I got into keeping aquariums very early on in my life! I’ve kept some sort of fish tank for as long as I can remember. But I didn’t get into keeping salt water until I was an adult, and as soon as I did, I knew they needed to be reefed up!
It took some serious trial and error, usually related to equipment issues. Since I don’t usually have much of a budget to work with, I traded into many of the tanks that I’ve owned, including the one I have today!
I want to share what I’ve learned along the way so that your first saltwater aquarium can be cheap but just as beautiful as the ones you see on the gram.
Keep reading below for my advice!
About My Current Budget Tank
You probably don’t know me, and you’ve most likely never seen my tank, so I don’t expect you to take my advice because I’m on the internet and said you should. So here is more info on what I currently have going on. You can decide for yourself if you want to listen to my reef tank advice or not!
I currently have this 60-gallon tank and stand, which I purchased at full price. However, the money I used to buy it came from selling a 200-gallon Red Sea Reefer (tank only) I got for helping someone else move. It cost me nothing but my time! It just wouldn’t fit in my house if I wanted my wife to stay living here.
The two AI Primes, the canister filter, and most of the rock and coral came from trades I’ve made over the years.
However, I did purchase all but two of the fish and the two wavemakers in the tank. If I had any patience, I could have had this entire setup for free. But I’m not going to say you need to do that for a budget saltwater aquarium.
Now, how can you create beautiful reef tanks without breaking the bank? Let’s get into it!
Hit Up Your Local Fish Store For A Tank And Stand (Maybe)
Really quick, before talking tanks, consider how many fish and what type of fish you want before you begin purchasing anything. This will determine what tank sizes you should be looking for.
There are a few ways you can get an inexpensive tank, I’ll start with the fastest and work my way down to the free-est. Then I’ll get to stand options.
The Dollar Per Gallon Sale
I don’t even know if they still call it this, but many fish stores have sales similar to it for glass tanks. If you can get a tank for a dollar per gallon, you’re off to a good start. But even if you can’t, shopping sales is always better than paying full store markup.
20-long aquariums make great tanks and are super cheap. My first saltwater was a 20-long! But even up to the 75-gallon isn’t terribly expensive.
Marketplace, Craigslist, And Similar Places
If you are willing to watch for a deal, you can find one (very rarely) on sales platforms like Facebook Marketplace. The issue I’ve seen here is that people overpay for tanks and then want to sell them at, or close to, what they paid. Too much!
The same rule applies: a dollar or less per gallon is a good deal.
One thing that usually can offset the cost here is that most people sell their tanks with the stands. You can save yourself the additional purchase here.
In very lucky cases, complete setups or even tanks with all of their inhabitants can still be found.
Get Plugged In
By joining Facebook groups and otherwise making local friends that have aquariums, you can often work yourself into really good deals, like that RedSea tank I mentioned earlier. Sooner or later someone will be offloading a tank and might even do so for free.
It takes a lot of patience, but I’ve done this more than once. In fact, I once drove to pick up a 150-gallon tank that I was buying from a member of a local group and left with an additional 40-gallon breeder, two 20-gallon tanks, and about four totes of random supplies that they didn’t want to deal with anymore.
I’m still using these supplies to trade for things I want six years later.
Note: You can often find cheaper used acrylic tanks. I have no idea why, as new ones tend to be similar in cost to glass.
Now The Stand
Assuming you didn’t get a tank with a stand, there are a couple of inexpensive options:
- buy a “cheap” basic stand from your local fish store
- small tanks can use other furniture – buy a table, shelf, etc. to use (test before using it)
- build one yourself
Let’s get into the last one because if you’re going budget-build, this is one of the best options. If you can find or buy lumber and have tools to work with, you can have an incredibly sturdy stand for much cheaper than you can buy one.
I won’t tell you how to build one because that would be an article in itself, but here is a link to a wikiHow article.
Cover Your Reef Tank
Your aquarium water is going to evaporate! So before you put the tank together, have a solution to this problem.
