Ongoing Cost of upkeep?

[gfinch]

Greetings everyone.
I am planning on setting up a 55-65 Gal FOWLR to start and slowly migrating to a reef system. I had a Salt water system in the early 80's but have not had any type of aquarium for many years. I have been on this site since yesterday reading until my eyes are bleeding.

I am setting this system up for myself and my disabled sister who has bad health and would love a SW Tank to help her stress level.
My Question is how much is the monthly upkeep going to cost me once the initial outlay for equipment, rock and fish are done. I do plan on a RO or RO/DI system to help out in long term outlay. I am talking about testing, electricity etc... This is only a concern for my budgeting because her meds are expensive

and I don't want to start something I can't afford to maintain. I am going to use my income tax refund and the generous economic stimulus package that uncle George is giving us to set up the tank, so the initial outlay is taken care of.
Anyway if anyone can give me a general estimate of the monthly expenses of upkeep would be great.
Oh and has anyone ever set up a system in a mobile home and know what the size limitations are for weight? That would be helpful. I found a couple of places that mentioned it ever so briefly and from what I can gather I should be okay with a 60 Gal. fully stocked as long as the stand gives support all the way across and not one of the cheapo iron stands that puts all the weight on 4 legs.
Thanks for all the wonderful info I have already found here, I know I will be back seeking ever more answers to ever increasing questions, hopefully before disaster strikes.

 

[rtspeed]

Well as for up keep, lets list what you need and estimate price,
Food, always overlooked but lets say 30. DEPENDS ON STOCKING LIST
Salt, for water changes

[hr]
30 for a 2 month supply
A spare heater and power head for water changes, 1 time cost of lets say 60.
Electric, well it depends on what kinda lights and how long there on, but in general for a heatre lights and pumps lets say 55-75 this is on the high end.
Also remeber that once a year you have to replce your bulbs so thats like a 200 month for bulbs.
It would be like 175 for your first month, and then every other month woulb be about 100.
And your tank will be fine for your mobile home just remeber to place it acroos the beams and not with them.

 

[steve24]

wow, i think he is WAY off

i have a 55 reef with T5 lights...
$100 once a yr or yr and a half if there T5 for replacement of bulbs
80 for two buckets of salt that will last a yr
5-10 a month for food, depending on what you feed and whats in your tank
20 a month for filter replacements
50 a yr depending on expiration dates on test kits
as far as electricity ... i never really looked so i can`t help you there

i think thats about it

 

[notsonoob]

bulbs?
Most bulbs have a three month warrenty. I've already replaced one MH bulb and one PC bulb in that 1 year's time (which ends in July)
Best thing to do is to buy things in bulk on online distributers. Filter pads to suppliments.
STAY AWAY FROM THE LFS MONEY TRAP!
Food is cheap, you can find recipes for your fish from local grocery stores.

 

[uberlink]

For me it's not the cost of upkeep...it's the irresistable urge to add new equipment and animals about every couple of months that gets me.
That and the occasional horrific disaster/flood/fire, etc...Be careful when setting everything up! Use drip loops, GFCI outlets, and strive for as simple a setup as you can get away with.

 

[gfinch]

Thanks for the replies. I plan on doing it right the first time if possible. I have been doing a little plotting and planing and I am finding out that initial start up cost are probably going to exceed the $1400.00 that I was initially planning for using T5 lights, protein skimmer and RO/DI system. I wanted a QT tank right away but that may have to wait until a few weeks have passed and the tank has cycled. I would like to have a sump but I don't know if I can pull that off in a mobile home with the floor weight limitations since it would be the same as having a 75 Gal setup or better and I have kind of limited myself to 55, 60 to 65 max. My financial plotting has been based on a 55 gal setup.
I drive a truck over the road and my sister will have to maintain the tank by herself for the most part and I want to plan a system that is as low maintenance as possible due to her bad back. I will only get to enjoy the tank for a few days a month but I still want to take the plunge. (It can't hurt her stress levels)
As always in case I forget in future post I really appreciate being able to pick your brains for the years of accumulated knowledge and through your trials and tribulations save myself some grief and some $$$$.
Thanks

 

[mathwhiz]

It may save you some money to look at used equipment. I bought a 55 gal. with hood, light. filter, live sand, decor, etc. and a fish included for $75 used. We had to buy a stand for it (about $100) , other than that we could start it up right away. Prepare for expense, as a previous post, the temptation at fish stores when you see a good deal on fish is rough as it is exciting to get new fish

. I have also found, personally, that I thought I had all the equipment I needed, then read through posts of more experienced hobbyist and realize I probably need to invest in a lot more, but just can not afford to. So I stick with what I presently have, and try to maintain and take care of my fish the best I know how (been doing pretty good for about 3 years - so I guess what I have is at least sufficient.) I wish you and your sister the best of luck and enjoyment in this hobby.

