Saltwater Hobbyists

Chiefmaster30 · Jul 19, 2016

How do y'all afford this hobby? What do most of you do for a living?

reeferfoxx · Jul 19, 2016

30% of monthly income goes to living expenses. I work for a living.

sbash · Jul 19, 2016

reeferfoxx said:
30% of monthly income goes to living expenses. I work for a living.

Yes, agreed. Responsible financial decisions, budgeting and saving help a lot.

This can be an expensive hobby, but then so can tennis. It can also be fairly inexpensive. For example, several months ago, I purchased a full 65 Gallon system, with sump, pluming, pumps, powerheads, liverock, soft and lps corals, four fish, skimmer, and sand, all for about $500. Granted that is more expensive than a simple goldfish or guppy aquarium, but it is far more complex.

So, since I am not quite done rambling, shall we see how inexpensive we can actually make a saltwater aquarium...

20 Gallon tank: $20 (used, easy to find, probably comes with a simple light)
Water - 5 x 5 Gallon jugs of RODI (not including jug deposit), $5 each: $25
HOB filter (assuming your used 20 gallon did not come with one): $20 new (mainly for some flow, aeration, and extra rubble filtration)
Live sand: $25 (I could not find a small bag of sand)
Dry rock: $20
Salt (Instant Ocean 50 Gallon): $16
Heater - 50W: $10

So there you have it. This basic tank totals a $146 startup plus livestock and food. Did I miss anything? I would imagine for $20, one could get a whole 20 gallon aquarium with the HOB, heater, light from an old generic freshwater kit. Either way, this will get you a system which will host a couple clowns. From there, it is a matter of adding on whatever you want to build it out.

Martin H. Lawton · Jul 19, 2016

live..... at home...XD I'm a college student.

Prozack199 · Jul 19, 2016

I'm a Diesel Mechanic.
The Start Up Is The Worst Part Once Your Tank Is Up And Running Your Corals Grow Out And Helps Cover Some Of The Cost.
Gotta Pay To Play!

Pruett-nc · Jul 20, 2016

Power line foreman . Buy a little at a time . Mostly frags and search differnt lfs's and frag swaps when not working 7 days a week lol . Refuse to pay some of the ridiculous prices some people ask .

Saltwaterwill · Jul 20, 2016

Work a ton of overtime

Chiefmaster30 · Jul 20, 2016

That's the thing! I work 6-7 days a week. There's jus so much stuff that I want that I haven't gotten yet. Patience I guess!

Pruett-nc · Jul 20, 2016

Yeah just get a little at a time . Anyone can have a saltwater tank . You just have to use common sense on what you can afford .

Martin H. Lawton · Jul 20, 2016

Saltwaterwill said:
Work a ton of overtime

.. This too

Baby Ray · Jul 20, 2016

I am only in middle school but I plan on being a dentist. Only work 4 days a week and you make a good chunk of change. YES PLEASE! I am also thinking of being an orthodontist.

Waters · Jul 20, 2016

I am in IT...the key for me though is a two income household (and convincing your wife that everything you want is extremely important)

Taso1 · Jul 20, 2016

I am a store owner, so my store is my "hobby" although its a business and it's hard.

Chiefmaster30 · Jul 20, 2016

I wasn't tryin to be nosey or anything. There is just so much stuff I want and can't afford. And I see everyone else's stuff and just makes me wander. I also work full time a lot of overtime and fight the battle of convincing my wife how important saltwater stuff is. Haha

Chefbill · Jul 21, 2016

My girlfriend and I purchased a new 29 gallon BioCube several years ago. Including in that purchase was cultured live rocks and water yada yada yada. Two years after that I spent my income tax return on my 90 gallon setup. After that it was just a piece here and a piece there as I decided I needed or wanted something. I have never spent more than 60 or $80 for a single coral and trading the occasional frag helps to cover maintenance costs.

Chefbill · Jul 21, 2016

And um...as username suggests, I'm a chef.

smokin'reefer · Jul 21, 2016

I haul cars now. It's just a temporary job until the economy turns around. Then I can get back to my chosen career path.

rebekwl · Jul 21, 2016

I'm an insurance agent and my husband is an HVAC tech. Just save up for the big stuff and buy 1 thing at a time. Once the setup is up and running for a while, you can always sell frags to upgrade equipment. Patience is the most important part!!