The costs of running a tank

[nanito]

OK, I almost convince my wife to upgrade our freshwater tank to a salt water tank. I took her to the LFS to see the corals and fish and I almost convince her,she said she likes "nemo", but now she asked me how much will it cost to run the salt water tank, and I do not have an idea, I could have said five dollars a month, but I need to tell her the truthm or it will cause problems later. Does anybody know how much will it cost to run a 36 gal gal tank with corals (the low light ones) ? I know how much I need for the upgrade I just need to know the average running costs (for now).

Thank you.

[Sisterlimonpot]

It all comes down to equipment that you are going to have, not knowing the specifics I'd say for electricity I would guess anywhere from $40-$70 a month. then when you factor in the waterchanges the food, routine maintenance it'll average another $20 on top of that.

I have a 125g and spend roughly $170 a month just on electricity. But with LED lighting and other equipment the electricity consumption can go way down.

[ORayRay]

Overall cost

Lights, pump, powerhead, ect add up the wattage divide by 1000 to get kilowatts the times by ur cost per kilowatt

Food depending on what you use but most of it is cheap

Water changes, 20ish gallons a month, u can mix your own or buy premixed

I'd say $20-40 a month depending

But remember this only will be costs to maintain the system, start up costs are a little high and this hobby is addicting, so it can easily turn into a lot more $$$ per month

[bnumair]

all my equipment on runs about 2300watts, u can take that average and multiply by cost per watt in ur area. i am going to guess my elctric runs about 20-30 dollars higher than normal.

[Sisterlimonpot]

Originally Posted by bnumair

all my equipment on runs about 2300watts, u can take that average and multiply by cost per watt in ur area. i am going to guess my elctric runs about 20-30 dollars higher than normal.

Wow, we share a lot of the same equipment, I wish I shared your electricity bill. I calculated out that I have about 2400 watts if everything was running at max.

[BurntOutReefer]

lets not forget the cost of keeping wife happy.......but honey it only cost...ehhh....$5.00 for the new coral....I know a guy that knows a guy......

[AquaMore]

total watts * hours per day / 1000 * cost per kilo-watt

[reefjunkie42]

cost =$$$$$$$$$$$ REWARDS=PRICELESS!! I truly love this hobby if you can even call it that. plus you cant take it with you when you go!

[bnumair]

Originally Posted by Sisterlimonpot

Wow, we share a lot of the same equipment, I wish I shared your electricity bill. I calculated out that I have about 2400 watts if everything was running at max.

lol, i think the difference is in cost of electric. in oklahoma they burn coal to produce electric and some hydropower. cost is less to go that route. california is a bit higher on cost of living than oklahoma.

[Dactylopterus]

For my 65 gal tank:

-Electricity, mine is between 20-25 $/month with LED lights
-Food, salt, RO/DI filter changes, carbon, GFO, 2 part dosing another 20-25 $/month.

That is apart from the initial equipment that could go from 1000 $ to 3000 $ in a 65 gal tank like mine. Live rock could be the most expensive part of your setup, but you can buy some dry rock and seed with 10-20% of LR

And don't forget that you are adding livestock after the tank its cycled, the first moth that could be like 100 $ and after that maybe 50 $/month.

Welcome to the saltwater hobby! Expensive? yes! rewarding? much more!

[mtaswt]

i don't even try to think about how much it has cost me so far, nor how much more it will cost in the future, but at the end of the day the life that is in the tank and the things i still want to buy are just absolutely AMAZING to look at!!!

[Payton034]

Startup costs alone, I'd figure 15-25 dollars per gallon.

[Scott B]

Originally Posted by Sisterlimonpot

It all comes down to equipment that you are going to have, not knowing the specifics I'd say for electricity I would guess anywhere from $40-$70 a month. then when you factor in the waterchanges the food, routine maintenance it'll average another $20 on top of that.

I have a 125g and spend roughly $170 a month just on electricity. But with LED lighting and other equipment the electricity consumption can go way down.

Wow, thats an expensive aquarium u got there!!! are u running it all with a flux capcitor??!! LOL

[Chris27]

My method to success:

1. When it comes to cost, lie through your teeth....when confronted, lie some more, remember that nothing cost more then $50.

2. Bring new equipment in under the cover of darkness and make sure it's not bright red or blue....stands out too much and it will be noticed right away.

3. Let her pick the livestock.

4. Lube her up with some "just for the hell of it presents" and give your full support when she suggests home improvements or wants to get into a hobby herself.

5. Don't get mad at her when she wants a foo foo dog or expensive cat.

[mcoomer]

Originally Posted by Chris27

My method to success:

1. When it comes to cost, lie through your teeth....when confronted, lie some more, remember that nothing cost more then $50.

And it's only $50 if it isn't on sale. Gigantic Aussie acro colonies were on sale at my LFS for $24.99 last week. Too bad that absolutely nobody else in the world knew but me.

2. Bring new equipment in under the cover of darkness and make sure it's not bright red or blue....stands out too much and it will be noticed right away.

This works too and remember that the garage door is a great way to bring things into the house. I keep a 20 gallon tank out there and new stuff is in the tank faster than the wife can say "holy cow I think he bought something else". The trash cans are also in the garage so unwrap your equipment purchases in the car on the way home and throw the packaging away within two seconds of entering. DO NOT THROW THE RECEIPT IN THE SAME BIN! This is where most noob reefers get caught. Everyone knows that the fish store doesn't give out receipts for anything. Ever.

I don't have this problem because my wife's isn't very perceptive. When I bought my new motorcycle I made sure it was the same color as the old one. I parked it in the same place in the garage and she only found out when her brother burst in one day and asked me about the new bike. He hasn't been invited to a barbecue since! Wanna know how much I paid for it...you guessed it. $24.99!

