Owning an aquarium. Luxury or hobby?

Joeganja · Aug 6, 2016

During this summer heat wave I see a lot of people lose their livestock when their tanks reach over 85F+ and a lot of them just put so much time and money into their aquariums that if you think it about it, it's difficult to start over and have that same mindset and motivation you did the first time. Obviously there are ways to prevent it but this hobby is about learning and learning that it's not if an error will happen, just when and people are becoming discouraged about that. Just knowing how much it costs to house coral is a sore feeling, and knowing that corals seem to be keep getting more expensive as new ones being brought to the hobby it's questionable if it's even worth keeping them. I've had tanks crash and it sucks so much but I've kept going and I learn from my mistakes and try to keep the least amount of room for error but it's difficult. When you think your tank is up and running and set up another thing pops up that you have to buy and of course it's not cheap. You can have a freshwater tank up and running and looking absolutely amazing under $100 but you won't leave the LFS with a ready to go saltwater tank under $300-400. Stuff has gotten really expensive and I just kinda wonder why should corals be so darn expensive. Aquarists are giving up just because losing hundreds and even thousands of dollars worth of coral isn't worth another go around. I don't think keeping a fully stocked reef tank should be based on how deep your pockets are. I feel like it's kind of becoming a level of status and of course many will disagree. Just a thought. I feel like we have to have more enthusiasm and understanding.

Adam G · Aug 6, 2016

I see your point and hear what you are saying. I have a bit of a different twist on this. I would propose that all hobbies are expensive to do them right and reefing is about average in the range of expense when it comes to hobbies.

I have one other main hobby and that is motorcycling. Very similar to reefing in terms of expense. I had the buy the bike, about 10k to start. I then of course drop $50 to $500 every couple of months in the first 2 years of owning the bike to add options such as a more comfortable aftermarket seat, extra lighting for safety and cool factor, new grips for more hand comfort, new aftermarket exhaust for increased horsepower, and on and on. I then have to get the factory scheduled maintenance done to keep it in warranty so twice a year I get an oil change, air filter change, valves checked, new transmission fluids, etc at $200-$500 depending on the interval. Then after about 4 years a new and improved model comes out and I start all over. Oh, and then I am putting $20 in gas in it twice a week to actually use the bike. Sound familar? Kind of like reefing.

That is just a hobby I know well. There are cheaper bikes and I could skip the maintenance but that would spell long term disaster. So to do it right and really enjoy it, these are the realistic expenses.

Other hobbies seem to be the same way. I do not golf but have buddies that do. They buy new clubs, shoes, clothes, balls, tees, etc. Then they go out and spend $100 a crack on green fees twice a week. There is the new and improved putter they have to have, and the costs go on an on. Maybe you like to fish. Buy the boat, then maintain it, store it in the winter around here anyway, gas for boat, gas for truck, bait, tackle, repairs, etc, etc.

So in the end I have chosen reefing as a hobby for the past 20 years. Is it expensive, heck yes. Is it more than any other hobby, I would argue that it is on par with many other hobbies. Can you have a nano with limited equipment and keep the cost down, sure.

I think a lot of people dabble, blow a bunch of money, skimp on equipment, have a failure, get discouraged, and move on to the next hobby to blow their extra cash on. I found that investing in the right stuff, giving the hobby the time it deserves, and keeping my hobbies to one or two and really doing it right keeps my hobby budget manageable and gives me the most enjoyment with my free time and extra cash.

As you said in you OP I am sure many will disagree but this has been my experience.

Joeganja · Aug 6, 2016

Adam G said:
I see your point and hear what you are saying. I have a bit of a different twist on this. I would propose that all hobbies are expensive to do them right and reefing is about average in the range of expense when it comes to hobbies.

I have one other main hobby and that is motorcycling. Very similar to reefing in terms of expense. I had the buy the bike, about 10k to start. I then of course drop $50 to $500 every couple of months in the first 2 years of owning the bike to add options such as a more comfortable aftermarket seat, extra lighting for safety and cool factor, new grips for more hand comfort, new aftermarket exhaust for increased horsepower, and on and on. I then have to get the factory scheduled maintenance done to keep it in warranty so twice a year I get an oil change, air filter change, valves checked, new transmission fluids, etc at $200-$500 depending on the interval. Then after about 4 years a new and improved model comes out and I start all over. Oh, and then I am putting $20 in gas in it twice a week to actually use the bike. Sound familar? Kind of like reefing.

