How do you guys do this?

If there are any local clubs that helps-we have one here and I was able to by frags at 2-8 dollars a piece that would run 15-30 dollars at a LFS.

Also, I have bought alot of corals of Ebay, find a good seller and watch for deals, I look for free shipping or free if you spend 100.00 dollars and sit back and wait/watch feedback is an area to look closely at-I have two that I repeat buy from all the time but dont think I can post them here-
Actually just looked they are a sponsor "Reef Empire" I have bought at least 30 pieces from them and they rock!!
I have bought Acans for 8.00 on ebay (from Empire)that have 5 heads and my LFS would sell for 50-80 dollars.
Be patient and you'll run across some deals.

And a thanks "Daniel072" for the 2 frags that showed today-they're floating;D

 

Believe it or not many things about this hobby are a lot cheaper now than they were 10 or 15 years ago. Relatively speaking, lights and RO/DI units are a bargain now.

Also, most of us here with bigger tanks are a bit older than you. When I was 24 I could barely afford to put gas in my Ford Escort let alone support a child and a reef tank. If you spend another 2 decades living below your means, not paying credit card interest, working 60-80 hrs/week, and investing in your business and/or education I imagine that you will find yourself with more discretionary income than you have now.

In the mean time, I agree with others here that your tank looks nice and that Craig's list and your local reef club are great resources.

 

no prob man. I have a hard time charging the going rate for chalices like that. I just can't do it

 

im 14 with no job and a 30 gallon saltwater aquarium. mind you i worked my butt off for the whole summer so i could afford this. setup is the most costly part. after that its just what fish and coral you want.

 

How do I afford this hobby? I don't... My tank was $80 bucks, plus sand livestock and such. Which is still cheaper than a T5 fixture.

My mom on the other hand, well, you have extra money laying around when your kids are going off to college and you, the parents, are transitioning into being empty nesters.

I know for a fact I won't have a large reef tank of my own until I am waaaay settled down. Being 19 years old, it's gonna take a while.

 

25, government job which translates into broke kid style....LOL
Took a few months to get stuff together. Even now, 7 months in, I still need better lighting, more rock and a better skimmer. I'm just going slowly and only taking in inhabitants I can care for with what I've got.....
The 29g is still coming along nicely though

 

As another unemployed reefer with scraps for clothing all I can say is I was fortunate enough to set up my tank before I lost my job. I dont buy clothes for me, the wife and daughter come first and then the tank, me last. Never use credit cards unless you can afford to pay it off IN FULL when the bill arrives.Other than that like mentioned before craigslist and trade, maybe an occasional odd job or two on the weekend.

 

I took a 2 night a week job at Petco. I only work from 5-9 Mon and Thur. I get paid every 2 weeks there...amounts to about 130.00 take home. That money is strictly for my tank. I dont care if the mortgage is short. I do not touch that money for anything else. That is the reason I took the job in the first place. You have to enjoy some of your labor!!!!!

 

I used to have three kids and now down to two,I sold one of them to an overseas couple that couldn't have kids for a pretty big chunk of change. This also helps the behavior of the other two,if they start acting up I just tell them to straighten up or they will be visiting their bro overseas (of course I'm just joking....I would never send them overseas....together )

 

Sorry, I couldn't resist .