3. Let her pick the livestock.

Now that part...that's funny right there!

Still, I like it. If you give her the choice she'll probably pass because she has zero interest in your tank. But, you gave her a choice and when she says "good grief, you spent how much?" you can turn to her and remind her that you tried to let her pick one. I know this works because when we moved into our house I wanted a dog. The wife says "lets get a fish tank. It will be cheaper and won't pee on the floor." $15000 later and a new carpet in the TV room when the sump overflowed, I've got an out. When she complains that I spend too much time and money on the tank I simply remind her that I wanted a dog. When I finally bought the dog I wanted, it was only $1000...I mean $24.99.

4. Lube her up with some "just for the hell of it presents" and give your full support when she suggests home improvements or wants to get into a hobby herself.

Bingo! For our anniversary I bought the wife roses and a card. Damn roses cost me $12 for 3 dozen. I hate getting ripped off but it was worth it. I was able to save $3 by digging through her scrapbook and reusing a card from a few years back. For myself I bought a $199 Achilles tang. Of course, it was on sale for $24.99 at the time so it was really a bargain.

5. Don't get mad at her when she wants a foo foo dog or expensive cat.

I've got a hunting dog and hate cats. Last time a Cheewaawaa came into my yard the hunting dog ate it! Buy her more "just for the hell of it gifts". Remember these words. Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Coach, Chanel...there are Asian chop shops that sell this stuff for cheap. She'll think you spent a fortune on her and next time you come home with a frag the size of a basketball that only cost $24.99 she won't bat an eye.

Got it?

[bfoleyiii]

Originally Posted by Chris27

My method to success:

1. When it comes to cost, lie through your teeth....when confronted, lie some more, remember that nothing cost more then $50.

2. Bring new equipment in under the cover of darkness and make sure it's not bright red or blue....stands out too much and it will be noticed right away.

3. Let her pick the livestock.

4. Lube her up with some "just for the hell of it presents" and give your full support when she suggests home improvements or wants to get into a hobby herself.

5. Don't get mad at her when she wants a foo foo dog or expensive cat.

Pretty much this, except the cat....draw the line there.

[Lynnmw1208]

Just tell your wife you will go really slow and buy things one at a time to help with costs. That worked on my husband! I even convinced him the other day that the stock bulbs on my light fixture look terrible and I need the good ATI ones! I believe most of my costs went into the initial set up and the rest is just here and there. But I think everyone can agree that the fish and corals are SOOOOO much better than having freshwater fish! freshwater fish are boring to me now some saltwater fish will observe YOU and not mindlessly swim around like freshwater Take your wife to an aquarium too, once she sees all the beautiful reef setups she'll want saltwater too.

[Chris27]

Originally Posted by Lynnmw1208

Just tell your wife you will go really slow and buy things one at a time to help with costs. That worked on my husband! I even convinced him the other day that the stock bulbs on my light fixture look terrible and I need the good ATI ones! I believe most of my costs went into the initial set up and the rest is just here and there. But I think everyone can agree that the fish and corals are SOOOOO much better than having freshwater fish! freshwater fish are boring to me now some saltwater fish will observe YOU and not mindlessly swim around like freshwater Take your wife to an aquarium too, once she sees all the beautiful reef setups she'll want saltwater too.

Convincing a husband doesn't even compare the the intricacies involved with convincing the wife....after all....you are a woman, and most of you posses a special power of persuasion that get's us every time.....just sayin....

[Chris27]

Originally Posted by mcoomer

Got it?

Absolutely right, never under any circumstances save a receipt. Packaging, price tags and the like should be deposited in a dumpster behind a local grocery store no less then 5 miles from your residence.

[RedM3]

I haven't noticed any significant increase in electricity costs running my 55g with standard fluorescent lights, 2 koralia 1050's, 200w heater, and a HOB CPR skimmer. Remember your lights and heater are not running 24 hours a day when doing your calculations. My ENTIRE electric bill last month was $64, with 3 people living in the house.

My biggest expense is water changes. 5g changes per week costs around $7/month in supplies, but that's with using my own RO/DI system, and not factoring in the cost of the system or life of the resins, etc. Before I got my RO/DI and had to buy it, it was $0.50/gal for fresh and $1.50/gal for salt water.

[redsoxfan692]

Originally Posted by Chris27

Convincing a husband doesn't even compare the the intricacies involved with convincing the wife....after all....you are a woman, and most of you posses a special power of persuasion that get's us every time.....just sayin....

Amen brotha.

If you're worried about the cost of running a tank, check out the DIY section and you can at least offset some of your startup costs that way. However, I'm a huge believer in you get what you pay for. The DIY guys have great ideas but some of us just don't have the skill or luck to pull some of that stuff off..

[KafudaFish]

There is an electric calculator on the left side of the home page that will help.

[89Foxbody]

My 37g hasn't risen the electric bill appreciably...Though the initial startup and equipment cost was pretty high. I get RO water for 78 cents a gallon and mix it myself in a garbage can so that cost is pretty low as well.

Now, 20 reptiles, that really blew up my electric bill.

[evoi19]

Initial upgrade will be the biggest hit for you i think. One piece of advice is to not go too cheap with equipment. Especially on things that will be used daily, like lights, pumps, heater...etc. It may cost alot now, but in the long run you'll be happier. Quality over quantity.

Corals/fish can get expensive if you like rare pieces that you don't see everyday. If you get into SPS, well that's a whole other commitment and cost involved. lol

[bamf25]

I ran mine through the electric cost calculator here and it said like $30 per month electricity, and I have a 120g. I would also add another 25 - 35 per month for food, supliments etc.