running costs of reef tank

[Marty0361]

Hi, my Partner and I wanna buy a Reef Aquarium (Size Like The waterbox Reef 100.3 or 130.4) but were wondering what The running Costs are? We know The Initial Costs but would Need some advice how much Money The Supplements, Fish/Coral food, maintenance and electricity would Cost per month or year. I know it depends on the equipment as well but we need a guide. Thanks for your Help.
We are located in Australia.

 

[discovermarine]

I’m in the UK and when I ran a 120gallon,

it would cost me around £60 for salt every 4- 6 weeks.

dosing cost would fluctuate depending on what I was up to and what dosing you’re using and how much you have in the tank - safe to estimate £50 -£100 every 8 - 12 weeks or so.

Rodi mebranes was £50 every 12 months

electricity was adding about £2 a day to electricity bill.

frozen food was £10 every 4 weeks

Dry food was £15 every 8 weeks

 

[gibbers]

Lots of factors here. I think someone mentioned in a previous thread electrical costs were high there compared to US. Spending more upfront on more energy efficient hardware might be worth it and save you in the end. Any idea on what you want to keep? that will help calculate supplements and what other things you may require

 

[Dan_P]

Hi, my Partner and I wanna buy a Reef Aquarium (Size Like The waterbox Reef 100.3 or 130.4) but were wondering what The running Costs are? We know The Initial Costs but would Need some advice how much Money The Supplements, Fish/Coral food, maintenance and electricity would Cost per month or year. I know it depends on the equipment as well but we need a guide. Thanks for your Help.
We are located in Australia.

The biggest cost is likely to be the livestock which you will likely be buying for at least a year because of stocking, replacing dead livestock, and impulse buys. Electricity could be significant if the kilowatt hour charge is high. If you keep soft coral supplements are not so bad. How often you change water drives the salt costs per month. Fish food can be pricey. And if you are human, you are likely to be adding equipment that simplifies chores. Automation will likely dazzle you and you will likely think you need it.

Emotional cost can be high if this is your first saltwater aquarium, you have a high yuck factor, science is a dirty word, following directions isn’t a habit and having a routine is not a life style. The first six months are likely to be similar to having an iver energetic puppy. High highs and low lows. “What was I thinking” might pop into your head.

Routine water testing for about 10% of people is a hateful part of owning an aquarium. Try to figure out if you are in this group.

All that said, there is a 50% chance this hobby will be a long and exciting adventure.

Good luck.

 

[reef_1]

atm I have 2 AIO nanos totalling 30G, 4 fish and easy soft corals only, but I thought I still share my costs, so you have an idea about the lower end.

Extra things I want to buy or I need to buy (failed equipment, voluntary upgrades etc) vastly outweigh monthly running costs.

Running costs:

Electricity single figure pcm.

I do water change only whenever I feel or there is an issue, average frequency 2 months. Still using 10kg box of salt bought years ago. Don't see any issues on easy soft corals and fish.

Feeding - this year I havent bought any food yet, freezer still has 3 plates of frozen food, plus I have a box of pellets and flakes almost full.

I don't dose anything, not having skimmer, dosers, any tech.

Extra stuff:

BUT then one of the lights died, needed a new one. Then one return pump died I needed another.

Now I also have to move my tanks, so I thought its time to upgrade tanks (actually a downgrade in size). Then I figured out I could do with some new lights. Then I also had the idea of trying a bit more fish which will cost couple of hundreds and then once their QT is over I get some new corals as well.

So I will spend way more on upgrades, livestock etc this year than I will ever spend on running costs in the next 2 decades total. Not even mentioning all the time spent reading up on livestock and equipment for these ideas. This is the real cost.

BUT the good thing is that my spending is mostly voluntary and when I am not in the mood I dont do nothing on the tanks for months, as I have other interests. And in those months it is good to know that running costs are close to nothing, so I am not tempted to sell up as financially wouldn't gain anything by selling up.

And I like it this way.

 

[doubleshot00]

This is the most expensive hobby i have ever been into and im into firearms. If i knew it was this difficult on the wallet and time i wouldn't have done it.

Per month

My electricity went up about $20. Water is null around $5-10. Rodi is around $10. Salt $20. Testing $10. MY TIME $1000.

I bought an apex to hopefully simplify things and a trident is in the future.

 

[d0gFartz]

.

 

[d0gFartz]

This is the most expensive hobby i have ever been into and im into firearms. If i knew it was this difficult on the wallet and time i wouldn't have done it.

Per month

My electricity went up about $20. Water is null around $5-10. Rodi is around $10. Salt $20. Testing $10. MY TIME $1000.

I bought an apex to hopefully simplify things and a trident is in the future.

I race bicycles so this hobby is pennies on the dollar compared to the cost of bikes. Lol

 

[Mortgaged Reefs]

The best advice I have heard in my 20 years in the hobby: if you’re concerned about the cost find another hobby.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I race bicycles so this hobby is pennies on the dollar compared to the cost of bikes. Lol

Try racing motorcycles... I used to race bicycles also... its just a scam of manufacturing cost vs. next best thing. I have a hand built paramount with TI Rockshocks downstairs that I probably couldn’t give away now... lol

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

The best advice I have heard in my 20 years in the hobby: if you’re concerned about the cost find another hobby.

Or... if you have to ask... you can’t afford it.
There are no prices on this menu...
But in reality, you can do this at any price range, just know your limitations and do not go beyond them. Whether that is a 10g aquarium with a $8 damsel and Instant Ocean salt or a $10,000 dollar OG Bounce Mushroom...

