That was then this is now...do share..

[Flame2hawk]

After taking a break from the hobby for 12 years and now “diving” in with a 625g build, I am flabbergasted at the price of fish and coral. Some fish have quadrupled in cost during my 12 year absence. To be balanced, I also see different variety of beautiful fish (ie wrasses) and better collection methods/care for the fish including many quarantining before they sell. This is great for the hobby and welcomed and of cost carries a cost. Unfortunately slow advance in breeding fish in captivity. Good advance in alternatives to live rock and equipment in general. Anyone else care to share their observations on these topics vs some years ago would make for an interesting thread.....do share!

 

[ca1ore]

12 years is a long time. Demand in the hobby has grown exponentially, and supply has not. Plus we now have a number of collecting restrictions further depressing supply. The whole 'designer' coral craze is most tedious - I mostly don't play and will always suggest to folks that may ask me that they don't either. Some fish are many times more expensive than in 2007, others not so much. If you covet an achilles tang, expect to pay 5-6 times 2007 pricing; if you covet a regal angel, probably double. So it varies.

 

[Flame2hawk]

12 years is a long time. Demand in the hobby has grown exponentially, and supply has not. Plus we now have a number of collecting restrictions further depressing supply. The whole 'designer' coral craze is most tedious - I mostly don't play and will always suggest to folks that may ask me that they don't either. Some fish are many times more expensive than in 2007, others not so much. If you covet an achilles tang, expect to pay 5-6 times 2007 pricing; if you covet a regal angel, probably double. So it varies.

Yeah the Achilles pricing is super crazy.....I won’t be getting that one for sure....imagine paying that price and then having it get ich! Oh no....Also the price of Gem tangs are off the charts although I don’t remember them even being available back in the day.....

 

[S2G]

How do you even remember what things cost 12yrs ago?

I don't think it's so bad fish wise but I'm not into the high dollar fish. My emporer was $140 which I think is fair for a large juvie. Marketing in our social media out the wazoo age is ridiculous. Buy this buy that but equipment is relatively cheap considering...well if you doubt buy into the latest greatest hype.

Corals are where I'm jaded. I had goals of lps and softies. Then I started looking. I know exactly what it takes to grow these and just refuse to contribute to the lunacy. Pinky nail frag sizes, doctored pics, made up names with inflated pricing. To each their own but I just cant bring myself to be apart of it.

 

[raylinds]

I recently returned after 20 years so can completely understand the feeling. Fortunately for me my career went well and my paychecks outpaced the price changes.

It's the advances in technology that has really got me excited. I just recently got my 110 Gallon up and running and I cannot believe how well everything is running so far and how much easier it is.

-Measuring salinity with a digital refractometer vs. a hygrometer. Couldn't be easier and much more accurate.
-Kessil AP700 running programs including lunar cycles and cloud cover vs. Metal Halides that put out a ton of heat and were very expensive to run.
-Vortech MP40s with all kind of great modes to vary flow and are literally silent.
-Apex monitoring temperature and Ph levels, controlling the Vortechs heaters, and the ability to send alerts, etc.
-Hanna checkers for reliable and accurate testing of the more important parameters.

And the two major improvements to making running a reef tank much easier:
Just yesterday I set up the Tunze Osmolator for ATO and it works brilliantly! I am in the process of installing a Neptune DOS for daily auto water changes.

A question for those that have been in the hobby for 20+ years. It has been driving me crazy that I swear I had Vortech power heads when I got out of the hobby in 1999, but I know the Ecotech company was not founded until 2003. I thought I remember having power heads with the motor outside the tank, though I can't remember any fancy modes. Were there power heads similar to the Vortechs back in the late 90s?

 

[Qasimja]

i know the feeling i was out of the hobby for many years i

A question for those that have been in the hobby for 20+ years. It has been driving me crazy that I swear I had Vortech power heads when I got out of the hobby in 1999, but I know the Ecotech company was not founded until 2003. I thought I remember having power heads with the motor outside the tank, though I can't remember any fancy modes. Were there power heads similar to the Vortechs back in the late 90s?

ive been in the hobby for 18 years and i cant remember what pumps i started with might have been hydor

 

[ca1ore]

A question for those that have been in the hobby for 20+ years. It has been driving me crazy that I swear I had Vortech power heads when I got out of the hobby in 1999, but I know the Ecotech company was not founded until 2003. I thought I remember having power heads with the motor outside the tank, though I can't remember any fancy modes. Were there power heads similar to the Vortechs back in the late 90s?

I first recall vortech in about 2005. I was using Tunze at that point.

 

[ca1ore]

Also the price of Gem tangs are off the charts although I don’t remember them even being available back in the day.....

I don't recall precisely when the gem tang first became available in the hobby ... don't think it was 2007 though. Ironically, as supply has increaed, the price of gems has actually come down significantly. As recently as 2015, a gem would have cost you $3,000; now you can find them for $500. Still a lot for a fish of course.

 

[Flame2hawk]

On the gem, great price at 500 for sure But yes it has come down allot from the insane price of 3000. Collection and transport mechanisms have improved. Now we need same effort on breeding fish in captivity! Thx all good thread....

