Please Stop Stating This Is An Expensive Hobby.

[gacolt]

this is also one of the few hobbies where one day everything is doing fine and looking good and the next everything is dead and all that time and money is gone and all that is left is a nasty tank and epuipment thats not worth even half.so its also a risky hobby.lets not forget what these tanks do to our homes.you get a snail caught in a drain and bam your tank overflows and 15k in repairs are needed or more or salt creep destroying floors and walls.THIS HOBBY IS EXPENSIVE.

 

[hart24601]

No but it's expensive compared to the many hobbies that cost nothing. It's all relative. Make under $10 bucks an hour while living alone and it's a very expensive hobby even if another doesn't think $300 is a lot. No you don't need 10 grand, but you do need money and it's not just a one time expense either.

 

[kevantheman35]

Definitely the most expensive of my hobbies by far. Sure you can set up a tank fairly "cheap". It might even be pretty successful. But the electric bill alone is more expensive for many people than many other hobbies, let alone if a pump, or other piece of equipment goes out on you. Not to mention you're still forking money over for salt, additives, bulbs for non led users, fish and coral food and probably some other maintenance items before you can even think about a new fish, coral, or other livestock whether you like it or not. I am not wealthy by Any means and live paycheck to paycheck for the most part but I've learned to buy the right equipment the first time every time in order to be successful. Would I say no to starting my first reef tank now that I know what it costs if I could go back? Heck no I don't regret a single cent. And at this point I've spent so many cents I could drowned in them

 

[powdermonkey]

WOW, I didn't realize.
Just added it all up and my wife was asking when she saw my notes if I was shopping for her new Audi.
Better trade it for a gold fish like 45 years ago.

Too funny! When people ask my wife she calls it her mercedes she cant drive. I would never save receipts or began to add up the $$ I've spent in 6.5yrs. I also find it odd that everyone that comes to my house ask about cost...why!! BTW we will never own a mercedes.

 

[kevantheman35]

Too funny! When people ask my wife she calls it her mercedes she cant drive. I would never save receipts or began to add up the $$ I've spent in 6.5yrs. I also find it odd that everyone that comes to my house ask about cost...why!! BTW we will never own a mercedes.

I used to keep a spreadsheet of costs and it was depressing lol

 

[gcrawford]

Extremely expensive and one that demands constant funds unlike my other hobby - model trains. I can put that one down for a few years if I want with no detrimental effects. Keeping a reef tank thriving g requires constant attention and $$$$$$$$$$$$$$. But.... It's really fun!

 

[kevantheman35]

Extremely expensive and one that demands constant funds unlike my other hobby - model trains. I can put that one down for a few years if I want with no detrimental effects. Keeping a reef tank thriving g requires constant attention and $$$$$$$$$$$$$$. But.... It's really fun!

I was just gonna bring up my model railroad too lol. Sometimes I don't touch it for a year when the money's not there

 

[jmardis]

Anything worth doing right in reefing is not cheap, expensive to a school teacher or waiter is not the same as cheap to a Dr or Business owner. Some people dropping $30k for a set up is nothing. It is all perspective for sure.

I bought three lighting maroon clowns this week. had them in my frag tank and one jumped out over night. Now there are two lighting maroon clown fish in my frag tank. Now tell me this is not expensive again :scared:

 

[tyler1503]

Exactly! It can be done! A saltwater tank can be had on a budget! Just ask our friends that are college students with reef tanks!

Thank you! Finally someone who believes budget reefs are possible!

$300 is expensive for empty tanks with no livestock. You may not think it is. Others do.

3 tanks, 3 lights, 3 heaters, a skimmer rated for 200 gallons, flow pumps, buckets, more than enough base rock, siphon hoses, airline, an air pump, water and all sorts of bits and pieces for $300. That's cheap regardless of what money you earn. Sure it may be hard to come up with that much money, but that doesn't make it expensive. For instance, if someone was willing to sell you a brand new Lamborghini for $10,000, that would be cheap. It's a large amount of money, but it's still cheap.
I was living on less than $50 a week at one stage. Trust me, I know exactly what it's like to be poor, I more than understand it.
Sorry if that comes across as rude, I don't mean for it to. This is just something I believe in strongly.

 

[Dmmz]

Thank you! Finally someone who believes budget reefs are possible!



3 tanks, 3 lights, 3 heaters, a skimmer rated for 200 gallons, flow pumps, buckets, more than enough base rock, siphon hoses, airline, an air pump, water and all sorts of bits and pieces for $300. That's cheap regardless of what money you earn. Sure it may be hard to come up with that much money, but that doesn't make it expensive. For instance, if someone was willing to sell you a brand new Lamborghini for $10,000, that would be cheap. It's a large amount of money, but it's still cheap.
I was living on less than $50 a week at one stage. Trust me, I know exactly what it's like to be poor, I more than understand it.
Sorry if that comes across as rude, I don't mean for it to. This is just something I believe in strongly.

