Please Stop Stating This Is An Expensive Hobby.

[G_Sanab922]

Water change = money
Electricity = money
Fish food = money
Top-off water = money

I'm sure you've spent at least $1 out of these over a year and a half. =P

Lol he got you there.

Even though all of those are minimal expenses,
Those little things do add up. It can easily be $10-$50 per month depending on your equipment and size of your tank. Possibly even more.

 

[DavidinGA]

Water change = money
Electricity = money
Fish food = money
Top-off water = money

I'm sure you've spent at least $1 out of these over a year and a half. =P

Unless....

He doesn't do water changes.
Has solar panels
Bought fish food last year that's he still using
Has a well

 

[Bombertech]

Water change = money
Electricity = money
Fish food = money
Top-off water = money

I'm sure you've spent at least $1 out of these over a year and a half. =P

Negatory, I mountain bike so my hobby money goes to that these days (or at least it was until my kid started into the hobby too). You just have to be smart about it, prepare to insert foot into mouth...

I used to have a single 14 gallon bio-cube when I first started. I spent close to $200 a month on frags, and salt and this that and the other thing. When it came time to upgrade, I thought, there has to be a cheaper way to do this (that and the wife was getting ****** as I was spending a lot on my other hobby). I sold some frags and used cash from my fish fund jar and picked up a 2x4 hydro tray ($30) and built an LED fixture from scrap material and some LEDs I got on ebay ($30). I re-used my project desk as a stand for the hydro tray, piped it into a sump I got in a trade to tie the biocube and it together. here's a pic of the biocube before I took it down (gave it to my sister to get her rolling)



Here is my breakdown:

Selling Frag Packs = as the wife calls it: fish fund money - This goes towards utilities (I use a watt stopper and pay a flat rate towards the water bill), piping/fittings, new led diodes for retrofitting traded fixtures, net pots, egg crate.
Trading Frag Packs = store credit, which gets me new corals, fish food and salt.
Trading LED Fixture Work/Consulting = More frags, Store Credit, fish, hermits.
Trading Frags = Equipment, Live Rock (LED fixtures, hydor wave makers, pumps, second hand skimmers- picked up an 800XR)My 6 Gallon display: Fluval Edge was also from a trade, display before that was a 90 cube picked up from a trade.
Free Stuff = Picked up 4 Buckhorn Shipping containers from a local grower for freesies, air-welded the cracks using scrap from the containers, used 4" pvc scrap to re-inforce to prevent the problem that led to me geting them for free from happening again. Used locally scavenged extruded acrylic for covers. Trade for other aquired equipment or use money from the fish fund. Conduit, scrap out of the metal bins from job sites. Temperature controllers - pulled from HVAC retrofits, material that was destined for the scrap heap. PVC Scrap from dumpsters on job sites.

Here is my system (minus my 6 gallon display in the house):

 

[Bombertech]

Here's to the upgrade I'm working on right now. I've been amassing equipment for a year on this but guess what? Also trades...



2x2 Steel was bought with fish fund money ($200), welder is doing the work for a frag pack. Still trying to network to find a powder coater, if not I'll shell out some fish funds to have it done in hot pink with a clear coat sparkle

Lights are a combination of modded D120s and a 4ft solaris acquired via trades. I also build fixtures from heat sinks pulled from faulty VFD's and power supplies from retrofits. I don't use drivers, just engineer the loads to be close enough to limit current with 1 ohm resistors like you're supposed to. Wire is scrap from work projects. Yes, i spend time doing the things that i love, but that is how I relax (all the fun in the hobby).

 

[Wags]

Hey just thought I would throw my 2 cents in. I am a college student who is mostly on financial aid due to conning from a lower income family. Over the last 3 months I have watched Craigslist daily and was able to score a complete rimless cub aquarium for 300. Has ecotech skimmer, mp10, ecoray led. That was a way more than I wanted to spend but it was worth it. I saw complete systems for as low as 150. The water at my lfs is 89c/g. I have friends who spend more on beer in a month. Not to mention I could probably turn this around in a month and get my money back.

This hobby does cost money but is affordable to anyone who is willing to put in some extra TLC.

Just my 2 cents

 

[DavidinGA]

Hey just thought I would throw my 2 cents in. I am a college student who is mostly on financial aid due to conning from a lower income family. Over the last 3 months I have watched Craigslist daily and was able to score a complete rimless cub aquarium for 300. Has ecotech skimmer, mp10, ecoray led. That was a way more than I wanted to spend but it was worth it. I saw complete systems for as low as 150. The water at my lfs is 89c/g. I have friends who spend more on beer in a month. Not to mention I could probably turn this around in a month and get my money back.

