Cheapening the hobby

Mschmidt · Jul 18, 2023

None on us. I am assuming, got into the hobby expecting it to be cheap. But the costs can be overwhelming some times.

What are some ways you have found to get the tank you want for less than the sharks are charging?

Here are a few of mine:
3d printing for my lfs, got $200 in credit for a $20 investment, on the stand in the cup.

Knowing things about fish. Club meetings end with a quiz for gift cards. $100 for first place.

Reefer Matt · Jul 18, 2023

I usually buy the basic tanks like Marineland or Aqueon. Or used. I buy new equipment like Jebao pumps and wavemakers, but do get higher end things for lighting and controllers. As far as livestock, I usually trade or buy for less, with reefing friends and lfs owners in my area. It helps to get out and make friends with other Reefers and learn a lot too. Buying used and trading go a long way in saving money.

kevgib67 · Jul 18, 2023

I guess I have kept my cost down by not jumping into all the new tech gadgets. I’m running my tank very similar to how I ran it when I started in the mid 90’s. Worked for 16 years.

Troylee · Jul 18, 2023

I reef old skool and trade for everything I need!

PhishMonger84 · Jul 18, 2023

i find the tech side a huge turnoff to the hobby and avoid those items. which is less money out of my pocket

keeping things simple and on a schedule helps, when there are too many variables the time suck becomes greater and for me time is the resource that I'm shortest on.

I don't like hybrids or weird mophs or the next unobtainable item, i prefer classics.

I've been fish keeping for most of my life and have a small room in my house full of equipment and parts, i can usually cobble together something without buying new.

remembering to sit back and enjoy each stage so i'm not running out buying new things all the time.

Randy Holmes-Farley · Jul 18, 2023

Make your own supplements.

Allaric · Jul 18, 2023

Keep things small and simple. Try not to chase the latest thing or get excited by the newest gadget.

Darstar301 · Jul 18, 2023

Thank you, $30.00 gift card for 3rd place.

Mschmidt · Jul 18, 2023

Darstar301 said:
Thank you, $30.00 gift card for 3rd place.

Hello you.

Doctorgori · Jul 18, 2023

spend a lil more for quality livestock
don’t get caught up in “designer” frags
know when to get cheap equipment and when not to

bushdoc · Jul 18, 2023

Costs start raising exponentially above certain volume of your system. I try to hit “ sweet spot”- 120 gal.
I buy quality stuff, but keep it for years- just changed Hydra 52, which is not even produced anymore to Radeon XR 15, my MP 40s have been with me forever, so quality skimmer.
Chiller is better than air conditioning whole house, especially when you work 10 h/ day and can keep your dwelling warmer when you are away.
I do water changes every 4- 6 weeks.
I do not buy expensive corals or Dr Seuss Fish for 6K, my tangs and Clownfish have been with me for 8-10 y.

TheSheff · Jul 18, 2023

DIY as much as possible. I have recently been listening to telegraham alot too, he has a ton of insight into cheapening the hobby while still achieving great results.

Anemone_Fanatic · Jul 18, 2023

Less SPS and expensive torches, more softies/anemones.

I also like to reuse old equipment. I have my Mp10 from my last nano tank running in my current setup.

TheoneandonlyME · Jul 18, 2023

Search for hours on Kijiji, fb marketplace and such. Would be surprised what you can find. A 55 gallon tank for 50 bucks and even brough it down to 40 with my amazing arguing skills. Maybe needed a bit of cleaning but I’ve had it for a few months and it’s worked perfectly fine. Also my rocks for aqua scape. Enough to make a cave for my fish only 20$. And go travelling to different places because i got a huge 18 inch shell from the beach in Cuba for 10 bucks plus assorted shells and such for tiny details if you search for a bit. Overall, the whole display and equipment for a 50 gal if you’re cheap and have time to search can cost more or less 350 if you don’t count the fish or cuc.

Doctorgori · Jul 18, 2023

bushdoc said:
Costs start raising exponentially above certain volume of your system. I try to hit “ sweet spot”- 120 gal.
I buy quality stuff, but keep it for years- just changed Hydra 52, which is not even produced anymore to Radeon XR 15, my MP 40s have been with me forever, so quality skimmer.
Chiller is better than air conditioning whole house, especially when you work 10 h/ day and can keep your dwelling warmer when you are away.
I do water changes every 4- 6 weeks.
I do not buy expensive corals or Dr Seuss Fish for 6K, my tangs and Clownfish have been with me for 8-10 y.

SPS Stick tank! SPS Stick tank! ….gheez I get it but they got us chasing names like the dang things were TY dolls or pokémon cards… the brainwashing has been insane… Sorry had to rant…

PapaFishRocks · Jul 18, 2023

R2R Marketplace has been my favorite go to!

resortez · Jul 18, 2023

Lots of DIY, lots of it, from stand to filtration & plumbing. Was forced to learn the DIY approach as a kid back in the 90s, literally loading onto my skateboard a 40 gallon tank that someone tossed out to the curb, taking a couple of cinder blocks & lumber from a construction site dumpster, asking my LFS to sell me used equipment like a hang on back filter & powerheads. I was a 14 year old kid trying to house a simple soft coral reef so had no choice but to scavenge everything I needed to build a saltwater tank. I would go as far as offering my lfs a free water changes on their display tank in exchange for some of their mixed saltwater to do water changes in my own tank. My tank was just a pair of clowns & all mushroom corals because it was the cheapest coral available. Everything on that tank was picked up from the curb, bought or gifted used & barter. All that forced to have a full understanding of the environment especially because I couldn’t buy a test kit so I had to learn visual queues that dictated when the system needed my attention & when to leave it alone. Those were some good times.

Gumbies R Us · Jul 18, 2023

I mean, a lot of ways to cheapen the hobby. From doing DIY projects, trying to win gift cards to various websites whenever giveaways or possible, or simply waiting for sales on equipment or certain thing you might need for your tank.

t5Nitro · Jul 18, 2023

I think a lot of the high tech gadgets that make the hobby expensive sometimes make the hobby more difficult and certainly more time consuming than a reef tank ran in the 90s and early 2000s. This is coming from someone that really enjoys new fancy tech but avoids it in this hobby in particular.

Northern Flicker · Jul 18, 2023

Anemone_Fanatic said:
Less SPS and expensive torches, more softies/anemones.

I also like to reuse old equipment. I have my Mp10 from my last nano tank running in my current setup.

This!

I recently started dabbling in very cheap SPS, and even with those, they take a lot longer to "fill" their space, so the tank looks sparser.

In my area, Euphyllia are still very expensive, so I've stopped buying them.

Also looking around Kajiji has helped a little.