What's the average reefers monthly budget?

[pwfess]

The average new car payment is $734 a month!!! Family and friends will look at me like I'm nuts when I drop hundreds, or even 1k+, on a nice coral. But these same people will pay well over $500 dollars a month for transportation. Personally, I decide not to have a car payment and I work a little extra in order to cover my hobby expensive. So I ask everyone if they have a monthly budget for the reef tank?

 

[AlyciaMarie Verified Admin]

Zero dollars unless dealing with some random issue is going.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I try to keep it to $100 a month, but I'm usually closer to $150 (for 3 tanks... 15, 32, and 40 gallons)

But those hanna regeants are killer on the budget, I've started using salifert more often.

And I need AFR soon, the last container cost $110, it seems to cost $15 more every time I buy it.... sigh

 

[XtraKargo]

Budget?? What's a budget??

First thing that came to my mind too...

 

[WvAquatics]

Tanking things slow...very smart!

Yes. I moved 3 times with my 120g and lost almost everything with bad planning. So I have just been fish only for a few years. I found my fire again so getting full swing again

 

[Stevorino]

When I first started ~10 years ago I got a full 120g tank setup for under $500 and was trying to make it work for under $50 a month all in. That didn't last long lol

I have no idea what my monthly expense is now but it's well over $1,000/month all in

 

[Fenral]

This should of been a question of budget a month for upgrades and corals/livestock additions not maintenance lol sorry!
Ya know some of the more fun stuff

Umm, see impulse buy - ooo, Shiney...If I were to average it out and discount the solar panels and other stuff...well, I'll just answer with a picture(s).

 

[pwfess]

I try to keep it to $100 a month, but I'm usually closer to $150 (for 3 tanks... 15, 32, and 40 gallons)

But those hanna regeants are killer on the budget, I've started using salifert more often.

And I need AFR soon, the last container cost $110, it seems to cost $15 more every time I buy it.... sigh

Yeah I only use hanna for Alk, PO4 ULR, and Nitrate. Salifert for everything else. The reagents can be a killer. Especially at my testing frequency right now

 

[pwfess]

When I first started ~10 years ago I got a full 120g tank setup for under $500 and was trying to make it work for under $50 a month all in. That didn't last long lol

I have no idea what my monthly expense is now but it's well over $1,000/month all in

Thats been mine lately with all the nice corals

 

[pwfess]

Yes. I moved 3 times with my 120g and lost almost everything with bad planning. So I have just been fish only for a few years. I found my fire again so getting full swing again

I would feel exactly the same if that happened to me. Spirit crushing

 

[Noodles_Jefferson]

Yes. I moved 3 times with my 120g and lost almost everything with bad planning. So I have just been fish only for a few years. I found my fire again so getting full swing again

moving was the worst. breaking everything down into buckets and reassembling. I was lucky i only lost one fish and no corals. It did provide an opportunity to really clean a ton of crap pout of the sand bed and rearrange the live rock

 

[Noodles_Jefferson]

I try to keep it to $100 a month, but I'm usually closer to $150 (for 3 tanks... 15, 32, and 40 gallons)

But those hanna regeants are killer on the budget, I've started using salifert more often.

And I need AFR soon, the last container cost $110, it seems to cost $15 more every time I buy it.... sigh

are you using the powder or the liquid AFR?

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

are you using the powder or the liquid AFR?

The powder, I buy the 1600 g container, it lasts about 5 months

 

[Sdoutreefer]

The average new car payment is $734 a month!!! Family and friends will look at me like I'm nuts when I drop hundreds, or even 1k+, on a nice coral. But these same people will pay well over $500 dollars a month for transportation. Personally, I decide not to have a car payment and I work a little extra in order to cover my hobby expensive. So I ask everyone if they have a monthly budget for the reef tank?

Jeeez, now that’s crazy!!! I can’t believe it’s gotten so expensive to have a car. Thank god I don’t have a car payment, otherwise my tank would be suffering!!

