Is this hobby a perpetual money pit ?

[iReefer12]

Going smaller will just present a new set of challenges and therefor a new set of things to buy to combat said challenges. You’ve already invested in the 75g, just stick with it, there shouldn’t be much more you need to buy at this point, set a monthly budget and try to stick to it - it’s easy to get lost in thinking that’s necessary oh that’s necessary and then the cost adds up quick. Be patient.

 

[A;exr54]

Based on calculations on apex. My electricity bill is about $15 month just for aquarium.
If that is a problem for anyone in this hobby to be honest this is not the right hobby for them.
Since metal halides started being replaced by LED’s electricity bills went way down.
Water i can’t say. Since I only use water for rodi. My waterchanges are all done with NSW.
That also reduces cost for salt. Although not why I do it that way.

 

[Hermie]

Way easier to lose money than to make money. Coral warfare for instance. You can be doing great growing corals but if they attack each other that's money gone.

 

[Calm Blue Ocean]

That’s a lot for just equipment.
I mean it does slow down after you have the right stuff. They key is to get the right stuff the first time.
Trying to save and getting cheaper equipment ends up costing more in the end.

I am curious as to what always comes up that costs so much?

Absolutely this. I think buying the wrong things and having to re-buy them cost me more than anything.

 

[KrisReef]

You don't have a problem. If you was spending that money on copulation, drugs and bail money then you could say you were having a problem. You have a reef tank! That's awesome and totally worth it. Anyone who says otherwise is illiterate in lifes priorities. That's what I tell myself and I feel better about life now.

?

 

[JNalley]

You don't have a problem. If you was spending that money on copulation, drugs and bail money then you could say you were having a problem. You have a reef tank! That's awesome and totally worth it. Anyone who says otherwise is illiterate in lifes priorities. That's what I tell myself and I feel better about life now.

?

 

[fachatga]

It's as expensive as you want it to be. You say you have a problem that needs to be solved by an equipment...most will disagree. All fancy expensive equipments are just what the vendors push onto us. It's up to you to not buy into the hype. Reefing on a budget can easily be done.

Absolutely. There are so many successful simple tanks out there. The cool gear and stuff can be nice and fun to play with but really not necessary. A good water change schedule fixes so many problems. Personally I didn’t buy any fancy stuff until I was comfortable doing things manually anyway. For me that was a better way to learn. And I knew what I wanted to spend my money on and why so I could pick and choose in an informative way instead of just getting everything. Don’t let people tell you that you need expensive equipment. It’s not the cheapest hobby in the world but doesn’t need to be over the top. With my first tank I’ve probably put $1000 into an AIO tank including live rock (33 gal) and maybe $500 into power heads. $200 for a few dose pumps. $130 skimmer. $110 ph monitor. $75 for 2 heaters. Also have the brs carbon and gfo reaxtor. Plus redsea additives. My tank is thriving with fairly little ongoing expense now. I think that’s pretty reasonable. Fish and corals add maybe another $500 but that could really have been a lot less. So I’d say I’m around $2,500 with maybe $50 a month ongoing expense. Maybe a few other small things I have. For a great reef tank with great growth I think that’s decent. While I did splurge on the apex recently that was just a gift for me and not necessary at all.

 

[Ghost25]

It's a money pit in the same sense as most hobbies: it costs money and doesn't make money.

But in my opinion your spending is way more than necessary. I genuinely don't understand how you spend 1k on salt, testing an food in less than a year.

You can easily spend 1k on frags if you're buying online, you can get bigger, nicer pieces from local reefers for much much cheaper. I bought my AI prime used, same with my MP40, they both work perfectly. You want the latest and greatest, brand new you will spend a lot. Buy from local reefers, and buy used when you can. Black box lights and Petco tanks can still grow coral. Sure if you want it to look slick it's gonna cost you more.

 

[Rakie]

It's a money pit at first. Buy the right equipment and it'll look even worse up front, but way cheaper in the long run -- that in and of itself is a hard pill to swallow.

 

[workhz]

You can spend whatever you want but given that the basics are done you can definitely slow down.

Keep in mind that a tank is like a garden. Things grow, or at least they’re supposed to.

If you go out and buy the most expensive corals and fill the tank then there won’t be room for growth.

Nothing wrong with having good equipment. Hopefully it will last a while. Take it slow and steady on corals thought. Just figured they’re going to be 4-5x the side in a couple of years.

 

[HomebroodExotics]

Most of the extra gadgets you don't need. It's a lot more fun imo to make do with as little as possible. Maybe make different goals or identify a single goal and work towards it and don't fall for marketing hype. It's as expensive as you want it to be. If you enjoy spending 10k on a single aquarium then by all means go for it and have fun. I think most of all take a breather and relax. Watch the tank more and stress out less.

