How Much Did You Spend On Your Tank?

[DBR_Reef]

People keep asking how much a reef tank costs, and people keep getting poor answers to a vague question. So rather than debate how much it cost to set up a reef tank, a question with a million answers; how about a thread that asks how much you spent on your tank.

I ask this because I believe the three reasons people fail at this hobby (and far more people fail than succeed), are a lack of money, time, and/or knowledge. I think the easiest way to solve the money issue is to start with a realistic budget, and make sure this is something you can and want to afford before taking the dive. Some will say that a budget in this hobby is a bad idea (or useless), but not planning and budgeting for a new tank or the next tank upgrade is a surefire way to evoke disaster, IMHO.

So, what did you spend?

If possible give us a link to a build thread or a short summary of the setup/livestock
What did the initial setup cost?
What does the maintenance cost?
Break these costs down if possible.

What is the best cost saving advice you can give?

Anything you wish you had spent more/less money on?

 

[DBR_Reef]

I’ll start with my example, which is probably way to detailed!

I started a new 120 Gallon mixed reef tank approximately 1 year ago, with basically no equipment or livestock on hand. I would say I have mostly high end equipment with lots of automation, although I wouldn’t mind a ATI T5/ Kessil lighting upgrade :)

A build thread can be seen here
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/dbrs-120g-mixed-reef-automation-heavy.251782/#post-2994060

My best money saving advice, do some DIY, buy a lot of livestock from other hobbyist, buy high end used equipment, and buy energy efficient for equipment that is on 24/7 (i.e. pumps).

The one thing I wish I had spent more on is the tank itself- they are not that expensive new, it is the most visible piece of equipment, and it is really hard to change out.

Approx. yearly maintenance cost:

RO and DI Refills- $50/year
T5 Bulbs - $120/year
Salt - $150/year
Carbon/GFO - $40/year
Testing refills - $20/year
Food - $150/year
Calc/Alk/Mag - $10/year
electricity - $200/year
water - $40/year

Total: $780 per year

And here is what I spent after 1 year of setting up and running (minus electricity and water): $1641

Here is what I currently have, at an approximate, very conservative value of $3000 if parted out

Equipment:
40b Sump and filter, ro system, water change system, bins, 3 aqueon pro heaters, isolation tank+ lights +skimmer, em200 skimmer, test kits, dosing pump, dual reactor, return pump, 6 bulb T5 lights, tank and stand, live rock, apex gold, pm2, eb8, eb8, tunze 6105+6205, power compact light+120g, 4 bulb t5, milwaukee salinity, eb8, eb4, hanna ulf checker, breakout box, autofeeder, 2 eheim jager 250 w heaters, alk checker, stir plate, red sea test kit

fish/ CUC:
4 anthia, hippo tang, shrimp+ cleaners, dottyback, yellow tang, flame angel, butterfly, 1 clowns, damsel, trochus snails, hermit crabs, leopard wrasse.

Coral/invertabrates:
Hammer, hammer, anemone, Duncan, Duncan, lemon lime torch, favia, elegance, frogspawn, blue cap, gorgonian, orange ricordia, blue incrusting thing, hammer , peach digitate, hammer, Duncan, cali tort, dragons breath, micro gonio, clean-up crew, pot coral, Purple acro Formosa, Garf purple bonsai, Red planet, Green slimmer, Blue hydno, Orange sunset, Mystic sunset, Rainbow monti, Sideshow bob octospawn , Yellow hammer, Green hammer, Duncan, Various zoas, todds torch, large clam, cup coral, encrusting thing, unknown acros.

 

[jasonb87]

I lost track.......when i moved to texas i paid 2K to my friends that owned my old LFS to move all my coral and live stock. Im probably over 10K

 

[nicholas.babb@gmail]

That my wife knows about?

 

[DBR_Reef]

for those who really want to see where the money goes...

 

[DBR_Reef]

From Slats post:
Here's mine, and I am sure I'm forgetting a lot:

 

[DBR_Reef]

The much maligned and slightly hilarious Bloomberg budget. I can easily see someone with a lot of money and little knowledge doing exactly this.

