I have no problem with people spending $$$ on their hobbies, that's a part of life IMO.
My latest tank, a Red Sea max 130, came off of craig's list for $250, included a pair of clown fish, live rock, complete test kits, etc. I've been doing this for 30+ years, I know not to spend more than $95 on any stock for the tank, it usually doesn't live long. Also don't fall into the hype of all the new latest gadgets that you need. ATO for me is a jug of distilled water that sits under the tank. When I feed my fish and it looks like the water has dropped, I pour some water in. Go on vacation for more than a few days, I have my neighbor come in and top off the water. Has worked for me for 30 years that way! I used to only test my nitrates once a month. Now I'm testing a lot of additional things weekly and it seems like I spend more on the test kits than my actual tank inhabitants! I'll never have any expensive corals because I think that part of the hobby has gotten out of hand. Latest gadget for me was a cost effective LED light system, I didn't go for the high dollar one, but one that made sense for my tank and what I want to keep in it.
When we get to the point where we aren't travelling as much, I'll probably upgrade to a nicer setup with a controller etc because I'm into home automation.
At least this hobby is cheaper than cars. I used to race sport cars and talk about a money pit!
My latest tank, a Red Sea max 130, came off of craig's list for $250, included a pair of clown fish, live rock, complete test kits, etc. I've been doing this for 30+ years, I know not to spend more than $95 on any stock for the tank, it usually doesn't live long. Also don't fall into the hype of all the new latest gadgets that you need. ATO for me is a jug of distilled water that sits under the tank. When I feed my fish and it looks like the water has dropped, I pour some water in. Go on vacation for more than a few days, I have my neighbor come in and top off the water. Has worked for me for 30 years that way! I used to only test my nitrates once a month. Now I'm testing a lot of additional things weekly and it seems like I spend more on the test kits than my actual tank inhabitants! I'll never have any expensive corals because I think that part of the hobby has gotten out of hand. Latest gadget for me was a cost effective LED light system, I didn't go for the high dollar one, but one that made sense for my tank and what I want to keep in it.
When we get to the point where we aren't travelling as much, I'll probably upgrade to a nicer setup with a controller etc because I'm into home automation.
At least this hobby is cheaper than cars. I used to race sport cars and talk about a money pit!