Ok, I get it. Be a doctor/lawyer/engineer/software engineer, and make the big bucks to be able to send your kids to Ivy Leagues, have a nice car, AND get an awesome fish tank or 10 out of it.
But for the all of the 5 figure and under people (let's say the cutoff is 85K), how are you doing it? Do you just like...not have kids or something? Is there a trick to all the splurging you're able to do? Are there a bunch of low cost of living areas that I'm just not aware of/don't want to move to?
I keep seeing "I just bought this 200/300/1600 gallon [RedSea/Waterbox/expensive brand] aquarium and what do I do with it" posts, and I'm just...confused...do you just have this money lying around??
I guess I'm mostly just asking because my estimated yearly earnings is currently somewhere at around 40K in a high cost of living area once the job hiring starts again. Which means very little disposable income (bye bye avocado toast, I'll miss you, but aquariums gotta aquarium).
I'm a chef, my wife is an Executive Administrator for a health care company, and we pull less than 6 figures combined. We have no children, but lots of pets (parrots, finches, geckos, snakes, cat.)
My tank is bare bones, bottom bucket. Standard 30g, two HOB filters, two aqueon powerheads and two black boxes. My other two tanks were the same: 5g standard, HOB filter, cheap PAR38 leds; 10g standard, 2 HOB filters, cheap led + cheap t5HO. These tanks are like buying a seedling, or even seeds[for], bonsia, versus buying a 20 year old bonsai.
And I have to say, seeing growth and life in a "cheap" reef tank is something that can bring a lot of joy.
I would love an 100g sumped/skimmed/fuged/reactors/doser tank with radions and mp40s/gyres, but simply it is an unrealistic goal for the position I am at in life. I take joy/comfort in being able to create an environment like a reef on my means, and look up jealously/hopefully from the sand bed.