 

[spicymikey]

Hi, my Partner and I wanna buy a Reef Aquarium (Size Like The waterbox Reef 100.3 or 130.4) but were wondering what The running Costs are? We know The Initial Costs but would Need some advice how much Money The Supplements, Fish/Coral food, maintenance and electricity would Cost per month or year. I know it depends on the equipment as well but we need a guide. Thanks for your Help.
We are located in Australia.

So hard to give an answer about cost. There is so many decisions you can make that effect it. To be honest cost should not be too hard. But like some said. Don't forget to factor in electricity and cost of restocking due to death, especially in the beginning.

Actually, the bigger underestimation will likely be regarding the effort. A reef aquarium requires a lot of attention and people usually underestimate how much work it is to maintain going forward. More people get out of hobby because of the effort than the cost. So consider that.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I have 3 tanks, a 32 gallon, a 15, and a 5. Just the maintenance alone costs me $100 per month, which includes, food, water additives, filter accessories, salt, miscallaneous hobby expenses... Then there is livestock cost on top. And then of course are the emergencies, such as equipment breaking down and needing immediate replacement...... And thats all on top of the thousands of up front dollars you will need to spend to get your tank running, and it will be thousands, I'm not exargerating. If you're counting your dollars, then forget it, honestly, just go with a freshwater tank instead.

PS - besides being expensive its also very difficult, majority of new people coming into this hobby dont make it past 2 years and often end up just selling their stuff

 

[Heabel7]

Last time I did all my purchases to online sites and livestock and food at local stores came out to roughly $1000 a year on average over a 10 year period (90 gallon tank) That was on a paycheck to paycheck budget buying cheap gear that had to be replaced sometimes multiple times. Using an online calculator, looks like it cost about $75-100 a month in electricity to run everything I have attached. I don’t think that’s expensive, it can be if your always buying the most expensive livestock. That’s where the moneys at.

PS, Save time, money, frustration and buy the best lights period and don’t cheap out. And always go a step above on all other gear. Meaning buy the bigger skimmer, not the small one that just meets your tanks needs, buy pumps that can handle more flow so you can start them low and go high if needed. Always think ahead, even to the next size tank in your evolution.

 

[Kmst80]

I Think the cost to maintain depends a lot on you. You don't need all the high tech equipment saving you electricity, Solar is another option. You can grow your own live food. You can get water out of the ocean( if ya reasonably close).

The trickiest thing as mentioned before...your time...that's invaluable in the hobby.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

Time is nothing. 100 gallon display and I don't spend more than an hour a month. There are the days every 3-4 months spend the entire day making water, cleaning sump and pumps. Running cost for everything is maybe $50 US dollars a month.

 

[Aspect]

I barely have to do any maintenance at all with the help of an Apex and Dos. All together I spend around $200 a month on everything including electricity, water, and feeding. My chiller alone is around $75 a month. My tank is also around 475 total gallons.

 

[spicymikey]

Time is nothing. 100 gallon display and I don't spend more than an hour a month. There are the days every 3-4 months spend the entire day making water, cleaning sump and pumps. Running cost for everything is maybe $50 US dollars a month.

That's truly impressive and amazing. What does your maintenance schedule look like? 100 gallons is a good size. Do you have a sump? What kind of regular maintenance do you do on the sump? How long have you had your tank up and running?

I have a 400 gallon system with almost complete automation and virtually no manual dosing. I have it all automated and I do virtually no water changes. But something needs to be refilled or given attention almost every day I would say I spend at least an hour a day on maintenance times when it is much more than that due to regular "break and clean" maintenance on the skimmer, reactors, return pumps, UV sterilizers, etc. Once a month I will probably spend the better part of an afternoon with something in that category. Every two weeks I do tank maintenance where I stir the crushed coral and do some siphoning. I also do some thorough glass cleaning. I admit I do keep a very clean system. I also try and maintain a low nutrient system with my nitrates below five and my phosphates below 0.04. That requires carbon dosing and constant attention to removing nutrients one way or the other. Keeping a 400 gallon mixed Reef aquarium is almost a part-time job. I honestly don't think I could do it enjoyably if I wasn't retired now. Before that I had a 140 gallon tank and admittedly it was easier but certainly still way more than one hour a month. Maybe I'm doing something wrong LOL

 

[spicymikey]

I barely have to do any maintenance at all with the help of an Apex and Dos. All together I spend around $200 a month on everything including electricity, water, and feeding. My chiller alone is around $75 a month. My tank is also around 475 total gallons.

Automating tasks is a big help. My Apex is a lifesaver. I cannot imagine maintaining my large system without automation of the dosing and monitoring tasks

 

[dschuffert]

Hi, my Partner and I wanna buy a Reef Aquarium (Size Like The waterbox Reef 100.3 or 130.4) but were wondering what The running Costs are? We know The Initial Costs but would Need some advice how much Money The Supplements, Fish/Coral food, maintenance and electricity would Cost per month or year. I know it depends on the equipment as well but we need a guide. Thanks for your Help.
We are located in Australia.

This a hard question to answer given so many variables such as what you have in your tank, how often you do water changes and how much water you change each time, electricity, different types of food depending on what you have in the tank, sometimes maintenance on equipment such as probes, etc., possibly more.

I have a 90-gal Reef with some fish and a 28-gal sump. I do auto-dosing for Alkalinity, Calcium, and Magnesium including trace elements, I use a Neptune Systems Trident to sample the water six times a day, which also governs my auto-dosing, and I am feeding a combination of small pellet foods, algae, frozen, and reef roids at different days/times. I could go on and on. I average about $200 USD a month to keep things going. I could do it for much less, but happy with the results.