Does this hobby have to be expensive?

[GK3]

Here is the story about how I got my first tank:


You can see how I got the tank, the sand and dry live rock were poor quality and given to me by someone who was shutting down, the system was run on Natural sea water, and most of the fish were presents or unwanted leftovers for other peoples breakdowns.

I equate to reefing to golf. If I suck at golf, I just buy nicer clubs, better balls, fancier shorts and then I can play on the PGA tour, right?

 

[pdiehm]

Wood to build stand: $100
60x18x26 aquarium: $240
6 stage RODI: $250
48x16x18 acrylic sump: $150
75lbs of Pukani Rock (only using about 50): $200
2 mp40QD: $350
1 bucket of salt: $70
Sicce 5.0 return pump: $175
Diamond Drill bit: $8
2 pieces of 60" glass: $15
Tube of Silicone: $7
PVC pieces for drains and return: $100
3 1" bulkheads: $24
2 300W heaters: $80
1 bottle Dr. Tims One and Only: $13
Test kit for Ammonia, NO3 and NO4: $50

That's just to cycle the tank.

add in the 6x80W T5: $400 (bulbs included)
RO Classic 200-Int Skimmer $250
Livestock - $variable
More Test kits: $50/each
Test Refils: $15
Salt Mix: $70 each bucket
Apex Controller: $250 I got a classic that needed a new brain, but will eventually upgrade to the new apex.

holy crap it adds up.

 

[jtl]

I have over $10k in my 100g and that includes over $3K in frags. I was careful to watch my money and even built my own sump and stand thinking I was saving money but as it turned out I probably did not save any thing. I mix my own water, don't have any dosers nor do I have a controller. My lights are not the cheapest but far from the most expensive. I really don't know where I could have saved any money and still enjoyed the tank. Is the hobby expensive? Dunno, most hobbies have a cost. My BIL spends over $8K per year on golf. The ongoing expense of a reef tank is not all that bad.

 

[Greybeard]

I'm amazed this thread is still running... and there are literally dozens of threads just like this one in the past.

It's a hobby. You _CAN_ go cheap, if you want to...

A 20 second search turns up a craigslist 65g tank and stand for $150.
A small used tank to use as a sump, borrow a hole saw, a few bucks worth of PVC, and a $50 return pump... you've got a running system.
A used T5 or a pair of ebay Chinese black box LED's, it's lit.
Salt, hydrometer, a cheap RO/DI system, dry rock, a jabao wavemaker...
Freebee mushrooms, polyps, xenia, monti cap frags from area hobbysts willing to help a guy get started...

You're in for what, $500? And.. you've got an excellent chance of success... as good as people who started with 10x your initial investment.

Expensive? Ask a serious golfer how much he spends annually on his hobby. Or a competitive shooter. Fisherman, hunter, boater... You get my point.

It's a hobby. The definition of 'hobby' is 'something that you spend your free time and money doing'.

You want to get involved in shooting sports? You can pick up a used pistol for $350, couple boxes of ammo, and a holster, and start competing in IDPA events immediately. Or... you can spend twenty grand building a custom long distance precision rifle, tools for loading custom ammunition, a high end scope... It's your choice. Either is a valid entry into shooting sports.

Back in the 80's, when I started with marine aquariums, I didn't have any money. A small tank, CF light strip, a box of IO, tap water and Start Right... I was successfully keeping many fish, inverts, and even several varieties of corals. Such low budget aquariums STILL WORK!

Today? Yeah, I've got some fairly serious money in my system. All kinds of high tech toys and gizmos. I'm not neglecting my kids or spending my rent money... it's mine to do as I wish.

 

[mitch91175]

I think that with any hobby if you have to think about the money aspect of it then it isn’t a hobby that you should engaged in really. Sure you have your limits on what you will spend for certain stuff, but at the end (which is when you decide to call it quits) it’s definitely not inexpensive by any stretch of the imagination; specially if you have a larger system.

 

[mitch91175]

Something else about being frugal when it comes to certain aspects of the overall system, it usually cost you more in the long run than if you had just bought the right stuff the first time. Things not be skimp on:

Lighting
Skimmer
Sump/Refugium
Pumps - return and power heads
Aquarium

Everyone will likely have a slightly different list, but that is what I considered before doing anything and didn’t mind spending more for quality equipment that I feel will be with me for the foreseeable future.

 

[ca1ore]

I have three main hobbies - reefing is neither the cheapest nor the most expensive. Does it 'have' to be expensive ..... No, of course not. If your aspiration is for a 200 gallon tank then it probably will be though. If I had to go out and buy my entire setup new, I'd get very little change back from $25K, but my sons 25 nano cost less than $500 ......

 

[mitch91175]

I have three main hobbies - reefing is neither the cheapest nor the most expensive. Does it 'have' to be expensive ..... No, of course not. If your aspiration is for a 200 gallon tank then it probably will be though.

It doesn’t have to be expensive for sure, but if your anything like I am, it definitely will be since it’ll be done what I consider the right way to do it. Personally I don’t like half-a$$ing stuff and wonder why it’s not working right.

 

[Nano sapiens]

This topic comes up rather frequently and I understand why. IMO, it's more a question of a person's general approach to things in life (simplicity vs. complication) than anything else, although other influences do come into play.

Expensive? Of course that depends on what you think you need, which relates to what you think you want

From the coral/system perspective, ANY setup that provides the correct physical and chemical parameters for health and growth over the long haul is a success. Meeting the necessary criteria can be done very simply and inexpensively, or via much complication and relatively high expense. The choice is really up to the individual...