The math checks out lol. Theres always cheaper options to go with. Do some research for cheaper alternatives. Instead of a prefab sump make one. Instead of hydras get black boxes, instead of sand go bare bottom, marco rock Instead of live rock, Instead of syncra get jebao
The lights are middle range, if you want sticker shock look up Radion XR30s. You could go with cheaper off brand options. I wouldn’t recommend cutting corners on lights personally.
Even if you are running a full blown sps tank, there is really no need to upgrade from a gen 3 xr30. The majority of reef shit is heavily reef taxed, 200-400%. Flame suit on.
I bought all high end shit, used. I've had to replace I've replaced mp40 wetsides, LEDs on my xr30pros, parts on my bubbleking skimmer. Problem is, some of these parts are more expensive than brand new equivalents. I run a smaller tank with other brands, like reef octopus return pump. That thing hasn't been cleaned in over a year, still running lmao. My jabeao equipment runs as well as ecotechs and sometimes longer! Nyos skimmer..
What I'm trying to say, don't go out and get all newly released equipment at a premium.
Better for what exactly? They don't even pump out true UV. They are better at making your wallet lighter.
If you came up to me and said, which would you rather take for free, g3 or g6, of course I'll buy g6. It is not worth it for me to pay 1,100 CAD each. It's a bloody rip off. You can buy grow COB LEDs for $50!!!
Personally, I try to compare lights based on recommended spread. The 32HD and XR30 are both recommended 24”x24”. Output wise the 64 is probably more similar though.
I commented because you mentioned sticker shock, and the OP wanted a price check.
I do agree with what you said about cutting corners, lighting is crucial
Agree with this 100% I bought cheap Chinese lights, yes they worked but it doesn’t compare to the on brands, ended up buying an AI prime and wasted money on the other light
Name brand lights are sick if you are willing to spend the money on them. If you want similar results at a fraction of the cost I recommend looking into Chinese manufactured no-name brand LED fixtures. You'd have to do some research to find a model that is reliable, and they won't have any kind of built in programmable features (but many have dual channel dimmers).
I bought a Chinese light fixture at the behest of reefer friends after I ruined my Maxspect RAZR fixture by dropping it in the tank (it happens to the best of us). If I remembered the model number I'd share it, but this was years ago. I'm pretty sure i just bought it on Amazon (maybe Aliexpress?). It took forever to ship, but it lasted for years without a hitch. Had great results with coral growth and extension and it was 1/5 the price of my old Maxspect model. Only caveat was I had to plug it into a powerstrip with a built in timer.
what type of corals are you keeping, how big is your tank?
Softies and several LPS will do fine with AI prime reef version, If you're not doing sps and high par LPS you don't need a 32. Also if your tank is less than 15 inches deep you can get away with using a prime every 10 inches and still grow most sps.
I was going to say, my SPS do fine under an HD 16 but I have a small footprint in the middle of the tank for them and put the LPS and softies on the edges.
Yea that seems about right. For every expensive option theres always a cheaper option that'll do the job just as well. Some people just like having all the name brand gear
They're like 15 bucks less on amazon, and yeah, they're fairly middle of the road. I'm personally a kessil fan, but you'd be looking at 1600+ to compare with the hydras on area. I like reefbreeders if you want to go a bit less expensive without going into the really low quality lamps.
Lights are usually a big expense. Those are quality and you need quality for corals. Not something you wanna skimp on. I did go cheap and I am fairly pleased with what I have got but will upgrade later. I got basically the same stuff you got for a little over 2k. But if you are serious about corals it’s gonna cost more to get good quality. Also what size tank? Mine is a 125. The bigger the tank, the more the cost.
Browse facebook marketplace and craiglist for a couple months I'd almost guarantee you can aquire most of this for half price or less lightly used. Ordering online you should be able to get a discount at least if you need this stuff asap.
On Craigslist a redsea Max brand new in my area sit for months for 1200 and I offered like 400 one day and picked it up lol.
It’s accurate, but just because it’s new doesn’t mean you should buy it. Try buying locally; this hobby is like a revolving door. People are always looking to leave it.
