Please Stop Stating This Is An Expensive Hobby.

[craiginphoenix]

It is not that expensive because all those rich guys in the hobby sell their stuff dirt cheap when they go to Cancun for 2 weeks and everything in their tank dies.

I buy everything on Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp and get top of the line stuff dirt cheap. You just have to look for deals. I have seen people literally giving their systems away with their livestock if you break it all down and take it.

My new setup, a Aqua Japan 90 with a Sump/Simplicity skimmer/Current USA pump, cost me $100 from some dude in a mansion. It was caked in algae and looked like a bloodbath occurred in there, but I cleaned it all out and set it up and I love it.

If you buy everything new and top of the line, it is very expensive. If you get your new and top of the line stuff from the people who buy it at full price and then abandon the hobby after 6 months, it gets a lot cheaper.

Only an couple things really need to be bought new and they are the least expensive things. Heaters and supplies and stuff like that.

 

[WetPringleChip]

It is not that expensive because all those rich guys in the hobby sell their stuff dirt cheap when they go to Cancun for 2 weeks and everything in their tank dies.

I buy everything on Facebook Marketplace and OfferUp and get top of the line stuff dirt cheap. You just have to look for deals. I have seen people literally giving their systems away with their livestock if you break it all down and take it.

My new setup, a Aqua Japan 90 with a Sump/Simplicity skimmer/Current USA pump, cost me $100 from some dude in a mansion. It was caked in algae and looked like a bloodbath occurred in there, but I cleaned it all out and set it up and I love it.

If you buy everything new and top of the line, it is very expensive. If you get your new and top of the line stuff from the people who buy it at full price and then abandon the hobby after 6 months, it gets a lot cheaper.

Only an couple things really need to be bought new and they are the least expensive things. Heaters and supplies and stuff like that.

It depends on your area too, i dont have that opportunity but i set up a nice set up thats budget i think. A cheap tank with just a basic hob, heater, and a029 amazon blackbox with arm. Itll run softies no problem. I upgraded to a on sale current usa kit. Light, return pump and wave maker. A hob bullet 1 protein skimmer and bam. A legit set up vs the barebones. Both under 400 barebones was under 100. No one in my area really does this and the nearest hobbiest i got into contact with is like 2 hours away. So we can trade and all periodically. Other than that even buying new isnt that bad. People spend my whole set up money on one coral or even more. Lol

 

[C4ctus99]

@humbletumble over here playing with fire

honestly, if I could stay content then it would be waaaayyyyy cheaper… but I don’t want the little tank with 2 fish, I want the big tank with 6 fish… and then the tank breaks… so now I’m back to two little tanks with 6 fish… looking at expensive new tanks

I have not been doing my step work for reefaholics anonymous like I should be…

As a side note… ich management does not work as well in majorly undersized tanks…

 

[craiginphoenix]

It depends on your area too, i dont have that opportunity but i set up a nice set up thats budget i think. A cheap tank with just a basic hob, heater, and a029 amazon blackbox with arm. Itll run softies no problem. I upgraded to a on sale current usa kit. Light, return pump and wave maker. A hob bullet 1 protein skimmer and bam. A legit set up vs the barebones. Both under 400 barebones was under 100. No one in my area really does this and the nearest hobbiest i got into contact with is like 2 hours away. So we can trade and all periodically. Other than that even buying new isnt that bad. People spend my whole set up money on one coral or even more. Lol

Yeah, tbf my post sort of assumes you live in an area with a lot of rich people. There are a lot here in Phoenix and it seems like everyone and their brother are fragging out of their garage and they are all competing for lower prices so you can get really great stuff (equipment and coral) dirt cheap.

 

[00W]

Right now, EVERYTHING is expensive.
I own a restaurant, which I'm asking no one here to do, by the way, and I've never seen prices as high.
My fish and this hobby are my sanity and in that respect, priceless.
I actually have the money now, unlike 35 years ago while in college but I still try to spend as little as possible, if that's possible.

 

[Susan Edwards]

I think it is all relative and whether it is expensive or not depends on the individual and their vision of their tank. My first 2 tanks were inexpensive--used tanks, amazon equipment, marco rock, etc. I also had loads of issues and lots of equipment failures. My current tank cost as much as a basic honda civic-- almost! But I choose to go name brands and higher end equipment and even rocks as I was doing a large dream build and felt it justified it. And I have had less tank issues doing what I've done and I do have my dream tank--even with problems here and there of course.

