How expensive is to maintain a Fish Only tank?

plancton · 12/30/2016, 07:36 PM

Hello, I used to be big in the hobby 10 years ago. I had a reef tank, this was my setup:

Eventually I had to quit because I had to move and also because this tank became a monster to maintain, costing me hundreds of dollars per month in electricity, salt, RO water and supplements.

I have rellocated now to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and considering setting up a Discus fish fresh water tank because I think the costs would be way less since I'm planning to use dechlorinated tap water, low consumption pump and low wattage Chinese LED lamps from ebay just to make the fish colors pop up and avoid algae.

We're talking about an average of 25 watts in terms of electricity and tap water is dirty cheap.

BUT

since I'm living in the beach, I'm thinking saltwater would be more appropriate, what is more, there's a beach here where the "beach" is basically full of dry rock to the point you need good shoes to walk, and it is EXACTLY the same dry rock I used in my reef tanks before, it is really nice, also there are beaches with white sand I could use and my apartment is in front of the sea, so technically I could go fill buckets of saltwater (probably not the cleanest saltwater, probably not recommended for reef aquariums but good enough for fish only)

And I would need the same cheap LED low wattage lamps just for the fish.

What do you think? Would you recommend using a skimmer for filtration as well?

How often do FO tanks need water changes? What amount of water change is recommended?

Is the evaporation rate lower? Can the top off water be tap water?

And most important, can it be kept algae free? I mean, since I will be using tap water and not the cleanest sea water then it will probably have a lot of nutrients but I also plan to keep very low wattage LED lamps.

What's more, are there colorful corals that can live under these conditions such as softies that could tolerate high nutrients and low light?

ali1 · 12/30/2016, 07:45 PM

Frequency of water changes depends on feedings and your filtration. Generally speaking i tell people fowlr setup is similar to freshwater tanks. Skimmer, cheap lights, no supplements.

rjjr1963 · 12/30/2016, 08:05 PM

I ran a reef tank for nearly a year with a HOB filter, a heater and an LED light. I also used a poly filter. I did water changes about once a month during much of that time. If I start seeing too much algae I just cut the lights back for a couple hours a day. I never used a skimmer and relied on water changes for nutrient export.

GoVols · 12/30/2016, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plancton

Hello, I used to be big in the hobby 10 years ago. I had a reef tank, this was my setup:

Eventually I had to quit because I had to move and also because this tank became a monster to maintain, costing me hundreds of dollars per month in electricity, salt, RO water and supplements.

I have rellocated now to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and considering setting up a Discus fish fresh water tank because I think the costs would be way less since I'm planning to use dechlorinated tap water, low consumption pump and low wattage Chinese LED lamps from ebay just to make the fish colors pop up and avoid algae.

We're talking about an average of 25 watts in terms of electricity and tap water is dirty cheap.

BUT

since I'm living in the beach, I'm thinking saltwater would be more appropriate, what is more, there's a beach here where the "beach" is basically full of dry rock to the point you need good shoes to walk, and it is EXACTLY the same dry rock I used in my reef tanks before, it is really nice, also there are beaches with white sand I could use and my apartment is in front of the sea, so technically I could go fill buckets of saltwater (probably not the cleanest saltwater, probably not recommended for reef aquariums but good enough for fish only)

And I would need the same cheap LED low wattage lamps just for the fish.

What do you think? Would you recommend using a skimmer for filtration as well?

How often do FO tanks need water changes? What amount of water change is recommended?

Is the evaporation rate lower? Can the top off water be tap water?

And most important, can it be kept algae free? I mean, since I will be using tap water and not the cleanest sea water then it will probably have a lot of nutrients but I also plan to keep very low wattage LED lamps.

What's more, are there colorful corals that can live under these conditions such as softies that could tolerate high nutrients and low light?

If I went back to Discus, I'd at least use RO/DI water.

kmbyrnes · 12/31/2016, 07:37 AM

My 350 FOWLR costs less than my 2 smaller reefs combined, even though it is much larger.
I do about 70g monthly water changes, which works out to about $20 a month in salt, because I use that same salt in my reefs.
I have Chinese Black Box LEDs that are the same as over my reefs, but that was just for my convenience, in case a reef light goes out.
Given my local energy price, the tank's electrical usage is about $30 month.
The 22 fish get a mix of frozen and flake for a cost of about $25 a month.
I get all that enjoyment for $75 a month, which is better than spending it on blood pressure medications.

You will be topping off the same as a reef.
I wouldn't use the NSW or the local tap water, an RO/DI is not that expensive.

WatDatThing · 12/31/2016, 10:08 AM

I had a discus tank for many years. I religiously do a 10% water change every 3 days. When I had my first child, I just didn't have the time so I did a 25% per week. They were not very happy. For me, the highest cost was the heater. I needed to keep the temperature at 84-86. Any lower, they get sick. One time I took a 10 days vacation, I came home to a tank of dead fish because my heater malfunction. Needless to say, my wife was soooooo mad because of the fowl smell. She and my son stayed at a hotel for 3 days while I cleaned up the mess and the fowl smell. It was so sad to lose my beautiful discus.

