How do people afford this hobby!!!

[jayala12]

I don’t afford this hobby but I do it anyways. I have about 2k in my biocube and I don’t regret one dime. What I do regret is not going bigger. I have a wife and 3 kids. They r more expensive than any hobby!!!! I figure it’s expensive but u enjoy what u see and also learn a ton about all kinds of life. Plus the problem solving is fun and u meet some very smart, interesting , like minded people.

 

[Bob Weigant]

I had to start all over again and got lucky. I bought my LFS display tank. Its a 225g with 120g sump , skimmer , lights ( 3 sets of gen2 radions ) for $2800. Plus they delivered and set up for $150 extra. Now its all the fish and corals that I have in it is where it got pricey. My wife asked if I thought there was atleast $5000 in the tank ? I just looked and said "I dont know". Thats my answer and Im sticking to it

 

[Neil Fox]

Look for deals and get good stuff. A lot of people like me have piles of fish stuff like a fish junkyard. The resale value isn't good so you can find really good deals on FB etc. I just built a 120 out of acrylic and moved a couple tanks into it. I have about $700 into the tank and sump and about the same in the stand. Bought a new pump, two chinese gyres a Reef Octo Skimmer and a Fuge light for about $500 but I did reuse a lot.

 

[Silverfish]

I don’t afford this hobby but I do it anyways. I have about 2k in my biocube and I don’t regret one dime. What I do regret is not going bigger. I have a wife and 3 kids. They r more expensive than any hobby!!!! I figure it’s expensive but u enjoy what u see and also learn a ton about all kinds of life. Plus the problem solving is fun and u meet some very smart, interesting , like minded people.

LOL I mean food alone!! Right!!

 

[Silverfish]

Hello,

Everything is expensive if you go buy the best stuff possible. I mean look at ladies purses, some can cost 20 dollars and others 2400 or more for a dumb purse. Saltwater tanks can be extremely expensive, but they can also be as cheap as the next hobby. I don’t have I think over 2500 for my 240 tank and it does simply amazing. Remeber to buy what just works and is reliable. Lots of the name brand stuff aka Radion, hydra apex, among some and lots of others I’m missing have lots of problems. There is a reason they use customers as beta testers.

I have been very very blessed by Current Usa who has donated a lot of their new equipment to me try and use. With that said in blunt honesty it’s by far the best I have used and or beta tested. With that said I’m not a super techy girl, I barley know how to use my iPhone (I have only had it two days). Remeber if something costs 900 dollars there is always something that costs 150 that is just as good as the 900, except the name. If name is what concerns you then lol Just paint your favorite brand name on it.

Hate those dumb purses Sarah! Great advice though! Thanks

 

[Velcro]

Unfortunately there's a big misconception that you have to buy all the really overpri.... I mean, expensive stuff to have success. I'm looking at you, ecotech.

 

[Nate77]

You can make the fish hobby be it fw or sw you can make it as expensive as you want or make it as cheap as you want , cheap to free tanks always listed on CL,FB etc also can find equipment to, may not be exactly what you want but may work for what you need.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I've got a couple grand in my system, lots of DIY to keep costs down. It took me a whole year to plan, buy, build and get wet.

It can be done cheaply. Just plan and take it slow. Buying a few things at a time, budget allowing.

 

[tiggs]

For me, a big part of it is challenging nature of the hobby, the addictiveness of it, and the ecosystem that comes as a result. Most of the folks that become interested in reef keeping live somewhat comfortably financially. Then, many get hooked quickly and spend a ton on these amazing builds with all the bells and whistles. Fast forward a few months and many realize it's a lot more difficult than they anticipated and ultimately get frustrated and give up. This is why you can find the latest and greatest of just about anything in the forum classifieds or on Craigslist at pretty much any given time for 30%+ off retail and lightly used. For me, learning to be patient (shocking to hear that in this hobby) and catching these types of deals is what makes it all work without dumping an absolute ton of money into it without sacrificing quality. When I was younger, I had it stuck in my head that I could either skimp on quality and get away cheap or spend a ton of money and have something nice. Thankfully, I got wiser with age and just learned to be patient and look for deals, so I can get away with spending a bit less.

As far as a particular price range goes, it's very hard to say. I've seen 14 gallon tanks with $10K invested and I've seen 200 gallon tanks with less than a quarter of that.

 

[GoldeneyeRet]

I have no clue how much I have spent on this hobby.