That is just a hobby I know well. There are cheaper bikes and I could skip the maintenance but that would spell long term disaster. So to do it right and really enjoy it, these are the realistic expenses.

Other hobbies seem to be the same way. I do not golf but have buddies that do. They buy new clubs, shoes, clothes, balls, tees, etc. Then they go out and spend $100 a crack on green fees twice a week. There is the new and improved putter they have to have, and the costs go on an on. Maybe you like to fish. Buy the boat, then maintain it, store it in the winter around here anyway, gas for boat, gas for truck, bait, tackle, repairs, etc, etc.

So in the end I have chosen reefing as a hobby for the past 20 years. Is it expensive, heck yes. Is it more than any other hobby, I would argue that it is on par with many other hobbies. Can you have a nano with limited equipment and keep the cost down, sure.

I think a lot of people dabble, blow a bunch of money, skimp on equipment, have a failure, get discouraged, and move on to the next hobby to blow their extra cash on. I found that investing in the right stuff, giving the hobby the time it deserves, and keeping my hobbies to one or two and really doing it right keeps my hobby budget manageable and gives me the most enjoyment with my free time and extra cash.

As you said in you OP I am sure many will disagree but this has been my experience.

I respect and understand where your coming from. But unlike collecting motorcycles or cars or going fishing you have to keep spending money in this hobby in order to keep your stuff alive. You don't have to do water changes on a car or buy additives for a bike. That's where it starts to add up. If you don't do something correctly your stuff can die. So it really is a matter of life and death you know? Of course motorcycles are expensive but it won't all of a sudden die and that's it you lost tons of money. What I'm saying is you can't go a month without doing nothing to your tank. A motorcycle can sit there and that's it you know? that's what I'm trying to point at.

Joeganja · Aug 6, 2016

Adam G said:
I see your point and hear what you are saying. I have a bit of a different twist on this. I would propose that all hobbies are expensive to do them right and reefing is about average in the range of expense when it comes to hobbies.

I have one other main hobby and that is motorcycling. Very similar to reefing in terms of expense. I had the buy the bike, about 10k to start. I then of course drop $50 to $500 every couple of months in the first 2 years of owning the bike to add options such as a more comfortable aftermarket seat, extra lighting for safety and cool factor, new grips for more hand comfort, new aftermarket exhaust for increased horsepower, and on and on. I then have to get the factory scheduled maintenance done to keep it in warranty so twice a year I get an oil change, air filter change, valves checked, new transmission fluids, etc at $200-$500 depending on the interval. Then after about 4 years a new and improved model comes out and I start all over. Oh, and then I am putting $20 in gas in it twice a week to actually use the bike. Sound familar? Kind of like reefing.

That is just a hobby I know well. There are cheaper bikes and I could skip the maintenance but that would spell long term disaster. So to do it right and really enjoy it, these are the realistic expenses.

Other hobbies seem to be the same way. I do not golf but have buddies that do. They buy new clubs, shoes, clothes, balls, tees, etc. Then they go out and spend $100 a crack on green fees twice a week. There is the new and improved putter they have to have, and the costs go on an on. Maybe you like to fish. Buy the boat, then maintain it, store it in the winter around here anyway, gas for boat, gas for truck, bait, tackle, repairs, etc, etc.

So in the end I have chosen reefing as a hobby for the past 20 years. Is it expensive, heck yes. Is it more than any other hobby, I would argue that it is on par with many other hobbies. Can you have a nano with limited equipment and keep the cost down, sure.

I think a lot of people dabble, blow a bunch of money, skimp on equipment, have a failure, get discouraged, and move on to the next hobby to blow their extra cash on. I found that investing in the right stuff, giving the hobby the time it deserves, and keeping my hobbies to one or two and really doing it right keeps my hobby budget manageable and gives me the most enjoyment with my free time and extra cash.

As you said in you OP I am sure many will disagree but this has been my experience.

But I like the last paragraph you said. I think everyone should take that into consideration.

twilliard · Aug 6, 2016

I don't like to call our tanks a hobby at all.
It's a responsibility

TheRealDmorty217 · Aug 6, 2016

Responsibility and Luxury.... the larger the tank, the more luxury it becomes

Antics · Aug 6, 2016

It's kind of a morbid thought, but it would be curious to fast forward decades and see if the reality of the situation is that coral and reefs as we know them only truly exist in home aquariums and wholesale systems. I think your original question requires an answer of "both". A hobby in and of itself is a luxury, as you're having time and money being spent on something that isn't water, food, or shelter. I know some people love to keep track of their spending and what exactly it costs to run an aquarium, but it really is a bad idea in my opinion. I can quickly ballpark the value of a set up just looking at the sump, tank, lights, power heads, skimmer, reactors, etc. but that isn't even close to the true cost if the system has been set up for a couple of years.