This hobby does cost money but is affordable to anyone who is willing to put in some extra TLC.

Just my 2 cents

Very true. I find that when people eventually get fed up or simply lose interest in this hobby they just want the stuff gone and give it away for pennies on the dollar. Score for us no doubt.

 

[h8z2luze]

I almost never buy anything new. I just bought a drilled 75 with plumbing and black carribian sand for 100 bucks.

 

[BODI]

I've given aquariums, stands, skimmers, lighting, and live rock away for free several times over the years...

 

[h8z2luze]

Being in a local club really helps out a lot also.

 

[that Reef Guy]

I always tell people that for a standard non-custom made 36" long tank, unless you have an extra 3k laying around plus at least another 150-200 each month, you can't afford this hobby. It's not just about automation. Tank, stand, lights, flow, sump, pumps, heaters, test kits, salt, rock, filtration (skimmer, fuge, whatever you choose to use), RODI, mixing tubs (brute containers on the cheap). That's all before you put a fish or coral in the tank. For a 4' tank I say about 5k to get started. Not crazy expensive but definitely not cheap by any stretch.

Regards,
Taylor

The OP is right.

When you tell people something is 3,000 when in reality (Getting Prices I can do the tank you mentioned for 500.00 not 3,000).

You have to be a smart shopper.

If you found a complete setup on Craigslist it would be much cheaper than the 500.00 that I came up with.

5,000 total - come on?

200 a Month?

More like 10.00 a Month.

I totally agree with the OP people saying things like this keep people out of the hobby which is very bad.

Sure you can spend as much as you want and come up with the figures you did.

But you can spend as little as you want too.

 

[that Reef Guy]

+1 It is expensive. Although the word "expensive" is a pretty subjective word. Engineer, doctor, waitress, paper boy - the word "expensive" means different things to different people. Even if you just contrast and compare the costs of fresh water to salt water, I think you can reasonably say salt is more expensive. It would be interesting to me, to know the average income of reefers.....

I don't think it's discouraging to new hobbyists to say it's expensive. It's honest. It's right. It prompts appropriate and reasonable responses, whereas not speaking to cost may lead to ultimate failure and/or discouragement.

Generally speaking most people spend more on Saltwater than Freshwater but I once say a Small Freshwater Tank with 10,000 worth of Plecos.

You can spend a ton on Freshwater just not that many people do it.

I agree with what you said though one person might think 100 is alot of money while the next might think 10,000 is a lot of money.

 

[that Reef Guy]

This hobby CAN be expensive. Key word is CAN. I set up a tank using locally collected rock, water, sand, fish and inverts. There were cold water animals so all I needed was a light, flow pump and a tank. If I bought everything brand new I could have had a new tank fully stocked for less than $50. I luckily had everything laying around so did it for free, but that's not the point.
I also set up a 5 gallon LPS and softy tank and it's still running strong more than 3 years later. The most expensive thing in the tank (livestock and hardware) cost me $30. Well, up until today it did when I bought a $45 coral.
The point is, it doesn't have to be an expensive hobby. Sure, I could go out and spent $1000 on a new tank, $1500 on a stand and canopy, $2000 on lights, $1500 on wavemakers, $2000 on a sump, plumbing and return pump and a further $2000 on controllers and dosing equipment. But I won't, because I know with a little hard work I can have the same results for a fraction if the cost.
It's only an expensive hobby if you make it that way. And if anyone tells you different, they are either too ignorant to know better, too stubborn to admit that it's possible or just too stupid to realise things can be done differently. Sorry to put it so bluntly, but it's true.

+1

Well said.

 

[that Reef Guy]

Also, if you feel it is expensive sell Coral.

For me everything is cheap because it is free.

I sell Coral at the Swaps to buy more Coral from the Swaps.

Swap costs = 0 and I make a profit.

I need lights, food, salt, etc. = Free

I go to my LFS where I have hundreds of dollars from trading in coral for Store Credit = Free.

The only thing I think I pay for actually is Bulk Reef Supply GFO because I have to buy that Online (If it was in stores it would be free).

But I turn a Profit Selling Coral so in reality the GFO is free too.

Just sell Coral.

It is easy as that.

For me this Hobby is not Expensive.

It is not even Cheap.

It is Free with Profit too.

