Wow, this is an expensive hobby!

[brett559]

Okay, just for fun I thought I'd price out a little upgrade. I love the Red Sea Reefer series. So here's what an upgrade would cost - all from BRS. I'm pricing out the 250 (one the smaller ones!)

Tank = $1300
40 pounds of Pukani = $152
Kessill AP700 = $895
Light mount = $65
MP 10 = $235 (I already have one, so I only have to buy one more!)
40 pounds of sand = $78
Sicce 660gph return pump = $126
TOTAL = $2,851

Wow. And that's using my existing skimmer, heaters, chiller, and MP10 powerhead. Pretty bare bones setup - no reactors, controller, etc.

MAYBE I could sell my current tank, stand and light for $600, offsetting the cost a little.

Oh well, guess I better start working a few extra hours....

[Mishri]

This hobby isn't too bad.. if you keep things small scale and don't buy top end things. You can get a 55 gallon full reef setup for under $300 then livestock another $300. I did a 5 gallon reef for about $150. I miss that tank... there isn't a limit though...

It's like PC gaming, minimal rig to run the latest games will run about $800.. but I've seen a $200,000 setup.

Drag racing, my rig I only have $35,000 into it, but some guys have millions, some only spent $8,000 to reach where I'm at. (junk yard motors/turbos/cars)

Bow Hunting: You can do it for about $200, all you need is a used bow, some arrows, and a knife, plenty of used camo clothes as well. thats a fairly inexpensive hobby.. licenses here are I think $50.

yachting/airplanes - practically millionaire club just to enter... although there are some budget ways of doing it too.. especially if you own enough land to make your own landing strip/hanger for your airplane, and if you learn the mechanic work yourself.. but a decent yacht is expensive no matter what. Boating can be fairly inexpensive, just trailer/boat/towing vehicle... so I guess that's entry level yachting.. but still thousands to enter.

Collecting: you can collect all sorts of things.. from free (bugs) to rare items, sports cards, trading cards, coins, stamps, comics.. you can spend millions...

All hobbies get expensive depending on how extreme you want to get with them. So far my best hobby by far has been collecting.. only thing I've actually made money doing .. I have a lot of magic the gathering cards that I started collecting in the early 90's.. it's worth quite a bit now.. one unopened box is worth $1,000.. paid $50... my comics are kind of a wash.. some are worth a lot more than I paid, others are worth far less... I think in time though they'll come out ahead.

[karimwassef]

ok.. so I decided I'd do my math too. I have a 380gal DT with 180 sump, 100 aux sump, 50 aux tank, and 100 RODI reservoir ~ 810 gal total.

Tank (Display) = $4000
Plywood sump tank = $400 + sweat
aux tanks = $500
wood support structures = $500 + sweat
artificial concrete rock = $300 + sweat
pumps = 7 x $200 = $1400
lights = 3 x $400 = $1200
LED = $100 + sweat
powerheads = 4 x $75 = $300
12' skimmer = $450 + sweat ($300 for the pump, $150 of DIY)
chiller = $500
heaters = $200
kalk reactor = $100 + sweat
surge = $300 + sweat
live sand = 400lbs x $20/40lbs = $400 + sweat
PVC = $800 (this one was hard to accept, but few options)
wire = $400 (also hard to accept, but it adds up)
Apex = $1200 (this one was hard to accept, but worth it)
fans = $100
UV sterilizer = $150
GFO, GAC, etc = $200 + sweat
RODI = $200

so $13,700 ... to round out the system.

There are other supporting elements ~ $700

room - air conditioner = $300
room - dehumidifier = $200
room - vent = $200

and mistakes = $1000 (shhhhh, don't tell her)

so all-in, if I had to start it from scratch again, it would cost $14,400 (assuming I don't make the same mistakes).

so $14.5K for 800gal system = $18/gal setup cost.
(the car I drove in college was $2000 - for contrast).

at the nano level (OP), it was $700 for 20gal = $35/gal.

[jccaclimber]

So here's a question. If my tank produces X macro, frags, etc. that gets taken to the LFS for credit, and then that credit gets turned in to food and new equipment, do I have to count that?

Obviously when talking to my wife it doesn't count, and sadly LFS credit can't pay the electric bill.

[karimwassef]

anything funded by output doesn't need to get counted (self-sustaining). Only setup cost counts.

Love making up rules.

[childress5tyler]

An expensive hobby for sure! Calculating out ~1000-1250 for my new 28 Deep Blue rimless SPS, without any live stuff!!

[Pastey]

Don't go racing. I got into aquariums because it cost 1/4th of what a year of racing costs me.

