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Featured 2025 Budget Tank Build Exhibition

Will You Be Participating?!

  • Total voters
    8
ReyDeFarts

ReyDeFarts

Photography, Contests
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Attention BAR Members! Are you ready to test your reefing and budgeting skills in a friendly competition?! This is your chance to show off, earn bragging rights, and even win some prizes!

Get creative and think of a way to join the fun of creating an amazing budget reef tank!

This challenge will begin January 1st, 2025 and extend until December 31st, 2025. We will have 4 separate exhibition showcase opportunities at the end of each quarter. There will also be a Grand Finale showcase at the end of the year. Winners of showcases will be eligible for various prizes (TBD)! These showcase opportunities will be open to community voting. Further details on the structure for showcase submissions are still being ironed out.

This is meant to be fun and encouraging to new reefers and old. The common complaint is that reefing is expensive. Let's show our local community how easy it can be with the help and generosity of this club! We would love to have you help spread the word to your reefing friends to join in on this fun too.

We understand that not everyone may be able to start up a new tank. Maybe you have a family member or friend that has been wanting to get started with reefing? Get them to join and help them along the way. Maybe you've got a child in school where you can start up an educational tank.

Exhibition Guidelines:
  • Supporting Members Only
  • Exhibition begins January 1, 2025
    • This means you cannot start your tank build until Jan 1st or later. You can begin acquiring components immediately!
    • Commit to join by June 1, 2025
    • Check the poll at the top of this post and check "SIGN ME UP!" if you will be participating.
  • Exhibition ends December 31, 2025
  • Dedicated tank journal required
    • Monthly updates are required.
    • A missed journal update will disqualify you from that quarterly showcase opportunity.
    • A sub-forum will be created for this exhibition where all journals will be held (Pending)
  • Required details for the journal
    • All items used for the build must include a price
    • Your initial post must include a running tally of total cost
    • Tank details (e.g. manufacturer, model, etc.)
    • All equipment details (e.g. light(s), heater (s), controller(s), filter(s), etc.)
    • Inhabitant details
    • Budget goal and approach.
  • $500 Max Budget
    • Bonus prizes for budget cap of $250 or below! (prize package tbd)
  • New or Used equipment/items and cost must be included on journal entries.
  • Pictures or screenshots of purchase receipt(s) are encouraged for transparency.
  • If used equipment was purchased with cash, we ask you include the price paid.
  • Please tag your fellow BAR member that you purchased new or used gear from.
  • If you are using misc equipment you have laying around, please disclose the initial cost of item(s) to the best of your memory. You may then give a fair used value to the item. If someone has a dispute about the value given, we can discuss it and revise as needed.
  • DBTC, PIF equipment, and PIF livestock is encouraged and considered $0 cost to the budget cap!
    • It showcases the generosity of this club to the reefing community outside of BAR too.
    • Please tag your fellow BAR member that helped you.
    • NO borrowed equipment allowed!
    • We would like to have a BAR equipment auction/garage sale event soon. Need to figure out logistics. If anyone would like to help me facilitate a couple of these over the next couple months, please chime in. I could use your help.
$0 Cost to Budget
  • Water
  • Salt
  • Fish and/or coral food
  • Dosing Products (e.g. kalkwasser, All for Reef, etc.)
  • Used media from existing system for biological seeding
  • Mechanical filtration materials (e.g.sponges, filter floss, filter socks, etc.)
  • Chemical filtration products (e.g.carbon, gfo, etc.)
  • DBTC or PIF Livestock
  • Additional items will be considered as suggestions come in
Examples of items that count toward budget cap
  • Tank
  • Light
  • Filtration
  • Heater
  • Controllers
  • Wavemakers
  • ATO
  • Sand
  • Rock
  • Misc gear/upgrades/accessories
  • Livestock purchased
I sincerely hope this excites some of you. If you cannot do it or do not want to do it, we would still like for you to be involved with encouraging the members that do join by visiting their journals and interacting. Maybe you can help indirectly with equipment, DBTC items, or livestock!

Also, a call to action to all members! Help us encourage other reefers outside of BAR to come check out this exhibition.

There is still a variety of things to iron out about this exhibition. But this is meant to encourage you all to have fun and get creative. We will be working with our sponsors and LFS partners to put together prize packages and incentives that you can earn and win along the way. If you have any ideas or concerns, please feel free to respond here or DM me if you prefer.

I'm looking forward to seeing your tanks at the end of next year!
 
Um

What if I already own a bunch stuff? If i make money from coral selling?

