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View Full Version : How much of an reef addict are you??


Crazyfingerz
01/18/2012, 07:22 PM
Let see, how many hours a day do you spend watching at your tank? and how much of your salary do you devote to your tank? lol

Saltydrip
01/18/2012, 07:32 PM
Right now I look at my tank a good 2 hours a day. At least. But then again it's at the foot of my bed and I fall asleep too it.

Last paycheck I spent between 30-35% of my check on my tank. It was a good check too. Normaly maybe 5-8%

Crazyfingerz
01/18/2012, 07:37 PM
Right now I look at my tank a good 2 hours a day. At least. But then again it's at the foot of my bed and I fall asleep too it.

Last paycheck I spent between 30-35% of my check on my tank. It was a good check too. Normaly maybe 5-8%

Same here, my tank is at the side of my bed so at least 5 hours a day for me. and i am only a 107 days into the hobby so im still spending alot of money on my tank.

aandfsoccr04
01/18/2012, 07:53 PM
I've spent 5k since July, right after I graduated college. You do the math...

bdroptjj
01/18/2012, 07:54 PM
How much of a reef addict? Well, I'm in the process of dropping 6K or so on a new tank, stand, lights, etc. Can anyone recommend a good 12 step program for this hobby?

Sport507
01/18/2012, 08:02 PM
You all got off cheap. How did you do it?

bdroptjj
01/18/2012, 08:09 PM
You all got off cheap. How did you do it?

I'm using some equipment from my current tank. Specifically, I already have one MP40, Bubble Magus doser, RO/DI unit, ATO, etc. If I was starting from scratch the bill would be much higher :mad2:

Saltydrip
01/18/2012, 08:09 PM
Lol. Missmatched parts and patchwork has me around a grand so far but my tank and stand are going on 6years old now. I'll do the big 200g reef at my girls place whenever i move in. Im looking forward to another monster cool water fresh water tank in the office of her barn. 500g at least. I want trout in a bad way!! That's a fish I havnt yet been able to keep. Rainbow trout.

xcastn0shad0wx
01/18/2012, 08:21 PM
Im unemployed and in a 50K per year grad program. Anything I spend on my tank is loaned money that by the time I pay back will almost double.

Dholmblad
01/18/2012, 08:27 PM
I've spent 5k since July, right after I graduated college. You do the math...

I just graduated and got back in. After bills, all my paycheck goes to my tank.

carlos413
01/18/2012, 08:30 PM
I wont state how much I spend or how much time I spend looking at my tank, I will tell you however that I am a full blown reef junkie!!!!

Sport507
01/18/2012, 08:59 PM
Lol. Missmatched parts and patchwork has me around a grand so far but my tank and stand are going on 6years old now. I'll do the big 200g reef at my girls place whenever i move in. Im looking forward to another monster cool water fresh water tank in the office of her barn. 500g at least. I want trout in a bad way!! That's a fish I havnt yet been able to keep. Rainbow trout.

The rainbow trout is one of the easiest keepers. I keep mine in the freezer, last about a year and that’s good vittles. Then a little shine pie and sleep finds it's way.

Agu
01/18/2012, 09:21 PM
I've been in the hobby a while and spent plenty. However in the last few years I've gotten into nano tanks. I trade, sell, and negotiate deals. Also my tanks use minimal equipment. Once you've been around the block a few times it's amazing how inexpensively you can set up a reef tank.

Saltydrip
01/18/2012, 09:22 PM
Lol. Oh so true sport.

pr12
01/18/2012, 09:51 PM
If I'm not at school I can spend at least 5 hours a day watching my tanks, about 2-3 if I have to go to class. I manage not to spend not to much, stocked up on salt over the summer so I should be good for a year, then get good deals on my equipment from people getting out. Probably spent about $300 on my tanks in the last year.

Toddrtrex
01/18/2012, 10:05 PM
Will skip the money and time issue....

I had my 6th back surgery 13 days ago, I just did a water change using pitchers since I am not allowed to lift anything over 7 pounds.

