What was the initial cost for your reef?

[679x]

I'm currently planning my first saltwater aquarium and I've been getting lots of help from this forum what a great place this is to learn about reefing and communicate with others who enjoy the same hobby!

I know that these kinds of threads have been made in the past, but I did a forum search to see how many existed, and the ones I found were few and from almost a year ago. So I've decided to make my own.

How much was the initial cost for your reef aquarium? Don't include prices for coral/fish/other livestock if you can help it. Link your build thread if you wish.

My current plan has the price around $4000 for a 55 gallon, and that doesn't include any living creatures. I made this thread because I was wondering whether people spent the same amount when they first set up their tank. I've explained to my parents that this hobby is an expensive one, and I don't think I was lying!

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

HAHAHAH My 55 cost about 400 all in before livestock. Im probably at 900 to 1200 in hardware now 2 years later.

 

[ws6kid]

My first tank was a 20g tall that I grabbed for $15. The light was a power compact at $150. Had a Seaclone HOB skimmer and a 60g hang on power filter. Total budget on first tank was probably about $300.

I don't want to talk about my current tank. I might puke and die from choking on it

 

[RUNVS]

I spent about $2500 on my current setup that was for tank, stand, lights, skimmer, RO unit. I already owned the rest of what I needed. mine is a 65 gallon. Lights were the most $1200 for the lights another $150 for the mounts

 

[Greybeard]

It's a hobby. That's part of the definition... something for you to sink your dollars and time into. If you want to, you can pick up a used 20g tank, a few HOB accessories, cheap Chinese LED's, and be up and running for a couple hundred bucks.

Or not. I just ordered a new custom 60x30x18" 140g tank. I will be doing a build thread on it eventually... haven't even really gotten started yet, and I'm going to quickly exceed the 5k figure you mentioned.

My current 60g cube, including the fact that I upgraded many of the components I started with over the last year and a half... I figure I've got somewhere north of 3k in the hardware.

Doesn't even compare to what's in my gun safe... which is my 'other' hobby. Of course, firearms retain their value much better than marine aquarium gear does. Talk to a serious golfer, ask how much money they've spent on their hobby. Heck, talk to someone who's hobby involves classic cars, or <shudder> boats!

There is no limit to how much you can spend in this hobby... but that's true of _any_ hobby.

 

[leptang]

Couple questions.... Do you have lots of free time at home, or a lot of your time is spent working, school, away from home? If you're busy person I would spend money on automatic equipment ATO protein skimmer and so on. If you have ample time you could get away with less equipment doing more water changes to keep your reef heathy.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Couple questions.... Do you have lots of free time at home, or a lot of your time is spent working, school, away from home? If you're busy person I would spend money on automatic equipment ATO protein skimmer and so on. If you have ample time you could get away with less equipment doing more water changes to keep your reef heathy.

I kinda disagree. Simpler can be simpler. But an ato is a MUST.

 

[ksfulk]

Red Sea Reefer 525xL......................... $2699
Deltec SC1456..................................... $549
Vertex M1 Return................................ $350
*ATI Sunpower 8x80w........................ $715
Vertex ZeoVit 1.5L Starting Kit............ $315
*Neptune Apex Classic......................... $700
*Neptune WAV Starter Kit................... $499
*Neptune DOS and DDR......................$449
Tunze 6040 Pumps (x2)....................... $300
AA Custom Acrylic Lid......................... $250

*From previous builds

I'm not including a lot of small odds and ends or my RO/DI system, Avast ATO setup, QT tanks, test kits, plumbing and other things that Ive had sitting around - or T5 bulbs. Ive changed sumps as well, but thats a preference and not something that you would look at upon start up. But, as a lot of people will tell you, thats what I'm willing and able to put into my hobby - it doesnt make it better or worse than anyone elses tank, its just what Ive spent on mine. My build is linked in my signature.

 

[ws6kid]

It's a hobby. That's part of the definition... something for you to sink your dollars and time into. If you want to, you can pick up a used 20g tank, a few HOB accessories, cheap Chinese LED's, and be up and running for a couple hundred bucks.

