Cost of running a tank

Jeremy837 · 01/31/2016, 08:49 PM

Hello I am looking to buy a saltwater tank, I have for a long time. I have hours and hours in research but I can't find how much it will cost to take care of. If you could give me some insight on how much it will cost many cost per gallon to run a reef tank and how much water and electricity it will use. However big of a tank I get will depend on it. I hear a lot of people say the cost of setup is the big hitter but we pay a lot for sewer, water, and electricity where I am so I'm just looking for an estimate. Also do t5s use a lot less energy then LEDs and a cost per gallon would be very nice even if it's not accurate, thank you to all who post.

jraker · 01/31/2016, 08:52 PM

id say minimum 75$ per gallon more if you have a smaller tank. calculate all the costs of everything (tank, equipment, livestock, water). take that number and triple it. somewhere around there

A.Astore · 01/31/2016, 09:06 PM

This is a fairly broad question and you are not going to get a straight answer. For example, my next door neighbor could have the same exact tank setup as I do and it would cost them a different amount to run the tank than me. The smallest factors such as what you keep your own thermostat at, the placement of the tank inside the house, the placement of equipment in the tank (a heater in a sump is going to work harder than a heater in the display), the livestock in the tank, and so on, and so on, and so on. I can tell you that LEDs are going to be the MOST energy efficient. I have a 150 gallon with a 68 gallon sump, I use LED lighting, and my electric bill went up roughly 25$ a month.

I know this doesnt help one bit, but unfortunately I dont think you are going to get any answers that do help.

Good Luck!

Reef Frog · 01/31/2016, 09:27 PM

My 65 gallon aquarium costs a MAXIMUM of about 5 cents per hour to run based on the cost of electricity @ 10 cents per kWH with 6x T5 (239 w) 3 pumps (150w) & a 150 w heater.

At night with lights out & heater off it's costing as little as 1.5 cents per hour to run.

So maybe an average of 80 cents per day.

20 gallons water change a month costs little in fees but a $150- $200 RODI is advisable. Filter changes are infrequent at this level & inexpensive.

The real expenses beyond your starting hardware comes from buying livestock, especially corals, at least in my case.

Reef Frog · 01/31/2016, 09:30 PM

Double Post

boshk · 01/31/2016, 10:10 PM

from what I have read on this forum, the general consensus is US$40-60/gallon depending on your brand of equipment.

There are some really fancy and nice lights out there like Ecotech marines with online programming etc

Full reef style tanks will be more due to the lighting and corals

Jade5051 · 01/31/2016, 10:15 PM

I've always said $30-50 per gallon. I've seen ppl spend more. My utility bill usually goes up by about $20 after I get the tank running.

cymen · 01/31/2016, 11:33 PM

I have a 20 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump in a high cost of energy area (San Francisco Bay Area). I calculated my monthly energy is around $12-15. Water changes and salt is going to vary -- I expect more early on and less later but who knows. For a tank of my size, it's relatively inexpensive though. I kept running expenses in mind and went with LED lighting, DC pumps, etc.

There is also the cost to get going to consider. I've spent around $1,700 so far (including $250 on tools to make my stand). All the little things add up but I've mostly stayed with new but budget equipment (ie $20 tank from Petco sale, 165w eBay lights, etc). But if you can find a used setup, you can get going for much less.

toothybugs · 02/01/2016, 06:19 AM

Setup is the killer. My 40B/ 15 fuge/ 29 sump system ran pretty cheap with LEDs; I'd guess on the neighborhood of 15 a month.

It's going to be interesting what happens when I fire up the halides later this month over a new 75 and more than double my system volume.

WaReefer458 · 02/01/2016, 08:09 AM

I have a 40b I spent about 4K setting it up. I bought a lot of high end equipment. But because I have small pumps and very efficient led lighting my elec bill didn't even notice it. As far as running costs, I go thru about 20$ a month in food and probably 5-10$ a month in salt. Now my 75 I had years ago had halides, t5's, chiller and way bigger pumps and that raised my elec bill about 75-100$ a month.