My hope with SW tank is that the biological filtration will be enough so I don't have to do a water change as often. Since my home temp. is maintain a 77F, there will be little need for a heater.

Sk8r · 12/31/2016, 11:07 AM

We ran a 30 reef (barely a reef) with a Penguin, no sump, nothing but buttons and mushrooms amid the algae, with a minimal light fixture. Supported firefish. Very little trouble.

12/30/2016, 07:36 PM	#1
plancton Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Mexico Posts: 1,866	How expensive is to maintain a Fish Only tank? Hello, I used to be big in the hobby 10 years ago. I had a reef tank, this was my setup: Eventually I had to quit because I had to move and also because this tank became a monster to maintain, costing me hundreds of dollars per month in electricity, salt, RO water and supplements. I have rellocated now to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and considering setting up a Discus fish fresh water tank because I think the costs would be way less since I'm planning to use dechlorinated tap water, low consumption pump and low wattage Chinese LED lamps from ebay just to make the fish colors pop up and avoid algae. We're talking about an average of 25 watts in terms of electricity and tap water is dirty cheap. BUT since I'm living in the beach, I'm thinking saltwater would be more appropriate, what is more, there's a beach here where the "beach" is basically full of dry rock to the point you need good shoes to walk, and it is EXACTLY the same dry rock I used in my reef tanks before, it is really nice, also there are beaches with white sand I could use and my apartment is in front of the sea, so technically I could go fill buckets of saltwater (probably not the cleanest saltwater, probably not recommended for reef aquariums but good enough for fish only) And I would need the same cheap LED low wattage lamps just for the fish. What do you think? Would you recommend using a skimmer for filtration as well? How often do FO tanks need water changes? What amount of water change is recommended? Is the evaporation rate lower? Can the top off water be tap water? And most important, can it be kept algae free? I mean, since I will be using tap water and not the cleanest sea water then it will probably have a lot of nutrients but I also plan to keep very low wattage LED lamps. What's more, are there colorful corals that can live under these conditions such as softies that could tolerate high nutrients and low light? __________________ Hansel, he´s so hot right now...

12/30/2016, 07:45 PM	#2
ali1 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 997	Frequency of water changes depends on feedings and your filtration. Generally speaking i tell people fowlr setup is similar to freshwater tanks. Skimmer, cheap lights, no supplements. __________________ Originally Posted by Gogandantess "I'm totally frustrated by this disease. My display has been fallow for 2 months now. If ich happened to mysteriously appear again, I'm giving up and going back to African Cichilds." Last edited by ali1; 12/30/2016 at 08:24 PM.

12/30/2016, 08:05 PM	#3
rjjr1963 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Nebraska/Missouri Posts: 770	I ran a reef tank for nearly a year with a HOB filter, a heater and an LED light. I also used a poly filter. I did water changes about once a month during much of that time. If I start seeing too much algae I just cut the lights back for a couple hours a day. I never used a skimmer and relied on water changes for nutrient export. __________________ 72x24x16 115 gallon under construction Current Tank Info: 40 gallon reef

12/31/2016, 07:37 AM	#5
kmbyrnes Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Mesa AZ Posts: 2,055	My 350 FOWLR costs less than my 2 smaller reefs combined, even though it is much larger. I do about 70g monthly water changes, which works out to about $20 a month in salt, because I use that same salt in my reefs. I have Chinese Black Box LEDs that are the same as over my reefs, but that was just for my convenience, in case a reef light goes out. Given my local energy price, the tank's electrical usage is about $30 month. The 22 fish get a mix of frozen and flake for a cost of about $25 a month. I get all that enjoyment for $75 a month, which is better than spending it on blood pressure medications. You will be topping off the same as a reef. I wouldn't use the NSW or the local tap water, an RO/DI is not that expensive. __________________ 125g Mixed Reef 5/26/2015; 350 Butterfly Dominated FOWLR 11/26/2015 - 11/17/20217 & 07/31/18 to ??? ; 100g Mixed Reef 11/16/2013 to 06/16/2017 Current Tank Info: Too small

12/31/2016, 11:07 AM	#7
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	We ran a 30 reef (barely a reef) with a Penguin, no sump, nothing but buttons and mushrooms amid the algae, with a minimal light fixture. Supported firefish. Very little trouble. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

12/31/2016, 10:08 AM	#6
WatDatThing Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2016 Posts: 830	I had a discus tank for many years. I religiously do a 10% water change every 3 days. When I had my first child, I just didn't have the time so I did a 25% per week. They were not very happy. For me, the highest cost was the heater. I needed to keep the temperature at 84-86. Any lower, they get sick. One time I took a 10 days vacation, I came home to a tank of dead fish because my heater malfunction. Needless to say, my wife was soooooo mad because of the fowl smell. She and my son stayed at a hotel for 3 days while I cleaned up the mess and the fowl smell. It was so sad to lose my beautiful discus. My hope with SW tank is that the biological filtration will be enough so I don't have to do a water change as often. Since my home temp. is maintain a 77F, there will be little need for a heater.