But what is expensive or costly to the hobby comes after the initial tank and equipment costs. Whether you go used or not, it is the fish and corals that can add to the cost of the hobby. Sure, spend 500-1000 to set up a tank but what you add now adds to your cost.

Lots of inexpensive fish and corals out there but equally, there are expensive fish and corals. A softie dominated tank won't drain your wallet but if you dream of fancy name brand acros or sps? They cost and cost big. Damsels are cheap fish, but want fancy wrasses? They can cost. Heck, even tangs right now. Want meat corals? Wow.... And guess what? Corals die overnight. So that 300 buck coral you love can be gone without warning or that was the warning that something is amiss in your tank. Expensive health meter.

Same with those fish. I can't count how many sand sifters I've tried in my tank. They dive under the rocks and boom! Gone! Yet other fish added at the same time survive. So for me, the ongoing cost of livestock, including cuc, is the real cost. Then of course come the additives and salts and water making etc. All have to be bought and paid for after a tank set up and ongoing, even if your wallet is a bit thin.

So yes, it can be an expensive hobby but that is dependent on your vision and what you want out of it. It can be done with all used or inexpensive but at some point, cheap equipment fails, fish die, coral die and you are faced with how much to spend. Sometimes, you get what you pay for but if you know that going in, then that works too. It's all about being informed and doing your research

 

[Susan Edwards]

Just out of curiousity, what is lower end for you?

Reason I ask is you own a $600 USD skimmer. As a point of reference, most people won’t be able to spend $600 USD during an entire year on a hobby, let alone just one optional price of equipment.

how can you do this hobby on only 600 or less a year! Salt, alk/ca/mg, testing equipment and food alone are more than that! And I don't consider a skimmer optional. Then there are fish and corals which is why most of us are in this hobby. If you only have 600 a year, you must have a very small tank with 1 pair of clowns and a few softies.

 

[CoralB]

Don't forget the the cost of scotch and cigars have really gone up. ....... Have you seen the price of plane tickets to Fiji or the Bahamas?. The cheapest cheapest meal at Ruth Chris for my lunch today was 125.00. it cost me 200 grand to buy my kids, oh I mean get my kids into Yale last year. The cost of everything has gone up, .,........ Sorry couldn't help it. I agree, each one of us can't look at someone else and have any idea of there finances.

The day I see the paperboy pedaling down the street smoking a expensive cigar and kicking back a bottle of expensive scotch whiskey is the day I quit my job to get a paper route Although it might explain why most days I’m picking the paper out of the bushes lol !!!

 

[harrylarry]

The day I see the paperboy pedaling down the street smoking a expensive cigar and kicking back a bottle of expensive scotch whiskey is the day I quit my job to get a paper route Although it might explain why most days I picking the paper out of the bushes lol !!!

Are paperboys still a thing?? Haven’t heard that term since the 80’s!

 

[Derrick0580]

It is expensive just look at the electricity bill every month. Lol

Exactly, we have our duke bill on budget setting and in two years it has went up every quarter from $175 to $407 a month and the tank equipment is the only thing I can think of that could be adding to the usage.

 

[CoralB]

Are paperboys still a thing?? Haven’t heard that term since the 80’s!

You wouldn’t think , but I keep getting one in my driveway once a week in a plastic bag thrown at the end of my driveway . I don’t pay for it , I don’t want it , but I always have to pick it up and throw it away . Maybe one day I’ll open it up to find out what publication it is and call them to get it stopped . But no the paper boy was used used as a analogy.

 

[WetPringleChip]

I think it is all relative and whether it is expensive or not depends on the individual and their vision of their tank. My first 2 tanks were inexpensive--used tanks, amazon equipment, marco rock, etc. I also had loads of issues and lots of equipment failures. My current tank cost as much as a basic honda civic-- almost! But I choose to go name brands and higher end equipment and even rocks as I was doing a large dream build and felt it justified it. And I have had less tank issues doing what I've done and I do have my dream tank--even with problems here and there of course.

But what is expensive or costly to the hobby comes after the initial tank and equipment costs. Whether you go used or not, it is the fish and corals that can add to the cost of the hobby. Sure, spend 500-1000 to set up a tank but what you add now adds to your cost.

