Actual Tank Costs

[Eric45]

Recently this issue has come up and I decided to provide this, real-life, on the ground information about tank costs (mine). Although I didn't include the cost of the animals, virtually all of them are commonly available and prices can be guessed at. I am not at all proud of the length of the list, but I now have 7 very healthy fish and lots of healthy corals and the knowledge of how to keep them happy. I guess it was expensive in a lot of ways, but it is what I pictured in my mind when I first set it up.



March 5, 2012

Fish:

Yellow Tang
Mandarin "“ died 12/12 (starvation)
Longnosed hawkfish- 2011/returned 4/13 for size
Flame Angel "“ returned for nipping (3/25/12)
Royal Gramma "“ killed 7/13
Copperband Butterfly "“ returned for nipping (3/25/12)
Tomato Clown Fish "“ returned 7/31/13
Cleaner Wrasse - jumped
Blue Damsel "“ first fish (Dec. 26, 2007)
Coral Hogfish "“ (3/29/12) returned 6/13 too big/ugly
Purple firefish (4/8/12); Died 9/12
Female Black Mollie (1) 4/10/12 (found in overflow) Died 5/13 infection
Black Mollie (2) 4/30/12 "“ one died in overflow (5/15)(other died 9/12)
Red Wrasse -5/10/12 "“ gone probably in overflow (8/9) found in sump 9/12/died
Tiny Pipefish "“ 5/10/12 (missing presumed dead) officially dead
Purple Wrasse "“ Found in Overflow/gone again 8/2/12/found again 8/16/ returned 4/13 too big!
Flame Angel (again) "“ 9/12 (returned again for nipping 2/13)
Copperband Butterfly "“ 9/12 (died 10/12 wouldn't eat/picked at brain)
Mandarin "“ 2/13 (died 2/13)
Mandarin "“ 2/23/13
Naso Tang "“ 2/23/13 died 2/25
Lyre Tail Anthias "“ 4/25/13
Multicolored Wrasse "“ 5/18 died
Flame Angel "“ 6/13 (again) returned again 7/13
Naso Tang "“ 6/13 (again)
Black Clownfish "“ 8/13
Copperband Butterfly - 12/13 "“ Died next day
Gorgeous Wrasse "“ 12/14






Corals:

Xenia - (reappears 12/14)
2 Red Acans
Purple Goniopora "“ returned to store 1/13
Green Brain Coral
Red Brain Coral
Pink/Green Scolymia "“ (returned 11/14 colors faded)
Blue Acropora "“ died over 10 day vacation 8/1/12 (frags growing)(full return to health by 1/15)
Purple Acropora
Green Acropora
Brown/Green Favia
Montipora Digitata
Purple fungia coral "“ returned 12/3/12
Green Duncan?
Red Chili Coral "“ 4/12 (not good, but alive "“ 1/15)
Pink Acro "“ 6/12/12- died
Green Feather Algae "“ 5/10/12 "“ gone after LA Trip
Pink Tube Anemone (8/12)
Orange/Green Chalice (8/12)
Red/Green Paly (9/12)
Combo zooanthid "“ red/green; 8/13)
Blue Zooanthid (from Yas) "“ 8/13
Red/Green Blastomussa (10/12)Died
Branching Montipora Pink (11/25/12) (died)
Pink Birdsnest (11/22/12) Died but tiny frags remain (died also)
Red/Orange Sponge "“ 2/16/13 (WAMAS Show) (Dying)(almost gone 1/15)
Orange Acan "“ 8/13 - (returned 11/14 "“ ugly)
Red Millipora "“ 9/13/13 "“ Bleached Out - light issue
Pink Chalice "“ 9/13/13
Hammer "“ 12/13
Blue Favia "“ 12/13 (Missing presumed dead)
Duncan "“ 1/14
Purple/orange/green Favia "“ 1/14
Pink Goniopora -3/14
Orange favid "“ 4/14*
Red/green anemone 4/14 (missing 11/14)(reappeared 1/15)
Pink/Blue montipora "“ 12/14
Purple Gorgonian "“ 1/15
Yellow/Green goniopora "“ 1/15
Red Scolimia "“ 1/15/15
Maxima Clam "“ 1/15/15