Reefing Newbie
01/18/2012, 10:13 PM
Okay, I just got into the hobby in July when I purchased a set up from someone leaving the hobby. Spent $1k on the set up and two months in it had some issues. Well here I am having spent around another $500-$700 on fixing those issues and I don't have fish or corals yet. Then here is the catch, I am still needing to get more powerheads(which I am starting to save up for 2 mpw 40 ES pumps for the tank), upgrading to DIY LED lighting($600ish), and wanting to get an Apex to run everything($400-$500 depending on when I can afford one and sales). So we will say since I only had a summer job ending in August and haven't had a job yet, around 100% of my income has gone into this. Okay maybe 95%. I am a teenager in high school and my parents have a spare car that I use, and got a new phone for Christmas, and yada yada, so the tank has been a priority. Looking at the tank has been minimal to about 20 minutes per day being that it is just maintaining the bacteria for when I have fish ready in 2 months and I have been starting a one month lights out period to kill red bubble algae.

rcmania
01/19/2012, 01:25 AM
Will skip the money and time issue....

I had my 6th back surgery 13 days ago, I just did a water change using pitchers since I am not allowed to lift anything over 7 pounds.

Todd, a small submersible pump and a few feet of hose maybe what your doctor should have prescribed.

I spend hours on hours looking at the tank. It sits next to my tv so when my program is on i miss half of it. I have an ip cam facing my tank so i can watch it when im not at home, which is alot. I wont get in on the cost for the fact that i dont wanna know but i do know its up there and if my wife knew, she would become my first wife.

rayn
01/19/2012, 06:15 AM
Money, time, all well spent. Reef, fowlr, you name it it is there. More money then i care to answer though.

BIG_KAHUNA
01/19/2012, 06:39 AM
probably 3k into tank and supplies, been going hard now for 10 months. i spend at least an hr a day checking in on the tank. then there's the 4 other tanks in the house...

gmate
01/19/2012, 02:14 PM
I set up my tank a few days before Christmas, so it's been about a whole month now. Between the tank + stand, pumps and equipment, corals and stock, I'm in about 600-700 dollars. That's roughly 125$ a week I've spent - yikes!

I'm at the point where the spending is slowing down. I've got two dozen coral colonies and some stock, letting it grow out.

patsfan1130
01/19/2012, 03:06 PM
I shutter to think of the amount of $$ I have spent over the past 20 years or so. To this day, I still spend at least 2 hours per day tinkering with my tank(s). I stare at them constantly

baggedtb
01/19/2012, 03:31 PM
I have had a reef tank for 1 year now and I am beyond hooked. I just bought a 90 gallon tank and I am doing my researching on equipment for it now and the $$$$ is adding up quickly but it is all worth it once its up and you can sit and watch it for hours.

Bosha
01/19/2012, 03:37 PM
I've been observed in our garage staring (claims of talking to, but I don't remember that part) at my empty 40g breeder for a very long time.

tony53176
01/19/2012, 03:50 PM
I got started right after christmas, I had my tank and stand already (got them from someone who wanted out of the hobby, $200 for the tank and stand) my wife probably spent another $600 on equipment for me for christmas and I spent another $200 on my skimmer. So far thats about $1000 and I still have fish and other livestock to go, plus food, test kits, supplements and all the other stuff that I "need"

My tank is right in my living room, where I spend the majority of my time, so I would say I look at my tank for at least 5-6 hours a day not including all the time I spend testing the water and performing maintenance.

I love this hobby and would trade nothing for it!

Sandia97
01/19/2012, 04:23 PM
I refuse to calculate how much my this new hobby has cost me so far. I want to keep feeling happiness when I look at it, not regret :) lol
I look/mess with it at least 3 hours a day but I think about it all the time, my employees are sick of me talking about it and my dog is jealous!! ha ha

larrypoe
01/19/2012, 08:16 PM
how much of a "reef junkie" not much of one to be honest.....I have my own ideas of what I like in a tank and the typical "pseudo reef" doesnt fit :)

money spent............idk to be honest, but not much on the SW venture......I have lots of equipment (tanks, filters, lights, ect) from FW setups (which are still 90% of the "water holders" around the house)

also I get to buy out a LFS/petstore once in awhile and that helps with cost and having excess "stuff" around..............(they dont last long in my area as a rule)

I just like the fish, and being able to hand a local kid a small tank/setup to get them started is my highlight :).......

we also supply live animals to a few of the local petstores............and the profit from that helps with other "hobbys"

jbax
01/19/2012, 10:46 PM
Will skip the money and time issue....