 

[jmichaelh7]

It’s a money pit bro
For example … I’m adding a uv sterilizer. Do I really need the Flow meter for apex? Or do I really need the apex at that… lol you get what I mean? It’s a hobby … an adult hobby that is enjoyable

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Bwahahahahahahahaha I own a sailboat and you want to talk about expensive hobbies hahahahahahahaha... I kinda feel better now :/.

Seriously, the upfront cost can be a wallet drainer, but once your established the cost become a maintenance thing. Now I think about my reef cost, jeebuz I dropped a LOT of coin, especially on stock!

 

[Fezbearer]

Bwahahahahahahahaha I own a sailboat and you want to talk about expensive hobbies hahahahahahahaha... I kinda feel better.

That’s not a money pit, thats a black hole.

 

[ReefRondo]

I got into this hobby under no illusions it was cheap. The only thing that caught me out in the end was having back ups for everything. Pumps, heaters, heater controllers and so on. Also with the addition of the likes of a trident puts quite a bit onto your monthly bill. It can absolutely be done far cheaper than some.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

That’s not a money pit, thats a black hole.

Break Out Another Thousand.

 

[Tamberav]

Okay, I need encouragements. Or not. Maybe this is just too expensive for my taste.

I am always, always very well prepared before going into a new project. I had done hundreds of hours of research, reading and watching videos to learn as much as possible on tons of different aspects of the hobby.

After that I set aside a budget, thinking I would have a lot of expenses in the beginning, and that eventually it would calm down . Like it does in freshwater (even though it’s a lot less expensive). After a while, you have all your gear and all you need to buy is food and maintenance products. And enjoy.

But that has not happened with my reef tanks…. So far I must have spent 8k-10k in 9 months. For a 12 gallons and 75 gallons tank (I already had the tank and stand). It seems there is always a problem to fix that needs specific equipment, or products. Every month, I’m thinking : okay, this was the last time I spent so much. But then I need something else that can’t wait.

What I want is to achieve a state where my tank is complete and where I only need to buy new stuff exceptionally, and because I want to (outside of all necessary items). I want my montly budget to be spent on corals, so I can have the tank I dreamed of.

Is this unrealistic ? Should I downsize ?

Right now I’m tight on money because of this hobby I love and it’s not a pleasant feeling. Yeah, I could spend less, but I’ve already spent so much how can I let it go to waste ? Sigh.

Your experience will be appreciated.

What is it that you need? Technically reef tanks only NEED rock + light + flow then maintenance stuff like 2 part and/or water changes.

 

[GlassMunky]

Okay, I need encouragements. Or not. Maybe this is just too expensive for my taste.

I am always, always very well prepared before going into a new project. I had done hundreds of hours of research, reading and watching videos to learn as much as possible on tons of different aspects of the hobby.

After that I set aside a budget, thinking I would have a lot of expenses in the beginning, and that eventually it would calm down . Like it does in freshwater (even though it’s a lot less expensive). After a while, you have all your gear and all you need to buy is food and maintenance products. And enjoy.

But that has not happened with my reef tanks…. So far I must have spent 8k-10k in 9 months. For a 12 gallons and 75 gallons tank (I already had the tank and stand). It seems there is always a problem to fix that needs specific equipment, or products. Every month, I’m thinking : okay, this was the last time I spent so much. But then I need something else that can’t wait.

What I want is to achieve a state where my tank is complete and where I only need to buy new stuff exceptionally, and because I want to (outside of all necessary items). I want my montly budget to be spent on corals, so I can have the tank I dreamed of.

Is this unrealistic ? Should I downsize ?

Right now I’m tight on money because of this hobby I love and it’s not a pleasant feeling. Yeah, I could spend less, but I’ve already spent so much how can I let it go to waste ? Sigh.

Your experience will be appreciated.

How did you spend that much on a 75g tank!? That’s how much it cost be to buy and setup my custom 220g system…. Something is very wrong there

 

[PandorasChalk]

As a first time saltwater keeper, I have been lucky in that my costs for my 14 gallon cube have been way lower than expected:

Tank, light, Tidal 35, heater, rock, sand, salt = 250
QT tank which is an old 5 gallon tank with bare minimum = 30 for a heater, had everything else
Fish and inverts = 80
Coral = 250
Food, medicine, hydrometer, test kits = 90

Honestly my only major gripe is the fish, but I have been getting stupid unlucky and have lost 2 due to sickness. Thankfully both times the LFS gave a refund or store credit, my recent being a scooter blenny who died even though he was a healthy weight (the amount of effort I put into feeding him and he was sick ). I'm still rocking the same bucket of salt from 3 months ago (Although almost out).

I'd say so far water changes and a keen eye have kept my costs low. I have a friend who started a little after I did and he is battling everything under the sun in his 20 gallon. Bad aiptasia, hitchhikers, algae, the whole nine yards. Keep hands out of the tank as much as possible and keep a consistent schedule and the costs will stay down with any aquarium.

 

[WVNed]

Mine has settled down. Just food, salt, and dosing chemicals and media now. Took about 2 years. In that time I found out what was going to work long term and what wasn't.