TimeConsumer · 02/01/2016, 08:38 AM

Aside from setup and utilities consider some maintenance costs. Here is a rough estimate what I spent in maintenance per year for my 75g.
1) RO Prefilters and DI Refills- $100/year
2) T5 Bulbs - $250/year
3) Salt - $65/year
4) Carbon/GFO - $100/year
(the following items I am less sure of the yearly costs and are rougher estimates)
5) Testing refills - $25/year
6) Food - $150/year
7) Calc/Alk/Mag - $50/year

billdogg · 02/01/2016, 10:39 AM

I told my wife that since I had everything I needed except the tank, upgrading from a 60 cube to a 120 would only cost like $200.

I'm not so sure she believed me...............................

GregJames · 02/01/2016, 10:54 AM

I recently started a new 65gal. From start to end of cycle, I've spent about $2,000.
That is the tank, sand, rock, water, skimmer, pump, light, heater, power heads, food, cleaning equipment, clean up crew, and a couple fish.

JohnnyHildo · 02/01/2016, 10:58 AM

i can't comment on the associated costs of running a tank as mine is mid way into its cycle at the moment but i can tell you that anyone that says this hobby can be done cheap start to finish is probably a sales person lol.

Brieninsac · 02/01/2016, 11:41 AM

Well I'm into my new system about $5,000 or $55 per gallon. I have a Kill-o-watt meter on my system and I'm averaging $21 per month over the last 6-months. I was afraid it would be much more expensive so I'm delighted at the minimal impact on our power bill.

Jeremy837 · 02/01/2016, 03:28 PM

thank you for all your answers when you say 75 or 50 per gallon do you mean to setup or to maintain per month or year?

nvy · 02/01/2016, 03:40 PM

Honestly, i say start small if your worried about the cost because this hobby get very expensive quick. The more you know, the more gadgets you find out about, the less money stays in your pockets! lol I started salt because of the colors and yes the "Nemo" tank was approved by the wife only because of my 2 little ones. She never enjoyed my Jardini and other monster through out the years as much as i did =)

PS, i was doing yard work yesterday and caught 3 garden lizards. I called the kids over to the Jardini tank and dropped them 1 by 1 as the my lil monster (20") snatched it up! took less than 2 mins but both of the kids enjoyed it as much as i did! Arghhh!! lol

jstack · 02/01/2016, 06:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeremy837

Hello I am looking to buy a saltwater tank, I have for a long time. I have hours and hours in research but I can't find how much it will cost to take care of. If you could give me some insight on how much it will cost many cost per gallon to run a reef tank and how much water and electricity it will use. However big of a tank I get will depend on it. I hear a lot of people say the cost of setup is the big hitter but we pay a lot for sewer, water, and electricity where I am so I'm just looking for an estimate. Also do t5s use a lot less energy then LEDs and a cost per gallon would be very nice even if it's not accurate, thank you to all who post.

well from someone who just started the cycle 3 days ago and the pain still fresh from the monthly bank statement.
new tank 56 column combo stand - 250
protein skimmer - 200
reactor/pump - 70
circulation pumps-120
heater - 50
leds - 200 ( i have ocean revive t247 if you're on a budget look into these)
sand and rock - 200
ato - 100
rodi - 120 i wish i spent 200
refractometer - 60
salt - 60
carbon/gfo brs high grade - 100
chemicals - 50
bucket's, rubbermaids, plumbing stuff - 100
test kit's - 40
qt/ttm -100
water bill came in fews days ago 75g made my bill was 20 more
i still need net's, flipper,cuc, coral and fish xD
and i went the cheaper route than most no sump but that's really just a electricity issue for me

skeeter_ca · 02/01/2016, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeremy837

Hello I am looking to buy a saltwater tank, I have for a long time. I have hours and hours in research but I can't find how much it will cost to take care of. If you could give me some insight on how much it will cost many cost per gallon to run a reef tank and how much water and electricity it will use. However big of a tank I get will depend on it. I hear a lot of people say the cost of setup is the big hitter but we pay a lot for sewer, water, and electricity where I am so I'm just looking for an estimate. Also do t5s use a lot less energy then LEDs and a cost per gallon would be very nice even if it's not accurate, thank you to all who post.

So you are looking at how much to maintain a reeftank per month correct. A lot of these post are telling you how much it cost to setup the tank which would be wrong.

I figure my 75'er cost me about 65 per month of normal maintenance cost but I do have halides which accounts for about $40/month. I hate Edison.

fishchef · 02/01/2016, 07:34 PM

If your concerned about cost...your in the wrong Hobby. Go FW.

gone fishin · 02/03/2016, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billdogg

i told my wife that since i had everything i needed except the tank, upgrading from a 60 cube to a 120 would only cost like $200.