When I buy Coral I do not look at it as Spending Money like most people probably do.

I see it as an Investment that I will Profit from.

 

[G_Sanab922]

Also, if you feel it is expensive sell Coral.

For me everything is cheap because it is free.

I sell Coral at the Swaps to buy more Coral from the Swaps.

Swap costs = 0 and I make a profit.

I need lights, food, salt, etc. = Free

I go to my LFS where I have hundreds of dollars from trading in coral for Store Credit = Free.

The only thing I think I pay for actually is Bulk Reef Supply GFO because I have to buy that Online (If it was in stores it would be free).

But I turn a Profit Selling Coral so in reality the GFO is free too.

Just sell Coral.

It is easy as that.

For me this Hobby is not Expensive.

It is not even Cheap.

It is Free with Profit too.

When I buy Coral I do not look at it as Spending Money like most people probably do.

I see it as an Investment that I will Profit from.

This isn't available for every state. If down here in FL you sell a lot and gain profit then you run many risks.

 

[Diesel]

Also, if you feel it is expensive sell Coral.

For me everything is cheap because it is free.

I sell Coral at the Swaps to buy more Coral from the Swaps.

Swap costs = 0 and I make a profit.

I need lights, food, salt, etc. = Free

I go to my LFS where I have hundreds of dollars from trading in coral for Store Credit = Free.

The only thing I think I pay for actually is Bulk Reef Supply GFO because I have to buy that Online (If it was in stores it would be free).

But I turn a Profit Selling Coral so in reality the GFO is free too.

Just sell Coral.

It is easy as that.

For me this Hobby is not Expensive.

It is not even Cheap.

It is Free with Profit too.

When I buy Coral I do not look at it as Spending Money like most people probably do.

I see it as an Investment that I will Profit from.

That's one way to do it.
But tell us this right of the back as it were your own words to bring the word Investment in the conversation, how much did you spend before you start making a profit?

 

[that Reef Guy]

This isn't available for every state. If down here in FL you sell a lot and gain profit then you run many risks.

I don't get what you are saying?

Why do you say this is Not available in every State?

There are people in all 50 States that Sell Coral?

What "Risks" are you referring to that are only in Florida?

 

[that Reef Guy]

That's one way to do it.
But tell us this right of the back as it were your own words to bring the word Investment in the conversation, how much did you spend before you start making a profit?

True, I did Spend a lot of money over the years before I started selling coral.

But that was not my intention at first - Like everyone else I just wanted to keep Saltwater Fish and then I moved on to Coral, then one day I decided to start selling.

I have not recouped tall the money I spent but I will one day it just takes time.

But currently I do not spend any money on this Hobby (It all comes from selling coral and trading it into the LFS).

And I keep aquiring New Coral hence investing in my future so I can make more money from this.

You cannot do this from day one.

But if you work at it, study a lot like I did, and have a great passion for it like I do there is no reason that one cannot start selling coral for profit.

It is not for everyone but it is definetly an option to keep this Hobby from being "Expensive" which was the point of this post.

I am just trying to show that this hobby does not have to be expensive and show just one way to reach that goal.

 

[Wags]

Just went to my lfs and got our first fish and some frags. 2 ocellaris clowns, frag of hammer, frogspawn, monti, and zoas for $60. Probably wont add anything else for a few months. Seems pretty affordable to me so far. In all fairness though I am buying what I can afford not what I necessarily want.

 

[G_Sanab922]

I don't get what you are saying?

Why do you say this is Not available in every State?

There are people in all 50 States that Sell Coral?

What "Risks" are you referring to that are only in Florida?

Selling for profit isn't available everywhere. The risks you run are getting fined or worse.. If they want to , they can make you get a aquaculture license if you sell a lot or other licenses depending on which agency.

Yes there is plenty of hobbyist who sell, but once they notice you aren't licensed and sell very very often (like a store basically) they can track you down and fine you. There's plenty of discussion of this on the local club threads.
Of course it isn't often that people are fined, but it does happen. So better save than sorry.

I've spoken to the Department of FL and they have advised me that I must have the proper licensing for profit.
Now others might not care but I don't want to put that risk on myself and family. I rather like doing things correctly.
This is why it varies from area to area.

 

[G_Sanab922]

@thereefguy not everyone is like you and other hobbyist who have the time to look for deals and frag and sell.

We have to remember , there is a minimal percentage of hobbyist who actually use forums and do things themselves, like many of us here. . I find more people who pay people to maintain their aquarium and have one to just look at.