How do people afford this hobby!!!

[chargingxray]

I've bought used and new and I must say there is noting better then putting some money aside each week and buying that new cool piece of equipment and livestock. Its so rewarding to me. Im on my second tank now myself. Call me crazy but I like getting new equipment to improve my tank just as much as I like buying livestock. Did I need my 2016 apex? "No" Never had an apex before why did I do it because it makes me feel comfortable leaving my tank home alone and IMO the money was worth it in the long run. Start small work your way up its rewarding has been for me anyways.

 

[WVNed]

Check out my 40 breeder budget build.. If all goes to plan I’m looking at under $1,750 total for tank, stand and all equipment. Everything will be purchased new and all the equipment I’m using will be the newest technology ie. DC pumps, skimmer and wave makers.. lighting will be a 36” t5’s/led combo from Aquatic life..

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/my-big-beautiful-budget-breeder-build.405791/

Hmmm

I don't know.

Doesn't seem very retro to me.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Hmmm

I don't know.

Doesn't seem very retro to me.

You haven’t seen my power supply

 

[DTSinn]

I upgraded from a 92 now to a 180 and am still adding equipment. mostly keeping spa and softies. limited funds actually let's you sit back and assess how things are going and practice good husbandry. I learned just to enjoy what you have, things will come in time.

 

[clark griswold]

July marks the LAST month I'll ever have to pay for daycare again. That $700 a month saved should pay off my reef tank initial build in a few months. Only problem is I've had to negotiate with the wife that if I get a reef tank. She gets a $6000 bathroom remodel. Also been selling some stuff. Already spent over a grand on stuff like RODI, ATO, digital refractometer, QT setup, rock etc. But funded by selling stuff I have setting around.

 

[Brian W]

My build is at $3600 and I have not even added rock, sand, corals, fish, old t5's bulbs, electricity, food, chemicals, shipping costs, etc. Ive spent well over 15k on this hobby since 2016....but I buy and sell corals to try to support this addiction. I started off with SPS and lost over 100 frags and mini colonies due to the supplements I was using was out of stock. I have not switched to softies and LPS dominant tank.

Tank & Stand: $150
Sump: $500
Lights: $325
2) Mp40's: $600
Apex: $800
Overflow box: $120
Skimmer: $200
Refugium Light: $300
Algae Turf Scrubber: $250
Plumbing: $100
RODI System: $250

 

[ReefWithCare]

Ya it’s stupid expensive. I have about $5K on a 125G so far and I have no APEX/ecotech stuff and got the tank and stand used for $150. No fish or corals yet lol. Got my 29G QT for $50 that came with all the equipment I needed.

I am curious how many people are about to cover their maintenance costs via fragging.

 

[Tiger-Paws]

Money?

What are you going to do with it after you are dead? Life is really very short enjoy yourself now because you never know when something will happen to diminish your quality of life.

Now I am not advocating for someone to go into debt for anything, debt is bad even evil. Personally if I cannot pay for something in cold hard cash I do not purchase it. So take your hard earned money and spend it on what makes you happy, shoes, a new coral, another bigger tank, an aircraft (my passion) or a boat.

When you (we) begin to consider what we spend on something ask yourself what am I getting for my money? When I take a Lady out on a date, I do not care how much I spend when I am out with her, I enjoy her company, the time we spend together and what we are doing at that time.

When I am at my property in Texas or in Caribbean I enjoy the sunrise from my deck with a cup of coffee in the morning, when I work on my tank (soon to be tanks) I am enjoying myself, the care and effort I put into creating the best environment possible for the creatures under my care.

When I take my twin turboprop aircraft somewhere I enjoy the challenge of flying a complex aircraft and after 40 years of flying I still get a thrill when I leave the Earth.

Life is so very, very short, stop questioning what you spend on something anything that makes you happy or gives you enjoyment. Simply enjoy what time you have because there will come a day when you cannot and all you will have is the memory of things that you did.

 

[Luno]

My current build is costing about 20k for the initial setup tank, stand, equipment. Not including any livestock. It's been a project I've been waiting to do for a while. Plus maybe an extra 12k in structural work that was required in the house build to accommodate the tank for example added solid metal beams for support, under slab plumbing, electrical.

I'd say by the time the tank is at a mature year stage and stocked I would have spent close to 50k definitely not a cheap hobby

 

[Bdog4u2]

I've been in the hobby for over 20 years and in this time I'm probably between 30k-40k. I spent over 4k just on live rock back when it was expensive but it was real Tonga and Fuji rock.

