What's Your Average Monthly Expense for Your Aquarium?

Woah!!!! LOL

 

Hi Jay,
Have you had/run any SW/reef set ups before? Where you planning coral too?

I like the plans- you know what they say- Go big, or.....

My system is ~320g total presently, with a 180DT in my family room.
Without factoring any eledtric costs- my maintenance costs are very little.
I get group buy salt for $30/200g box of Kent salts. I change about 20%/month- ~52g.
I rarely feed frozen, and don't have many other bells or whistles.
I do feel as though I have a successful system.

The question was average monthly expense?
For me- without electric ( I run a total of 5 LED pendents; 600W equivalents CFL bulbs on my ATS- 23W usage per 100W equiv.; DC RP's, 900+W heaters, etc.)
my monthly cost is way under $100/month- without electrics- probably not much more if I ever figured it out.

But the initial upfront cost of a system like you want is astronomical-
Party on! Go big, or ....

 

I have run reefs in the past but since we have always rented and had to move they didn't last long. Now that we have purchased our own home I can build something that I truly want. As for corals I am an Acro nut and clam lover.

 

Wow.
1000g display would be beautiful but very costly to set up.
I think all the tanks I have seen at this size were pro tanks with pro builds.

 

I don't think you can compute or calculate this expense. Some months i spend a lot some months I little. I suggest some type of mid size system like 55 or 75 for a couple yrs then upgrade to a much larger system like a 180 or 220. Going any bigger then that I would want at least a few good years of keeping the above suggestions.