I'm not so sure she believed me...............................

lol

dabob79 · 02/03/2016, 10:07 AM

I think I've got about $4000 in my 93 gallon cube as it sits right now. My electric and water costs are about $20 a month. Food, GFO, carbon and other essentials are probably running me about $30 a month. I pretty much always find something new every month that I have to buy or add or replace as well, so I'll just round up to $75-$100 a month to keep it going lol

zoasguy · 02/03/2016, 12:20 PM

Switch your electric company to a green provider and feel less guilt!

BlackTip · 02/03/2016, 12:23 PM

It depends on few factors: Tank size, what type of tank (fish only, sps, mixed, etc), quality of equipment used, and utility cost where you live. So, it is different from one tank to another, but one can have an overall idea.

When I designed my system, maintenance cost was a major consideration for me. Here are steps I took to keep monthly maintenance cost at minimum:

1- Buy newer equipment and pay close attention to power consumption. 10W here and 10W there makes a dent at the end of the month/year.

2- Make your own RO/DI water. Buying water is a sure way to waste money.

3- Buy salt in bulks when on sale. When I see salt on sale, I buy 4+ boxes at a time.

4- Buy supplements, tests, etc on a sale day. There is big sales on Forth of July and Labor day. Buy one year worth of supply.

5- If you have a big tank, buy a calcium reactor instead of doser. This is one mistake I made, and I am in the process of fixing it.

For my 325G, my monthly maintenance cost is approximately $175. $60 for electricity, $50 for dehumidifier (summer months), $15 water, $25 salt, $20 supplements, $20 GFO/Carbon, $10 tests. Food cost, medication, and miscellaneous items not included in this estimate. There is always something you will need to buy, so put a aside another $50 or so every month.

CoralBeauty13 · 02/03/2016, 12:54 PM

There is always something you are going to need. I started out buying a 180gl Tank for $650. His wife wanted it out. He ended up selling livestock and all for $1000. The initial setup to have the best stuff we could use on the lesser expensive route still cost another $1500. Sickness,algae bloom,cyano,pest infected, Salt additives and whatever other surprises that comes with the territory, was about a total of $3000 within the first three months. Getting the tank and inhabitants that I want to have it how I want.

My Husband has come to the conclusion..."Don't ask, don't tell" !

01/31/2016, 08:49 PM	#1
Jeremy837 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 21	Cost of running a tank Hello I am looking to buy a saltwater tank, I have for a long time. I have hours and hours in research but I can't find how much it will cost to take care of. If you could give me some insight on how much it will cost many cost per gallon to run a reef tank and how much water and electricity it will use. However big of a tank I get will depend on it. I hear a lot of people say the cost of setup is the big hitter but we pay a lot for sewer, water, and electricity where I am so I'm just looking for an estimate. Also do t5s use a lot less energy then LEDs and a cost per gallon would be very nice even if it's not accurate, thank you to all who post.

01/31/2016, 08:52 PM	#2
jraker Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 1,421	id say minimum 75$ per gallon more if you have a smaller tank. calculate all the costs of everything (tank, equipment, livestock, water). take that number and triple it. somewhere around there __________________ "I glue animals to rocks" Current Tank Info: 36 gallon reef, 65 gallon Caribbean Biotope macroalgae and seagrass tank

01/31/2016, 10:15 PM	#7
Jade5051 That guy... Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Illinois Posts: 1,218	I've always said $30-50 per gallon. I've seen ppl spend more. My utility bill usually goes up by about $20 after I get the tank running. __________________ The dream that is now a memory - http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2550891

02/01/2016, 08:38 AM	#11
TimeConsumer Registered Member Join Date: May 2011 Location: New Orleans, La Posts: 1,919	Aside from setup and utilities consider some maintenance costs. Here is a rough estimate what I spent in maintenance per year for my 75g. 1) RO Prefilters and DI Refills- $100/year 2) T5 Bulbs - $250/year 3) Salt - $65/year 4) Carbon/GFO - $100/year (the following items I am less sure of the yearly costs and are rougher estimates) 5) Testing refills - $25/year 6) Food - $150/year 7) Calc/Alk/Mag - $50/year __________________ Steve - Retired from reefing, for now.

