Honest monthly cost for maintaining reef aquarium 90 gallon +

[davidcalgary29]

When people do those successfully, it is usually not their first or only tank

There's no reason that it can't be, though, and especially if a cover on the jar is used to minimize evaporation. That can greatly assist with stabilizing parameters, and especially so if regular water changes are done. One of my jars is an old flour container and has four corals, an airstone, three sexy shrimp, and a heater. It does get direct sunlight, but the snails take care of the algae.

 

[Azedenkae]

Not to sidetrack, but this is really bothering me. Do you make a lot of equipment returns or something? I am curious how a cumulative expenditure graph has several declines?

Live stock guarantee claims. Kept on receiving 'low quality' products that either died within a few days or went straight into the rubbish bin even without opening the bag. Rip so much life. D: Then I swapped vendors and the dips went away. The last dip that does not look as sharp is because I set up another tank, so divided the original cost of some items between this and the other tank at that point.

 

[mdb_talon]

Live stock guarantee claims. Kept on receiving 'low quality' products that either died within a few days or went straight into the rubbish bin even without opening the bag. Rip so much life. D: Then I swapped vendors and the dips went away. The last dip that does not look as sharp is because I set up another tank, so divided the original cost of some items between this and the other tank at that point.

Haha thanks makes sense that was really bothering me!

 

[Azedenkae]

Haha thanks makes sense that was really bothering me!

Lolll. I have a dream about the day that graph will start to curve downwards... from selling frags... and all that.

Ahahaha as if that'll happen. XD But always fun to dream lol.

 

[TCoach]

I made this call 20 years ago, and a “normal” setup is between $20-40/gallon.
On going is $50-100 for electricity and then your reagent, salt, and dosing/reacting chemicals. Probably another $20-100/mtg depending on what you use.

Fish and corals are always extra and a very inconsistent cost.

 

[ApoIsland]

What’s y’all honest expense in reefing so far a month

For my 120g with 40g sump I don't dose anything or spend anything on testing so the costs are fairly low at $160 per month if you take into account all expenses including depreciation on tank and equip.

1) Recurring monthly costs are only: $56

Electricity $20
Salt Mix $20
Fish food $16

2) Monthly depreciation on tank/equip : $46

Lights $1300 / 60 months = $22
Tank/Stand/Sump $1250 / 120 months = $11
Power heads / return pump $600 / 84 months = $7
Misc equip like fans / thermometers / heaters $200 / 36 months = $6

3) Monthly average expense on fish and corals: $54

About $4000 on corals over 10 years = $33/month
About $2500 on fish over 10 years = $21/month

 

[laverda]

How do you spend $2000 on a 20 gallon set up?? I hope that includes some high end corals and fish. I spent around $3000 getting my 300 gallon set up initially. Steal stand free, used tank $800.00, acrylic scratch removal supplies $50.00, used sump $300.00, return pumps $250(only used one sold the other one -$100.00), new LED lights( final set up)$1200,00, Tunze pumps used $250.00. Live rock used $50.00, heaters $60.00. More was added over time. My original lights were a bunch of Kessels new cheap. Hated them and all the wires everywhere. I sold some of them for more that I paid for them. Then I used a 12 bulb T5 fixture I already had and got dirt cheap. Once I decided on and got the LEDs I wanted I sold the T5 fixture.

 

[homer1475]

Lets see......

I have an 80G display with 30G sump. So roughly 85G total water volume.

Between food, electricity, 2 part, test kits, RO/DI, and salt(only recurring monthly charges), I'm around $80 a month.

 

[Hallowhead]

I have a 30 gallon display and a 34 gallon frag tank.. I've spent $236 in supplies / gear in 2021 so far.

Add another $50 for electricity and water

Comes to $71 a month ?

 

[McPuff]

About a year ago I estimated my monthly electric bill around $60-80 per month (300g) and most of that is almost certainly from the heating. Looking into a titanium heat exchanger as a small investment. Even with titanium heaters, I have to replace at least once of them per year ($80-ish) and then the cost to run them. I figured it would take under 2 years for the hot water loop to pay for itself.

 

[Zeal]

For my 40G cube its maybe less then $50 a month(?) Water is cheap in south florida and I could go maybe 3+months without having to buy any supplies.

Normally You kind of have everything you need.


Now starting up thats a whole other topic.

Light alone for my new tank are about $1700(excluding stand for light) + tank $2200 +return $100+

After that rocks +$200, sand $60

Now thats just to get the tank started... now we sit and wait 3 months

 

[zukihara]

My 80G is just not that much. I have spent wads on developing it to be what I want and will keep doing so, but the salt, water, electricity and dosing are negligible. Although now I do pay more attention to saving water and power doing day to day stuff around the house just to make sure.

 

[Laith]

Upfront costs are very high, especially for a large tank.

Monthly costs go up proportionately with size as well. I think people forget the costs associated with things like replacing probes (if used), RO/DI prefilters and RO membranes, DI resin, carbonate/calcium if dosed... In other words there are ongoing costs that may only require an outlay a couple of times a year, once a year or every two years (probes come to mind, as do RO membranes) but I take those costs and divide them by the number of months involved and add it to my monthly calculations...

Without counting electricity and water (which aren't that expensive here and I have solar panels on the house which help), nor my time , I come out to around the equivalent of $350-$400 per month.

 

[Jeffcb]

A lot

 

[elysics]

Upfront costs are very high, especially for a large tank.

Monthly costs go up proportionately with size as well. I think people forget the costs associated with things like replacing probes (if used), RO/DI prefilters and RO membranes, DI resin, carbonate/calcium if dosed... In other words there are ongoing costs that may only require an outlay a couple of times a year, once a year or every two years (probes come to mind, as do RO membranes) but I take those costs and divide them by the number of months involved and add it to my monthly calculations...

Without counting electricity and water (which aren't that expensive here and I have solar panels on the house which help), nor my time , I come out to around the equivalent of $350-$400 per month.

Another thing is that nothing lasts forever. If you don't give up before that point comes, pumps, lights, heaters, maybe even the tank itself, become reccuring purchases. Sooner rather than later if you go for cheap stuff or for manufacturers with a high turnover in their product line and little too no spare parts down the line

 

[Laith]

Another thing is that nothing lasts forever. If you don't give up before that point comes, pumps, lights, heaters, maybe even the tank itself, become reccuring purchases. Sooner rather than later if you go for cheap stuff or for manufacturers with a high turnover in their product line and little too no spare parts down the line

Yes, that's why, budget permitting from the beginning, go for quality equipment and nothing less.

 

[JumboShrimp]

On a 90 gallon (after you are set up, stocked, and on ‘coast/maintain’ mode), budget $150 and you’ll be safe.