you ever think about just getting out of it?

[jay0705]

Agreed

 

[flower]

Yes I know. I want a Garibaldi damsel, so I've researched it and what can go with it in its large cold water tank.

It's unlikely it'll ever happen, it's my dream tank. I've thought of the ways I'd make it look like a rocky kelpy forest. I've considered which creatures I can pair up. I've picked my CUC LOL. It's a thing to aspire to for me. Others want their chunk of the great barrier reef, I want my slice of cold merky Catalina waters.

There are very few folks I have found that like the cold... chillers are not cheap, but they are cheaper then the fancy lights for keeping a reef, there are even cold water corals (Pagoda cup for example). Check out the bat stars, they are gorgeously colored, even eats cyanobacteria, best CUC critter I've found, cold or tropical. Mandy is 100% right (Post #19...words to live by indeed!)

 

[seecrabrun]

There are very few folks I have found that like the cold... chillers are not cheap, but they are cheaper then the fancy lights for keeping a reef, there are even cold water corals (Pagoda cup for example). Check out the bat stars, they are gorgeously colored, even eats cyanobacteria, best CUC critter I've found, cold or tropical. Mandy is 100% right (Post #19...words to live by indeed!)

I tend to go against the crowd on most things I like, so it doesn't surprise me LOL! I don't do it on purpose, but I always seem to be into the oddball things.

 

[silverado61]

I tend to go against the crowd on most things I like, so it doesn't surprise me LOL! I don't do it on purpose, but I always seem to be into the oddball things.

Kinda like me. Everybody else talks about all their fish or all their corals. I have two fish, five small corals and over 125 creapy crawling critters.

 

[beaslbob]

We shut down our salt tanks when we moved into a new house. Still thinking of restarting though.

FWIW It simply does not take thousands of dollars to run a saltwater tank. But that is old school thinking.

and worth at most .02

 

[pegasus]

We shut down our salt tanks when we moved into a new house. Still thinking of restarting though.

FWIW It simply does not take thousands of dollars to run a saltwater tank. But that is old school thinking.

and worth at most .02

Don't sell yourself short, bob... I think it's worth at least .03!!! LOL!!!

 

[mandy111]

We shut down our salt tanks when we moved into a new house. Still thinking of restarting though.

FWIW It simply does not take thousands of dollars to run a saltwater tank. But that is old school thinking.

and worth at most .02

I would like to know the secret to NOT spending $$$ Please tell.

 

[flower]

We shut down our salt tanks when we moved into a new house. Still thinking of restarting though.

FWIW It simply does not take thousands of dollars to run a saltwater tank. But that is old school thinking.

and worth at most .02

I agree, after the original set up cost, a tank is very cheap to maintain. I spend hundreds on the dogs every month, in food, toys and medicines when they grow older...

 

[flower]

I would like to know the secret to NOT spending $$$ Please tell.

While there is no such thing as costing no money, it isn't a lot of money to maintain a tank (well depends on the size of said tank I guess). Media, salt mix, fish food and the cost of the RO water is about it. I buy master test kits, they last a good while, and only cost $30.00 to replace. Salt mix is $40.00 for a bucket which makes 200 gallons, and besides carbon, I really don't have media to replace...what are you spending so much money on?

P.S.
Beaslebob uses macros to keep the tanks water pristine, and besides supplements his cost is way down....he doesn't do water changes very often if ever. If you do lots of water changes you won't need lots of supplements, also corals take more of a budget then fish only.

 

[mandy111]

While there is no such thing as costing no money, it isn't a lot of money to maintain a tank (well depends on the size of said tank I guess). Media, salt mix, fish food and the cost of the RO water is about it. I buy master test kits, they last a good while, and only cost $30.00 to replace. Salt mix is $40.00 for a bucket which makes 200 gallons, and besides carbon, I really don't have media to replace...what are you spending so much money on?

P.S.
Beaslebob uses macros to keep the tanks water pristine, and besides supplements his cost is way down....he doesn't do water changes very often if ever. If you do lots of water changes you won't need lots of supplements, also corals take more of a budget then fish only.

