how much have you spend?

not sure if this topic has been started but man this hobby is so expensive! over the years of me being in the hobby (approx. 2 years) i have spend well over 3grand thats on fish,corals, equipment, and suppliments. then i stopped for a few months and restarted a nano. this is what i have spend so far...

tank and stand 200(10g)
led lights- 110 ( just placed my order for the ai sol 460 with controller)
suppliments 350 ( including test kits etc)
heater and pumps 140.
corals/sand/live rock- 400
misc items-60

and its still growing, i still dont have a mp10, ATO, and some test kits i need.

and when i see people just starting to get into the hobby i feel so sorry for them, there going to regret this hobby,

once you go black, you never go back!!!!

 

I spent $300 on 90lbs of sand, protein skimmer, and 75g tank...I shattered the tank. That was money not well spent.

For my 29g, I have $100 in rock, nearly $100 in test kits, I'm gonna guess $100 in miscellaneous stuff. Soon to be $300 on lights. I still want to build a new cabinet too. My only livestock right now is 2 shrimp. lol.

 

i can not put the amount in writing because than my sanity will be questioned ;D

 

First rule of Reef Club...
Don't talk about how much reef club costs...

 

or else your wife might find out =O

 

Ok Lets do the math... for the first time ever.....Just Guestimating...

60 - Tank
70 - Powerhead
60 - Live Sand
40 - Salt
320 - Lighting
230 - Canister Filter
385 - Live Rock
80 - Heater


Now for Live Stock...
I will include Deceased Livestock that died from a heater malfunction too... these hidden costs acrue...

30 - 2 Firefish
50 - 2 Scissortail Gobies
45 - Pistol/Goby Pair
65 - Clown Pair
60 - 3x Chalk Basselets
120 - 2 Leapord Wrasses
60 - Flame Angel
30 -Coral Beauty
50 - Pepperment Shrimp (turned into food for Pistol...)
20 - Cleaner Wrasse
80 - 4 dwarf Gobies
60 - 2 Manderins
30 - Starry Blenny
20 - 2 Green Chromis


Now for Corals...

60 - Pearl Bubble
60 - Many Mushroom Frags
35 - GSP
100 - 4 Dendro
90 - 3 Ricordia (inc 2 Orange Yuma)
40 - Favites
40 - Trumpet
10 - Frogspawn Frag
60 - Toadstool Mushroom
15 - Zoa Frag
5 - Neon Green Polyp
30 - Kenya Tree
20 - Neon Finger Leather


Wow... now to blow my mind and add it all up...

$2530 if my math is right...

And My GF works @ an LFS, so a lot of those corals I got cheap...


And keep in mind other hidden costs (which I won't even think about tonight) including the Electricity to heat and light the tank, the Food costs (especially if you feed mostly frozen or live foods like I do), Test Kits, etc...

I'm sure I've spent over $3,000 on the Saltwater portion of this Hobby alone...

However, that 50" Plasma TV ran me $1200, the Surround sound another $300, the PS3 to watch Blu Ray was $300 and Planet Earth on Blu Ray ran me $80, Modern Warfare 2 and Batman were $120... Thats $2,000 right there for that hobby or 'pass-time activity'. It just depends on what you value more

If given the Option, I'd rather have the Aquarium, I get more Joy and actually spend more time watching it than the TV and stuff.

My Room-mate however, thinks I'm insane to spend $60 on a fish, and watches that TV everynight lol... Just goes to show it all depends on what matters to you



PS...

If you think this hobby is expensive, don't get into Motorcycles... $15,000 for a Bike, and another 4k in upgrades, 1k in Leather and helmets...

I know I spent over $20,000 on my Last Cruiser Alone, let alone the sportbike and UJM before that...



And Don't make me think on all my Musical Instruments (Guitars, Drums, Amps, PA system...)!!!!!!

Hmmm...I wonder how much I've spent on Dates for Ladies over the past decade...



Imagine if I spent all that money combined on one Giant Aquarium... I could be housing a Great White Right Now in a Tank under a Trap-door at my Secret Underground Lair...



For Now I will have to settle for my Black Clown and cleaner Wrasse nipping at you when you stick your hand in the tank... Not Near as Deadly... Sigh...

 

I must have spent a few grand over the years
and just the other week, I was thinking " If I could go back in time, and have all that money in my bank/pocket again, the things I could do with it"

such as , upgrade to MH again
add the bubble magus doser again
weekly visits to the LFS to stock with corals again

yep, if I had my time and the money all over again
I would do more or less what I did with it last time

 

That's money well spent!

 

Well this hobby isn't for the poor that's for sure but I always see people trying to nickle and dime there way to a successful tank imo buy great equipment once and the results are in your tank I have never tried to cheat on equipement and I love my eye candy with that said I have spent well over 10k in this hobby just on 2 nanos and a 90 upgrade I have in the works. A quick breakdown on how I came to 10k is easy 3 grand on a frag pack from a friend when he brokedown his tank I got almost a piece of everything in his tank including prime macro rock 3 scolys and around 40 chalices zoas favias and sps than the chalice growout I'm in anothe 3k easy that's not including the zoa packs I have bought and corals I picked up from lfs chop it up to another 2k and finally the equipment I picked up both my jbj hqi and 29 biocube for 300 adding skimmers HoB fuge t5 fixture and so on about another. Grand finally the 90 Oceanic cube I recently picked up for 600 with apex another 500 MP20 for 200 and I still need skimmer and AtI fixture. Tally that up and I'm sure I am over 10k but I rounded down in a 2year span also. If that aint a reef addict I don't know what is

 

To those who think the hobby is too expensive, diy is a great way to go. Save up your money and buy quality equipment on the essentials. Diy stuff like auto-top off, cabinet, or even lighting (Rapid LED Home Page).

This is how I have been doing it. Also, the most expensive equipments, is not necessarily the best.