Or not. I just ordered a new custom 60x30x18" 140g tank. I will be doing a build thread on it eventually... haven't even really gotten started yet, and I'm going to quickly exceed the 5k figure you mentioned.

My current 60g cube, including the fact that I upgraded many of the components I started with over the last year and a half... I figure I've got somewhere north of 3k in the hardware.

Doesn't even compare to what's in my gun safe... which is my 'other' hobby. Of course, firearms retain their value much better than marine aquarium gear does. Talk to a serious golfer, ask how much money they've spent on their hobby. Heck, talk to someone who's hobby involves classic cars, or <shudder> boats!

There is no limit to how much you can spend in this hobby... but that's true of _any_ hobby.

This is the truth ^

It is all dependent on how deep you want to go early on. If you love the hobby and you scale back at first, you will want to upgrade everything immediately. If you go big first and want to get out, you will lose your butt on the reselling that nice equipment. I went small to start because I wasn't sure how much I was interested. It became a sickness after that

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

...My current plan has the price around $4000 for a 55 gallon, and that doesn't include any living creatures...I've explained to my parents...

Hit up Craigslist, Facebook, LFS, etc. and you'll get in for way less than that. If you do that, your dad won't have to sell his Lamborghini just for you to get into a new hobby. ;Joyful

I wish I wasn't so obsessed with Innovative Marine tanks. I could probably have searched around on CL for a couple of months and gotten a complete 120g setup for the price I paid for my IM40. The one piece of advice I would suggest is to get the best light that you can afford. I've gone from Black Box to AI Prime HD to T5s over the past year because I felt like I wasn't getting enough light....staying on this site for too long will give you T5itis.

EDIT: Forgot to answer the question. First tank was an IM20, which was upgraded to an IM40 6 months later....but now I wish I had gotten the IM Lagoon 50.

IM20:
Tank $200
Black Box LED Light & Wood Fixture I made $120
Rocks $50
Sand $20
Heater $30
Powerhead $25
Thermometer $5
Refractometer $25
Skimmer $50
ATO $100
Salt $50
Total: $675

Ugh...didn't realize it was that much. TBH you just kind of buy stuff over time. I bought the Tank and Light at the same time and everything else I had accumulated for months.

TL;DR - Buy used tank & save money.

 

[neverenough]

Spent around $2500 on my 80 gallon rimless that I just built. That includes tank, cost to build stand, sump, skimmer, return pump, 2 wavemakers, reefkeeper, lighting, 3 reactors, rock, sand, and all plumbing. Lighting was the most significant cost and the rimless tank was a bit more than a standard tank.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

This is the truth ^

It is all dependent on how deep you want to go early on. If you love the hobby and you scale back at first, you will want to upgrade everything immediately. If you go big first and want to get out, you will lose your butt on the reselling that nice equipment. I went small to start because I wasn't sure how much I was interested. It became a sickness after that

Start with a volkswagen bug, learn to drive, then price the ferrari.

 

[Dubs83]

I read or heard somewhere that you should multiply your tank in gallons and by 50-70. It worked out incredibly close for me.

In my case, it was 125g x 50 = $6250. I think I spent somewhere close to 6500. The lights add up, a good skimmer and so does the controller if you go that route. Those three make up almost 40% of where the cash went.

Another $700 for flow and you've got 50% of the start up cost.

 

[Brian W]

Tank: $130 (29 Gallon Tank)
Rocks: $250 (got screwed and paid $10/lb for live pukani rock....ended up being happy with it in the end)
Live Sand: $40 (standard live sand)
Pumps: $200 (Mp10 & 2 Hydor 425's)
Lights: $300 (2 Ai Primes)
Rodi System: $250 (Used an old Hydroponic RO system I had laying around and added DI resin cartridges to it)
Buckets: $20 (4 standard "reef safe" Buckets)
Test Kits: $200 (Red Sea, salifert and Hanna test kits)
Fish: $60 (2 clowns bought locally, 1 damsel & 1 Six Line Wrasse)
Water Changing diy kit: $25 (1/2" hose and small pump)
Heater: $40 (Finnex Titainum Heater)

total: $1500+

This just what I started out with...Ive had t5 quad lights on it, Chinese box leds on it, not to mention the corals in it. This is by far my most expensive tank for the size.

