Why the order matters
Start with your total budget and the animals you want to keep. The tank’s dimensions then decide your lighting and flow. Your source water affects every water change, and testing tells you whether dosing or automation is worth paying for. You can revisit any step, but skip ahead and you’re far more likely to buy kit that doesn’t work together.
Budget
Price the whole setup first
Cost the equipment, livestock, consumables, electricity and a contingency before you fall for a tank.
System
Choose your tank format
All-in-one, nano or sump? Compare real water volume, what’s included, how easily it upgrades and what it really costs.
Light
Match the light to your tank
Start from the footprint you need to light and the corals you want, not a vague “suits tanks up to” claim.
Flow
Treat return and circulation separately
Size the return pump for your head height, then use wavemakers to shape the flow inside the display.
Water
Sort out your source water
Choose an RODI unit, understand TDS and set up a saltwater mixing routine you can repeat every week.
Measure
Build a testing routine
Pick test methods and a schedule you can keep up, so you react to trends, not to one odd reading.
Stabilise
Dose only when your reef needs it
Measure consumption first, then compare dosing pumps, methods and controller safeguards.
Maintain
Budget for the long run
Work out what water changes cost, and plan for the salt, calibration fluids and replacement parts that quietly add up.
PUT A NUMBER ON IT
Turn your shortlist into a real budget.
Use the cost planner to catch the items people forget, then check the annual electricity bill with your actual wattages and tariff. Once the tank is running, Reef Companion keeps your maintenance and spending on track.
Open the reef tank cost planner · Estimate electricity costs