 

[uberlink]

He's right. Check craigslist.

 

[kas2247]

I'd have to agree with Steve24. I know I don't do as much as I should for upkeep, but it wouldn't cost me that much even if I did.
I bought 2 containers of Formula 1 & Formula 2 flake food (flake isn't usually recommended, but it's all my clowns & chromis will eat! I just feed a very small amount every other day or so). That was maybe $10 total. Then I make a frozen concoction of one, two, or three different meaty foods & add a little garlic for flavor. This lasts me several months, also feeding just a small amount every other day or so. Like someone else said, there are tons of recipes floating around. My critters go CRAZY when I feed them a little bit of raw frozen shrimp mixed with garlic. That was just a bag of peeled & veined raw shrimp at walmart for maybe $4, and I blended it all to a nice mush.
T-5 bulbs I bought in bulk. I'm only using 2 right now for my 55gal, but I don't have corals yet. I will be upgrading to 4 bulbs with individual reflectors soon and expect to replace the bulbs about once a year. My electric bill is probably b/n $20-$40 more a month because of the tank. I've had it since I moved in, so it's hard to say exactly.
I've only had 2 buckets of salt in the last year, at about $35 a piece. The biggest chunk of this was used when I initially set up the tank. I SHOULD do more water changes, but I think I could still get away with 2-3 buckets a year, even doing weekly 5 gal changes (which your sister might have problems doing if she has a bad back... something to think about).
I don't use much as far as supplements go, either. I have 1 $12 pack of Kent Marine starter pack that has lasted me several months. I sometimes add a little here & there, but don't bother much because of the lack of corals in my tank.
I'd have to agree that the biggest expense comes with the urge to add new things every couple of months. I am addicted to the beauty of my tank and always want to make it look nicer... now THAT can get expensive.
Also ditto on the classifieds. GREAT place to find a good deal. I got my tank & most equipment for $100. It all needs upgraded someday, but it's doing just fine for what my tank is right now.

 

[sk8shorty01]

I think you would be alright with a sump in the tank. If you think about it this way. A 55 gallon tank with lets say a 20 gallon long sump would put you at 75 gallons. That totals 626 pounds of weight if you had both tanks full (which the sump will be only probably half full). This means that you have 626 pounds of weight over 4 square feet of floor space (a stand for a 55 is 4 foot long) which means that you have 156.5 pounds per square foot. So for the most part, your stand would be no different than 4 people standing side by side up against a wall. 156.5 pounds per square foot is relatively light when you consider you have a bathtub in the house which probably holds 100 gallons, and also a fridge that is quite heavy and stands on only 4 adjustable legs. I would assume that a refridgerator has more weight per square inch than a 75 gallon fish tank would.

 

[gfinch]

As far as the water changes and my sisters bad back go I plan on having her use a pump and flexible tubing to both drain off and replace the water and minimize any strain on her back. Will have to put something over the intake so no inmates from the watery asylum escape unexpectedly.
And looking at the initial setup it looks like it will be about $1400 for the initial equipment and LR & LS including the RO/DI and a decent skimmer. Does that sound about right. I may look at some things from that guys list but with this much initial outlay I am thinking warranties would be nice.
As always, Muchas Gracias.

 

[kas2247]

That sounds like a good plan for the water changes. Sounds like you've got your bases covered already!
It's really hard to say what an average price would be... it really depends on the quality of all of the equipment is. For example, you can get a skimmer for $20 on that

[hr]
site or pay a few hundred dollars for one. Obviously, quality is going to be the issue.
A lot of people choose to buy equipment new for the warranties and just because they'd rather have new things. I bought my whole set up used and it was a PAIN to figure out where everything went. Buying it new would have eliminated that hurdle, but probably would have cost $1000 more than what I paid.
Good luck, it sounds like it'll be quite the adventure