How are you spending money on this hobby as of Oct. 27th 2022? NO POLITICS!!!

[workhz]

I think there'd be less new entrants vs spend by established tanks but anyway probably spending less but likely a function of a maturing tank.

 

[design.maddie]

I spend $100 on my tank every month. Every single month. I make sure that I buy something. Whether it is for the future, or for the now. Fish, corals, equipment and food. It all goes into this $100 budget. It gives me that satisfying feeling of always investing in my hobby and the notion that I should always have everything I need. (No local LFS) I do go over this $100 at times but rarely. I also don't run the budget as a run-over. So If I over spend this month I don't detract from next month. I have a couple big ticket items coming up to be purchased and considering how I want to budget in those products.

 

[Susan Edwards]

As usual here. I have a list of monthly needs and add them into the budget when needed or low--test regents, dosing products, food for the most part. Not much new stuff now, just maintenance with fish and corals here and there.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

With exception of live blackworm purchases, everything else same for me.

Very sadly emotionally, my copperbanded butterfly fish died. Fortunately for my pocketbook, this saved me buying live black worms about $80 every month to six weeks...

Everything else continues to be the same. This includes I'm continuing to culture my own tig pods cultured from @Reef Nutrition starter, and while I may still buy a bottle here or there when hobby club is doing event at local fish store, this method has saved me so much money as there would be no way I could afford to give pods daily to both my tanks otherwise:

raising tig pods - tiny 2.5g tank experimental culture #2

2nd attempt at raising tig pods is officially underway. Original attempt was outdoor lazy banana leaf method I found online - that is still underway but seems to be failing. Suspect Texas temperature and full day direct sunshine is too much, but that pod culture experiment still underway. 2nd...

forum.dfwmas.org

Any 'savings' eventually gets spent somehow on aquarium, fish or corals... our hobby club frag swap is coming up, and I'm ready to move out some early corals (now colonies) for impressive color corals... hobby club gives sellers free tables, and sellers tend to pass those savings along! Everyone be sure to check out your local-to-you events!

Frag Swaps & Local Reefing Events

Start a topic here if you have a Frag Swap, Club Event, or any general Reef Related Event coming up.

www.reef2reef.com

EDIT: I don't track what I actually spend monthly... but it must avg at least $200+ not counting new acquisitions (equipment, fish/coral here and there)... and it wouldn't surprise me if I'm averaging higher BUT I'd rather be in denial about what I spend. I'd been in the hobby years ago, so I waited until job income had extra $ before returning.

 

[Bob Weigant]

Getting something here and there. Todays prices on everything is playing a part

 

[Cheezle]

Single and living by myself has made spending money on the hobby more difficult. Everyone feels the cost increase, its especially noticeable when you're on your own. I still go to my LFS once a week for water and reef stew (pods) but I don't leave with a coral every time anymore. The last piece I picked up a few weeks ago was a tiny birds nest that was 30 bucks, that same frag used to cost 10 or it was a freebie. Water tests are now $5 for salinity, kh, calcium and nitrate.. $5 each for mag, phosphate, ph, etc.

Not exactly a simple answer, but definitely not as often.

 

[69cam]

Same old, same old.

 

[KrisReef]

I’m still buying a few things but my hobby budget has dropped a lot recently. I never knew how much braces for two kids cost until earlier this month.

Hey @Gtinnel : My regular dentist just sent me to an endodontist(?) who told me that I need at least one root canal (this is my second one) because my teeth are starting to rot from damage to the living exterior tooth cells. The current tooth failure was likely to have originated from damage that occurred when I had those orthodontic braces as a kid.
They really have a racket going on in the dental department to make sure that we keep coming back for more treatments. I also have heard that my chronic back pain was likely a result of pressure placed on my neck WHEN I wore that cervical headgear.
Save the children the agony and use that money for new coral and let the children alone with them buck teeth. Don’t fight with nature we can’t win!

 

[SaltwaterandLime]

I'm a mother of two teenage boys, one who is a senior in high school this year, and we live in a double-wide mobile home. Technically my vote would be "spending as usual" but what that really means is continuing to scrimp and save for ever penny spent on the reef tanks. The boys do a lot of side work for neighbors to make spending cash for projects, and I'm good at putting aside a little bit each month to save up for the big things we want to do. I have also had a lot of good luck finding used equipment on here and on marketplace. All of our coral is from eBay or live sales and being willing to just take time and jump on the $5 and $10 deals when they happen.

 

[Labridaedicted]

I will refrain from actual numbers for my safety, but as much as usual or a little more.

 

[amygetsalife]

I’m still buying a few things but my hobby budget has dropped a lot recently. I never knew how much braces for two kids cost until earlier this month.

I feel ya! I've got my oldest child heading off to college earlier than planned!

 

[amygetsalife]

I'm a mother of two teenage boys, one who is a senior in high school this year, and we live in a double-wide mobile home. Technically my vote would be "spending as usual" but what that really means is continuing to scrimp and save for ever penny spent on the reef tanks. The boys do a lot of side work for neighbors to make spending cash for projects, and I'm good at putting aside a little bit each month to save up for the big things we want to do. I have also had a lot of good luck finding used equipment on here and on marketplace. All of our coral is from eBay or live sales and being willing to just take time and jump on the $5 and $10 deals when they happen.

Mom of three, also with a senior in high school. They aren't into the tank much but hubby and I got it to have something to talk about besides the kids and our business. Yes, fish shop is essentially our date night. ‍Our spending sounds much like yours.

 

[amygetsalife]

Found out that I'm cancer free last week. Gonna celebrate by stocking the 125 FOWLR.

That's a huge win! Time to celebrate. God bless.

 

[amygetsalife]

We've been holding steady for the last 6 months, watching our tank settle and get stable as its almost a year old. We're at the point where everything is doing good except one stupid ricordia, and we want to add another fish or two and some more coral.

We've been putting that off as our business is also in a hobby niche and it's slacked off a good bit and our costs are jumping up. So that is reflected in our expediture towards our own hobby.

 

[o2manyfish]

This is my 750g that just got wet 9 weeks ago. As you can see I have been spending way more than usual. We started with about a dozen fish from our last tank and zero corals. We now have over 100 fish and over 170 pcs of coral.

Considering the tank, stand, 12 G6 PROs, Hydrowizard, (2) Abyzz Flow Canons - We fortunately had all the major equipment from our previous 560g tank - Spending has been big for the past few months.

Most of the fish purchased are what I call doinkers - Doinkers are the small inexpensive fish that fill in all the little gaps in the tank - but they add up when you are buying fish in groups of dozens or more.

And the spending isn't going to stop anytime soon - We're on the lookout for Goldflakes, Regals, Joculators, Borbonius, Achilles, Gem, Black, Chevron and more Yellow tangs.

And there is plenty of room for lots and lots more corals.

We do appreciate that we are very fortunate.

Dave B