My current tank (when you budget in the store credit and few sales I got from corals) comes out to under $250 and is roughly a year old

IMG_7416.jpeg
 
tribbitt said:
What if I already own a bunch stuff?
Click to expand...
I am not sure what you're asking? To be able to include your existing build into the exhibition? Or own a bunch of extra equipment to start a new build? If it's the latter, I referenced this in the guidelines

"If you are using misc equipment you have laying around, please disclose the initial cost of item(s) to the best of your memory. You may then give a fair used value to the item. If someone has a dispute about the value given, we can discuss it and revise as needed."

Killer budget build you alreadyhave btw!

This exhibition will be for a new builds though. The budget guidelines indicate any dollar amount/value added is required to be tracked/tallied to your total amount spent. So if you sell something for $20 and then add a piece of equipment for $20, that would count against your cap. If you do a straight trade with someone, then that would add $0 to your budget.
 
ReyDeFarts said:
I am not sure what you're asking? To be able to include your existing build into the exhibition? Or own a bunch of extra equipment to start a new build? If it's the latter, I referenced this in the guidelines

"If you are using misc equipment you have laying around, please disclose the initial cost of item(s) to the best of your memory. You may then give a fair used value to the item. If someone has a dispute about the value given, we can discuss it and revise as needed."

Killer budget build you alreadyhave btw!

This exhibition will be for a new builds though. The budget guidelines indicate any dollar amount/value added is required to be tracked/tallied to your total amount spent. So if you sell something for $20 and then add a piece of equipment for $20, that would count against your cap. If you do a straight trade with someone, then that would add $0 to your budget.
Click to expand...
I did not see the part where you disclose previously owned equipment. Sounds good.

I did see the 1 year thing and yeah, no worries i’m not going to try and enter my current tank :p

So the $500 is purely any dollar that leaves your hand? And does not include any money you get back from selling things (except for savings from trades)?
 
ReyDeFarts said:
View attachment 63265

Attention BAR Members! Are you ready to test your reefing and budgeting skills in a friendly competition?! This is your chance to show off, earn bragging rights, and even win some prizes!

Get creative and think of a way to join the fun of creating an amazing budget reef tank!

This challenge will begin January 1st, 2025 and extend until December 31st, 2025. We will have 4 separate exhibition showcase opportunities at the end of each quarter. There will also be a Grand Finale showcase at the end of the year. Winners of showcases will be eligible for various prizes (TBD)! These showcase opportunities will be open to community voting. Further details on the structure for showcase submissions are still being ironed out.

This is meant to be fun and encouraging to new reefers and old. The common complaint is that reefing is expensive. Let's show our local community how easy it can be with the help and generosity of this club! We would love to have you help spread the word to your reefing friends to join in on this fun too.

We understand that not everyone may be able to start up a new tank. Maybe you have a family member or friend that has been wanting to get started with reefing? Get them to join and help them along the way. Maybe you've got a child in school where you can start up an educational tank.

Exhibition Guidelines:
  • Supporting Members Only
  • Exhibition begins January 1, 2025
    • This means you cannot start your tank build until Jan 1st or later. You can begin acquiring components immediately!
    • Commit to join by June 1, 2025
    • Check the poll at the top of this post and check "SIGN ME UP!" if you will be participating.
  • Exhibition ends December 31, 2025
  • Dedicated tank journal required
    • Monthly updates are required.
    • A missed journal update will disqualify you from that quarterly showcase opportunity.
    • A sub-forum will be created for this exhibition where all journals will be held (Pending)
  • Required details for the journal
    • All items used for the build must include a price
    • Your initial post must include a running tally of total cost
    • Tank details (e.g. manufacturer, model, etc.)
    • All equipment details (e.g. light(s), heater (s), controller(s), filter(s), etc.)
    • Inhabitant details
    • Budget goal and approach.
  • $500 Max Budget
    • Bonus prizes for budget cap of $250 or below! (prize package tbd)
  • New or Used equipment/items and cost must be included on journal entries.
  • Pictures or screenshots of purchase receipt(s) are encouraged for transparency.
  • If used equipment was purchased with cash, we ask you include the price paid.
  • Please tag your fellow BAR member that you purchased new or used gear from.
  • If you are using misc equipment you have laying around, please disclose the initial cost of item(s) to the best of your memory. You may then give a fair used value to the item. If someone has a dispute about the value given, we can discuss it and revise as needed.
  • DBTC, PIF equipment, and PIF livestock is encouraged and considered $0 cost to the budget cap!
    • It showcases the generosity of this club to the reefing community outside of BAR too.
    • Please tag your fellow BAR member that helped you.
    • NO borrowed equipment allowed!
    • We would like to have a BAR equipment auction/garage sale event soon. Need to figure out logistics. If anyone would like to help me facilitate a couple of these over the next couple months, please chime in. I could use your help.
$0 Cost to Budget
  • Water
  • Salt
  • Fish and/or coral food
  • Dosing Products (e.g. kalkwasser, All for Reef, etc.)
  • Used media from existing system for biological seeding
  • Mechanical filtration materials (e.g.sponges, filter floss, filter socks, etc.)
  • Chemical filtration products (e.g.carbon, gfo, etc.)
  • DBTC or PIF Livestock
  • Additional items will be considered as suggestions come in
Examples of items that count toward budget cap
  • Tank
  • Light
  • Filtration
  • Heater
  • Controllers
  • Wavemakers
  • ATO
  • Sand
  • Rock
  • Misc gear/upgrades/accessories
  • Livestock purchased
I sincerely hope this excites some of you. If you cannot do it or do not want to do it, we would still like for you to be involved with encouraging the members that do join by visiting their journals and interacting. Maybe you can help indirectly with equipment, DBTC items, or livestock!