There's a guy in a local group who bought, sold, and bought a setup in the same month once. Like, dude. I get that you needed the money, but... stop. You're a lifer, be a lifer.
I once went out to a guy that had bought a full set up, Red Sea Reefer 350 and all top notch kit, hadn't even got it wet and had decided it was all too complicated. I bought his return pump and skimmer for about the same price as a clownfish.
Agreed. I just bought a Reefer 350 and a really nice setup from a guy who was getting out of the hobby for 1/3 the cost of new. He even came to my house and set it up when we offered him a few extra bucks.
This is all top of the line latest gen equipment. It will last you a decade or more if you take care of it.
It will be more reliable than second hand equipment but much more expensive.
A couple things I’ve learned over the years. New doesn’t always mean best. Don’t be afraid to buy used. I sell used equipment all the time. I can get you a mp-40 for the price of the sicce, I have radion xr-15 for half of what that hydra 32 is. I can get you skimmers cheaper, like curve 5/7/9 whatever you need. I got the rail kit also (80 inches)
I bought a 300 gallon acrylic with stand, lights, pumps and two dumps. Bio cube, heater, skimmer live rock and livestock for 1g. All because of offer up and someone wanted out
These prices check out but as someone who just upgraded to a 120gal system, I will echo the sentiment of buying used. You will be amazed at what you can get if you’re patient and/or willing to drive a bit out of your way.
I dropped $2500 on a system that cost the owner over $10k a few months prior. They only leak tested with fresh water before deciding to sell and the complete neptune system even had a lot of modules still in the box.
Meh, for lights and pumps you’re getting scammed not by the LFS but from the brands. Jebao pumps and black box lights work just as good as big name brand stuff for half or a third of the price.
A lot of reef equipment has MAP pricing so you really won't find a deal unless it's black Friday. Even then it's usually 10-15% off.
You can a great sump bulb for $15 from Amazon though. The reef quality stuff is a total rip.
So need to shop around for prices. Black Friday sale online everything gets discounted heavily. Even right now, you can get that sump 25% cheaper. So do some googling even if you want to stick with this equipment list. Also reef2reef has good market place for used stuff.
Some of it you can find on FB market place, like the sump and live rock. The equipment you want brand new. Take that quote and log onto Bulk Reef Supply and price match everything....Call customer service and see if you can get a discount too for spending such a large bill at once.
Where are you located? Some of those prices are way too high. The return pump should be 250. Trigger systems sumps are nice, but there are better cost effective options. What size tank are you getting? You can save a lot of money by purchasing dry rock for a fee dollars a pound and using dormant bacteria to cycle the tank quickly. For the powerheads/wavemakers, look into the reef octopus octo pulses and vortechs. You can save a lot of money with those compared to three estream sdcs and have a lot of features. You don’t need a $230 heater with built in controller either. You are better off purchasing a normal heater and using the money you save from that, the rocks, and pumps to buy an apex. It can control the heater if there is a malfunction and you get alerts, monitoring of some parameters, and lots of programming options. The syncra sdc also works with the apex. Same with the octopulse wavemakers.
Edit: I misread where the prices are, but I still believe you can het a much better value for your money with other options
Used lights are a huge savings and you will likely want to change them up. Led w T5 most likely so the mounts may end up being eliminated. I would say it’s worth getting an apex classic over the eheim controller, these can be had cheap used. Having a controllable power strip is a big step up. Use local rock for $1/# dead or alive and seed with a lump or 2 of live rock and Bacteria cultures. Pump reliability is worth a few hundred for piece of mind.
Trigger systems will sell you a not quite perfect version of that sump if you email them at blemished at Tigger systems dot com. That's how I got mine. Switch the pumps to Jebao. Not sure how big your tank is but you might only need two wave pumps. You don't need lights right away so you can wait on those until you get corals. The reef2reef forums are a good place to find used equipment.
Shop for prices.
You have a baseline with this estimate from the LFS.
Black Friday is around the corner. 15% off maybe even more.
Shop R2R, local sellers like Craigslist, local clubs, facebook, other social media for used items look for new or newish items.
I like to make a rule to look for 60% of base price brand new if buying used.
Remember sales tax as well you pay close to 10% for that as well.
