This hobby is getting out of control with costs

[vetteguy53081]

Its bad enough we have reached the age of $800-$1200 lights, Ive seen test equipment approaching the $200 mark, 110 gallon Tanks for $4000-5000 and now another skimmer released by Adaptive reef starting at $769.00 !!!
Add the cost of fish and coral which is out of control and it questions Who can afford this and the impact on a new hobbyist that wants a reef tank

 

[t5Nitro]

It's really taken a price hike. One laughable example: MP60 for more than $800? I'll be sticking with my Jebao for now.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Its bad enough we have reached the age of $800-$1200 lights, Ive seeing test equipment approaching the $200 mark, 110 gallon Tanks for $4000-5000 and now another skimmer released by Adaptive reef starting at $769.00 !!!
Add the cost of fish and coral which is out of control and it questions Who can afford this and impact on a new hobbyist that wants a reef tank

Exactly why I love my 20-30 year old stuff that "just works".

I did move to an apex environment a while back and that hurt a bit. Mainly just for montioring, as I travel a lot, but dang.

 

[MoshJosh]

I find some of the equipment costs baffling, especially because one of my local stores make a ton of there own equipment out of acrylic and polycarb and sell it WAY cheap!!!

 

[t5Nitro]

The skimmer game is pretty amazing, though, when you think of all the hype on BK skimmers. It's just a simple red dragon pump powering some acrylic tube. That same skimmer was called Vertex in the past and was maybe $750-800 at the time, lol.

Psst: reach out to Life Reef for new skimmer buyers. That guy makes amazing skimmers. They don't have to be fancy to be the best.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Exactly why I love my 20-30 year old stuff that "just works".

I did move to an apex environment a while back and that hurt a bit. Mainly just for montioring, as I travel a lot, but dang.

You and i both and I have become cautious as to what, where i buy

 

[vetteguy53081]

It's really taken a price hike. One laughable example: MP60 for more than $800? I'll be sticking with my Jebao for now.

In the early 2000 years I paid $338 for an MP-60
How do manufacturers justify these increases without saying " we are Not getting taken advantage of" ?

 

[Kathy Floyd]

When I started back up last year, I swore I was only going to get what I could afford.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

You and i both and I have become cautious as to what, where i buy

Agree. I bought my Apex from my LFS> It was same price as everywhere else, so may as well support him.

As for other things, I am lucky enough to have had from 5g to 1200g tanks. I have most of that equipment as well. Currently condensed down to everything in a 50g tub with a 150g tub sump and my 180 until I move. Should have no reason at this point to buy anything, but still thinking I will order me some Kessil 500 for the new tank. Not needed, but would rather ahem a few of those instead of the tons of 360s I have lol.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

In the early 2000 years I paid $338 for an MP-60
How do manufacturers justify these increases without saying " we are Not getting taken advantage of" ?

I remember those prices and what is funny, is those pumps still work fine. While newer ones I have that cost more have had magnet issues, driver issues, etc. Just crazy.

I guess us old farts are just way to used to the old prices lol..

 

[t5Nitro]

I think the hobby was a lot more simple in the early 2000s also. Less promotional product videos. Less testing equipment. Less tech overall. It really was more of the KISS method than it is now. I think majority of people were quite successful with a very short list of key elements that can be counted on one hand: 1. Flow, 2. Light (VHO anyone? T5, halide), 3. old mindset of 10-20% WC weekly, 4. feed and export with simple methods like protein skimming and fuge.

It's easy to get sucked into the current fads in the hobby. I think you could go back to the above 5 steps with cheaper version of those components than what's currently promoted and have major success at a significant cost reduction.

 

[ckuhny3]

As a blue collar guy. Once our first kid comes someday it will be hard to justify such a taxing hobby both financially and time wise. Trying to not buy things twice has been hard for me. Some places you can save money and buy off brand. Some places you just can’t

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

I think the hobby was a lot more simple in the early 2000s also. Less promotional product videos. Less testing equipment. Less tech overall. It really was more of the KISS method than it is now. I think majority of people were quite successful with a very short list of key elements that can be counted on one hand: 1. Flow, 2. Light (VHO anyone? T5, halide), 3. old mindset of 10-20% WC weekly, 4. feed and export with simple methods like protein skimming and fuge.

It's easy to get sucked into the current fads in the hobby. I think you could go back to the above 5 steps with cheaper version of those components than what's currently promoted and have major success at a significant cost reduction.

This. I went full circle to what I was doing at the turn of the millennium and it's working fine.

 

[t5Nitro]

This. I went full circle to what I was doing at the turn of the millennium and it's working fine.

I'm doing the same, actually. More hands off approach. I went back to T5 from LED (best decision I made on the last tank), then to halides + LED bar as supplementation for the current tank. Running with some big jebao pumps for $85 a piece that push more water than most of the name brand pumps. So far so good! Maybe they don't look as cool, but oh well. They also haven't rusted into the tank yet.

 

[HomebroodExotics]

As a blue collar guy. Once our first kid comes someday it will be hard to justify such a taxing hobby both financially and time wise. Trying to not buy things twice has been hard for me. Some places you can save money and buy off brand. Some places you just can’t

What can’t you avoid?

 

[Tamberav]

New hobbyist can just pick up a used tank or a Petco tank, put jeabo's in it and use smatfarm or noop lights or what not, dry rock, and buy corals from other hobbyists/facebook, or what not. I bought my skimmer used.

If the goal is to save money, you can.

One of my early tanks was a Chinese box led over a 40 breeder petco tank with koralias. The coral and fish were fine. One of the corals I still have and it has yet to tell me that it cares it is now under radions with tunze powerheads and a rimless tank.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

I'm doing the same, actually. More hands off approach. I went back to T5 from LED (best decision I made on the last tank), then to halides + LED bar as supplementation for the current tank. Running with some big jebao pumps for $85 a piece that push more water than most of the name brand pumps. So far so good! Maybe they don't look as cool, but oh well. They also haven't rusted into the tank yet.

Don't get me wrong there are some advanced that are worth while (filter rollers, DC pumps, aquarium controllers) but the biggest single cost IMHO which is lighting is a big meh. Tried the LED's (expensive and cheap) and realized in the end T5 is where it's at (for me). I love halides, but that heat tho and my electric bill ain't gonna agree, thus T5's it is.

I chuckle at the jeabos, I have a pair of mp40's both needing dry side bearings, one needs a wet side and a Nero 5 collecting dust. Both tanks are running the 'junk' gyre's & return pumps, happily ATM.

 

[watdachuck]

The skimmer game is pretty amazing, though, when you think of all the hype on BK skimmers. It's just a simple red dragon pump powering some acrylic tube. That same skimmer was called Vertex in the past and was maybe $750-800 at the time, lol.

Psst: reach out to Life Reef for new skimmer buyers. That guy makes amazing skimmers. They don't have to be fancy to be the best.

I have stuck with LifeReef for over 20 years…..his prices have barely changed. All hand made by the same man, tried and true.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Being new to reefing, I went with most simple old school setup. Using t5s ECT. Still ran me into 2k with stocking. I just watched a BRS video on t5s and with most bulbs coming from Europe and Europe mandating energy efficient alternative lightning, the days of t5s are numbed. Sad

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Numbered