Also, a call to action to all members! Help us encourage other reefers outside of BAR to come check out this exhibition.

There is still a variety of things to iron out about this exhibition. But this is meant to encourage you all to have fun and get creative. We will be working with our sponsors and LFS partners to put together prize packages and incentives that you can earn and win along the way. If you have any ideas or concerns, please feel free to respond here or DM me if you prefer.

I'm looking forward to seeing your tanks at the end of next year!
Click to expand...
omg @ReyDeFarts - This. is. AWESOME!
 
ReyDeFarts said:
View attachment 63265

Attention BAR Members! Are you ready to test your reefing and budgeting skills in a friendly competition?! This is your chance to show off, earn bragging rights, and even win some prizes!

Get creative and think of a way to join the fun of creating an amazing budget reef tank!

This challenge will begin January 1st, 2025 and extend until December 31st, 2025. We will have 4 separate exhibition showcase opportunities at the end of each quarter. There will also be a Grand Finale showcase at the end of the year. Winners of showcases will be eligible for various prizes (TBD)! These showcase opportunities will be open to community voting. Further details on the structure for showcase submissions are still being ironed out.

This is meant to be fun and encouraging to new reefers and old. The common complaint is that reefing is expensive. Let's show our local community how easy it can be with the help and generosity of this club! We would love to have you help spread the word to your reefing friends to join in on this fun too.

We understand that not everyone may be able to start up a new tank. Maybe you have a family member or friend that has been wanting to get started with reefing? Get them to join and help them along the way. Maybe you've got a child in school where you can start up an educational tank.

Exhibition Guidelines:
  • Supporting Members Only
  • Exhibition begins January 1, 2025
    • This means you cannot start your tank build until Jan 1st or later. You can begin acquiring components immediately!
    • Commit to join by June 1, 2025
    • Check the poll at the top of this post and check "SIGN ME UP!" if you will be participating.
  • Exhibition ends December 31, 2025
  • Dedicated tank journal required
    • Monthly updates are required.
    • A missed journal update will disqualify you from that quarterly showcase opportunity.
    • A sub-forum will be created for this exhibition where all journals will be held (Pending)
  • Required details for the journal
    • All items used for the build must include a price
    • Your initial post must include a running tally of total cost
    • Tank details (e.g. manufacturer, model, etc.)
    • All equipment details (e.g. light(s), heater (s), controller(s), filter(s), etc.)
    • Inhabitant details
    • Budget goal and approach.
  • $500 Max Budget
    • Bonus prizes for budget cap of $250 or below! (prize package tbd)
  • New or Used equipment/items and cost must be included on journal entries.
  • Pictures or screenshots of purchase receipt(s) are encouraged for transparency.
  • If used equipment was purchased with cash, we ask you include the price paid.
  • Please tag your fellow BAR member that you purchased new or used gear from.
  • If you are using misc equipment you have laying around, please disclose the initial cost of item(s) to the best of your memory. You may then give a fair used value to the item. If someone has a dispute about the value given, we can discuss it and revise as needed.
  • DBTC, PIF equipment, and PIF livestock is encouraged and considered $0 cost to the budget cap!
    • It showcases the generosity of this club to the reefing community outside of BAR too.
    • Please tag your fellow BAR member that helped you.
    • NO borrowed equipment allowed!
    • We would like to have a BAR equipment auction/garage sale event soon. Need to figure out logistics. If anyone would like to help me facilitate a couple of these over the next couple months, please chime in. I could use your help.
$0 Cost to Budget
  • Water
  • Salt
  • Fish and/or coral food
  • Dosing Products (e.g. kalkwasser, All for Reef, etc.)
  • Used media from existing system for biological seeding
  • Mechanical filtration materials (e.g.sponges, filter floss, filter socks, etc.)
  • Chemical filtration products (e.g.carbon, gfo, etc.)
  • DBTC or PIF Livestock
  • Additional items will be considered as suggestions come in
Examples of items that count toward budget cap
  • Tank
  • Light
  • Filtration
  • Heater
  • Controllers
  • Wavemakers
  • ATO
  • Sand
  • Rock
  • Misc gear/upgrades/accessories
  • Livestock purchased
I sincerely hope this excites some of you. If you cannot do it or do not want to do it, we would still like for you to be involved with encouraging the members that do join by visiting their journals and interacting. Maybe you can help indirectly with equipment, DBTC items, or livestock!

