Will the reef tank be a money pit regardless which route I take?

[albertski]

I started with the intent of purchasing the Waterbox 20 as my first saltwater reef tank, but after listening to people say to go bigger, I am down to these options:

WaterBox 20 (20 Gallons)
Marine X 35.1 (22 Gallons)
Marine X 60.2 (36 Gallons)
Marine X 90.3 (59.3 Gallons)

I'm the type of person to spend more money upfront with the intent of everything running easier and better and enjoying this hobby more. I was so close to purchasing the Marcine X 90.3 because it would look perfect in this spot in our house but then I watched this video on costs (He ends up spending over $4k and he only purchased a tank used for $250) and I'm having doubts. If I spend $3k on the system, now my electric bill will go up, water bill goes up, etc. and that doesn't include livestock. Should I go back to the WaterBox 20 or will it be a money pit regardless of which route I take?

 

[albertski]

This. You don’t need to go new or top of the line on any of the equipment.


The more you want things to be automated, the more it’s going to cost you. If you want to save money, it can be done though, just take a look at my build thread for an extremely budget friendly option.

This doesn’t include livestock or consumable supplies, but here’s my equipment list and what it cost me this year:
Used 46 gallon bowfront, stand and T5 36” two bulb light fixture: $100
Current USA LED lights with two light bars: free from friend who was upgrading
New glass lid: $60
2x hydor powerheads: $90
2x aqueon preset 200w heaters: $35
Inkbird temp controller: $28
Fluval 407 canister filter: $150
Spray bar for canister output: $30
Maxspect nano sphere bio media: $50
50lb dry rock: $95
40lb live sand: $30
Green killing machine 24w UV: $90
RO Buddie RO/DI system: $60
Refractometer: $20
tds meter: $25
Cheapo powerhead for mixing saltwater: $15
Salifert test kits (calcium, alk, pH, nitrate, mag, copper, phos): $100
10 gallon tank and HOB filter with 50w heater and ammonia badge for QT: $60

None of those thing are the best equipment out there. But they do the job. The prices I have listed are often less than retail by shopping on eBay, Amazon, or sales and coupons at Petco. The lights I got as a hand me down from a friend are growing softies, zoas, frogspawn and hammers just fine even though lots of people here scoff at them and insist they are garbage. The powerheads aren’t programmable, but with them aimed at each other and the spray bar, my flow is pretty random. My RO/DI system is slow, I have to mix saltwater in 5 gallon buckets, and I top of my system with RO water every other day. But it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than an ATO system and bigger mixing station. My canister filter needs to be cleaned every other weekend or it’s a nutrient factory, but I researched which canister filter is easiest to clean so that’s no big deal.

This hobby isn’t cheap, but you don’t have to spend a fortune like lots of people here do.

Thanks. My wife wants me to go with the freshwater tank (for which I said heck no!). The way I see it is I could go with fish only option with salt water tank and it will be less expensive and easier to take care of.

 

[Just John]

Thanks. My wife wants me to go with the freshwater tank (for which I said heck no!). The way I see it is I could go with fish only option with salt water tank and it will be less expensive and easier to take care of.

Sounds like a plan!

 

[adittam]

Thanks. My wife wants me to go with the freshwater tank (for which I said heck no!). The way I see it is I could go with fish only option with salt water tank and it will be less expensive and easier to take care of.

Awesome! Honestly, when you’re ready for it, you can also add soft corals like toadstools, zoas, GSP, and neon sinularia without any dosing, using cheap lights, and they’ll do awesome and look way more interesting than a fish only tank.

 

[Fish Think Pink]

This. You don’t need to go new or top of the line on any of the equipment.


The more you want things to be automated, the more it’s going to cost you. If you want to save money, it can be done though, just take a look at my build thread for an extremely budget friendly option.

This doesn’t include livestock or consumable supplies, but here’s my equipment list and what it cost me this year:
Used 46 gallon bowfront, stand and T5 36” two bulb light fixture: $100
Current USA LED lights with two light bars: free from friend who was upgrading
New glass lid: $60
2x hydor powerheads: $90
2x aqueon preset 200w heaters: $35
Inkbird temp controller: $28
Fluval 407 canister filter: $150
Spray bar for canister output: $30
Maxspect nano sphere bio media: $50
50lb dry rock: $95
40lb live sand: $30
Green killing machine 24w UV: $90
RO Buddie RO/DI system: $60
Refractometer: $20
tds meter: $25
Cheapo powerhead for mixing saltwater: $15
Salifert test kits (calcium, alk, pH, nitrate, mag, copper, phos): $100
10 gallon tank and HOB filter with 50w heater and ammonia badge for QT: $60

None of those thing are the best equipment out there. But they do the job. The prices I have listed are often less than retail by shopping on eBay, Amazon, or sales and coupons at Petco. The lights I got as a hand me down from a friend are growing softies, zoas, frogspawn and hammers just fine even though lots of people here scoff at them and insist they are garbage. The powerheads aren’t programmable, but with them aimed at each other and the spray bar, my flow is pretty random. My RO/DI system is slow, I have to mix saltwater in 5 gallon buckets, and I top of my system with RO water every other day. But it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than an ATO system and bigger mixing station. My canister filter needs to be cleaned every other weekend or it’s a nutrient factory, but I researched which canister filter is easiest to clean so that’s no big deal.

This hobby isn’t cheap, but you don’t have to spend a fortune like lots of people here do.