02/01/2016, 10:39 AM	#12
billdogg Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Grove City, Ohio Posts: 10,806	I told my wife that since I had everything I needed except the tank, upgrading from a 60 cube to a 120 would only cost like $200. I'm not so sure she believed me............................... __________________ I'll try to be nice if you try to be smarter! I can't help that I grow older, but you can't make me grow up! Current Tank Info: 120 mixed reef with 40b sump, RO 150 skimmer, AI Sol Blue x 2, and a 60g Frag Tank with 100g rubbermaid sump. 2 x Kessil A360w lights, BM curve 5 skimmer

01/31/2016, 09:06 PM	#3
A.Astore Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: Waynesboro, VA Posts: 418	This is a fairly broad question and you are not going to get a straight answer. For example, my next door neighbor could have the same exact tank setup as I do and it would cost them a different amount to run the tank than me. The smallest factors such as what you keep your own thermostat at, the placement of the tank inside the house, the placement of equipment in the tank (a heater in a sump is going to work harder than a heater in the display), the livestock in the tank, and so on, and so on, and so on. I can tell you that LEDs are going to be the MOST energy efficient. I have a 150 gallon with a 68 gallon sump, I use LED lighting, and my electric bill went up roughly 25$ a month. I know this doesnt help one bit, but unfortunately I dont think you are going to get any answers that do help. Good Luck!

01/31/2016, 09:27 PM	#4
Reef Frog Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Maryland Posts: 3,121	My 65 gallon aquarium costs a MAXIMUM of about 5 cents per hour to run based on the cost of electricity @ 10 cents per kWH with 6x T5 (239 w) 3 pumps (150w) & a 150 w heater. At night with lights out & heater off it's costing as little as 1.5 cents per hour to run. So maybe an average of 80 cents per day. 20 gallons water change a month costs little in fees but a $150- $200 RODI is advisable. Filter changes are infrequent at this level & inexpensive. The real expenses beyond your starting hardware comes from buying livestock, especially corals, at least in my case.

01/31/2016, 09:30 PM	#5
Reef Frog Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Maryland Posts: 3,121	Double Post

01/31/2016, 10:10 PM	#6
boshk Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 184	from what I have read on this forum, the general consensus is US$40-60/gallon depending on your brand of equipment. There are some really fancy and nice lights out there like Ecotech marines with online programming etc Full reef style tanks will be more due to the lighting and corals

01/31/2016, 11:33 PM	#8
cymen Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Oakland, California Posts: 58	I have a 20 gallon tank with a 10 gallon sump in a high cost of energy area (San Francisco Bay Area). I calculated my monthly energy is around $12-15. Water changes and salt is going to vary -- I expect more early on and less later but who knows. For a tank of my size, it's relatively inexpensive though. I kept running expenses in mind and went with LED lighting, DC pumps, etc. There is also the cost to get going to consider. I've spent around $1,700 so far (including $250 on tools to make my stand). All the little things add up but I've mostly stayed with new but budget equipment (ie $20 tank from Petco sale, 165w eBay lights, etc). But if you can find a used setup, you can get going for much less.

02/01/2016, 06:19 AM	#9
toothybugs In Memoriam Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: The smallest county in Illinois Posts: 1,986	Setup is the killer. My 40B/ 15 fuge/ 29 sump system ran pretty cheap with LEDs; I'd guess on the neighborhood of 15 a month. It's going to be interesting what happens when I fire up the halides later this month over a new 75 and more than double my system volume.

02/01/2016, 08:09 AM	#10
WaReefer458 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2015 Posts: 333	I have a 40b I spent about 4K setting it up. I bought a lot of high end equipment. But because I have small pumps and very efficient led lighting my elec bill didn't even notice it. As far as running costs, I go thru about 20$ a month in food and probably 5-10$ a month in salt. Now my 75 I had years ago had halides, t5's, chiller and way bigger pumps and that raised my elec bill about 75-100$ a month.

02/01/2016, 10:54 AM	#13
GregJames Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2015 Posts: 201	I recently started a new 65gal. From start to end of cycle, I've spent about $2,000. That is the tank, sand, rock, water, skimmer, pump, light, heater, power heads, food, cleaning equipment, clean up crew, and a couple fish.

