How much $$ have you dished out? (so far)

[mudplayerx]

I agree with the poster that said you can turn it into a profit, or take away your expenses. I have already gotten 3 pulsing xenias from the one I bought about 2-3 weeks ago. I have 3 large galaxea frags as well (getting rdy to frag more). One of my condi anemones has split. I plan on waiting until these get a tad better and trading them for other stuff at the lfs.

 

[sato]

Yes, but how many frags do you have to sell in order to equal the cost of the tank + maintenance?

 

[mudplayerx]

Oh, I don't plan on making a profit or covering maintainance... I'm just going to do straight trades. This way I never have to spend money on another coral

 

[andretti]

Get use to it. This hobby is insanely expen$ive. I have a 125 and a 55 (both reefs) and all total, I've got about $9,000 invested; and that's not counting fish/inverts. My advice is to buy stuff used like tanks, sumps, etc. Make your own live rock, stands, canopies, fuges, and whatever else you can. I've saved myself thousands by making my own live rock, stands, canopies, refuguims, sumps, and lighting fixtures.

 

[malounsbury]

Currently on my 12ga nano, I've spent:
12ga JBJ Nano Cube - $120 shipped
Instant Ocean - $15
CaribSea Aragonite - $17
Hydrometer - $3 (ick)
EBO Jager Heater - $22 x 2 (picked up an extra for my water change bucket)
Refractometer - $66 shipped
2 5gal buckets - $5
2 lids for above buckets - $2
Maxi-jet 400 - $15
Distilled water - at least $20 so far
Test kits - $52
Live rock - free (in-laws got it for my birthday)
Gold CBS - $15
Emerald crab - $7
10 astrea snails - $15
Think that's everything. So about $400 so far. Going to be getting some hermits this weekend and fish in about another week. Can't wait until I move and can get a larger tank. I'm going as big as I can.

 

[airforceb2]

$749.99 - Surfline 90 gal w/ stand
$149.99 - Excalibur Skimmer w/ Rio 1700
$65.00 - Cascade Canister 1500
$97.50 - RO/DI Filter
$100.00 - Various Powerheads
$39.99 - Titanium Heater
$15.00 - Big Digital Thermometer
$1217.47 invested and I don't even have water in it yet. Still waiting to get lights, test equipment, sand, rock and a couple timers. Maybe in a couple months I can actually see the tank with water.

 

[spanky]

We've dropped about $3,500 on the new 150 set up in the last five weeks, and we haven't paid for the hood, protein filter, or halide yet. It will be $5K before we start slowing down...

 

[keonia]

SPEGG -- good post - I often wondered about the expenses!
I actually told my LFS yesterday that I paid about $250.00 for live rocks!!
29 gallon w/glass cover Got at Garage sale -- $15.00 almost new No copper used
Stand - wally world -- 75.00
powerhead -- 21.00
Filter (just to circulate the water more) -- 20.00
Live sand = 25.00
Live rocks = 250.00
CPR2 Bak Pak = 110.00
hood & light = 35.00
Hydrometer = 16.00 i know it was high
test kit, calcium liquid, saltwater food w/zoe = 80.00
and 50/50 coral life bulb
fish clean up crew, brittle, 10 hermits, 10 turbo snails, 1 porcelin crab, lettuce nudi
& 1 CBS all from saltwater.com = 100.00 Very good quality!!!!recommend
goby YES - Diamond goby lfs = 26.00
2 damsels lfs = 12.00
book = 40.00 OUCH but so far, good luck with tank!!!
ammonia, chlorine remover = 10.00
and of course, have to consider the maintenance --- water (very little cost!!), electricity,
food brine, frozen krill, live brine = 50.00
This has been an awesome hobby!!!!!!!!!! Would do it again just wish i started earlier!!

 

[pisces309]

My initial set up (tank/stand, filters and lighting) is around 2k, and it still empty. LOL
I just bought a RO/DI for 185.00 so I can fill it up.