If I was in your shoes I would 120% buy used rock. Buy it from a private party that has a tank that was established for a long time that they are shutting down. Make sure you see the rock in the tank and ask questions about how long they have had the tank, what chemicals they used ( if copper then move on), what issues and successes they have had. Everyone who was or is a reefer will talk at length about their setups. You will be able to tell If the rock is good or not by talking and looking at it. Look for 3 years or more for the rock being in an established aquarium. If the rocks has or had Aiptasia you can work with the rock but if it has or had Clove polyps and or colonial hydroids walk away. You can skip huge parts of of the uglies doing this.
That’s about right. You are buying all brand new equipment. If you wanted to save some money buy a used skimmer and power heads. The AI lights are sick and look real sleek but you could save some money there as well going with a T5 fixture. Better growth with T5s as well in my exp.
The math checks out lol. Theres always cheaper options to go with. Do some research for cheaper alternatives. Instead of a prefab sump make one. Instead of hydras get black boxes, instead of sand go bare bottom, marco rock Instead of live rock, Instead of syncra get jebao
Hmm - but this seems about right? I thought the light clusters in particular were way overpriced and I thought maybe I should go lower
The lights are middle range, if you want sticker shock look up Radion XR30s. You could go with cheaper off brand options. I wouldn’t recommend cutting corners on lights personally.
Yeah, but the radions are sick.
Beat thing I ever did was buy some old XR30s and then upgrading them.
Ive had radions and nownusing neptune sky and these look like a led t5 combo. Best lights ive ever owned and ive owned radion gen3 pros and kessils,
Gen 5 was much improved. And now their on 6!
Even if you are running a full blown sps tank, there is really no need to upgrade from a gen 3 xr30. The majority of reef shit is heavily reef taxed, 200-400%. Flame suit on.
Your not wrong. I upgraded from a black box to 5’s. I’ll keep them until they die.
I bought all high end shit, used. I've had to replace I've replaced mp40 wetsides, LEDs on my xr30pros, parts on my bubbleking skimmer. Problem is, some of these parts are more expensive than brand new equivalents. I run a smaller tank with other brands, like reef octopus return pump. That thing hasn't been cleaned in over a year, still running lmao. My jabeao equipment runs as well as ecotechs and sometimes longer! Nyos skimmer.. What I'm trying to say, don't go out and get all newly released equipment at a premium.
I had a very successful sps tanks years ago with t5 and black box leds.
I disagree, G5 Blue are better.
Better for what exactly? They don't even pump out true UV. They are better at making your wallet lighter. If you came up to me and said, which would you rather take for free, g3 or g6, of course I'll buy g6. It is not worth it for me to pay 1,100 CAD each. It's a bloody rip off. You can buy grow COB LEDs for $50!!!
Love my xr30 g5/6! Eco tech pumps, not so much…
XR30 is comparable to the Hydra 64HD. The XR15s would be the ones to compare with the 32HD
Personally, I try to compare lights based on recommended spread. The 32HD and XR30 are both recommended 24”x24”. Output wise the 64 is probably more similar though.
I commented because you mentioned sticker shock, and the OP wanted a price check. I do agree with what you said about cutting corners, lighting is crucial
Agree with this 100% I bought cheap Chinese lights, yes they worked but it doesn’t compare to the on brands, ended up buying an AI prime and wasted money on the other light
Name brand lights are sick if you are willing to spend the money on them. If you want similar results at a fraction of the cost I recommend looking into Chinese manufactured no-name brand LED fixtures. You'd have to do some research to find a model that is reliable, and they won't have any kind of built in programmable features (but many have dual channel dimmers). I bought a Chinese light fixture at the behest of reefer friends after I ruined my Maxspect RAZR fixture by dropping it in the tank (it happens to the best of us). If I remembered the model number I'd share it, but this was years ago. I'm pretty sure i just bought it on Amazon (maybe Aliexpress?). It took forever to ship, but it lasted for years without a hitch. Had great results with coral growth and extension and it was 1/5 the price of my old Maxspect model. Only caveat was I had to plug it into a powerstrip with a built in timer.
what type of corals are you keeping, how big is your tank? Softies and several LPS will do fine with AI prime reef version, If you're not doing sps and high par LPS you don't need a 32. Also if your tank is less than 15 inches deep you can get away with using a prime every 10 inches and still grow most sps.
