More affordable hobby than I realized..?

[Breadman03]

I used to think small was hard, but I've been following posts from one of our users that changed my mind. Check these threads and the threads that get referenced. I'm under the impression that it's just so simple to keep clean and to do nearly 100% water changes that it's a really viable option, especially on a budget.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/w...a-fishbowl-than-in-a-normal-reef-tank.270506/

An option I'm considering is taking a 40 breeder (inexpensive and widely available) and having a piece of glass cut to make an AIO out of it by portioning off maybe 6" of one end for equipment. I'd just keep that end to the back and view it from the other end. A small pump would be a fine return and a heater would easily fit. I'm not sure about nutrient control, but I'd think that an algae scrubber would be a good fit.

 

[Katrina71]

I love Biocubes.

 

[wesman42]

I started with a 32 biocube and it was the perfect beginner tank. It allowed me to explore the ins and outs of the hobby, as well as learning how to keep coral alive.

 

[Stickboy15]

It can be as cheap or as expensive as you want. I have about 5k in my freshwater tank set up and about 3.5k in my biocube

 

[SeaJay]

It can be as cheap or as expensive as you want. I have about 5k in my freshwater tank set up and about 3.5k in my biocube

I'm probably around that $5k mark too and I just started a few months ago. Definitely has turned out to be more expensive than I anticipated, but I've had enough hobbies over the years to know that's almost always the case. My biggest hobbies have been building hot rods, golf and guns. This is definitely the cheapest of them all. It's all relative.

 

[Stickboy15]

Same my new set of golf clubs ran me 3k all custom and I have a full bolt on camaro so I feel ya

 

[SweetCoralline]

I'm afraid you @Stickboy15 and @SeaJay and I are enjoying two very different qualities of life altogether.

 

[WVNed]

The few hundred dollar reef tank from many years ago. I have posted this pic before

 

[SweetCoralline]

Very nice @WVNed ! Cycled, running and stocked, what would you put the total cost at?
As for helping with the young reefer's build @ReefWithCare ,how much do you believe his final cost after the light and nicely stocked will end up totalling?

 

[WVNed]

I dont remember.
It started like this

ended up as pictured above.
20L
10G
2 lamp T5 light
3 maxijets (one was the return pump)
heater
Skimmer ( don't remember what kind now. I came to hate it because the venturi plugged once a month like clockwork. )
Live rock, I believe this was the most expensive part.
Some PVC and tubing from lowes

Most of this stuff is way cheaper than it was back then too.

 

[SweetCoralline]

Anyone from the Ford Focus and mini golf crowd that can chime in on what system they have afforded? Lol

 

[Clownfish2]

Many hobbies come to mind that are less affordable than reefing......own a boat or a plane, get a pilot license and rent airplanes by the hour, golf, shooting, offshore fishing.

 

[fish farmer]

It all depends on what livestock you want to keep. A nice softie tank like the one pictured above has more affordable and hardy livestock compared to a sps tank.

I have mushrooms and palys that are bulletproof.

 

[SweetCoralline]

Many hobbies come to mind that are less affordable than reefing......own a boat or a plane, get a pilot license and rent airplanes by the hour, golf, shooting, offshore fishing.

Those are all hobbies I would love to be able to afford. Unfortunately, it seems I've got caviar tastes and a tuna fish budget. Lol

 

[WVNed]

as long as it isn't the cat tuna.

 

[SweetCoralline]

as long as it isn't the cat tuna.

Right, but I can get two for the price of one if I buy the cat tuna.

 

[WVNed]

My cat wont eat it so I have to.

 

[fish farmer]

Right, but I can get two for the price of one if I buy the cat tuna.

Both my cats get "fancy" food...well prescription diet, one has urinary tract food, the other weight management food. That's about $3.60 a day for 30 lbs of cats...well they are down to around 27 lbs now.

 

[SweetCoralline]

Many hobbies come to mind that are less affordable than reefing......own a boat or a plane, get a pilot license and rent airplanes by the hour, golf, shooting, offshore fishing.

It's funny... growing up in North Dakota, I never thought of hunting as an expensive luxury since my dad and I would go every season and ours wasn't more than a $25k per year household. Since having been living out of the state for the past 15 years, I get the impression that instead of asking a farmer's permission to walk his shelterbelts, packing out any trash you come across and cleaning a few pheasants to leave him with, now it's a question of how much does he charge. Sad times... unless you've got $ of course.

 

[SweetCoralline]

I used to think small was hard, but I've been following posts from one of our users that changed my mind. Check these threads and the threads that get referenced. I'm under the impression that it's just so simple to keep clean and to do nearly 100% water changes that it's a really viable option, especially on a budget.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/w...a-fishbowl-than-in-a-normal-reef-tank.270506/

An option I'm considering is taking a 40 breeder (inexpensive and widely available) and having a piece of glass cut to make an AIO out of it by portioning off maybe 6" of one end for equipment. I'd just keep that end to the back and view it from the other end. A small pump would be a fine return and a heater would easily fit. I'm not sure about nutrient control, but I'd think that an algae scrubber would be a good fit.

I really like this idea of taking a 40G breeder and just partitioning off 6" as a sump, AIO style. No reason you couldn't just paint that section black on the outside or use black acrylic to hide that section, leaving an asymmetrical design as many AIOs have either. Flooding would be a non-issue if you drilled the glass partition, just a built in overflow... yeah, I'm kinda loving the idea!