Bloomberg’s article suggestions:
$36: The Conscientious Marine Aquarist — amazon.com
$90: The Reef Aquarium, Vol. 3: Science, Art and Technology — amazon.com
$20: Join Marine Aquarium Societies of North America — www.MASNA.org.
$0: Visit ReefKeeping.com, ReefCentral.com, Reefs.org, advancedaquarist.com.
$1,200: 90-gallon Monterey tank, stand, cabinet, glass top, canopy.
$12: Self-adhesive solid black or royal blue background.
$809: 90 pounds of cured live rock
$140: 80 pounds of live marine sand
$350: Setup by two technicians
$260: Spectrapure 90 Gallons Per Day RO/DI unit to create deionized water that is mixed with salt
$140: Tropic Marin Bio-Actif Sea Salt (two buckets will last a year)
$140: Additional salt for saltwater creation throughout the year
$1,500: two 18-inch Acan Lighting 600 Series Prism LED Lighting Fixtures
$162: Algae Attack Pack-Deluxe for 75-gallon tank (includes mix of 65 Hermit Crabs, 30 snails, 3 Abalone) — liveaquaria.com
$50: Blue Linckia Starfish
$50: Red Fromia Starfish
$120: Red Crinoid (Feather Star)
$65: Sinularia Leather Coral
$375: Acanthastrea Lordhowensis
$150: Orange-eye Favia
$175: Branching Green Hammer Coral
$150: Bleeding Apple Scolymia
$200: Wellsophyllia Brain Coral
$250: Blue-Eye Lobophyllia Brain Coral
$70: Orange Cycloseris Plate Coral
$80: Dendrophyllia/Tubastrea (nonphotosynthetic)
$80: Green Slimer Acropora
$80: Red Planet Acropora
$200: Orange Capricornis Montipora
$100: Micromussa
$130: Seriatopora (Birdsnest Coral)
$50: Stylophora
$125: Pulsing Xenia
$100: Pseudochromis springeri
$100: Helfrichi Firefish
$250: Purple Tang
$250: pair of Onyx Percula Clownfish
$300: Scott’s Fairy Wrasse
$20: Blue/Green Reef Chromis
$40: Green Mandarin Dragonet
$250: Chevron Tang
$1,000: Earli Wrasse
$50: Yellow Watchman Goby/Tiger Pistol Shrimp pair
$20: Brightwell Aquatics Lugol’s Solution (iodine to detoxify excess oxygen)
$20: Brightwell Aquatics Liquid Reef (to promote growth of corals)
$20: Two Little Fishies Marine Snow (filterfeeder food for certain corals and invertebrates)
$50: Red Sea Reef Energy A & B (amino acids and carbohydrates)
$170: Zeovit Pohl’s Xtra (to enhance the contrast and intensity of coral color and increase growth)
$780: After initial setup, additional cost for one year
$19: Kent Marine Nautilus Sea Squirt Feeding Prong
$12: Frozen Piscine Energetics Mysis Shrimp cubes
$6: Frozen San Francisco Bay Marine Cuisine cubes
$15: Frozen Argent Cyclop-eeze (for fish and corals)
$15: Hikari Marine-A dry pellets
$20: Brightwell Aquatics Garlic Power food soak (to stimulate eating and reinforce immune system)
$13: Brightwell Aquatics AminOmega food soak
$20: Brightwell Aquatics Vitamarin-M Multivitamin Supplement
$723: After initial setup, additional cost for one year
$1,100: Precision Marine 36″ x 18″ Reef Sump ($600), Iwaki 55 RLT Water Pump ($500)
$860: Diablo 2500 Protein Skimmer by CoralVue ($500), 25-watt Ultraviolet Sterilizer ($360)
$135: Quiet One 1200 Water Pump ($60), plumbing supplies ($50), grounding probe ($25)
$45: Eheim Jaeger 300-watt Aquarium Heater
$870: MTC Calcium Reactor ($700), CO2 canister ($170; 5 lbs.)
$1,400: Coralife 1/4 HP Chiller ($1,200), Pressure regulator ($200)
$110: Mag Drive 500-GPH Water Pump
$795: Ecotech MP40 Wireless Powerhead ($475), Ecotech MP10 Wireless Powerhead ($320)
$100: Two 30-gallon HDPE water barrels with tops with bung holes to change 25 percent of the water every month — globalindustrial.com
$12: Mag-Float aquarium glass cleaner to remove excess algae
$60: Red Sea Marine Master Lab Test Kit
$60: Red Sea Reef Foundation Pro Test Kit
$10: Seachem Marine Buffer (pH buffer keeps the pH high enough with dissolved mineral content for the fish)
$130: Refractometer (measures the salinity of the water)
$25: Digital thermometer

Bloomberg’s The Real Cost of Saltwater Aquarium: $17,334

 

[DBR_Reef]

Mad Hatters Reef response

I wouldn’t agree with this pricing or route either, but it is the other extreme.

$100-200: Buy a used 90 gallon aquarium.
$100: build a aquarium stand.
$50: Build a canopy.
$5: Paint the backside of the aquarium.
$180: 90 pounds second hand live rock on Craigslist.com.
$50: 90 pounds of sand.
$75: RO/DI Unit
$50: 200 gallon salt mix
$150: 6 bulb t5 lighting
$50: Blue leg hermit crab (50)
$30: Astra snail (30)
$15: cleaner shrink
$40: Pair of clownfish
$30: Yellow Tang
$6: Blue/Green Reef Chromis (3)
$15: bicolor blenny
$15: Cardinalfish (2)
$35: Flame Angelfish
$12: Ocean Nutrition Prime Reef Flake Food.
$5: Ocean Nutrition Seaweed Selects Green Marine Algae.
$10: San Francisco Bay Brand Freeze Dried Krill.
$10: Raw Shrimp (from the grocery store).
$30: Aquarium sump (old or used aquarium)
$150: Aquarium Lighting
$35: Powerhead(s)
$50:Return Pump
$25: Plumbing
$30: Heater
$20: Light Timers
$25: Protein Skimmer (DIY project)
$40: UV Sterilizer (pond model)
$15: Hydrometer.
$5: Thermometer.
$20: API Saltwater Liquid Master Test Kit.
Total saltwater aquarium cost for a 90 gallon saltwater aquarium: $1605