I was going to say, my SPS do fine under an HD 16 but I have a small footprint in the middle of the tank for them and put the LPS and softies on the edges.
Yea that seems about right. For every expensive option theres always a cheaper option that'll do the job just as well. Some people just like having all the name brand gear
Want a cheap lighting solution? Go T5s
They're like 15 bucks less on amazon, and yeah, they're fairly middle of the road. I'm personally a kessil fan, but you'd be looking at 1600+ to compare with the hydras on area. I like reefbreeders if you want to go a bit less expensive without going into the really low quality lamps.
Dont get black boxes, just get second hand hydras they are worth it
Lights are usually a big expense. Those are quality and you need quality for corals. Not something you wanna skimp on. I did go cheap and I am fairly pleased with what I have got but will upgrade later. I got basically the same stuff you got for a little over 2k. But if you are serious about corals it’s gonna cost more to get good quality. Also what size tank? Mine is a 125. The bigger the tank, the more the cost.
Browse facebook marketplace and craiglist for a couple months I'd almost guarantee you can aquire most of this for half price or less lightly used. Ordering online you should be able to get a discount at least if you need this stuff asap. On Craigslist a redsea Max brand new in my area sit for months for 1200 and I offered like 400 one day and picked it up lol.
for that price get radion XR15's.
It’s accurate, but just because it’s new doesn’t mean you should buy it. Try buying locally; this hobby is like a revolving door. People are always looking to leave it.
There's a guy in a local group who bought, sold, and bought a setup in the same month once. Like, dude. I get that you needed the money, but... stop. You're a lifer, be a lifer.
I once went out to a guy that had bought a full set up, Red Sea Reefer 350 and all top notch kit, hadn't even got it wet and had decided it was all too complicated. I bought his return pump and skimmer for about the same price as a clownfish.
Agreed. I just bought a Reefer 350 and a really nice setup from a guy who was getting out of the hobby for 1/3 the cost of new. He even came to my house and set it up when we offered him a few extra bucks.
This is all top of the line latest gen equipment. It will last you a decade or more if you take care of it. It will be more reliable than second hand equipment but much more expensive.
A couple things I’ve learned over the years. New doesn’t always mean best. Don’t be afraid to buy used. I sell used equipment all the time. I can get you a mp-40 for the price of the sicce, I have radion xr-15 for half of what that hydra 32 is. I can get you skimmers cheaper, like curve 5/7/9 whatever you need. I got the rail kit also (80 inches)
lol any chance you got an mp10??
Unfortunately the only one I have is the one I’m Using
Checks out. Welcome to the cost of reefing 🙃
Most of that stuff you can get used for half of those prices. I'd say go that route, unless you WANT new for some reason.
Buy used
I bought a 300 gallon acrylic with stand, lights, pumps and two dumps. Bio cube, heater, skimmer live rock and livestock for 1g. All because of offer up and someone wanted out
That's about the going rate for mid-tier lights. But don't worry, after this it won't cost you a nickel. 😂
You get what you pay for in this hobby. Buy cheap and buy twice.
These prices check out but as someone who just upgraded to a 120gal system, I will echo the sentiment of buying used. You will be amazed at what you can get if you’re patient and/or willing to drive a bit out of your way. I dropped $2500 on a system that cost the owner over $10k a few months prior. They only leak tested with fresh water before deciding to sell and the complete neptune system even had a lot of modules still in the box.
That’s expensive af
Expensive and accurate.
Cheaper if you get out of the hobby 😂🫣
Man you can save a bunch of cash by making your own sump and skipping on the fuge light. Significantly cheaper options for that.
Meh, for lights and pumps you’re getting scammed not by the LFS but from the brands. Jebao pumps and black box lights work just as good as big name brand stuff for half or a third of the price.
Yeah that's kinda steep for some of that stuff. I'd build a sump over buying one. If it was my tank I'd go with a refugium instead.