Also, a call to action to all members! Help us encourage other reefers outside of BAR to come check out this exhibition.

There is still a variety of things to iron out about this exhibition. But this is meant to encourage you all to have fun and get creative. We will be working with our sponsors and LFS partners to put together prize packages and incentives that you can earn and win along the way. If you have any ideas or concerns, please feel free to respond here or DM me if you prefer.

I'm looking forward to seeing your tanks at the end of next year!
Click to expand...
Everyone interested - be sure to click the "vote" at the very top to enroll, this helps us keep track
 

Attachments

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DaddyHook said:
Maybe there should be a standard size/gallons? Dimensions? Of the tank?
Click to expand...
We discussed this when we originally were planning to have this as a formal contest to judge. It just wasn't something that would have been easy to judge. Instead it is simply a exhibition for us to share with each other. So it opens it up for everyone to get creative and just have fun with it.
 
Are people allowed to plumb an extra tank into an existing tank or system? Or completely new?

This sounds quite fun. I’m probably going to go at this from a “see how cheap it can go and still be enjoyable to look at” angle lol. It’d be a great thing to be able to tell beginners “Yeah i did this for only xyz dollars you can too”
 
tribbitt said:
Are people allowed to plumb an extra tank into an existing tank or system? Or completely new?

This sounds quite fun. I’m probably going to go at this from a “see how cheap it can go and still be enjoyable to look at” angle lol. It’d be a great thing to be able to tell beginners “Yeah i did this for only xyz dollars you can too”
Click to expand...

New
 
So PIF =$0 Am I to assume all the stuff people have gotten for free or trade from friends , Craigslist,Nextdoor or Facebook zero cap?
Also are their any minimum requirements like number of different corals? Kenya trees, xenia, gsp etc?
No fish?
My wife thinks hoarder but but but the extra tanks/sumps/pumps come in handy when things break or put to emergency use lol..
Which Im sure alot of people here can start a tank or multiple tanks fully stocked tomorrow for zero cap.
Cookie jar reefs are fun and minimal hmmm
 
PjFish said:
So PIF =$0 Am I to assume all the stuff people have gotten for free or trade from friends , Craigslist,Nextdoor or Facebook zero cap?
Also are their any minimum requirements like number of different corals? Kenya trees, xenia, gsp etc?
No fish?
My wife thinks hoarder but but but the extra tanks/sumps/pumps come in handy when things break or put to emergency use lol..
Which Im sure alot of people here can start a tank or multiple tanks fully stocked tomorrow for zero cap.
Cookie jar reefs are fun and minimal hmmm
Click to expand...
lol some people are going start -$10k. the apex cost me nothing I swear!
 
PjFish said:
So PIF =$0 Am I to assume all the stuff people have gotten for free or trade from friends , Craigslist,Nextdoor or Facebook zero cap?
Click to expand...
As long as it was actually $0 to you in any way, then yes, no added $ to your cap. It's all on honor system. If you have a tank that you paid $50 for a few years ago, we would expect you to disclose that it cost $50. Same for any other equipment or livestock. If you traded something that cost you $50 and you received something in return and you're using it in this build, then that's still $50. I hope that clarifies it further.
PjFish said:
Also are their any minimum requirements like number of different corals? Kenya trees, xenia, gsp etc?
No fish?
Click to expand...
Not that we have discussed. We wanted folks to get creative with the best tank they can build up and stay under $500. If you spend $0 on most of the build and then go buy a $300 fish, that's your choice.

PjFish said:
My wife thinks hoarder but but but the extra tanks/sumps/pumps come in handy when things break or put to emergency use lol..
Which Im sure alot of people here can start a tank or multiple tanks fully stocked tomorrow for zero cap.
Cookie jar reefs are fun and minimal hmmm
Click to expand...
Having equipment laying around is perfectly fine. But at some point, there was a value to it, right? Was it truly free? If it was, then state that. If there was anything exchanged that adds a $ value to it, we simply ask you add it to your cap.
 
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