Darkxerox's '25 budget build

[Darkxerox]

So after moving my tanks out of my parents' place, my mom thought it was too quiet and not as blue! Enter my old nano:

Overall Budget Goal: <$500
Ongoing Costs: $335/$500
Date Tank Cycle Began: 03/22/25
Tank Manufacturer & Model: 12g JBJ Nanocube DX (free)
Equipment List:
Light(s): 12" AI Coral Glow ($100)
Pump(s): Tunze Silence 1073.008 (free)
Heater(s): 50w Jager (free)
Wavemaker(s): none
Doser(s): no dosing
Controller(s): Ranco temp controller ($95)
Filtration: Activated Carbon in a bag (free)
ATO: Lid/none
Sand: Carib Sea Special Grade (free)
Rock: 5 lbs ($40 from Salty Bottom Reef)
Additional items: none

Zoas, pipe organ, and clove polyps from @Arvin R ($40)
Gorgonians from @The_Lazy_Reefer (Reefer's code)

3x Sexy Shrimp and micro fauna from @under_water_ninja ($60)

Rock lived in the sump of my other tank for months but the sand was dry after shutdown for a few weeks. The plan is zero dosing, minimal feeding, almost no topoff due to the lid, and the ability to leave for a week plus without having to do anything. Soft corals only and some snails and an urchin later to be added.

 

[Turkeysammich]

Another 26+ year aquarium. Awesome.

 

[Darkxerox]

End of April update, my mom has been doing a great job of keeping the tank so far. Still very clean. Added a chunk of live rock from the 90g shutdown that has tons of sponge and life. Glued the corals down and the gorgs already rooted themselves:

Added a pom pom crab I had for years (let's add $25). And the cabbage leather lets call another $25 so $385 total running cost. Other corals were from swaps (mushrooms).

Zoas already multiplying!