Give yourself a weekly/monthly/annual budget while also putting away a little towards savings and retirement and ENJOY YOURSELF. Life is short, and fretting over the cost of reefing while getting so much joy out of it is pointless.

najer · Aug 6, 2016

Interesting, my "hobby" is about maintaining my animals as best I can and possibly passing new ones of them to other "hobbyists".
If I lose an animal that was £10 it upsets me as I lost an animal in my care. (England here.)
Putting a dollar cost on what you lost is a bit callous, just my opinion, don't mean to cause upset, couldn't think of a better word, the environment to maintain the animals in your care is awkward / expensive to maintain no matter the cost of each animal.
I love one of the posts above, what if the hobbyists could help to re-populate the seas at some point!
I guess I am on the more passionate side of the hobby, it fits my condition so I do pay it a lot of attention but at as low a maintenance cost as possible.

Joeganja · Aug 6, 2016

Antics said:
It's kind of a morbid thought, but it would be curious to fast forward decades and see if the reality of the situation is that coral and reefs as we know them only truly exist in home aquariums and wholesale systems. I think your original question requires an answer of "both". A hobby in and of itself is a luxury, as you're having time and money being spent on something that isn't water, food, or shelter. I know some people love to keep track of their spending and what exactly it costs to run an aquarium, but it really is a bad idea in my opinion. I can quickly ballpark the value of a set up just looking at the sump, tank, lights, power heads, skimmer, reactors, etc. but that isn't even close to the true cost if the system has been set up for a couple of years.

Give yourself a weekly/monthly/annual budget while also putting away a little towards savings and retirement and ENJOY YOURSELF. Life is short, and fretting over the cost of reefing while getting so much joy out of it is pointless.

I've kept all my receipts and invoices from the last 5 years and I've spent almost $16,000 on one tank. Not exaggerating at all. When I say luxury or hobby I mean that in terms that some people can't get their tanks to look as good as others not because of responsibility or husbandry but based on the simple fact they can't afford it and it becomes a luxury to them. I see this more as a passion and love but your right in itself it's a luxury that some people are fortunate to have and others can't afford it. It's sad to have it that way but it's true. I've seen people tear down tanks because they can't afford to keep them up and running and that really is sad to see it become that way.

Chris Adams · Aug 6, 2016

Hobby... absolutely because it is something we enjoy and choose to do.
Luxury... because it is something we can live without but choose not to. Anything that is not essential to living is a luxury.
Responsibility... Totally agree with @twilliard on this also. If you choose to bring living things into your life and house you are obligated to take care of them.

You mention a lot of people loose their fish at over 85F+. I have never had a tank go above 85 nor do I know anyone personally that has had this occur and kill their fish. I am not saying that this has not happened, not possible or plausible, but temp #'s get thrown around a lot in our hobby. Our hobby does have a variety of fish from different parts of the world so maybe where the fish are coming from had factor in temp deaths. This is good stuff Joe(420).. Will have to look for some threads on temp topics and actual experiences

I only question this do to fact I live in Florida and gulf average in summer is over 85 in our area
http://www.beachhunter.net/thingstoknow/gulfwatertemp/

Take a look at some of the water temps where you get your fish from.
http://www.seatemperature.org/

miyags · Aug 6, 2016

They all die in the end.

Joeganja · Aug 6, 2016

Chris Adams said:
Hobby... absolutely because it is something we enjoy and choose to do.
Luxury... because it is something we can live without but choose not to. Anything that is not essential to living is a luxury.
Responsibility... Totally agree with @twilliard on this also. If you choose to bring living things into your life and house you are obligated to take care of them.