I personally don’t mind adding water to my tanks, and I like them to be topless. So I add water almost every day.
However, you can avoid adding water all the time by doing one of two things:
- Get an auto top-off system (ATO)
- Get a clear lid
Buying a lid is cheaper than buying an ATO, but you can also make one yourself. Measure the size you need, and then go to Lowe’s or Home Depot and have them cut some plexiglass or glass for you.
Don’t Go Cheap On The Heater
Unfortunately, there isn’t a budget option for everything. Your heater is going to be one of those things. It is crucial that you keep a stable temperature on a reef tank.
Don’t try to cut costs on your heater by getting a cheap brand. A cheap heater will fry your tank very quickly—sometimes, literally, fry (or maybe boil?). I have had one heater explode, and probably six or seven burn out. Now, I only buy heaters that will last because I don’t want something like a temperature fluctuation to kill off all my work. I currently have a titanium heating element on a heater controller that I got by trading some of the supplies I mentioned earlier.
Go with a reputable brand like Eheim if you don’t want to splurge on a titanium heater.
I’ve always been able to find heaters for much cheaper than retail on Facebook Marketplace, but that is really the only savings I would recommend here.
Water Movement
I have tried more powerheads and wavemakers than I would care to admit. As I mentioned earlier, the ones I have now I actually purchased at full price, purely because I wanted those particular wavemakers.
They are rated for up to 75 gallons a piece and cost about $60. Here’s an Amazon link if you want the same ones.
However, this is one of the places you can save. As long as they move enough water, they will work fine. The primary difference in cost will be reliability (I’ve never had any of them break) and the bells and whistles.
More expensive ones are usually more positionable and may be programmable or have built-in wifi controllers.
I got mine because of the profile they offered, the wifi pairing, and the controller they came with.
I recommend checking Facebook Marketplace for these as well.
Saltwater Aquarium Filtration
Filtration is going to be a key player in keeping your reef aquarium. I have tried many different filtration systems with varying levels of success and cost. Here is what I have learned about all of them:
The Constant Factor: Biological Filtration
Every successful tank has one thing in common: biological filtration media. This is your live rock, sand bed, and beneficial bacteria. Here is the best way to get those on a budget:
- Dry base rock instead of live rock
- Purchase live sandbed
- Optionally- get something like Microbe-Lift and some Pods
I don’t want to jump the gun here if your tank isn’t set up yet! However, you can save good money by getting dry rock, especially if you have a larger tank. Add the rock, sand, and whatever you add to start your tank. Then, let it age before trying to add in the inhabitants.
If you can, getting some macroalgae will save you the money on a skimmer as long as you keep your bioload down.
Here are your mechanical filtration choices:
HOB
Used hang-on-back filters are usually incredibly easy to come by used. People are often basically giving them away on Facebook Marketplace. However, they are noisy, unsightly, and don’t provide nearly as much filtration as the following two options. My first saltwater aquarium had this filter style on it, but I quickly acquired a canister to replace it.
That said, they are by far the cheapest option for filtering your reef tank.
Sump
Sump systems are probably the most loved in the hobby. I have tried them several times, all of which were massive failures. Each time, it was entirely my fault, and I have to share that with you.
My first sump system went onto a 60-gallon acrylic tank that I found at a thrift store for $10! The tank and stand were too good of a deal to pass up.
I decided that I would build a homemade sump system (that absolutely worked and worked well). I bought a Rubbermaid tub, one of those three-shelf organizers, and a ton of scrubbers from the dollar store. I drilled holes in every shelf and packed the organizer full of scrubbers. I traded for an overflow system and used PVC to pipe it down to the organizer, which I placed in the tub. I then added an old plant light I had under the tank and a return pump from one of the boxes of supplies.
It looked almost identical to the one in this video.
Now for the fun part. My power went out one night, and I learned that the tub could not handle as much water as the overflow could let out. The tank survived by my carpet was pretty nasty from all the salt water.