Would you consider putting your above AMAZING info into your build thread? Your tank is gorgeous; your corals look awesome. Seeing what you spend will help others realize with some shopping and bit of shopping luck, they don't have to keep breaking the bank

 

[adittam]

Would you consider putting your above AMAZING info into your build thread? Your tank is gorgeous; your corals look awesome. Seeing what you spend will help others realize with some shopping and bit of shopping luck, they don't have to keep breaking the bank

Thank you so much for the kind words!! My tank isn't as awesome as many here yet, but I'm confident it will be as it continues to mature and grow out.

I'll definitely put this in my build thread. I'll also look up the exact amounts I paid for everything for sake of accuracy (for instance, I just looked up the TDS meter and it was $14, not $25!). Build thread update coming later today Thanks again!

Matt

 

[CMMorgan]

I started with the intent of purchasing the Waterbox 20 as my first saltwater reef tank, but after listening to people say to go bigger, I am down to these options:

WaterBox 20 (20 Gallons)
Marine X 35.1 (22 Gallons)
Marine X 60.2 (36 Gallons)
Marine X 90.3 (59.3 Gallons)

I'm the type of person to spend more money upfront with the intent of everything running easier and better and enjoying this hobby more. I was so close to purchasing the Marcine X 90.3 because it would look perfect in this spot in our house but then I watched this video on costs (He ends up spending over $4k and he only purchased a tank used for $250) and I'm having doubts. If I spend $3k on the system, now my electric bill will go up, water bill goes up, etc. and that doesn't include livestock. Should I go back to the WaterBox 20 or will it be a money pit regardless of which route I take?

Money pit .... great movie and the other name for reef tank or swimming pool. The bigger tank will be less stress in the end of it. There is no great savings in 40 gallons, just peace of mind. That is priceless. Remember that nothing good happens in a reef tank. The smaller the tank, the faster things happen.

 

[S2G]

Everything is a money pit really

 

[ineption]

There is a lot of advice to go bigger and buy most expensive so you don't have to upgrade ect
Here is my 2 cents take for what it's worth.
I did listed to same advice when I started to I ended up going for 120gallon as my first tank with at the time decent equipment.
Now I wish that I didn't, why you ask?
Well upgrading what I could was part of the fun of the hobby for me personally. Its shopping for that top end light or that reef doser or calcium reactor. Set it and forget isn't quiet my style.
Moving on to coral and live stock it's much better to go with something small like 40 gallons because if you end up nuking the tank because of noob mistakes like I did the cost of coral ect will be much easier to swallow. 40 gallons will be cheaper to fill and inevitably as a begginer you will experiment and mess things up.
Also you will always have the option of looking forward to that bigger tank planning ect
Pests and parasites are another thing to think about which again as a begginer you will inevitably encounter.

 

[reef tank 2.0]

If you are in no rush, I would buy things as you go. Meaning, that big $k price tag for start up hurts a tad. That's if you do it all up front and in one shot. If you are not in any rush, buy the biggest tank that you can / want. Once you have that in place, then start on the equipment. Save up, shop around, then buy. And continue on down the line till you're ready to assemble it all. Granted, it's still $k, BUT, you are not needing it all at once. Makes it more manageable.

As I did with my previous 135. It sat in my garage for almost a year till I had all the pieces / parts I needed in order to assemble. Luckily I was patient (no clue why, i am a very impatient person). I bought what I could, when I could.

I did not want to cut corners on things I needed that could potentially make my life harder / less enjoyable in the reefing hobby. I wanted to succeed with it being my first reef tank.

Buy the best you can, so you're not upgrading / rebuying equipment all over again down the road with something you should have done in the first place.

Eventually, as you start growing coral, it has the potential to start paying you back. You can use coral frags that you sell, to help maintain this expensive hobby.

 

[oldcodger]

I wasn't planning on getting much extra equipment (like a protein skimmer..). Do you think I can keep the cost down if I go easy on the coral and more on fish?

Hi I’ve been reading all the comments and to be brutally honest if you don’t want to spend money don’t get into reef keeping. I had a 48”x18”x18” by the time I got all the hard wear together ie Guisseman light Teco chiller Eheim pumps ROI water purifier, calcium reactor, tunze skimmer, sump, heater, dosing pumps,filter media, I had spent $20,000 AUD before even filling up the tank, then $1,000s of dollars on fish & corals over the years. So don’t think you’ll get out of it on the cheap, done properly it is an expensive hobby.

 

[ying yang]

Not everything that costs the most = best.
Sometimes cheaper products if used correctly give the same results or sometimes even better.
But for me then its same as anything in life and when about to buy a product,i just look at reviews and see if product does the job it says it does,see many posts on r2r saying only buy the best ( most expensive lets use vortech mp40 wave makers at 100' s of pounds and will last a long long time ) but seen a few posts saying that isn't the case.and then see someone buying a jebao wavemaker and saying it lasts years and years, but Lot factors like if maintained and cleaned often and how cleaned i know.
But basically if i can get a cheaper product that does the job that i need doing and got good reviews then im happy with that.

 

[pelicansreef]

As many have indicated it can be an expensive hobby. However, It doesn't have to be. Depending on your personal situation there are several options that can save you a TON of money.

I have spent a significant sum invested in my tanks but I am lucky and have multiple tanks and I am a big DIY kind of person. If your not a DIY type make friends with someone that is. Actually one of the best ways to get in the hobby at a lower cost and learn a lot is take a part time job at your local fish store. Use the money you make to buy discounted equipment and livestock. You can also join any local Reef Aquarium groups and Online forums and clubs. All of those things can save you a lot and are great resources for used equipment and live stock trading.

Just this afternoon I traded some old camping gear that had been collecting dust on a shelf in the garage for corals. Last week my wife meet a young couple that wanted to rehome fish to someone that would take care of their baby's rather than have a LFS buy them for nearly nothing and split them up and sell them one at a time. We had to agree to keep them together but that is great with us.