Please Stop Stating This Is An Expensive Hobby.

[Marquiseo]

Why does everyone keep stating this is an expensive hobby? In reality, this hobby is determined based on what we are willing to spend. Telling new reefers or potential reefers that it's expensive to own a saltwater tank is getting out of hand. I previously would say the same but I understand that it is I that have made it expensive for myself. Purchasing new equipment and other "gimmick" items that come out each year is unnecessary. Simple husbandry can sustain but that isn't preached more than telling people to buy this item for "automation" or this $400 skimmer for skimming your tank. Everyone isn't being paid the same wage and it can discourage them. Try telling them the hard working way such as doing water changes, and testing before recommending some expensive piece equipment that he/she can do manually. Ultimately, he/she will decide to buy the equipment if they see fit.

Just my observations from this week.

 

[hybridazn]

I agree. In retrospect, this hobby compared to other hobbies is a drop in the bucket. I am an avid drag racer and let me tell you that hobby gets expensive. Not only is the initial cost of parts and labor(if you don't do your own work) high, but upkeep and replacing parts that break add up to a fortune quickly.

 

[Rob&Gab]

when your a beginner reefer you get banged up in fish stores no matter what, they will sell you anything and everything that they can. Note:: they will be verynice to you to make sure they suck you in. and allot of stores do it.


But IMO this hobby is expensive. this about it , Tank , stand, skimmer, Lights , return pump, hoses, overflow, sump, Rock, good test kits , then off to the venture of The Fish and coral.


so yea it is expensive, essp if you have an expensive taste and want things done right so there is no bumps in the road later on during your tank maturing.

 

[Rob&Gab]

only reason i am saying it is. people making 400$ a week and has a car, house, appt, phone bills, children, wife, girlfriend, hunsband, boyfriend, other pets, it does get pretty expensive, ESSP when you start getting into the TREND/FAD/COLLECTOR part of the hobby.

 

[redfishbluefish]

I certainly think you can participate in this hobby on the cheap. However, no matter how you look at it, it does require discretionary spending of funds. No new shoes for the kids this month, I need to do a 100 gallon water change!

 

[thejuggernaut]

I always tell people that for a standard non-custom made 36" long tank, unless you have an extra 3k laying around plus at least another 150-200 each month, you can't afford this hobby. It's not just about automation. Tank, stand, lights, flow, sump, pumps, heaters, test kits, salt, rock, filtration (skimmer, fuge, whatever you choose to use), RODI, mixing tubs (brute containers on the cheap). That's all before you put a fish or coral in the tank. For a 4' tank I say about 5k to get started. Not crazy expensive but definitely not cheap by any stretch.

Regards,
Taylor

 

[CastAway]

...IMO this hobby is expensive. this about it...

+1 It is expensive. Although the word "expensive" is a pretty subjective word. Engineer, doctor, waitress, paper boy - the word "expensive" means different things to different people. Even if you just contrast and compare the costs of fresh water to salt water, I think you can reasonably say salt is more expensive. It would be interesting to me, to know the average income of reefers.....

I don't think it's discouraging to new hobbyists to say it's expensive. It's honest. It's right. It prompts appropriate and reasonable responses, whereas not speaking to cost may lead to ultimate failure and/or discouragement.

 

[Fish76]

IMHO this hobby can add up! Not even looking at equipment, the livestock and corals alone can get pricey! But I have to say though it's how extreme you really want to get that can make it very expensive.

 

[tyler1503]

This hobby CAN be expensive. Key word is CAN. I set up a tank using locally collected rock, water, sand, fish and inverts. There were cold water animals so all I needed was a light, flow pump and a tank. If I bought everything brand new I could have had a new tank fully stocked for less than $50. I luckily had everything laying around so did it for free, but that's not the point.
I also set up a 5 gallon LPS and softy tank and it's still running strong more than 3 years later. The most expensive thing in the tank (livestock and hardware) cost me $30. Well, up until today it did when I bought a $45 coral.
The point is, it doesn't have to be an expensive hobby. Sure, I could go out and spent $1000 on a new tank, $1500 on a stand and canopy, $2000 on lights, $1500 on wavemakers, $2000 on a sump, plumbing and return pump and a further $2000 on controllers and dosing equipment. But I won't, because I know with a little hard work I can have the same results for a fraction if the cost.
It's only an expensive hobby if you make it that way. And if anyone tells you different, they are either too ignorant to know better, too stubborn to admit that it's possible or just too stupid to realise things can be done differently. Sorry to put it so bluntly, but it's true.

 

[MrDJeep123]

Pffft, let me give you my number and you can tell the wife this ain't expensive. I'm sure she'll be open to discussion. :tongue: ound: :frusty: :nono: :hammer:

 

[jason g]

It is expensive just look at the electricity bill every month. Lol

 

[fungia_fiend]

This is an expensive hobby. Salt, power, ro filters, ca/alk additives, test kits. Even the basics really add up.