I don’t really give myself a budget, but more of a “restrictive purchasing” approach haha. If I need something, I’ll buy it. If I WANT something, I have to think about it. Yesterday, I went to the LFS and spent $180 on snails and a Hanna checker. This was a “need” so I bought it. Now it will probably be at least a couple weeks before I buy something else…. Unless BRS has a sale going on

 

[Noodles_Jefferson]

Yeah I only use hanna for Alk, PO4 ULR, and Nitrate. Salifert for everything else. The reagents can be a killer. Especially at my testing frequency right now

How do you like the hanna nitrate checker? Thinking of getting one. I use the hanna alk tester now and it's great. I've been using salifert for everything else. The one think i don't like about my LFS is they use this api gadget that tests for everything at once and it's never accurate.

 

[pwfess]

How do you like the hanna nitrate checker? Thinking of getting one. I use the hanna alk tester now and it's great. I've been using salifert for everything else. The one think i don't like about my LFS is they use this api gadget that tests for everything at once and it's never accurate.

I love hanna NO3. I do ICP monthly with reef moonshining and it always lines up with ICP. I think most people reefing would agree on those big 3 for hanna checkers.

 

[pwfess]

Jeeez, now that’s crazy!!! I can’t believe it’s gotten so expensive to have a car. Thank god I don’t have a car payment, otherwise my tank would be suffering!!

I don’t really give myself a budget, but more of a “restrictive purchasing” approach haha. If I need something, I’ll buy it. If I WANT something, I have to think about it. Yesterday, I went to the LFS and spent $180 on snails and a Hanna checker. This was a “need” so I bought it. Now it will probably be at least a couple weeks before I buy something else…. Unless BRS has a sale going on

This sounds like an excellent approach! I indirectly try to be this way sometimes. Unless its an absolute FIRE coral that I must have and know will go quick, I wait days to think about it or if there is a discount.

 

[pwfess]

Jeeez, now that’s crazy!!! I can’t believe it’s gotten so expensive to have a car. Thank god I don’t have a car payment, otherwise my tank would be suffering!!

I don’t really give myself a budget, but more of a “restrictive purchasing” approach haha. If I need something, I’ll buy it. If I WANT something, I have to think about it. Yesterday, I went to the LFS and spent $180 on snails and a Hanna checker. This was a “need” so I bought it. Now it will probably be at least a couple weeks before I buy something else…. Unless BRS has a sale going on

And Cheers to no car payment! Best decision I've made too. The dang things depreciate stupid fast. At least with some corals you can propogate and make money. Then some are probably a total loss and depreciate lolol. Depends on the trends I guess

 

[Sdoutreefer]

This sounds like an excellent approach! I indirectly try to be this way sometimes. Unless it’s an absolute FIRE coral that I must have and know will go quick, I wait days to think about it or if there is a discount.

That’s so true. If there’s a piece I know won’t last long, it’s going home with me lol.

At least that’s how I was with my old system. I’ve gotten more self control on those fuego corals I find at my LFS. Yesterday was a perfect example: LFS had a 10-15 head frag of some really nice zoanthids, with a baby ricordea, all for $40…. That was hard to say not to.

 

[Fenral]

I love hanna NO3. I do ICP monthly with reef moonshining and it always lines up with ICP. I think most people reefing would agree on those big 3 for hanna checkers.

Are they really that good Pwfess? I'm still waiting on the new testing release from Hydros (maven.) But I'm about to have to order new test kits : have one set from API and the LFS, and my uhh I don't believe this result set backup tests Tropic Marin Pro kits..

 

[pwfess]

That’s so true. If there’s a piece I know won’t last long, it’s going home with me lol.

At least that’s how I was with my old system. I’ve gotten more self control on those fuego corals I find at my LFS. Yesterday was a perfect example: LFS had a 10-15 head frag of some really nice zoanthids, with a baby ricordea, all for $40…. That was hard to say not to.

dang thats good. Nice to have an LFS too. My closest LFS is 1 hr away. I wasn't too crazy about their incoming livestock care and approaches though. So I strictly buy online. Mostly from TidalGardens