 

[JC reef superstar]

I’m at 15k on the new 165 and I have yet to buy any livestock

 

[GTAReefTank]

I use every trick in the book not to keep track of my expenses.
I used to use an online store, was shocked when I clicked a link to show purchase history which tallied up my total spent. In search of a less well managed online store.

 

[drblakjak55]

29g biocube 110$ from a R2R reefer. Tank, stand, lights, return pump. Added: Bag of live sand 20$. Heater 20$. Air pump and stone 10$. Filter floss 3$. Dry rock lying around. RODI 180$. Salt 54$ should last forty water changes. That’s the hardware. Now fish and coral. Reefapalooza

 

[Sarah24!]

lets try to stay on topic.i know it is not easy folks.heck i put up a picture of a car for pete sake.
hey sarah,we could do a whole shoe/car thing in the lounge forum.

Sorry, about that, I was just trying to show that things are expensive because of corporations and people willing to spend the money. I was hoping to show a link between our reef hobby compared to others. I really tried to stay all the way on topic (oh look a bunny rabbit).

I just think we could do more in our hobby if there wasn’t so much price gouging. Others could experience it to start and others could do more with it, including me. But from reading these posts, the one thing that is concsistent is that unless you spend a couple of thousand dollars, you can not even get started in this hobby.

@Genomecop ummm that’s a fun one for Lounge (I can start it) but doesn’t coffee wake you up? How does it make you sleepy lol? What the heck

Also @WVNed yes I do wanna see the crocs, haven’t seen them in years, and vintage cars are always neat.

Promise I’m still on topic lol

 

[Doug 7727]

HUGE startup costs for sure. I'm 11yrs in.....have all the equip I need but smthg breaks every 2yrs....so it never stops. I got a $500 Barracuda main pump that has 6 yrs on it. Im just waiting for that thing to just STOP working one day.

To depress you further.... I ran some #s for 2017.....and over the year counting electricity, water, salt, every little thing I could think of....just MAINTAINING what I had was about $1500 for that year.

Lump in throat...I know

Ok so I used to do competition BBQ I used a cheap Walmart pit the entry fees were at least $85 per cook off not to include the meat and such not to mention the RV trailer and fuel for the truck and generator my point is that all hobbies are expensive the only difference is what do you get out of it and to you is it worth the cost and effort.

 

[chargingxray]

July marks the LAST month I'll ever have to pay for daycare again. That $700 a month saved should pay off my reef tank initial build in a few months. Only problem is I've had to negotiate with the wife that if I get a reef tank. She gets a $6000 bathroom remodel. Also been selling some stuff. Already spent over a grand on stuff like RODI, ATO, digital refractometer, QT setup, rock etc. But funded by selling stuff I have setting around.

lol I just finished my wife’s bathroom remodel and we had the same agreement and were both happy. Well worth it. Happy wife happy life.

 

[OriginalUserName]

I probably have about 5k invested in my wine/beer making equipment FWIW. I also need another kegerator for my new place. :/

My wife and I talk about this all the time. My brother in law spent more on a designer DOG (+-$3000) than I have on my tank (+- $2000). Now when monthly costs comes into play it STILL costs more to keep his ONE dog alive than my tank of 7+ inhabitants. If things go well and neither dies then I can still have this reef in 20 years and his dog will definitely be dead (sorry for the morbidness but it's true). So when people tell me it's "an expensive hobby" I bring up the dog example and they stop talking to me about it's costs... or that just could be because of my rambling about the nitrogen cycle or replicating an entire ecosystem in my house not to mention how cool copepods are and how phytoplankton forms the base for the entire oceanic food chain that the copepods eat so that the fish can thrive and. . . oh I'm doing it again aren't I?

"Can't frag a dog"
-Me

 

[Tiger-Paws]

lol I just finished my wife’s bathroom remodel and we had the same agreement and were both happy. Well worth it. Happy wife happy life.

No wife, very happy life.

 

[cracker]

Wanna see my old Crocs and my pickup truck?

Probably not.

I'm with Ya WVNed. I wear old worn out crocs & drive a 20 year old pick up ! I can afford fancy s shoes & a new pick up but why bother. Also new high end equipment . However it's just not needed . Why spend then ?
I had the lights, return pump, skimmer etc . I used an old 75 I had out back for a sump. I suppose I had to buy these things at one point. My situation is different then others who are just starting out.

 

[WVNed]

LOL
@Sarah24!

I dont often add up what I spend. Never thought about it really. I want something I figure out the best way to get it then I do. Then my wife smacks me up side the head.
I am not poor, just cheap.

I like tucks.

You have to haul the stuff you buy home.