I had my 6th back surgery 13 days ago, I just did a water change using pitchers since I am not allowed to lift anything over 7 pounds.


time for a mixing station. i have a 2x55g mixing station. so when i need to get fresh SW, i turn a ball valve and run a flex hose to my tanks. and to pump old SW out of my tank. i turn 2 ball valves on my manifold and let the return pump do the work. soon everything will be hard plumbed. makes life alot easier. good luck on getting better.


idk how much i have spent. me and my LFS have a understanding, don't tell me the total and i won't look at the receipt. but i will say this, my tanks and other fish stuff are prolly worth more then me and my wifes cars combined. half of my garage is fish tanks and supplies. at this time i have 5 SW tanks and 1 FW. although i'm going to be breaking 3 tanks down and adding the fish of 2 tanks to my multiple clownfish setup. which will be 10-12 tanks total, but they will all be on the same system. so they only count as 1 system....right?

Alaskan
01/19/2012, 11:11 PM
For me, I look at it as not money spent but money invested. Or is that just my way of justification? Either way it is worth every penny in the end:beer:

larrypoe
01/20/2012, 09:17 AM
accualy..........this is the cheapest hobby I have had since I can remember :/

I raised coonhounds for 25yrs......that was expensive :0

at the end......I was hauling a $30k dog around the country in a $30k truck (that I had to replace every 2yrs because of the miles I racked up hauling him all over the country)....he rode in a $1000 dog box, and wore a $1000 tracking system........entry fees to the hunts ranged from $25 for a local buddy hunt to $6500 for a "big time" money hunt........x 2 for each weekend.......my light was $350....ect ect...motel rooms.......and the list goes on and on.

we havent even gotten to the $50 a week average spent on dog food,,,,,but in the end the light and dog food were sponsered come to think of it.........

reeferstace
01/20/2012, 10:23 AM
1) 300g reef-Apex, Vortechs, etc.
2) 40b reef
3) 20g reef
4) 10g FOWLR in my classroom
5) 20 FOWLR in my classroom

I have spent TONS. :)

Green Chromis
01/20/2012, 10:39 AM
Compared to owning a boat and all the accessories, reef tanks are cheap. :beer:

sporto0
01/20/2012, 11:04 AM
I spend at least 6 hours a day observing my tanks, when I'm home, I'm sitting in the fish/TV room. I couldn't possibly begin to put a $ figure on what I've spent nor do I want or care to, every cent spent has & is worth it. Fish keeping & Reef keeping are in my DNA for sure, I believe every living thing on earth came from the oceans at some point or other & my roots are strong.

gmate
01/20/2012, 03:47 PM
I've been observed in our garage staring (claims of talking to, but I don't remember that part) at my empty 40g breeder for a very long time.

Nice signature quote, Bosha ;)

Allmost
01/20/2012, 03:57 PM
I aint no addict !

except the tanks in my sig, being in my 1 bedroom condo ....
LFS have my number and know what I like to.
compare prices of electronics to rare angelfish.
and most importantly, my GF never gets mad at me for spending more time with my fish than her ....

:hmm3: I might need help lol
RA Reefers anonymous

Crazyfingerz
01/21/2012, 03:17 PM
Will skip the money and time issue....

I had my 6th back surgery 13 days ago, I just did a water change using pitchers since I am not allowed to lift anything over 7 pounds.

Your badder than chuck norris, lol

Reef264
01/21/2012, 04:29 PM
I have resorted to selling Narcotics just to pay for my Tank supplies...

Lol just kidding, I really haven't kept track of what I paid or my tank/s, It's more than likely over 3k, I'm 17 and about to be in college, so my spending may have to slow for a while, but my parents really love the Reef Tanks, so they help me quite a bit.But I Paid for every peice of my 115g Reef Setup, Had to work 60+ hr weeks in retail to pay for it, but it was worth every hour of work.