So sad so many people leaving...

I'm a college student, and my boyfriend and I share the expenses for our 55gallon, and it's still expensive. I can imagine one having to foot the bill on their own. We're in the first six months of our tank being up and running, and we're still investing a lot into it. I try to keep by my budget by only allowing myself something extra per bi-weekly paycheck. (not including food) I try to make investments that will last a while, and I'm a huge bargain hunter!

 

There was a thread on here a while back about calcium reactors vs. dosing in which the costs were weighed out over the course of several years of keeping a reef... the conclusion was that the expense of dosing would become greater as time went on and consumption went up, whereas the initial cost of a calcium reactor is high, the maintenance costs are actually quite low. After three years, you would basically break even with the reactor vs. dosing, and if you continued dosing, you'd be spending lots more money over the long haul.

Now, that being said, I contribute the success of my corals to mainly two things: my lighting and my calcium reactor. Because I am not dosing, there is a very stable influx of calcium and carbonate being added to the system at the same rate it is being used. When dosing, your levels are constantly going up and down, and there is quite a bit of maintenance involved. Miss a dose, and make up for it in the next one, and your corals won't like you for it. The calcium reactor allows my corals to flourish in NSW-like qualities.

The losses associated with improper or inadequate equipment can be discouraging... if we are keeping a reef, it likely means we have a great appreciation for nature and especially the animals we keep. Seeing them die is quite discouraging. I've been there, and was always chasing my tail on my first 55 gallon non-drilled tank with a hob prizm skimmer, no sump, and no ATO that I was attempting to keep a reef in... I gave up on it, went all FW for a while, learned from my mistakes and saved up and did it right the next time around.

Now, there's no looking back... I love my tank, and it's inhabitants, and couldn't imagine parting with it.

 

Sushi Girls hits the nail on the head. My tank is my tank and I could care less what others think. The only person that would even dare to downtalk a person's SW tank is an "Aquarium Snob".

I really watch others at the LFS and the behavior and talk is enough to make me laugh, except when they are trying to diss a newcomer to the hobby, then I get involved.

I think that Robert Fenner stated it best when he also said "Keep it simple" it works. My tank is proof of that. Startup cost was a shock, but I sold my Harley to do what I wanted. Now my kids can enjoy as well as my wife.

It's amazing to see two young kids ramble off corals names and what they like and dislike regarding their environment. I could not do that with my Harely Davidson.

It's all a trade-off and there is nothing bad about having a small tank or a six foot monster.

 

Actually, I disagree. A aquarium is a life support system to keep creatures alive outside of their natural habitat. The more sensitive the creature, the better the life support that is needed. Sorry.... but you can't keep the sensitive creatures alive for long with out spending a lot on the system.

Scale is different. You don't have to have a 300g tank to have SPS. Gear junkies are just that. They want all the great gear and all the cool toys. They are in every hobby and yes I'm one. No you don't need the most expensive stuff, no you don't have to buy new, and yes you can build your own stuff. But the more demanding setup you want.. it will still be more expensive than a less demanding system.


I'm another one that had to re prioritize my hobby spending. Plain fact of the matter is that this hobby is nothing but a luxury. Luxuries are always expendable. Some folks choose to make it a part of their life, and that is cool... but it is still a luxury. People leave the hobby when they no longer choose to or are able to afford the luxury. Mine was by choice.

 

Hobbies are supposed to entertain you. It's for you to relax. You don't have to spend a fortune to put a smile on your face. It goes back to the whole adage, "Money doesn't buy you happiness".

Personally, I love saltwater aquariums because the organisms are colorful and just... majestic. It teaches you patience and diligence. This doesn't have to come with a majestic price tag, you can still have a budgeted aquarium that relaxes you and puts a smile on your face.

Sometimes, when I look at my little tank and the corals inside it, I think to myself, "holy cow...THIS little beautiful piece of coral was in a huge reef HALFWAY around the WORLD!!". It's pretty amazing how you can have fragments of the majestic ocean in your cozy little room. Makes me wanna go out there and save all the dying reefs. lol

 

One of the main reasons I have a reef tank is because I can't go scuba diving in the ocean quite as much as I'd like to... for one, I'm a bit landlocked, and two we just don't take enough trips to the beach to make it happen. My wife grew up in Florida and she could care less about the ocean... but I'm fascinated by it to no end... Having a reef tank satiates the desire to be near the ocean at all times.

 

I have a salt water tank because I have never seen the ocean. I have never been to the coast of the US at all... and to think that I can bring the ocean to me its incredible. Its worth every penny I have spent.

 

My tanks are in part thanks to my Grandma, she loved beta fish, now mind you this was well over 30 years ago. If I knew now, and could go back to then, things would be quite different for for me and Grandma.

But we cant go back can we.

So, sometimes my tanks are a pain in the arse- true, but, when I come home- long hard day, every day I look at the big tank and I just smile, then I go to my Den, and look at the 110 FW, I smile feed greenie, ck. the 45 gallon- smile or sigh, and wonder to myself- who am I gonna argue with or P off tonight?

Heh, it's a hobbie, love it or leave it, it is what it is. I figure it this way, I could be doing far more worse things then my tanks- problem is, it is getting a tad expensive due to this crap economy.

 

You need a vacation my dear- the ocean is a few tanks of gas in any direction in the USA- take/make the time- it will broaden your horizon's greatly.

 

Oh you have no idea how bad I want to see the ocean... I just don't have a car to drive there. I plan on making it happen.