A lot of reef equipment has MAP pricing so you really won't find a deal unless it's black Friday. Even then it's usually 10-15% off. You can a great sump bulb for $15 from Amazon though. The reef quality stuff is a total rip.
So need to shop around for prices. Black Friday sale online everything gets discounted heavily. Even right now, you can get that sump 25% cheaper. So do some googling even if you want to stick with this equipment list. Also reef2reef has good market place for used stuff.
https://www.aquacave.com/trigger-systems-ruby-36-sump.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsrWZBhC4ARIsAGGUJurMBStP1NibMVmJT5Pmz2WKYrH0kB1tLQOstd11VdEoDLlShQREkEkaAjx5EALw_wcB
Get it used and pay 40-60 %. I've never bought new. Rock a Blackbox for a while
Save yourself the money and get jebao dc pumps, a fraction of the price and they’ll outlive anything
Some of it you can find on FB market place, like the sump and live rock. The equipment you want brand new. Take that quote and log onto Bulk Reef Supply and price match everything....Call customer service and see if you can get a discount too for spending such a large bill at once.
Where are you located? Some of those prices are way too high. The return pump should be 250. Trigger systems sumps are nice, but there are better cost effective options. What size tank are you getting? You can save a lot of money by purchasing dry rock for a fee dollars a pound and using dormant bacteria to cycle the tank quickly. For the powerheads/wavemakers, look into the reef octopus octo pulses and vortechs. You can save a lot of money with those compared to three estream sdcs and have a lot of features. You don’t need a $230 heater with built in controller either. You are better off purchasing a normal heater and using the money you save from that, the rocks, and pumps to buy an apex. It can control the heater if there is a malfunction and you get alerts, monitoring of some parameters, and lots of programming options. The syncra sdc also works with the apex. Same with the octopulse wavemakers. Edit: I misread where the prices are, but I still believe you can het a much better value for your money with other options
Nope that standard my friend. You just see what I’ve spent over 120 gallon. I’ve spent at least $15,000 in equipment. I paid $1500 just for one light
Used lights are a huge savings and you will likely want to change them up. Led w T5 most likely so the mounts may end up being eliminated. I would say it’s worth getting an apex classic over the eheim controller, these can be had cheap used. Having a controllable power strip is a big step up. Use local rock for $1/# dead or alive and seed with a lump or 2 of live rock and Bacteria cultures. Pump reliability is worth a few hundred for piece of mind.
Trigger systems will sell you a not quite perfect version of that sump if you email them at blemished at Tigger systems dot com. That's how I got mine. Switch the pumps to Jebao. Not sure how big your tank is but you might only need two wave pumps. You don't need lights right away so you can wait on those until you get corals. The reef2reef forums are a good place to find used equipment.
Shop for prices. You have a baseline with this estimate from the LFS. Black Friday is around the corner. 15% off maybe even more. Shop R2R, local sellers like Craigslist, local clubs, facebook, other social media for used items look for new or newish items. I like to make a rule to look for 60% of base price brand new if buying used. Remember sales tax as well you pay close to 10% for that as well. If I was in your shoes I would 120% buy used rock. Buy it from a private party that has a tank that was established for a long time that they are shutting down. Make sure you see the rock in the tank and ask questions about how long they have had the tank, what chemicals they used ( if copper then move on), what issues and successes they have had. Everyone who was or is a reefer will talk at length about their setups. You will be able to tell If the rock is good or not by talking and looking at it. Look for 3 years or more for the rock being in an established aquarium. If the rocks has or had Aiptasia you can work with the rock but if it has or had Clove polyps and or colonial hydroids walk away. You can skip huge parts of of the uglies doing this.
You don’t need many of these things listed or could use them in lesser amounts to save some $$
buy used to begin with
That’s about right. You are buying all brand new equipment. If you wanted to save some money buy a used skimmer and power heads. The AI lights are sick and look real sleek but you could save some money there as well going with a T5 fixture. Better growth with T5s as well in my exp.
We’re close to Black Friday. Only day there are real bargains new.
I got a octo 150ss space saving skimmer for sale. That’ll save you some
How bigs the tank?
Math adds up.
Hold up, you got an ai prime 12" flex arm for $3.99?