02/01/2016, 10:58 AM	#14
JohnnyHildo Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 669	i can't comment on the associated costs of running a tank as mine is mid way into its cycle at the moment but i can tell you that anyone that says this hobby can be done cheap start to finish is probably a sales person lol. __________________ 120G Standard - 40G Sump. Apex - DOS - ATI Current Tank Info: Acros - Zoas - Palys

02/01/2016, 11:41 AM	#15
Brieninsac Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 782	Well I'm into my new system about $5,000 or $55 per gallon. I have a Kill-o-watt meter on my system and I'm averaging $21 per month over the last 6-months. I was afraid it would be much more expensive so I'm delighted at the minimal impact on our power bill. __________________ Red Sea Reefer 350 (73gal/18gal sump) / Kessil a360WE Lights

02/01/2016, 03:28 PM	#16
Jeremy837 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 21	thank you for all your answers when you say 75 or 50 per gallon do you mean to setup or to maintain per month or year?

02/01/2016, 03:40 PM	#17
nvy Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Houston Posts: 25	Honestly, i say start small if your worried about the cost because this hobby get very expensive quick. The more you know, the more gadgets you find out about, the less money stays in your pockets! lol I started salt because of the colors and yes the "Nemo" tank was approved by the wife only because of my 2 little ones. She never enjoyed my Jardini and other monster through out the years as much as i did =) PS, i was doing yard work yesterday and caught 3 garden lizards. I called the kids over to the Jardini tank and dropped them 1 by 1 as the my lil monster (20") snatched it up! took less than 2 mins but both of the kids enjoyed it as much as i did! Arghhh!! lol

02/01/2016, 07:34 PM	#20
fishchef Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: St. Louis, MO Posts: 1,222	If your concerned about cost...your in the wrong Hobby. Go FW.

02/03/2016, 10:07 AM	#22
dabob79 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Mascoutah, IL Posts: 464	I think I've got about $4000 in my 93 gallon cube as it sits right now. My electric and water costs are about $20 a month. Food, GFO, carbon and other essentials are probably running me about $30 a month. I pretty much always find something new every month that I have to buy or add or replace as well, so I'll just round up to $75-$100 a month to keep it going lol __________________ Tank is finally wet! USAF Veteran, 12 years Go Cardinals!! Current Tank Info: Marineland 93 gallon rimless cube, Radion LED/T5 Combo, Eshopps sump, Nyos skimmer, Apex controller

02/03/2016, 12:20 PM	#23
zoasguy Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 66	Switch your electric company to a green provider and feel less guilt!

02/03/2016, 12:23 PM	#24
BlackTip Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Posts: 1,598	It depends on few factors: Tank size, what type of tank (fish only, sps, mixed, etc), quality of equipment used, and utility cost where you live. So, it is different from one tank to another, but one can have an overall idea. When I designed my system, maintenance cost was a major consideration for me. Here are steps I took to keep monthly maintenance cost at minimum: 1- Buy newer equipment and pay close attention to power consumption. 10W here and 10W there makes a dent at the end of the month/year. 2- Make your own RO/DI water. Buying water is a sure way to waste money. 3- Buy salt in bulks when on sale. When I see salt on sale, I buy 4+ boxes at a time. 4- Buy supplements, tests, etc on a sale day. There is big sales on Forth of July and Labor day. Buy one year worth of supply. 5- If you have a big tank, buy a calcium reactor instead of doser. This is one mistake I made, and I am in the process of fixing it. For my 325G, my monthly maintenance cost is approximately $175. $60 for electricity, $50 for dehumidifier (summer months), $15 water, $25 salt, $20 supplements, $20 GFO/Carbon, $10 tests. Food cost, medication, and miscellaneous items not included in this estimate. There is always something you will need to buy, so put a aside another $50 or so every month. __________________ 325G DT. 100G sump. In-sump refugium. SRO-5000SSS. 2 Gyres 150. 2 Water Blaster HY-5000. 2 Razor 320W. Apex Gold. MR2 GFO. 2 800W Heaters. Tunze Osmolater. 2 20g-long QT tanks. Geo 624 CA. 80W UV

02/03/2016, 12:54 PM	#25
CoralBeauty13 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2013 Posts: 597	There is always something you are going to need. I started out buying a 180gl Tank for $650. His wife wanted it out. He ended up selling livestock and all for $1000. The initial setup to have the best stuff we could use on the lesser expensive route still cost another $1500. Sickness,algae bloom,cyano,pest infected, Salt additives and whatever other surprises that comes with the territory, was about a total of $3000 within the first three months. Getting the tank and inhabitants that I want to have it how I want. My Husband has come to the conclusion..."Don't ask, don't tell" !