Cost of the reefkeeping hobby
- Thread starter hart24601
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1guydude
Well-Known Member
Hah. I always tell ppl they r small cars sitting in my house. Or like have a cpl more kids.
I have prob 1000s in just equipment and such. :/
5 yrs now. Running two tanks now. Stock is $.
It all adds up specially over time.
I imagine at one point u just stop stocking and ur tanks sit for yrs. Than sell all ur coral and start over?! Idk
D
I have prob 1000s in just equipment and such. :/
5 yrs now. Running two tanks now. Stock is $.
It all adds up specially over time.
I imagine at one point u just stop stocking and ur tanks sit for yrs. Than sell all ur coral and start over?! Idk
D
I thought this thread was very interesting. Makes me feel a little better actually 
Now, I've been in the hobby for 20+ years and I call my tank (which is where the hobby has led me) my brand new mercedes - now, how much enjoyment have I gotten out of this hobby as well as new things I've learned and people I've met - priceless
Now, I've been in the hobby for 20+ years and I call my tank (which is where the hobby has led me) my brand new mercedes - now, how much enjoyment have I gotten out of this hobby as well as new things I've learned and people I've met - pricelessrininger85
Active Member
Just ran some numbers yesterday when I received my latest electric bill... the past two months the bill has jumped up $160-180 more than it was the first 3 months we were in this house... at first I thought it was because I had added an electric heater to the garage that seemed to be running all the time, so this past month I've left it turned off, bill only dropped $20. So calculated the estimated energy consumption of my tank and figured with everything I have running now it is probably close the 1/3 of my bill or more (about $100 probably)... so it's a bit more than I anticipated originally. Might not run quite as many QT tanks as I was planning on now that I see what it is costing me in electric a month... I've accumulated about 8 various size QT tanks that I'm now going to figure out what I want to use then start getting rid of some I guess...
Patto005
Active Member
I personally don't keep up with the cost. This is how I view it, it is my hobby-hobbies cost money regardless of its nature. And you can spend any amount of Money you want to on any hobby. And as long as you are still enjoying your hobby, you will continue to spend more and more because you want it to be the nicest there is with the latest and greatest technology or have the rarest of rare gems in your tank and when you have filled that up, you upgrade to a larger system so you can add even more! But as long as you enjoy the hobby, the cost isn't an issue, because with every bit of extra money you have, you will spend it on your system. But you will always continue to do this because it's what your passionate about. And anyone that's into reefing will tell you the same thing. It's really not much different than a drug or alcohol addiction, you just want your next fix!
1guydude
Well-Known Member
Lol I related to that too.
One day yes. Lol I'm a true addict and can b honest.
I don't keep track either or try not to. It's all neg $ or nutrural gone $ however u wanna look at it. Imo
D
One day yes. Lol I'm a true addict and can b honest.
I don't keep track either or try not to. It's all neg $ or nutrural gone $ however u wanna look at it. Imo
D
Rjramos
Valuable Member
I used to be married, and my x used to complain all the time!About cost, but also jealous of the little time (morning maintenance and night feeding)I spent on the tank. To the point that one day I suspect she put an unknown substance in my tank and before I went to bed, all the fish were laying on the bottom dying. I lost all the fish but managed to save my corals with big water changes the next day! Ive been divorced now for 10 years, 3 beautiful kids from the marriage, and 3 beautiful tanks! It's my hobby, l love it, and let it be known that no one will change that except me willingly! Comparatively to other guy hobbies like cars, guns, boats, fishing, etc., I don't consider reef keeping very expensive at all.
hejjo
Well-Known Member
I've seen a post like this about ppl that have tanks that look like they spent thousands but when asked how much they spent they actually make a profit from fragging. Of course at first it was an expensive initial investment and probably took several years to get that point and with the least amount of loss thought out life time of the tank but still possible and probably very rare.
rboutin111
Well-Known Member
I started back in January 2013 with a 29 gallon bio-cube. I've kept a spread sheet of everything I purchased for it. In two years I've spent a little over $5,000. I can't believe I bought a used tank and stand for $350 and thought it would be an inexpensive way to get into the hobby. Now I'm upgrading to a 57 gallon and have already spent over $2,000 on that tank. Of course I built a custom stand and try to buy the right equipment the first time. I truly believe in you get what you pay for. For my family our tank is our TV so we don't pay for cable or have a TV. There is some savings each month. All and all it is totally worth it. The hardest part is controlling the spending. I know it's fun to buy frag after frag, but I've come to realize having a tank full of frags isn't as fun as having a tank full of colonies with space to grow.
Happy Reefing!!!
Happy Reefing!!!
Eckolancer
LED GURU
Kessils $1000
Skimmer $500
Custom stand $900
Custom tank $2500
Man made rock structures $700
Fish, snails, crabs $750
Corals $500
Reactors, pumps, powerheads $750
Plumbing, salt, misc $250
Cal reactor $600
$8450 total but think it's a little closer to $10k +
Skimmer $500
Custom stand $900
Custom tank $2500
Man made rock structures $700
Fish, snails, crabs $750
Corals $500
Reactors, pumps, powerheads $750
Plumbing, salt, misc $250
Cal reactor $600
$8450 total but think it's a little closer to $10k +
dball711
Active Member
For my current set up I have spent under two grand initially but have propagated and sold coral and use those funds to further the hobby for myself. I currently have 2 tanks, one with ATI Sunpower and the other wiht an AI Hydry 26 (so not cheap lights) and about 4k in coral. I don't spend what I don't have so if I need something I grow out some frags to fund or trade. I always have $500 to $1000 in my coral slush fund...this took 3 years to build to this point. also this does not take into consideration the cost of energy or water.
hejjo
Well-Known Member
Omg you spent $2000 on a 57 gallon? Is it diamond encrusted lol. I got my 100 gal for 100 bucks and 72 bow front also for 100 bucks. My 72 I put about 2k into it and that's because I don't buy the first thing I see. I search for a week and get the best price but without sacrificing quality. There's plenty of deals out there you jus got to find them.
Over the 5 different tanks I have had in the past 5 years...I have spent over 8-10k...36 bow, 55 gallon, 120, and a 80 shallow...my current setup is a product of all the things i learned from all those other setups. From buying the first thing I came across, buying used equipment that wasnt the greatest quality (Didn't have a clue what to look for) My current build 150 Starfire makes up a little over half the cost I have into the hobby. I put in the research for all the equipment I bought, I went brand new and bought it all during black friday deals. I bought brand new because i've been burned in the past from folks on the forums, either stealing my money or sending me crap equipment. I went for top quality products, backed up by years of use and maybe a few things i've always wanted. Yes the cost is significant, but for me, its peace of mind that I bought what I felt would provide the livestock and myself would be best. I'm not a huge DIY kinda guy, I built my stand and did all my own plumbing and wiring so I saved a little there, but i'm def not skilled enough to build reactors and skimmers, lol, so i had to pay for those.
In the end you will get what you pay for, nothing is really cheap or free in this hobby.
In the end you will get what you pay for, nothing is really cheap or free in this hobby.