 

[Antics]

New tank is probably at 5-6k right now and thats excluding the costs of getting it wet. It is probably my most expensive tank to date, but I dont consider this hobby expensive depending on life style. I'm in my late 20s and have friends who easily spend a couple hundred a week on alcohol or other extracuriculars. "Going out" can easily add up to a nice reef tank over a year. That includes bars, restaurants, fast food, etc. If you can sacrifice expensive social events, and have a like minded spouse, you'd be surprised what you can afford.

 

[DalPal25]

New tank is probably at 5-6k right now and thats excluding the costs of getting it wet. It is probably my most expensive tank to date, but I dont consider this hobby expensive depending on life style. I'm in my late 20s and have friends who easily spend a couple hundred a week on alcohol or other extracuriculars. "Going out" can easily add up to a nice reef tank over a year. That includes bars, restaurants, fast food, etc. If you can sacrifice expensive social events, and have a like minded spouse, you'd be surprised what you can afford.

Agree! I'm in college and not being into the party scene really helps...

 

[Karmann]

You can't put a price on happiness [emoji6] , I intentionally don't keep track or try to even guess how much I spent on the tank.

 

[DBR_Reef]

Melev's suggested 120-gallon reef-ready system:
An excellent suggestion- I would replace the VHO's with T5's and choose a more modern return pump

• Full tank / stand / tall canopy - $1200

Lighting:
A four foot tank would need two metal halide bulbs and I would supplement with two 4' VHO bulbs.

• Reflectors (Lumenbrights) - $129 x 2
• Metal Halide bulbs - $75 x 2
• 4' VHO bulbs - $25 x 2
• Icecap 660 ballast (VHO or T5) - $129
• Icecap e-ballasts (MH) - $135 x 2
• Timers - $15 x 3

Sump & Equipment:

• Sump / refugium -$325
• Reef Dynamics Protein skimmer - $400
• Heater (3w per gallon) 175 watts - $40 x 2
• External Sequence Dart return pump (dialed back) - $225 -or- Internal Maxijet Utility Pump - $160
• Icecap 120mm fans $45 x 2

In-tank:

• Sand 200 lbs - $140
• Live rock 120 lbs at $8/lb - $600 - $960
• EcoSmart MP40w Vortech pumps - $450 x 2

Other:

• 100gpd RO/DI - $175
• Red Sea Pro Reef salt - $60 per bucket
• Test kits - $120
• Thermometer - $5
• Refractometer - $55

Adding up the above items totals $5277

• $500 in miscellaneous - plumbing, electrical, etc
• $500 for a controller, like Neptune System's APEX or Digital Aquatics Reefkeeper Elite Net.

That adds up to $6277, plus tax.

 

[Steadyreef42]

Lol sore subject for me. 40 gallon breeder budget build . It pains me when I see someone selling a used complete system I wish I could have grabbed

 

[revhtree]

Bump!

 

[jsker]

About 5k, I DIYed a few things to save on costs.

 

[DracoKat]

I don't keep track either.. I don't want to know! I feel like I am around 3k

Pricing also depends on what size tank and equipment you buy too. For the same tank, someone can go the budget route while another can go all out on high-end equipment

 

[aaronn]

It all depends on what you want to spend, but it can definitely get expensive. I have just started an upgrade to a 170 gallon system. I have budgeted about $12000 for the build.
$2000 for custom 170 gallon rimless starfire tank.
$1000 for custom stand
$1000 for custom sump
$600 for plumbing
$500 pump
$1400 for 4 mp40's
That is what I have spend so far
Still need rock, skimmer, reactors, and lighting.
No build thread for me yet. I will be starting one once I start on the plumbing this week.

 

[RyanCSGO]

Marineland 60 G Cube W/ stand and sump
Curve 5 Protein skimmer
Kessil A360WE W/ Controller
JBJ ATO
Vortech MP10 W/ Battery backup

hammer coral, two torch corals, toadstool leather, large kenya tree, large lobophyllia, 2 wellsophyllia, daisy polyps, zoas.
rose BTA, 1 Yello tang, 1 Blood Orange Clownfish, 3 Blue-Green Chromis, 1 6line wrasse, 1 peppermint shrimp, 1 cleaner shrimp, 1 emerald crab, 2 fighting conch snails
15-20 crabs 15-20 snails.

spent roughly $2,200 ish.

 

[aaron23]

The hobby gets infinitely more expensive as you automate the reefs daily needs

 

[DBR_Reef]

The hobby gets infinitely more expensive as you automate the reefs daily needs

I don't know- If automation prevents one tank crash it starts looking pretty cheap :)