large tankers - cost?

[greatgman001]

hi all you big reefers
how are you guys (and gals)supporting your insatible hobby?
what jobs do u do to afford this hobby?
and how much do u have invested in your tank?

 

[mflamb]

Sort of an unspoken rule here: don't ask someone what they spent. You can read through a build thread and compile the cost of the system. Occupations for those choosing to list them (you obviously choose not to) are under their avatar. Not trying to be rude.

 

[xinumaster]

My tank and cabinet+canopy is currently being built for $5k. It will cost me another $10k to complete the setup; excluding livestocks. monthly maintenance cost around $250.

 

[sabodish]

ugh..the question i hate answering...

my old 360 gallon was at around 15k when i stopped counting...
my new 170 cube was at 4k before it even had water in it..im guessing it will be around 8k when its done.

as far as occupation, im a civil engineer. i try to buy used equipment whenever i can, that saves a bit of $....also, become a loyal customer at your favorite LFS, you will be amazed at some of the deals they will cut you.

 

[Wind Seeker]

I am building a 330 gallon reef with top of the line equipment, a bit tech intensive. All total in will probably come in around 35K . Just dropped 2.7K on a Giesmen light today. Always wanted to have a state of the art reef, so this my dream. Others would by a beemer. I will post a thread in the upcoming weeks. The knowledge gained here alowed me to design an excellent system, I hope. Please don't tell my wife. I would imangine 1K per 10 gallons is a good metric for top systems. I am an aero engineer.

 

[sabodish]

lol...3 engineers post in a row.

 

[818]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9026241#post9026241 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sabodish
lol...3 engineers post in a row.

their the ones with the dough playa

 

[Fishel]

unfortunately my 240 with ~80 gallon sump setup is gonna cost ~$9000 total

added it up and did a double take and proceeded to slap myself in the face...

oh well... it'll be worth it....... better be......

that kind of money could have went towards a new Honda 1000RR....

i work in the IT field.....

 

[invincible569]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9024304#post9024304 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xinumaster
My tank and cabinet+canopy is currently being built for $5k. It will cost me another $10k to complete the setup; excluding livestocks. monthly maintenance cost around $250.

That's similiar to my new purchase. $5K for tank/stand on a 300g. Expected equipment costs should be around the teens. My previous tank had a revolving maintenance cost of $350 (elec bill). For this tank, I plan to either meet this or stay under $400. That's not including more water changes (salt purchasing).

For me, its a bit opposite from the other posts on here. I try to go with the best and not cut corners because in the long run, I will benefit from headaches and extra costs. Buying new is also good since you have an extended end of life on the product. I dont like to look back and say.. I wish I should of bought that. And when I buy, I purchase the big items first and then work my way down.

As for my job.. Director of IT. The engineers work for me. jk guys!

Most IT guys on here love toys and thats why you see them with all kinds of equipment that you dont even need. But thats also a guy thing. You dont see Cosmopolitan talk about the latest gadgests like FHM, Mens Health, etc.

 

[reefkoi]

It comes down to what you spend your money on. You could spend $35K on a large reef tank, or put a addition on your house, or invest that money for retirement. everybody has their priority and I think everyone with a large reef tank has different occupations.
I am a ditch digger not an engineer

note: I took a poll of large vs small systems, and the cost per gallon for smaller tanks is sometimes double that of a large reef. Thats cost per gallon not total cost ofcourse

 

[sfsuphysics]

Honestly I would worry more about the upkeep cost of a large tank more so than initial upkeep, you can always make plans for your initial but often might be shocked at how much additional money gets spent.

No calculator in the world can accurately tell you how much water evaporation you'll have, or how often your heaters will need to turn on, or how often you'll need to do water changes due to nutrient issues.

Putting together a system can very extremely from one end of the spectrum to the other depending upon how much custom you want, and how much you are able to do yourself and get the materials for a reasonable amount. But when your first turn that system on and you hear this high pitched whine in the background and you realize that it's coming from your power meter's arm that's spinning so fast, then you'll really know the true cost of said tank, because that's money you can NEVER get back by breaking it down and selling it off

 

[jbmyers]

Cost per month

Cost per month

My previous tank had a revolving maintenance cost of $350 (elec bill). For this tank, I plan to either meet this or stay under $400.

As I contemplate a big tank, it is the monthly cost for me that is the killer and not the initial cost. I am wondering if the high cost many of you have is not associated with an SPS tank rather than, say, LPS or soft coral tank or combo. If you remove most of the high velocity pumps and halide lighting, would the operating cost not come down? Do any of you have a URL that would give an example of such a tank? Thanks all for letting me lurk here and ask my first question. JB

 

[Energy]

My 1700 gallon reef costs about $10 a day to run. It cost about $20-$25 per gallon to set-up and lightly stock.

 

[Energy]

BTW I consider my reef my sports car. I had a corvette and a motorcycle which stayed parked in the driveway. I spend way more time with the reef than all my other toys.