Believing in it strongly does not make your opinion right and another person's wrong it is just a different perspective so a pointless argument nobody can be right on this
It's like me saying onions taste bad and you saying they taste great who is right?

 

[Marquiseo]

The reasoning is so that we can bring in new hobbyist and not scare away potential ones. It can be done on a budget. Your intentions of spending lots on your reef will not be the same as a beginner. He/she may choose to spend more as she/he develops further fascination for this hobby. Saying that this is expensive will only discourage others.

 

[tonymission]

The reasoning is so that we can bring in new hobbyist and not scare away potential ones. It can be done on a budget. Your intentions of spending lots on your reef will not be the same as a beginner. He/she may choose to spend more as she/he develops further fascination for this hobby. Saying that this is expensive will only discourage others.

So we should lie, right?




(Not saying it's wrong for the betterment of the industry, of course!)

 

[tonymission]

Dp sorry

 

[Marquiseo]

So we should lie, right?




(Not saying it's wrong for the betterment of the industry, of course!)

No, I am saying lead with the budgeting option instead of the high roller start.

 

[duromega]

Yes is expensive,
especially if you want done things the right way with your tank

 

[tonymission]

No, I am saying lead with the budgeting option instead of the high roller start.

How about instead of "expensive", we all agree that "more costly than the beginner *expects* it to be" maybe fits better? I've been at an LFS more than once where a mom walks in with a kid and wants a "nemo", finds out a basic setup would be "$200-300" and basically turns right back around.

Throwing around tens of thousands as a cost is ridiculous and I do agree there's a scale to the hobby that allows for a variety of budgets to participate. There's something to be said for a beautiful tank with a super simple setup. It can be done.

 

[tyler1503]

Believing in it strongly does not make your opinion right and another person's wrong it is just a different perspective so a pointless argument nobody can be right on this
It's like me saying onions taste bad and you saying they taste great who is right?

I'm not trying to say I am right and anybody else is wrong. Sorry if that was how anyone understood my comment. I respect everyone's opinion equally (including my own). When people say it is expensive, they seem to be saying it like it's fact. Like as if anyone off the street would know they should expect to drop $1000 on wavemakers.
But it's not fact at all.
It's purely subjective. The only facts that matter (given the subject matter) are;
1) It CAN be expensive. And,
2) It CAN be cheap.

 

[ingtar_shinowa]

Astronomy can be cheap too, but you gotta spend some cash to walk on the moon. This hobby is the same way.

 

[tyler1503]

How about instead of "expensive", we all agree that "more costly than the beginner *expects* it to be" maybe fits better? I've been at an LFS more than once where a mom walks in with a kid and wants a "nemo", finds out a basic setup would be "$200-300" and basically turns right back around.

Throwing around tens of thousands as a cost is ridiculous and I do agree there's a scale to the hobby that allows for a variety of budgets to participate. There's something to be said for a beautiful tank with a super simple setup. It can be done.

I think this sums up this thread nicely.
I especially agree with "I do agree there's a scale to the hobby that allows for a variety of budgets to participate.".
It's not so much about what the cost of buying, setting up, stocking and maintaining a tank is. It's more about what we as hobbiests are prepared/expecting to spend.
If I'm wanting to set up a brand new tank and buy top of the line equipment and I expect to pay $200, the realistic price of $5,000-$10,000 (or whatever it could work out to be) would seem expensive.
However, if I'm wanting to set up a tank that looks nice, but doesn't have any special gadgets or anything on it and I'm prepared to spend $10,000 but only end up spending $1,000, it would seem cheap.
It's purely our expectations VS reality. Something we can control VS something we can't control.

And saying tens of thousands of dollars is, like you said, ridiculous, but still a reality. Lighting alone COULD cost me well over $2000 if I want top of the line. It COULD also cost me $100 if I want to go the cheapest route.

 

[ebushrow]

I think the hobby is expensive! Yes we all want the "New" items out there, however, we want our organisms to be as safe and healthy as possible. That may mean more expensive equipment is necessary....looking at reefs across our nation and abroad, people that keep SPS, really need more and more expensive equipment than a softy tank. Those that can go out and collect everything for a tank.....yeah, obviously cheaper than people that live landlocked.

However, tyler1503, a cold water tank should have a chiller IMHO, you cannot maintain temperatures without one ...if its truly a cold water species tank. I also assume you boat out a mile or 2 from the shore to get clean seawater, and that costs $ for gas, insurance, cost of a boat, and time.

You can indeed go cheaper than other do on tanks, however, are the creatures we keep and love getting the best care? Used equipment is just that...used, who knows how it was cared for and how long it will last, or if its leaking current into the water, or just inadequate for the tanks needs. The cost of a reef, depends on the reefer....does a 3k light make our corals/fish any healthier or happier....debatable, however, many noobs see the initial cost of a 29 gallon tank and stock incandescent hood as a complete set-up, there are continuing costs and other items they need that add up.

Most of us that state the hobby is expensive to a noob, do so as a warning that if you cannot afford to properly care for the animals you want to keep, you should probably save up till you can.