I advise against keeping g track of reef expenditures, dont leave a paper trail for the spouse to find! Lol

 

[spiritwalker]

REEF - Really Expensive Entertainment Factor

Setting up a used 120.. building my own stand.. I'm 5.5K deep and dont even have water in it.. getting close.

 

[Dartfrog1]

I traded some of my dart frogs I breed them (plus tanks) to a local pet store that has fresh and saltwater fish along with reptiles. For my tank 75gal drilled with stand,sump,skimmed,DC return pump,maxspect gyre and sand. I've still spent $1500 on all the rest not counting fish and corals so maybe another $500 so it's not a cheap hobby for sure but I've always wanted to give it a try!!!!

 

[Amado]

You want to save money buy everything used.
I never buy new aquariums you can find some one getting out of the hobby near you.
Most people pay a lot of money for setups and when they crash the tank or the algae goes out of control they sell cheap. You can also buy what you need a lot of people purchase high end lights and run them at 30% lol that’s a waste.

 

[dsh92056]

Have a good paying job

 

[Top189h]

I'm pretty new to the reef tank scene but I got really lucky. I set up, sold and upgraded 6 planted tanks. After I sold the 6th one, I spent the money on a 100$ eBay led, a penguin biowheel, a comline skimmer and spent less than 100$ on rock and fish, and put it in a 46 gallon bow front I had. I ran it that way for a year and a half until my wife found a used 125 set up that I got for 200$, lights, rock, sand, skimmer and livestock. I would never have spent the money for what I have now without her finding that. I'm not terribly picky about having the best corals or anything, and I'll treat myself to a random frag pack every so often. It adds up fast but it can be done on a budget over time. In 3 years I would say I've roughly spent 2500$.

 

[Albert bada]

Well I’m in about $3500 and it’s only a 65gal main and 15 sump peninsula tank I’ve gotten all my corals little by little my spendings more and more cause there are so many beautiful corals and no end in sight thankfully everything is doing great good growth I love this hobby we have to chairs on either side and the wife and I just sit there ounce the kids are asleep and just gaze for a while and its serenity that’s is what I get from it and it a worth every penny.

 

[Gaines69]

I started with a 29g cube that I had purchased over 6 years ago. HOB filter, lights, and heater all still worked. Spent a couple hundred getting pre mixed water, live sand, live bacteria, live rocks etc. upgraded to a 75 gal hob filter this year and new lights plus a couple hundred on fish etc. lost most of my livestock after Harvey because tank was at a friends while we lived in a hotel for 8 months. Just got it back and will be slowly restocking. Btw, I’m on a very tight budget so I’m doing a FOWLR aquarium. One day I hope to be able to upgrade. Lol

 

[BradB]

Successful reef = money + time + knowledge

You can minimize your investment in any one by investing more in the other 2. But no matter how much of 1 you have, you can't minimize the other 2.

So with a lot of time and knowledge, you can pick up or build the equipment, get frags at frag swaps and sell coral to pay costs. You can have a really nice tank for next to nothing.

 

[glb]

I’ve found that a ton of research and DIY saves a ton of money without sacrificing function or looks. I build a 40g breeder system from scratch. Built the stand myself, drilled a $40 Petco sale tank, made a sump out of a 20 tall. I did all the plumbing and painted the pipes to look nice. I did a ton of reviews on equipment, reading everything other people wrote about the products. There are reasonable generic products that are great. SCA-301 skimmer, Quiet One (silent one?) return pump. Glass holes overflows are great and reasonable. I did splurge on a Wye check valve but it’s totally worth it. I bought an Apex Jr. and once I add an EB-8 it will be enough to run my (albeit simple) tank. The only module I have is a ph probe right now and I’ll plan carefully what I add. I have one BRS 1.1ml doser and plan to buy two more over time. It took almost two years from planning to water in the tank, and it’s been running for a year. I’ve acquired equipment over time and patience is key. I want an ATI T-5 fixture which is pricey so I’m saving and will have fowlr until I can add them. I’ve had a blast every step of the way. Having to wait tends to make for better choices because there’s plenty of time to think things through. I have a notebook full of drawings and measurements. For me, money spent on quality or to make my life easier is money well spent. Check out my tank build and tips and hacks threads in my signature. Good luck!

 

[jason.kennedy.98478]

I have a 120 that I just got live rock into, still don't have lights or a controller, built my own stand and canopy. It's taken me 3.5 years to get to the point that I'm at buying parts here and there