[FPSD]

Originally Posted by Pastey

Don't go racing. I got into aquariums because it cost 1/4th of what a year of racing costs me.

This is cheap compared to my street cars.Lol. Do it because you enjoy it! If you count dollars you may want to go FW.

[brett559]

Originally Posted by FPSD

This is cheap compared to my street cars.Lol. Do it because you enjoy it! If you count dollars you may want to go FW.

I do enjoy it. And I think it's totally worth it. I guess the point I'm making is that there is just a lot that goes into a tank. Even a 40g breeder for $40 at Petco just gets your started. To make a tank work, i.e. to make it worth even that minimal investment, there's just a lot more that you need. But that's also makes it fun - who doesn't love researching lights and gadgets?

And I honestly probably will do that Red Sea update!

[karimwassef]

I have two 40gal breeders that I'm ready to give away... find people like me

[roli112]

I already have an unhappy wife and she doesn't even know half of the costs!!!

[marper331]

Originally Posted by roli112

I already have an unhappy wife and she doesn't even know half of the costs!!!

Same here! I just got back into the hobby and in the last 6 months have upgraded everything, including a new tank. Luckily I was able to sell most of my old equipment and soften the blow.

[Ou8me2]

Originally Posted by roli112

I already have an unhappy wife and she doesn't even know half of the costs!!!

Unless she is naive then she probably already knows. Women are like that and they will eventually tell you they know when the time suits them.

[JZinCO]

Originally Posted by karimwassef

I have two 40gal breeders that I'm ready to give away... find people like me

This is why I love clubs and local reefer FB groups. People are always literally or practically (at $1/lb) giving away decent live rock. Someone on craigslist near me is selling a 125 gal with stand, sump, plumbing and sand for $350. I bought tons of coral for cheap from someone who was selling an entire, complete, healthy, amazing 40 breeder set up with coral, supplements, ATO, and all for $200.

Getting set up is difficult because when you outlay the cash you can buy the cheapest, worst crap or more expensive brand new stuff. I've learned the art of waiting for that second hand deal to jump on.

But there is also the art of just waiting for an indefinite period. I know someone who can sell me tons of frags of LPS and softies for $4 per individual, much cheaper than the LFS around here. But, you know, I've got those species already and if I just practice patience, I will have more over time. There are also alot of coral I would like to buy, but I just try to be content with what I do have. I was on a $100/mo livestock budget for the past 6 mo but now I'm not going to buy any more livestock and just let things grow out.

..
that said I have been pricing out for an eventual upgrade 5+ years down the road so I'm not immune to the upgrade-fever rampant in hobbies.

[crawlerman]

Worst part is the spending never ends, just gets worse. Always looking to upgrade and add. It's like a crack addiction only more expensive.

[Ou8me2]

Originally Posted by JZinCO

This is why I love clubs and local reefer FB groups. People are always literally or practically (at $1/lb) giving away decent live rock. Someone on craigslist near me is selling a 125 gal with stand, sump, plumbing and sand for $350. I bought tons of coral for cheap from someone who was selling an entire, complete, healthy, amazing 40 breeder set up with coral, supplements, ATO, and all for $200.

Getting set up is difficult because when you outlay the cash you can buy the cheapest, worst crap or more expensive brand new stuff. I've learned the art of waiting for that second hand deal to jump on.

But there is also the art of just waiting for an indefinite period. I know someone who can sell me tons of frags of LPS and softies for $4 per individual, much cheaper than the LFS around here. But, you know, I've got those species already and if I just practice patience, I will have more over time. There are also alot of coral I would like to buy, but I just try to be content with what I do have. I was on a $100/mo livestock budget for the past 6 mo but now I'm not going to buy any more livestock and just let things grow out.

..
that said I have been pricing out for an eventual upgrade 5+ years down the road so I'm not immune to the upgrade-fever rampant in hobbies.

This is what I did on my 75-gallon tank setup. However, I was probably a bit more patient. I set a goal of 2,000.00 that's livestock, corals, rock..everything. I'm at roughly 1300.00 right now. I have about a 1/4 of the tank in corals and couple fish. So I have 700.00 more to spend on corals or any upgrades.

I'm not a big fish person so I only plan on adding 1 or 2 fish at the most. There is no shortage of reefers getting out of the hobby. You can spend 10k on a tank but if it ever comes a time when you need to sell you'll take a huge blow.

[roli112]

Originally Posted by JZinCO

This is why I love clubs and local reefer FB groups. People are always literally or practically (at $1/lb) giving away decent live rock. Someone on craigslist near me is selling a 125 gal with stand, sump, plumbing and sand for $350. I bought tons of coral for cheap from someone who was selling an entire, complete, healthy, amazing 40 breeder set up with coral, supplements, ATO, and all for $200.

