The HARD Truth about Reef Keeping...

[DonTavo27]

You can probably spend less on you quarantine system if you’re only keeping 2 clowns, You can probably get a 10gal tank from Petco.

 

[ndrwater]

I stopped counting how much I spent.... Like 5 years ago..
I probably could have bought Peru by now....
This hobby isn't about the money though.

 

[gilman]

I have over $5000 into my 40 breeder reef .

 

[DeniseAndy]

It can be crazy. I added up my last four orders for corals from sales and it totaled $800. I had no idea since they were such good deals. Money... Can't take it with you, but aquariums seem to make it disappear.

This was only from June. I have been in the hobby 15 years. I cannot fathom my costs.

 

[6TankReefer9]

I mainly started this thread so new reefers realize that they can't really skim out, and to get a good system running, even a 20G system as in my dream case, it'll add up easily over a thousand and that's going with bargain products too!

However, though the truth is Hard and Expensive the best way to mitigate prices in my opinion is by saving on three things: Lights, having your own DIY sump, and refraining from any Ecotech products (powerhead and main Pump- these alone would set you back $600+)! I think the bueaty of a 20g-30G system with a 15Gallon-ish sump is that you don't have to go with expensive lights in order to get sand level light penetration, and if any issues occur it's much easier to treat and reboot a 30G total system volume system then it would anything 40+ gallons!

 

[DeniseAndy]

Yep. Agree. I have a 40g system with a 20gL set with it and a a 20L sump. If algae gets too much, I can just do 90% water change, scrub all out and reset up. Same with the nanos. Easier and much less expensive.

 

[reeferfoxx]

I bought an AIO tank so I spent $500 on that with the stand. $100 for lights, $150 on pumps, $70 for sand and rock, $100 for ato, $200 for skimmer, $30 for heater. Aside from the dosing pump I've spent less than than I put into my computer. And my two cats cost me more per day than the tank.

 

[reefwiser]

If one starts worrying about money in any hobby they are in trouble. [emoji3] I have pumps that counts a grand. [emoji3] I have been keeping fish for 55 years now. I have learned to buy heavy duty tank built equipment. I hope to have a few more years in the hobby and don’t like buying equipment over and over again. I have Tunze pumps And skimmers that are 30 years old and still working and can be repaired. You get what you pay for.

 

[Pete1968]

Best bet is to buy an entire set up from someone leaving the hobby, you can also recover most of the expense when you part out what you don’t need!

 

[Neo Jeo]

I have over 5k in my tank and I was frugal.

I shop around for everything and I don’t spend money just because. I’m frugal by nature but for some reason this hobby doesn’t have a price issue for me. Yes I try to save money but I also don’t mind spending money on it.

Most things I get buyers remorse but with the saltwater I have not!

Spend it if you got it! Haha

 

[6TankReefer9]

Best bet is to buy an entire set up from someone leaving the hobby, you can also recover most of the expense when you part out what you don’t need!

Yes, second hand might be cheaper but living in the Los Angles area, with a population of over 13million, and actively keeping tabs on the local facebook and craigslist marketplace, I can tell you right now, that over the past two years, there hasn't been a single good deal! Many entire systems sales are really old and have outdated equipment, not to mention which are also dirty and often times the tank's seams don't appear like they'd be able to handle any more use.... Also, most well known used equipment on second hand markets are over used and overpriced! 95/100 Times most users are most certainly better off going with lesser known brands but with new equipment verse getting 1+ year old used brand equipement!

 

[Pete1968]

That sucks , look at this steal! In Florida!

 

[Pete1968]

That sucks , look at this steal! In Florida!

 

[Pete1968]

Road trip up! Tank worth like 7 k with everything

 

[Brew12]

I wonder how much higher the number of votes would be in the categories under $1k if people thought their wives/husbands may see this poll!

 

[WhalesLovePineapple]

I wanted to stay <$1000 but I see myself going over haha

 

[6TankReefer9]

Road trip up! Tank worth like 7 k with everything

Not bad, but still hard to tell not knowing the specifics of all the equipment. But generally speaking it still feels like cheating at times going with a fully established system when half of the fun seems to be starting from scratch and watching your system progress from an idea to a biological artwork!

 

[WVNed]

20L, 10 gallon for a sump, 3 maxijets, skimmer, make an overflow, heater and a Coralife T-5 light.

I could do it cheaper now.

 

[roberthu526]

My 300G build has cost a load of cash without livestock. This hobby is expensive. The worst part is something still fails after spending all this money.

 

[MSB123]

Ok I will play along
180 Gallon Tank and stand- $300
Upgrades to stand- $150
Powerheads- $600
Return Pump- $300
Apex- $500
Apex Modules- $300
Media Reactor- $120
Algae Reactor- $300
Rock- $200
Sand- $100
Lights Total- 1300
(Current Lights- $300)
Chiller- $100
Heaters- $150
Assorted Maintenance Equipment- $250
Skimmer- $200
Coral- $1200
Anemones- $800
UV Sterilizer- $500
Fish- $900
Food, Testing equipment, meds (6 months worth) - $300
TOTAL: $8570
This tank has been running for a bit over a year now.
The truth is, this is not a cheap hobby. I run a mainly LPS with softies and very few SPS. I can only imagine what it would be for an SPS setup!