How do you guys do this?

so i am just wondering, how does everyone afford all of this?
im 24 with a 2 yr old, 2 labs and i just purchased a house. i currently have a steady job making ok money but nothing crazy. i set up a 55 gallon in the new house. most of everything i got for it was used because i cant afford new stuff. i just want to know how you guys build these massive tanks!!! i am currently stuck trying to figure out how i can get some lights for mine. i guess some people are blessed with really good jobs, but for the average joe trying to let his 2 yr old see a peice of the ocean in the living room what did you guys do to get good quality stuff?
heres a pic of what i currently have. took me about 5 months to get this together.

 

Look a lot of time and shopping around. Im 25 with a 5 year old son and unemployed at the moment. My clothes are falling apart but I still manage to run halides over tons of coral. Guess its just a priority thing.

 

craigslist

 

Man i'm glad i'm not the only one. I haven't bought new cloths in 5 years and I wear the same 3 pairs of jeans every week. But my fish and corals sure are healthy> Have you looked at craigs list? Every once and awhile there will be something good on there for cheap. Alot of people getting out off the hobby right now. T5's will be cheaper and more energy efficient than halides and for a 55 that should be enough depending on what corals you want to grow. Just don't give up!

 

craigslist i agree. i got the rocks and sand from a guy on craigslist. actually i got the whole tank from cl now that i think about it.

 

ya thats what i wanted anyways was t5s and i guy said he would sell me a fixture for 200 bucks, but then i would rather let my kid eat than buy lights lol

 

I'm with everyone else. It's just a priority thing. I don't have nice clothes and live in a very modest place. I don't make a ton of money at all. For me to have the system that I have now, I went to work for a buddy who owns the reef store in our town. I basically worked for product and was able to work myself off a nice system. Since I have gone to work full time somewhere else, I do odd aquarium maintenance jobs in the area and sell frags to really be able to afford this hobby. If I were going to offer advice in this, I would set my mind on a certain piece of equipment. Save up and buy that one. Don't buy anything else until you get that piece.

 

First off, patience is a virtue. I shopped around for over a month to find the light fixture I want at a price I was willing to pay. Check all around daily, especially on craigslist and ebay. If there's a deal you can't miss, make sure you don't miss it!

Sencondly, buy the right equipment the first time. Cheap equipment does not save you any money if you have to replace it with quality equipment later.

 

by the way, your tank does look nice. The light situation can be taken care of. Just start putting a little back at a time for your light

 

craigslist is a life saver! developing a network of local reefers is beneficial as well. we're always upgrading and would be happy to help out a local 3reefer! i'm a grad student living in the NW suburbs of chicago. nothing is cheap! if you're looking for a massive tank later on check out Horkn's plywood tank build. i just slapped together a 200 gallon tank for around 400 bucks (i think?).

+1 on saving and buying quality equipment in the beginning will save money in the long run. you might have to wait a while longer but it will save a headache