Lots of inexpensive fish and corals out there but equally, there are expensive fish and corals. A softie dominated tank won't drain your wallet but if you dream of fancy name brand acros or sps? They cost and cost big. Damsels are cheap fish, but want fancy wrasses? They can cost. Heck, even tangs right now. Want meat corals? Wow.... And guess what? Corals die overnight. So that 300 buck coral you love can be gone without warning or that was the warning that something is amiss in your tank. Expensive health meter.

Same with those fish. I can't count how many sand sifters I've tried in my tank. They dive under the rocks and boom! Gone! Yet other fish added at the same time survive. So for me, the ongoing cost of livestock, including cuc, is the real cost. Then of course come the additives and salts and water making etc. All have to be bought and paid for after a tank set up and ongoing, even if your wallet is a bit thin.

So yes, it can be an expensive hobby but that is dependent on your vision and what you want out of it. It can be done with all used or inexpensive but at some point, cheap equipment fails, fish die, coral die and you are faced with how much to spend. Sometimes, you get what you pay for but if you know that going in, then that works too. It's all about being informed and doing your research

Yeah, but same for anything honestly. I can dream of a fancy expensive car like a bugatti or something but ill never just go buy one. Dreams are dreams but i can own a beautiful car if i maintain an affordable one I can buy. So anyone can have a beautiful tank and set up for cheap if they dont go after hype corals and fish. I did it before i spent more money. Color digi, zoas, and excess just growing like weeds in a somewhat local guys tank.

 

[BZOFIQ]

This hobby is expensive....no matter how you spin it.

 

[I never finish anythi]

£79.99 for a bucket of salt . Yea that's cheap

 

[jda]

As most look back when they get older, they can see that this is not an expensive hobby when compared to many other hobbies. Of course, doing nothing is even more expensive. I can see why people think that it is when they are younger. The main reason that it can be expensive is that there are no assets that can rise in value. I have some classic cars, record collection and some rock & jazz posters that were all expensive, but they go up in value many times more than the stock market... so some hobbies double as investments if you choose well.

There is no investment in this hobby. You can farm some, but few manage to break even. You can treat it like a job, but then it is not a hobby.

Just compared to a classic car, a brand new nice tank is a few grand, not $25-30K. New pump or skimmer is in the hundreds and not thousands like a engine, rear end, transmission or even tires.

I have some friends who have cheaper hobbies, but they read books from the library and one is a runner who buy shoes like twice a year and gets clothes at goodwill.

Lastly, most also just cannot see that a lot of the expense in this game is tech, not actual reefing equipment. If you bought a controller, then that is for you, not the tank. If you got a $400 pump with wifi and a controller, then that was not needed when just a pump is less than a hundo. Most can make better choices if they need things cheaper.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I see some compare this hobby to other more expensive hobbies out there, what is the point?

Everything and I mean EVERYTHING is cheap when compared to something more expensive.

 

[jda]

I agree that there is no point of calling this hobby expensive, or not expensive. Everything is also expensive when compared to other things that are cheaper. Everything is certainly more expensive than doing nothing.

There is a link in my signature where I built a 60 gallon cube in one year for less than $1000. Nothing sexy there, but it was wall-to-wall montis, stylos, birds nests and some LPS in a year. I even wasted some money on some fish that I regretted. Unfortunately, a board crash killed some of the photos, but I will see if I can find any. Is $1000 expensive?

 

[crannon]

It’s an expensive hobby for average income people. Maybe not to some people depending on what they are used to spending on hobbies. Some people don’t blink an eye at spending 10s of thousands on hunting trips, projects cars, boating etc. Much more cost is involved compared to freshwater which some people may have experience with then become interested in trying marine. I tried to get mine up and going on a budget but I’ve still spent probably at least $500-$1000 which is a high start up cost to many people. If you do things right and invest in the appropriate equipment to get stated (RODI unit, good testers, quarantine setup, etc) the initial startup is not cheap.

 

[nuxx]

Seemed expensive back in the 2010s, can't imagine today...

But yeah every meal we go to, be it just pizza or hamburgers is $100 for two people now LOL

 

[Isaac Alves]

hmmm…not sure I agree with the premise. in my experience you probably should assume the marine aquarist hobby will cost more than other aquarium hobbies and will need monthly budgeting. It’s not like a basic freshwater setup where the ecosystem is more adaptable to containment.