You mention a lot of people loose their fish at over 85F+. I have never had a tank go above 85 nor do I know anyone personally that has had this occur and kill their fish. I am not saying that this has not happened, not possible or plausible, but temp #'s get thrown around a lot in our hobby. Our hobby does have a variety of fish from different parts of the world so maybe where the fish are coming from had factor in temp deaths. This is good stuff Joe(420).. Will have to look for some threads on temp topics and actual experiences

I only question this do to fact I live in Florida and gulf average in summer is over 85 in our area
http://www.beachhunter.net/thingstoknow/gulfwatertemp/

Take a look at some of the water temps where you get your fish from.
http://www.seatemperature.org/

My last name is actually Ganja so I can't really do anything about that. I was just reading about it earlier this week about a guy who had his coral all die at 90F. Didn't state why it got so high or why he didn't do anything about it. Just said he was done. Another one earlier this week where a guy left for work a couple of days and came home to everything dead. I'm not speaking of fish as much as I am with coral. Coral are more sensitive to temperature changes than fish and especially fast fluctuations.

WhiskyTango · Aug 6, 2016

I've never seen a trailer hitch on a herse, so I spend my coin the things that I enjoy...

Paul B · Aug 6, 2016

I think it is both a hobby and a luxury. But if it gets expensive I have a large garbage can in my yard and I can put the entire thing there. (after I give away the livestock of course) My reef is 45 years old and I spend very little on it. I know people spend thousands but that is because they want to, not have to. I let the LFS check my water for free, I feed clams for pennies a week along with live blackworms which cost about two bucks a week. I buy bulk supplements that cost pennies a year.
I keep my fish immune from diseases so I don't need any medications, hospital or quarantine tanks. I built my lighting system for practically free as well as my skimmer. I know many people can't or won't do that but those are a one time cost as my skimmer may be 20 years old, I forget. If you keep your fish healthy and immune you almost never have to buy any fish Some of mine are 25 years old so if it cost me $25.00- 25 years ago, that's a buck a year. Cheap by any standards. I also don't change much water, maybe 100 gallons a year so that cost about $100.00 a year. I have no controllers or dosers so I don't have to pay for that.
I really don't know why so many people spend so much. One year owning my boat in New York probably costs as much as 20 years of reefing. (and to store the boat in a marina is about $9,000 a year even if you don't use it)
My tank has gone over 90 degrees many times, nothing happened. Maybe that is because of the reverse undergravel filter I use. The power has also gone out numerous times in all those years, I deal with it in many ways.

Joeganja · Aug 6, 2016

Paul B said:
I think it is both a hobby and a luxury. But if it gets expensive I have a large garbage can in my yard and I can put the entire thing there. (after I give away the livestock of course) My reef is 45 years old and I spend very little on it. I know people spend thousands but that is because they want to, not have to. I let the LFS check my water for free, I feed clams for pennies a week along with live blackworms which cost about two bucks a week. I buy bulk supplements that cost pennies a year.
I keep my fish immune from diseases so I don't need any medications, hospital or quarantine tanks. I built my lighting system for practically free as well as my skimmer. I know many people can't or won't do that but those are a one time cost as my skimmer may be 20 years old, I forget. If you keep your fish healthy and immune you almost never have to buy any fish Some of mine are 25 years old so if it cost me $25.00- 25 years ago, that's a buck a year. Cheap by any standards. I also don't change much water, maybe 100 gallons a year so that cost about $100.00 a year. I have no controllers or dosers so I don't have to pay for that.
I really don't know why so many people spend so much. One year owning my boat in New York probably costs as much as 20 years of reefing. (and to store the boat in a marina is about $9,000 a year even if you don't use it)
My tank has gone over 90 degrees many times, nothing happened. Maybe that is because of the reverse undergravel filter I use. The power has also gone out numerous times in all those years, I deal with it in many ways.

I'd like to see a photo of your tank. You are lucky to only spend that much.

hybridazn · Aug 6, 2016

Joeganja said:
I respect and understand where your coming from. But unlike collecting motorcycles or cars or going fishing you have to keep spending money in this hobby in order to keep your stuff alive. You don't have to do water changes on a car or buy additives for a bike. That's where it starts to add up. If you don't do something correctly your stuff can die. So it really is a matter of life and death you know? Of course motorcycles are expensive but it won't all of a sudden die and that's it you lost tons of money. What I'm saying is you can't go a month without doing nothing to your tank. A motorcycle can sit there and that's it you know? that's what I'm trying to point at.

Actually you do need to constantly do things to a motorcycle or car. Water changes are like oil changes, if you let a bike sit you will develop flat spots on tires and the chain will need to be lubed and cleaned to keep from rusting, so on and so on.

It's not as cut and dry as you say.