the Sand

Waste (undigested food, poop, etc) will settle in the sand and in the back chambers of your tank. You need a way to clean that out. You /could/ just get a section of 1/2″ or 3/4″ ID hose from your local home good store and it would work just fine, but I would recommend one of these instead.

Python Pro-Clean Gravel Washer Siphon Kit (~$14): https://amzn.to/3szKTSm

Cleaning the Rock

A turkey baster. That’s all. Nothing fancy.

Turkey Baster (~$5): https://amzn.to/3szXFQM

Assorted Accessories

Power Strip

You’ll likely need a power strip into which to plug everything.

Power Strip (~$30): https://amzn.to/35tQ8dw

Powerheads

Depending on your rock layout and flow, you might want a powerhead to create additional flow in your tank. I really recommend the Jebao MLW. It isn’t a big name brand, but it performs really well and costs less than half that of the big name brands.

Jebao MLW Smart Wave Maker (~$105): https://amzn.to/3sAVc8V

Outlet Timers

If you happen to have equipment you want to power on and off at certain times, these outlet timers are super simple and work great.

N-LINK Mini 24-Hour Mechanical Outlet Timer 2-Pack (~$12): https://amzn.to/35GtPkI

Grand Total

Let’s get out a napkin and add all this up.

  • Tank & stand (Coralife Biocube) – $640
  • Heater (Cobalt) – $80
  • Temp Controller (Inkbird) – $35
  • Dry Rock (30lb @ $2/lb) – $60
  • Sand (20lb) – $20
  • Jugs and Buckets – $65
  • Saltwater (30g @ $5/5gal jug) – $30
  • Freshwater (5g @ $2/5gal jug) – $2
  • Testing Supplies – $55
  • Cleaning Supplies – $40
  • Power Strip – $30

All in all, with the good heater, the optional temp controller, more dry rock than necessary, and everything else, that comes to $1,057. Not bad for everything you need to get started, huh?

You can save money by making friends with your LFS, and joining your local reefing clubs/groups. A lot of times people will offload used equipment for cheap. Keep your eyes out for a deal and you could get lucky, getting all this stuff for <$500.