 

[sde1500]

On the gem, great price at 500 for sure But yes it has come down allot from the insane price of 3000. Collection and transport mechanisms have improved. Now we need same effort on breeding fish in captivity! Thx all good thread....

Some pretty darn good efforts out there for breeding. Yellow tangs, blue tangs. If you want to go big, go get yourself a captive bred genicanthus personatus

 

[ReefHomieJon]

That was then......

This is now.......

New to reef keeping but no matter what I did aquatic it was always expensive lol
Koi are hundreds to thousands
African cichlids go anywhere from 10 bucks to 300 so hopping into reefing 4 months ago seemed about right price wise. Wish I did it when stuff was cheaper!

 

[Webslinger]

Some pretty darn good efforts out there for breeding. Yellow tangs, blue tangs. If you want to go big, go get yourself a captive bred genicanthus personatus

If you have $25K laying around! https://funkymonkeycorals.com/product/captive-bred-masked-angelfish/

 

[Cory]

Here in Canada a yellow tang 15 years ago was 40. Today its 125. What?

 

[slapshot]

After taking a break from the hobby for 12 years and now “diving” in with a 625g build, I am flabbergasted at the price of fish and coral. Some fish have quadrupled in cost during my 12 year absence. To be balanced, I also see different variety of beautiful fish (ie wrasses) and better collection methods/care for the fish including many quarantining before they sell. This is great for the hobby and welcomed and of cost carries a cost. Unfortunately slow advance in breeding fish in captivity. Good advance in alternatives to live rock and equipment in general. Anyone else care to share their observations on these topics vs some years ago would make for an interesting thread.....do share!

It’s more than time and demand, although that’s a huge factor. Many fishery’s have been closed due to Government regulation. I have been keeping salt water for 40 years now. Back then all the fish came from the Philippines and were caught in mass using chemicals. 3/4s of them died in the first few weeks. Many more died in transit. Now the fish are more humanly caught and government requirements are high. This drives up the price but the survivability is way up also.

 

[X-37B]

I was out for 20 years. Started in the late 80's.
It is all relative as it has never been an inexpensive hobby. However it is much easier today with all the equipment we have available now.
Oh and news flash! I can only imagine what it will cost 20 years from now.

 

[Flame2hawk]

Great commentary and all informative as well as interesting. Thank you.
the most surprising to me is still the lack of progress and availability of a broader species of tank or farm bred fish.

 

[Stigigemla]

Eheim did have the technics with magnetic coupling between the motor and the impeller in the 1960:s.
I believe they produced pumps with that method still in the 80:s.
Maybe thats in Your memories.

 

[tony'stank]

It’s more than time and demand, although that’s a huge factor. Many fishery’s have been closed due to Government regulation. I have been keeping salt water for 40 years now. Back then all the fish came from the Philippines and were caught in mass using chemicals. 3/4s of them died in the first few weeks. Many more died in transit. Now the fish are more humanly caught and government requirements are high. This drives up the price but the survivability is way up also.

Hi
where in MI are you. I live in the Detroit area and have been reefing for 37 years

 

[sde1500]

Great commentary and all informative as well as interesting. Thank you.
the most surprising to me is still the lack of progress and availability of a broader species of tank or farm bred fish.

It really just has to do with how many of the spawn. Fish like tang’s broadcast spawn so there’s no nest of eggs to collect. There are a ton of different fish that are captive bred, but with some producing small clutches or inconsistent breedings, or challenging collection its hard to see consistent stocks.

 

[NeveroddoreveN]

I couldn't agree more! I just got a reef tank again after being out for about 8 years.

• ALL lights are blue, blue, blue! After going to my first frag swap in many years, I was flabbergasted to see that out of 200+ venders, only one used 50/50 white/blue. I love LEDS. I left the hobby right around Santoki's diy led build on reefcentral. I just never expected everyone to only use blue LEDs.
• Nitrate is friend, not foe now!!! Back in the 00's, everyone thought I crazy to dose nitrate. "WHY ARE YOU PUTTING STUMP REMOVER IN YOUR TANK. YOU **WANT** NITRATES?????" But i feel vindicated now lol
• Indonesia is out
• Symphyllia wilsoni changed names to something about Australia.
• The sticks look unbelievably good now... Pure eye candy....
• To go along with that, there are so many acro names ! Soo many rainbow widow envy Disney acros that it makes feel old. I recognize all the Monti's and fish (except all the new clowns) and chalices and palys... But the acro//milli game has totally changed.
• Chalices are much cheaper now!

After taking a break from the hobby for 12 years and now “diving” in with a 625g build, I am flabbergasted at the price of fish and coral. Some fish have quadrupled in cost during my 12 year absence. To be balanced, I also see different variety of beautiful fish (ie wrasses) and better collection methods/care for the fish including many quarantining before they sell. This is great for the hobby and welcomed and of cost carries a cost. Unfortunately slow advance in breeding fish in captivity. Good advance in alternatives to live rock and equipment in general. Anyone else care to share their observations on these topics vs some years ago would make for an interesting thread.....do share!