Getting set up is difficult because when you outlay the cash you can buy the cheapest, worst crap or more expensive brand new stuff. I've learned the art of waiting for that second hand deal to jump on.

But there is also the art of just waiting for an indefinite period. I know someone who can sell me tons of frags of LPS and softies for $4 per individual, much cheaper than the LFS around here. But, you know, I've got those species already and if I just practice patience, I will have more over time. There are also alot of coral I would like to buy, but I just try to be content with what I do have. I was on a $100/mo livestock budget for the past 6 mo but now I'm not going to buy any more livestock and just let things grow out.

..
that said I have been pricing out for an eventual upgrade 5+ years down the road so I'm not immune to the upgrade-fever rampant in hobbies.

The problem is wives don't think like that. I can't purchase stuff I find cheap for backup because then it's "you spend more money on that thing again!" Last time i bought 8 brand new never even screwed on MH along with $100 worth of freebies for $100 dollars. I am going to sell 2MH that I wont use for that much!!! But wife doesn't seem to understand that.

[brett559]

Originally Posted by karimwassef

I have two 40gal breeders that I'm ready to give away... find people like me

You also giving away lights, pumps, powerheads, sumps, heaters......

[JZinCO]

Roli, I know. It's hard to not jump on a deal. But.. I gotta resist the urge and be disciplined, especially if it isn't pressing. I would love to upgrade to that 125 but my coral and fish aren't going to die if I don't upgrade so I just tell myself to enjoy what I've got and not look to upgrade.

Ou8me2, I think that's a laudable goal. Reefing is expensive, no two ways about it. Most hobbies are. That doesn't mean people can't find a target appropriate to their wallet and other financial goals, and pursue reefing in a way efficient with respect to their target. My dream tank involves TBS rock. It surely isn't the cheapest way to get rock but I really desire a biotope aquarium that best represents the keys which involves all the hitchhikers (esp the stony coral illegal to harvest in the US). So when I do my eventual upgrade, I'll have to save up and allot my $$ to that. And it will cost more but fulfill my goal in the hobby.

[brett559]

And you guys are right, finding someone looking to get rid of their tank is the way to go. I got into this hobby a few years ago when I told my neighbor (reefer of 10+ years) that I wanted a tank. On our local forum (CV Reefers!), he found a guy desperate to sell his entire set up: 90g glass tank, stand, sump, skimmer, powerhead, lights, everything for $800. He needed it gone, so I offered him $500, and that was that.

So it was cheap, but it wasn't my ideal setup. The tank had some scratches, the stand was ugly, the skimmer was ancient and pretty crappy - but it was $500 for everything!

When you do it for a while, you want what you want. I won't settle for an ugly stand or a skimmer that sort of works - and that can get expensive....

[roli112]

Originally Posted by brett559

And you guys are right, finding someone looking to get rid of their tank is the way to go. I got into this hobby a few years ago when I told my neighbor (reefer of 10+ years) that I wanted a tank. On our local forum (CV Reefers!), he found a guy desperate to sell his entire set up: 90g glass tank, stand, sump, skimmer, powerhead, lights, everything for $800. He needed it gone, so I offered him $500, and that was that.

So it was cheap, but it wasn't my ideal setup. The tank had some scratches, the stand was ugly, the skimmer was ancient and pretty crappy - but it was $500 for everything!

When you do it for a while, you want what you want. I won't settle for an ugly stand or a skimmer that sort of works - and that can get expensive....

Definitely settled for ugly with a dew upgrades here and there

[karimwassef]

Originally Posted by brett559

You also giving away lights, pumps, powerheads, sumps, heaters......

Yup. I've given plenty of stuff away to local keepers.

Even if I don't, someone will. Or sell it for cheap. Or help you build it.

[karimwassef]

Wait for a used skimmer deal or build one.

[Griff500]

Originally Posted by Homestead_Dad

First world problems, thank god our ancestors had balls enough for revolutions and the since to establish the constitution to protect us from the clutches of socialist governments that creates equality in poverty.


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Yes, everything's great these days. Only socialism redistributes wealth from the many to the few...

Anyway, reef keeping is super cheap and easy if you do it right.



"You can remortgage your house and buy a £$&ing fishtank. That's how we do it around here, we just keep it simple."

[Homestead_Dad]

Originally Posted by Griff500

Yes, everything's great these days. Only socialism redistributes wealth from the many to the few...

Anyway, reef keeping is super cheap and easy if you do it right.



"You can remortgage your house and buy a £$&ing fishtank. That's how we do it around here, we just keep it simple."

LOL...Super Cheap and Easy.


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