All my other tanks have "spawned" from old equipment from my OG 29 gallon tank, lol

 

[Jason mack]

This is the truth ^

It is all dependent on how deep you want to go early on. If you love the hobby and you scale back at first, you will want to upgrade everything immediately. If you go big first and want to get out, you will lose your butt on the reselling that nice equipment. I went small to start because I wasn't sure how much I was interested. It became a sickness after that

Me too !! Think Im About at 1000 euro's for my 90g and its still climbing !!

 

[hart24601]

I think that is a reasonable amount to budget. These threads seem like they turn into "is the hobby expensive" type of arguments and I am going to avoid that!

Here is my current build in progress a 60g cube:

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/60g-cube-its-hip-to-be-square.292959/

Now I got almost everything free from a friend, who buys large setups used and hordes parts, haha! Amazingly generous of him.

However even with all sorts of free parts and stuff I already have (and a free stand because it took 2 months to come - but cool of the rep to give it to me), I think I still have around 1,500 give or take in the system I have spent in upgrading and getting a few new parts here and there. Of course it would be 4-5k all new I think.

 

[don_chuwish]

Funny, I just fielded a similar question in my build thread. I don't think I came anywhere near the actual total, but equipment came to about $4500.

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/finally-going-big-120g.211632/page-8#post-3704652

 

[bean2986]

$2200 for my current 65 due to a few mistakes (LFS advice) in equipment purchases.... About $3700 for upcoming 180.

 

[679x]

Interesting to see the different prices of your guys' tanks.

As for how deep I want to go into the hobby early on - this will be my final aquarium (until when I move out, then I can go wild ) so my own personal reasoning was that I wanted to get it done right, and didn't want to start with a simple, cheap tank and stuff and wish I got better stuff. Go big or go home is kind of my motto for this. In other words, I have one shot/chance, so I want to make the best of it. I know that I enjoy the aquarium hobby a lot, and even though I've never done saltwater before, I know it's something I've always wanted to do since I found out they existed and something that I will enjoy doing for sure.

I also definitely didn't want to get equipment and decide that I wanted better stuff and have to replace it in order to be fully content.

I was considering getting a used tank, but me and my family decided that it was kind of a risk -- tank could leak, could need redoing, live rock could have unwanted pests, equipment could be faulty/low quality etc, so I'd need to get rid of a lot of stuff to be safe, which is a lot of work and more stuff can go wrong, so we thought it was a risk we didn't want to take. After all, when a risk involves living creatures in a glass box filled with many gallons of water with a value of hundreds or thousands of dollars, and a mistake could flood your house, kill all the creatures, and send those thousands of dollars literally down the drain in one swift move, it's probably a risk I don't want to take.

As for the comment about money being put into a hobby, yes, I fully agree. The problem in my situation is that I don't have any income, being a kid with no job yet. Even though my parents are (thankfully) fine with me getting an expensive 3rd fish tank, I still feel guilty about it.

So yea, those are my current thoughts about what I'm spending on this hobby... in the end I know I won't regret it, and I'll be glad I spent what I did for what I want.

 

[Lonely reefer's]

1)Lee Mar tank & stand & screen top 75g $600(used)
2)Kessil AP700$600 with kessil arms(used)
3)glass cleaner two little fishies nano $12(from a previous tank)(new)
4)ato tunze$150(from a previous tank)(used)
5)bulkreef supply rodi(new)5 stage upgread to 150gpd ~$300(from a previous tank)(new)
6)skimmer reef octopus classic space saver 110 $150 used one month old(used)
7)30g sump from used fish tank$30(used)
8)American dj switch controller 8 channel $20(used)
9)Return pump sicce 4.0 $130(used)
10)Heater $30(from a previous tank)new
11)Filter sock$15(new)
12)plumbing/one way check valves from bulkreef supply ~$250(new)
~$2300