 

[55gsw]

I can't count how much I spent on my 55g reef especially since the hurricanes last year wiped it out! All corals, just about all other inverts and most of the fish died....so no, I am not going to count how much!! Besides, some of the stuff was from when I was into freshwater fish so how would you count that? I will say this, my 75g FOWLR tank that I am in the process of setting up is going to be a really cheap tank. Can't afford the good stuff since we just bought a new house (and the

[hr]
is almost twice what we were paying before), kid started driving (ever see the insurance rate for a teenager??!!YIKES!!).

 

[saltn00b]

 

[tizzo]

Unfortunately I tink I've spent more on upgrades than I shoulda... Lemme see here...
I'm gonna tally this. I'll be back...Wish me luck! :nope:

 

[tizzo]

I tallied to $6200 and then stopped. I didn't include a lot of corals... But I think I got all the rest.
WOW...

 

[acrylic51]

Building a dedicated fishroom and filter room and tank costs alone I'm over the $6,000.00 mark easily and haven't even started with the tank yet....

 

[oceangrl11]

Know how they say you go into marriage with your eyes wide open and then when you get there keep them closed shut ? I think that would apply to financial aspect of this hobby Dont look at the check book just the aquarium :happyfish

 

[jjlittle]

Well Last post Iwas around $7000 The last 2 weeks I can add another $650.00 bought some corals & fish( Toad stool, Green/ red open brain, 2 power heads,New refrug,Frog spon,nice zoo's,& Naso Tang)But who's counting not me HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH.It all pays off in the hours of looking at a nice tank.Priceless

 

[big911dog]

I'm sitting between $4000-$5000. ANYONE who tells my wife is in BIG trouble!

 

[speg]

... My girlfriend told me to "stop spending money on fish" so that I could save up enough money to go with her and her family to Universal Studios for the week... I some how managed to spend $120 dollars in two days on stuff for my tank even though I told myself I wouldnt spend another dime...
guess im not going babe!

 

[pohtr]

I am at about $675 for a 90. 3 months old. That includes:
tank, drilled, used
new rebuilt standpipe with durso (finally)
beautiful rebuilt cedar cabinet dyi
wet/dry & skimmer
test kits & misc eq.
only one flour. light in cheap basic plastic top
salt
sand
very little LR & LS
dead rock from years of beach combing, cleaned of course
books
8 snails
11 hermits
1 arrow crab
1 emerald crab
5 chromis (ONE left, sigh)
Still on the list:
more fish
R.O. unit
beautiful dyi cedar light cabinet
and expensive lights to go in it
maybe coral
tons of other stuff, probably, that I can't even begin to think of.......
But I still think this can be done without being rich. It just has to be done on a less grand scale and done a little at a time with a lot of dyi. Of course, I'm saying this at only 3 months so I will most likely be eating my words some day......

 

[howieumd]

My 72 gallon that is going right now, for just over 1 year, about $4,000.
My 240 gallon that isn't even in yet, coming in June 12. This is just equipment, but I think I have everything, which should all be in within the next 2 weeks.
240 gallon tank with overlows, stand, and canopy - $1600
3 X 250 HQI MH's and 3X80 T5 Acitinics and fans - $1300
120 gallon sump/fuge with dividers and stand - $600
AquaC EV240 Skimmer with Mag 18 pump - $500
Mag 36 Return Pump - $180
2 Tunze 6100 Streams, 2 Tunze 7400/2 PH's, and Tunze 7095 Controller - $1350
215 lbs of LR from Tonga and Marhsall and 100 lbs of LS - $1150
Current USA dual stage Chiller, 15W UV Sterilizer, 200W Heater - $825
Supplements, Cleaners, Salt, Moon Lights, 100 lbs on argonite sand - $400
Carpenter/electrician to build out tank area (already done as of today!) - $1500
Total - $9400
Don't even have any corals, or new fish yet, just the ones coming over from my 72 and about 90 lbs of Fiji LR. I think I'm done with equipment though, I hope! YIKES!!