The next sump was part of a preassembled tank/stand/sump. Because it was used, it was missing some pieces. Rather than buy those pieces, I retrofit whatever I could from previous tanks to make it work. One of the hoses I used didn’t quite fit and blew off one day, spraying 20 gallons of pressurized water into my basement apartment.
I don’t expect most people to have these kinds of issues. However, a good sump system is expensive, and as you may have guessed by now, I don’t like to buy expensive things. You can try what I did or spend the money on a reliable system, but it will likely be the most costly part of your tank.
Canister
And the winner is… the canister filter! Most serious hobbyists don’t love canisters, but I won’t use anything else. Canister filters are silent, can be hidden, and put in the work.
Out of the ten or so I’ve owned, I have only ever paid for one canister filter (thank Facebook), but that one was well worth the money.
The primary downside is how difficult they are to clean. You can’t access the filtration media without removing it from the tank. In my mind, that is a small price to pay for peace of mind and a gorgeous tank.
Protein Skimmers
If you want a budget build, avoid getting a skimmer. Most require a sump, and they aren’t cheap, regardless of the style.
Final Filtration Thoughts
Focus on creating as much natural filtration as possible. Go with lots of base rock, a deep sand bed, and macroalgae (if your tank will support it). No sump. No skimmer. Use either an HOB or canister to help filter fish waste and other junk out of the water. Then keep up on your water changes!
Light It Up!
Assuming you followed my advice for filtering your saltwater aquarium, this is going to be the most expensive purchase. At least, if you plan on keeping corals, anemones, or clams. If you plan on a FOWLR (fish only with live rock) or a macroalgae/saltwater plants tank then you can get away with some cheap lights.
Spend some time researching what you plan to keep in the tank and what the light requirements will be for your tank size. I am a big fan of AI Primes, however I do plan on upgrading to some Hydras eventually. That said, I have also used these cheaper lights from Amazon with good luck up to 60-gallons. They keep soft corals well, but wont meet the requirements of nems, LPS, or SPS.
Additional Tools For Your First Saltwater Aquarium
If you haven’t had a tank before here are some additional costs to consider:
- fish food
- gravel vacuum
- algae scraper
- filter media
- filter socks (if you have a sump)
- activated carbon
- 5-gallon buckets
- water jugs
- water testing kits
Stocking Your Tank
By far the cheapest way to stock a tank is by watching Facebook and Craigslist and joining some local reef groups.
Getting Started
Once your tank is cycled and healthy, watch for people that are getting rid of livestock or fragging off soft corals. Many people will give away frags of fast growing softies, or sell them for a fraction of what they are worth.
You can also stock a tank very quickly by picking up a tank that someone just needs out of their house. Even if you don’t need the tank or equipment, you can use it to sell or trade, then reinvest in your tank.
Fragging Corals
Once you have an established reef you can frag and sell or trade corals from your stock to get more expensive options you are interested in. I fund my entire tank by selling and trading coral frags and macroalgae trimmings.
One thing that has massively benefited my reef is keeping fancy display macros that I routinely have to trim. I typically trade the trimmings for corals that I want or take them in to my local fish store for store credit. I did have to drop about $80 up front to get some that had real value. But they double in size very quickly under the right conditions, making a great return on investment.
Notes And Thoughts
The least expensive way to fill and manage water on a monthly basis will be getting RODI water from your local grocery store if they have a fill station. Otherwise you may be buying it for more at your local fish stores. Mixing the salt yourself will save you in the long run. However, RODI units will save you substantially more if you have the money to invest up front. Just don’t try to use tap water!
I’m sure I missed something, and I’ll come back and make edits as things change in the hobby, but this should cover most of what you need to know for setting up a budget saltwater aquarium.
If you do it right, you can get a beautiful new tank up and running for less than $300. Good luck as a new saltwater aquarium hobbyist!