 

[Damon]

I honestly don't think it's that bad contrasting to other hobbies I've had. Pratical example.. I used to fly rc helicopters and gas (unleaded engine) airplanes. Now just like this hobby, it's what you spend and what options you decide to go, but 2 helicopters(airframe, engine, electronics, exhaust) were 10 grand, then my radio was 3 grand. One airplane airframe complete was 4 grand, and I had 2 of them. So sitting on the ground, your looking at 21,000 easy. That's not considering fuel(30.00 a gallon and 9 flights on a gallon in the heli, 30.00 quart of oil(am soil Saber or redline) and 5.00 for 3 gallons of 93 octane for the airplane) , yearly membership dues, etc. Now these were nicely optioned models on the higher end, but that's the reality. I also did hydroponics and back then, it wasn't cheap.

My take after a few decades with hobbies, is that they are all expensive and honestly, in a way, money pits. But, and the thing that keeps me going, is that I can look back at how these things expanded my mind tremendously. You can't put a dollar sign on that. Just like love, friendship, and other things, money really, it's just money. It ebbs and flows for most people, and some sort of hobby for me, is constructive.

Once your at a certain level though with anything, the most dangerous thing, is that knowledge. You want to share and save others from making the same mistakes. Giving back.. Which is great, but in this and most things , doing something right isn't always cost effective. Every now and then you can save pennies, but even doing so, things just cost or add up. Yes it is truly as expensive as you want to make it, lol, but sooner or later, most are going to learn that themselves anyhow, and it is completely subjective.. To me, it's one of the cheapest hobbies I have ever had..

 

[jt17]

It's important noobs understand they will be spending some money. Inadequate systems equals suffering animals.

 

[joshbbert]

I have to agree with most of what you said but in the end it really is expensive and I run as simple a system as the come, water changes rock sand fuge and skimmer and most of it is diy in an effort to save money (diy overflow made with pvc tanks from deathco and a cheap Chinese aquamana led) like rob says if your making 400$ or so a week like I am and got bills even a cheap set up can be expensive mostly the light as its pretty much impossible to get one that grows corals for under 150$ even with my bargain section corals I easily have well over 500$ in my 10g tank and its hard to drop 1/3 of your check on a fish that could die just being acclimated. I get what your are saying though there seems to be alot of usless junk out there. Just have to budget right, I like to take 25$ from each check and stash it for my trips to the lfs so my old lady doesnt kill me

 

[SamsReef]

+1 it is expensive. Also the time (which is $$$) you spend not just with maintenance but bragging, showing, fragging, frag swaps and lurking around here. Take for example - many has posted 6000+ posts in one year. They must have read another 20K posts. one min per post reading and 2 mins writing will add up to 533 hours in one year!!!! if your time is worth $50 per hour. Thats $26K+.....so yeah its expensive.

 

[Waters]

Like anything else, it is all relative......there are much more expensive hobbies out there. That being said, there are much less expensive as well :bigsmile: Also, what is expensive to one person may not be to another. Basically what I am saying is why am I posting in this thread lol?

 

[3dees]

I'm retired and on a fixed income. not poor by any means, but can't just spend like there's no tomorrow. I have a 120 gal softie tank. no sump, a hob skimmer, two Chinese dimmable led's, and two Jeboa powerheads. 150 lbs of live rock. yeah, a little expensive to start out but you don't need all the new toys. it's as expensive as you want it to be. my other hobby is photography. I can take photo's with my 1800.00 camera just as good as the 8000.00 cameras.

 

[Marquiseo]

This hobby is expensive as you make it. There are numerous amounts of ways to get lower costs on equipment and livestock. Wanting to have the newest of the equipment or the most expensive corals will make the cost soar. There are ways to start in this hobby without the wallet breaking amount everyone tells new people it is to be. Buying used equipment to start off isn't stressed as much as buying newly released equipment from MACNA or other big trade shows. Giving small frags to beginner hobbyist to start off during frag swags isn't being done as much as it used to and it doesn't have to be your "LE super-blue-baby-boy-Eskimo Acropora". Stressing water changes can lessen the load by a lot ie no skimmer or sump needed. Paying $3.75 for saltwater at the local fish store compared to mixing it themselves. The costs can be crunched but no one is telling that side. It is just about who has the most high-tech reef.

 

[Fish76]

Like anything else, it is all relative......there are much more expensive hobbies out there. That being said, there are much less expensive as well :bigsmile: Also, what is expensive to one person may not be to another. Basically what I am saying is why am I posting in this thread lol?

Haha well put.