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Dupla regimen
An APD member asked privately:
>OK, I liked your latest post. Here is my question: What does it cost to set >up
a 100 gallon Dupla tank?
How close to a "real Dupla" setup?
A Dupla "Optimum Aquarium" has MH lights, wet/dry filter, heating coils and CO2.
>Close approximation is plenty accurate. Excluding live stuff.
This is based on what I paid some time ago. Used stuff will be lots cheaper.
Reduce costs appropriately for degrees of DIY.
A suspended hood with two 175w 5500K MH lights plus two 40w Fl bulbs is about
$500 (Hamilton Technologies). Two light timers are $30. Figure on replacing
one MH bulb every 6 months ($60).
Wet/dry filters are about $160 plus $100 for a decent pump + $35 for PVC
plumbing and decent ball valves.
Heating coils are about $150 plus $75 for a DIY power supply. A controller is
$100 and up. A 24 step light timer is $15 and will work after some fiddling to
get the cycles right.
Figure $200 for a CO2 bottle and gear. $100 for a commercial reactor. $300 for
a controller and solenoid.
$50 for Duplarit-G laterite.
So figure about $1800 plus tank, stand, gravel, livestock and test kits. Our
first semi-Dupla (no heating coils) 100g acrylic tank was $2500 in 1991 dollars
including a custom oak stand and all incidentals.
Makes paying $50 for "dirt" seem "not so bad", eh?
>And what does it cost for Dupla supplies to keep it going (per month or ???).
About $7 per month if you invest in large sizes. More per month if you can't
afford the cost of entry.
George "Are your eyes watering yet?"