How do y'all afford the hobby?

[TangGang]

Like everyone else has said, brand new expensive equipment is not needed, nor is an overly complex system that monitors every single parameter in your aquarium. If you are on a budget, water changes and freshwater top-off is all that’s really needed. As for how to afford corals, the best advice I can give is to establish relationships with people in the hobby in your local community. People are always willing to trade or give you corals that they might have been trying to get rid of. Once you get a nice amount of corals in your tank, try to learn which ones grow the best, and start searching for those specifically and build up into the high-end versions of those corals. Then trade frags of those desirable corals away for anything your aquarium needs, and pretty soon you will have many different types of corals without having dropped loads of money.

 

[WVNed]

My car is used. My tank stuff is new. No one sells anything of use to me within 200 miles anyway.

 

[LeftyReefer]

I'm currently supplying some of my LFS's with anemone's.
Most won't pay cash, but will give me store credit instead.
They just load the funds on a reloadable gift card.
I haven't had to pay out of pocket for food or supplies in my LFS for quite a while.

See if there is anything you can raise/grow out and sell locally or to an LFS.

pods? phyto? breed fish? frag corals?

if not, there are always bodily fluids to sell.

 

[stevolough]

I find these threads amusing.
We paid $54,000 for our first house. 3 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths on a fenced corner lot with a garage and full basement.
The cost of a mid model pick up truck now.
Yes this hobby costs more than it ever has. So does everything else.
I sold my truck and bought a small car.
Almost like magic the 10 gallons to fill it up costs more than 18 to fill the pickup I traded in.

A power head that was 240 last year is 280 now. There going to be responsible for there own demise. House you need. Transportation you need. Reef tank is awesome but it’s a luxury.

 

[bruno3047]

Make a list of the things you need to start. And then another list of the things you need to buy regularly. Make a note of each item’s regular price you can get any time and then try to beat that price while you’re shopping online in your spare time. If you see something that’s priced ridiculously low, you strike even if you don’t need that particular item at that time. For instance, I recently accumulated eight 55 lb/200 gallon boxes of Reef Crystals salt at prices ranging from $20 a box to $36 a box. I probably have enough salt for the next few years. One of the retailers I bought from, Chewy, is now offering that salt for $63.98/box.

 

[Rtaylor]

I did see some 28 dollar ones that were magnetic, and were like 1000 gph. There was a 35 dollar one that was 1500 gph (but not controllable), so there are some for larger tanks, (maybe not as large as yours tho)

I’ve tried some of those. They’re ok. If I were budget constrained, I’d probably use them. Since I have the funds, the slightly more expensive ones are worth the lower maintenance and I like being able to adjust speed and pattern with a controller. It comes in handy for a lot of situations. Again, the less expensive ones are ok, they do the job. Some things are worth a little extra if you can swing it. But a name, that’s not worth it to me. I’m sure it is to some people and that’s ok if it works for them.

 

[Unitylover]

Yes, I am one of the few broke people who needs to get those lol

 

[vetteguy53081]

Did you have to go to the bank?

Yes, when there is a Live sale LOL

 

[VagusX]

I just inherited a 100 gallon tank with everything they ever owned including 200 pounds of 5-7 year old sand and 1 clownfish. I'm quickly learning that every test kit expired in 2016 and 4 out of 6 pumps in the sump are failing. I am starting to feel the pain, but the beauty of the tank is grabbing hold. I'm a thrifty guy and will be keeping an eye on this forum for good deals and search FB etc...

 

[reefl8r]

After pay / klarna / affirm haha

 

[HB AL]

I go to work to afford what the tank needs.

 

[DarkReefer]

I goto work for the toys and nice things.

I'd love to have a 4-6ft tank but space and budget restricts that a little (especially when trying to save for a house).
My tank now has probably set me back in the vicinity of 10K(AUD) or more in the space of 12-18 months. (including equipment, livestock, additives, tests and tank itself).
Whilst it's not necessarily a cheap hobby there are ways to make it more affordable such as buying frags of corals and waiting for them to grow out rather than buying ones that are fairly big already.
Buying good quality/well known brands second hand etc.

 

[JoJosReef]

Waiting game. My most expensive coral ($78 trachy) died. I try to stay under $50 for corals now. Wait for a good live sale and be patient, or look out for local deals. My "flashlight" torch went for $25 on a live sale. Same torch goes by other names like dark knight or neon tip for >$100, and mine looks amazing.

 

[ninjamyst]

As the hobby becomes more mainstream, there's been an influx of rich newcomers that can afford thousand dollar equipments and thousand dollar corals. A lot of retirees and older people with lots of savings.

 

[AKL1950]

Easy. I got a divorce. Now I got all kinds of money to spend.

Jetson

 

[mcgallagherc]

Catalytic converters but wish it was onlyfans... seriously, I manage a car dealership where I spend 55-75 hours a week so I never see my tank until I get home in the evening. It without a doubt brings a sense of comfort, calming and relaxation when I get home, i feed the tank and stare for about 20 mins every night. Worth every penny

 

[areefer01]

Catalytic converters but wish it was onlyfans... seriously, I manage a car dealership where I spend 55-75 hours a week so I never see my tank until I get home in the evening. It without a doubt brings a sense of comfort, calming and relaxation when I get home, i feed the tank and stare for about 20 mins every night. Worth every penny

No you don't. You don't want 'onlyfans' because that is why I have a nano tank Who wants to see a 50 something male hobbyist - lol. Maybe there is an age appropriate version

Speaking of dealerships wow. Son has been shopping for a car the past two weeks and has that process changed post covid and supply chain. I'm sure you are very busy regardless which side of the dealership you are on. Wishing you some smooth days and nice customers your way.

Edit: I'm really teasing with regards to me and 'onlyfans' since this seemed like a for fun thread.

 

[Sean Clark]

No you don't. You don't want 'onlyfans' because that is why I have a nano tank Who wants to see a 50 something male hobbyist - lol. Maybe there is an age appropriate version

You just need to scroll to the appropriate category

 

[mcgallagherc]

No you don't. You don't want 'onlyfans' because that is why I have a nano tank Who wants to see a 50 something male hobbyist - lol. Maybe there is an age appropriate version

Speaking of dealerships wow. Son has been shopping for a car the past two weeks and has that process changed post covid and supply chain. I'm sure you are very busy regardless which side of the dealership you are on. Wishing you some smooth days and nice customers your way.

Wife and I are attractive mid 30s and no kids... bring it on onlyfans world!!! Haha yes. Car business is nothing like ever before. Demand high, supply low. I run the new car department in sales, only thing not going smooth is trying to teach sales team to humble themselves, most customers are understanding about waiting 30-120 days for a vehicle.

 

[gbru316]

Understood that (often expensive) hobbies are important to me early on and set upon a career path that would pay enough to afford them (while not jeopardizing bills/family spending/retirement savings) while also allowing me the free time to enjoy said hobbies.

Well, that, and being totally averse to spending more than $100-$150 on any single frag. If it's something I really want, I'll purchase from a fellow hobbyist instead of paying retail. Which isn't terribly hard. I prefer frags to colonies. A big part of the allure is watching frags grow and flourish.