*rare



Invertibrates:
Rose Bubble tip Anemone (about 4/11)
Orange Linkia "“ 12/2/12 (missing 5/13)
2 Fire Shrimp "“ disappeared over 10 day trip to LA/
1 found!
Peppermint Shrimp "“ 5/13 (missing, presumed dead)
Orange Gorgonian "“ 7/13 (died by 2/15)
Red Gorgonian "“ 3/14 (died about a year)
Anemone crab "“ 4/14 (disappeared after 2 mos.)
Purple gorgonian "“ 1/15
Blue Linckia -3/15



Annual Costs:


Salt $ 300
Light Bulbs "“ 0 (LED'S)
GFO "“ 100
Carbon "“ 25
r/o filters 80
Sediment/Carbon 50
di resin 50
food "“ 200
Maintenance - 100
____
Total $ 900 + electricity

 

[jimmy_beaner]

You didn't count the electricity your lights use as part of the annual cost? Also, it seems like you lose a fair amount of fish? What size tank?

 

[tidus10]

im confused how this is remotely the cost of owning a tank.. and why it warranted it own thread honestly.. i just posted on a thread a couple days ago about costs of tanks and whatnot..

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2464368 other thread

 

[PhaneSoul]

I spend 7$ on food every 4 months
50$ on salt every 4 months
My electric bill shows about 30$/mo for electric

 

[lllesley]

WOW WOW !!
That's one hell of a death/returned list. i am actually shocked ! 28 fish purchased - 7 remain in tank and healthy ???

 

[nuxx]

Any idea why you're losing so many fish?

I always cringe when I see people tallying up what they've spent... ugh...

 

[snorvich]

This is not about spending, looking only at what was purchased and what died or was returned, it seems to be about lack of research and good husbandry.

 

[jminick2]

I wouldn't admit to all this......

 

[nuxx]

I wouldn't admit to all this......

I beat myself up over the following lost fish:
- Purple Tang & Tomini Tang (Killed by 4 other tangs after months of being together)
- Hawaiian Cleaner Wrasse (Shipped as a gift when I ordered my Black and Chevron Tangs - Died in QT after about 4 weeks after the 3rd Prazi dosage... saw it dart back and forth on cam and dive bomb a piece of rock )
- Potter's Angel (Died when kept in QT with Crosshatch pair, was definned, then moved to a QT with 3 Flame Wrasses - (Ordered Two) and the two males ended up going at it and one died - Think stressed the poor Potter's out to death)
- Flame Wrasse Male (See above - Supermale and female still around today)
- Purple Tang (Years ago, had to keep in QT for 6 months while tank builder kept telling me two more weeks - Never buy fish before you're ready for them...)
- Lineatus Wrasse (Had for months, then started to see white marks on his face and hearing splashes. Think it started getting spooked and jumping into the bracing and netting - then was out of it... Triggers and Yellow Bellied Blue picked up on this and started biting his tail... remove tailess and died in frag tank)
- CBB (Did great in QT for 9 weeks, got picked on by tangs in the display, I don't think it slept or ate for a week, then died when removed in the frag tank )

So yeah to me a lot of deaths... but it comes with the hobby... always annoying when it's an aggression based death. Especially when you think you took the proper approach to aggression (compatible species, stocking order, etc...)

In the grand scheme of thing it's not a high death percentage, but I still remember each death

 

[Eric45]

First, its a 72 g. and yup, its a lot of fish. Many reasons, including bad husbandry, bad decisions and bad water chemistry. All part of my learning curve, which I don't think is wildly off the curve. This hobby is expensive, unless you start out with a lot of experience

And, yes I know there was just another thread on this. I couldn't find it so I posted this just cause I happened to be looking at it.

 

[Hal]

Eric,
I think some people will find it heartening to see that others also struggle with success in this hobby. I salute you for your courage to be honest.

 

[SammyL]

eric,
i think some people will find it heartening to see that others also struggle with success in this hobby. I salute you for your courage to be honest.

+1