Well I think it once again comes down to costs over here. 1 bucket of Red Sea coral pro. (660lt) here is $169.00. That's. 3 changes. Rowa phos. 1000ml is $120. Thats 2 changes. 2 ltrs coral food $66. Lasts. 5 weeks. Sailifert test kits $90 for. 5. 8 globes every. 9 months $360. Electricity $1200 a quarter. We've worked our the tank if kept in great condition costs approx $140 a week. Without buying fish or corals. P.S. One container of spectrum fish food approx. $39.

 

[mandy111]

This is a super special here. Don't know how the hell you get salt for $40.

 

[seecrabrun]

Yeah it's not the monthly costs. I spent more a month on my guinea pig for food and maintenance than I do for food and maintenance on my tanks, it's the startup cost that's so hard.

I change water every week.

It's getting into corals that is so freaking expensive. My kitchen tank has been up and running for 8 months and altogether probably cost me $200 that whole time. It didn't need a light as it is in am extremely well lit room, by sun and lamp.
As a fish only it was incredibly easy and cheap.

Then I decided to put coral in it............

I've spent more in the past 3 weeks on this tank than in all the other months it was up and I still haven't even bought a light! I'm borrowing a light from my other tank that is now borrowing a light from someone else.

I've severely questioned my decisions, and it has changed how I feel about a few things.

I have been planning an upgrade on my 29 for months. I decided on a 75 or 90 and have been drawing up plans for it and the stand and equipment, everything.

But now that I'm doing coral in the 20, all those plans went out the window.
The idea of putting that much time, energy, and money into a tank unnerves me. I don't like coral THAT much.

I'm still doing my upgrade, but it won't be a reef tank. I'm going to play with using macro to give it color and movement instead of coral.

I still want coral, just not a huge tank of it. So I'll stick to my 20 and I have a 6 in storage I'm eager to work on once I have the 20 all figured out. I'm not a fan of a lot of the different corals, just a select few that I'd love to turn into a little garden.

 

[mandy111]

Sounds well thought out. We love the corals & as you can see we have 50+ in our tank. So yes a huge investment. But we really enjoy the colour & movement so we have to pay the price for it.

 

[silverado61]

You can get a bucket of Instant Ocean reef crystals for about $60

 

[seecrabrun]

I get a box of reef crystals on amazon for like $45 comes with 5 bags that I believe are 50g each.

 

[silverado61]

Including shipping?

 

[seecrabrun]

Yup. Though I have amazon prime which gives you free shipping on anything shipped by amazon and not a third party.

Also being amazon prices fluctuate. 45-50 is usually what it is

 

[mandy111]

You can get a bucket of Instant Ocean reef crystals for about $60

I wish Urghhh. !!!!!

 

[bang guy]

I would like to know the secret to NOT spending $$$ Please tell.

Yes, you can run a reef on a shoestring budget but I have yet to see one I would be willing to display in my living room. Sure, there are ways to save some money here and there but in general if you skimp on the important things you're not going to have a good looking, stress free tank.

 

[flower]

This is a super special here. Don't know how the hell you get salt for $40. View attachment 1040

Foster and Smith sells that very same salt brand...the most expensive by the way...for $72.00. Marine Depot sells this one for $69.99 (all of them make175g)
Instant Ocean reef crystals they sell for $49.99 to make 200g a little more then I quoted, but way below what you pay.
*****: Kordon coral sea mix... $39.99, but it only makes 105g, not 200g

I don't know where you live, maybe it's more in your country??? or You need to shop around. Now surely you don't go through 175g of saltwater a month, but I don't know the size of your tank either. I have a 90g, if I do a 3% water change each month...30g, that means I would have to buy more salt every 5 months. Even at the price you are paying it's only $260.00 a year. I spend over $100.00 a month on dog food alone.

Keeping fish, even a beautiful reef, isn't all that much money to keep up. Now start up is a whole different critter, and it wouldn't be a hobby if we didn't constantly upgrade equipment, and buy new corals, or try new stuff to make it better. That's where the spending can go crazy, just buy what you can afford after you have the necessities. It doesn't have to be a shoestring.