fishlette
Fish Addict
ive been thinking about writing this for a while and seeing as the question has been raised in another thread, i thought i would do a seperate one so as not to block up the other thread.
COSTS-PLEASE NOTE: THIS LIST IS A WORST CASE SCENARIO WITH ALL ITEMS BEING NEW. AS YOU WILL READ FURTHER DOWN THE POST, MANY OF THESE ITEMS CAN BE BOUGHT CHEAPER ON EBAY ETC. CAN ALSO PROBABLY BE CHEAPER FOR ANYONE NOT LIMITED IN THEIR OPTIONS OR FOR THOSE WHO DONT LIVE IN AUSTRALIA. PLEASE USE IT AS A GUIDE BUT DONT BE PUT OFF UNTIL YOU DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH.
im doing costs based on my tank which is a 4x18x18. i will list every single cost involved in getting my tank to today
tank & stand - $245
2ft tank for sump $65
10kg live sand $36
10kg crushed coral $53
aqualina t5 light cover $378
2 actinic, 2 10000k globes $60
macro aqua protein skimmer $380
holes drilled in main tank for sump $30
holes drilled in sump and partitions added $45
connectors for outlet and inlet to & from sump $50
hose $20
return pump (3400lph) $75
2 bags of instant ocean $140 (i was initially mixing my own water but have recently switched to store bought as ive found one close that stocks it and its so much quicker and easier and safer in my mind so i now use natural sea water)
chiller $320
refractometer $107
test kits $40
blue background $9 (i dont care what kind of tank it is, a background enhances a tank. dont go for anything tacky with a marine tank though, go for the blue background. you dont want another picture detracting from your corals and fish IMO)
electronic pH tester $80. while this isnt essential, im very pedantic about knowing exact water stats. this is just another way for me to get accurate reads
46.5kgs of live rock $465.00. this sounds like a lot of rock but the only creates a wall from one end to the other going no higher than about 1/2 way up. am hoping to get about 10 more kilos before im finished. of course, the amount of rock depends on the individual
Running Total
$2598.00 and thats before clean up crew, fish and corals
Clean Up Crew (not all added at the same time but all listed for cost)
12 small hermit crabs $18
12 trochus snails $20
2 turbo snails $24
2 collector urchins $25
3 peppermint shrimp $48 (i considered these a must for dealing with my aptasias)
bi colour blenny $35 this fella has been great for picking the algae of the live rock and even off the glass at the back of the tank where the scourer doesnt quite reach
Fish & Other Critters
2 ocellaris clowns $70 1 unfortunately vanished into thin air one day hence,
1 black & white clown $40
6 pontonine shrimp $96
3 green chromis $30
1 coral banded shrimp $30
1 large brittle starfish $16
1 small orange starfish $12
1 yellow lined sabre toothed blenny $40
1 leaf wrasse $40
1 cowfish $45 R.I.P. a lesson for all comes from the cowfish' time with us...DO NOT put a slow, weak swimming fish in a tank with a 2200lph powerhead
1 mystery wrasse $130 (i paid wholesale for this fish. it would normally have retailed at around $275)
1 flame angel $120
1 flame hawk $70
1 blue streak cleaner wrasse $35
2 yellow coral gobies $30
2 black coral gobies $50
1 citrinus goby $18
1 red striped coral goby $14
1 royal gramma $70
$974.00
Corals
bubble tip anemone small $40
large heliofungia $32
small heliofungia $26
small green tipped torch $26
large white tipped torch $40
small tan hammer $30
medium green/pink hammer $40
large deep purple hammer $55
sun coral $28
4 small fluffie morphs $60
12 red & green morphs $120
large frogspawn $45
duncanops small $25
1 medium jardinii $45
$612 and that is only the tip of the iceberg for corals. im done with the fish for the time being but corals will constantly be being added
Misc Items
Coral Gro $43 daily addition of calcium, strontium, iodine & trace elements (i think, without looking at the bottle)
ongoing water purchases $15 a week
remember your power will go through the roof so there is another cost to think about
digital thermometer $25
food $45 a week i feed a combo of brine shrimp, frozen angel food, mysis shrimp, marine blocks, marine green, spirulina flakes, spectrum marine pellets, cyclop-eeze & sea water. eventually defrosts down to a yummy smelling soup that can be administered to the tank and directly to corals using a turkey baster
powerhead for extra flow $50
turtle grass macro algae with 2 turtle grass crabs $35
heater $40
spare parts box $350 to put together. it includes: 1 spare actinic bulb, 1 spare 10000k bulb, various sized O-rings, aquarium safe silicone, a spare heater, spare impeller for powerhead, spare hoses, tubing etc for skimmer and sump, spare power head, pliers, torch and other bits and bobs
4 large white buckets only for marine tank. 2 clean and 2 dirty. large piece of hose for siphoning when needed. $60
$673
and before i forget, a Quarantine/Hospital Tank
2ft tank - $65
large pieces of dead coral $40
aqua clear hang on filter $89
heater $25
tiny powerhead $15
little bag of crushed coral sitting in the tank and some in the filter $10
medical kit lol
bottle marine white spot treatment $20
melafix $18
tweezers $3
torch $12
$297
without taking into account running costs, that makes a total of $5324.00
if i add into that running costs over the last, say 3 months, i could add another $300-$400 to that total
reality is, unless you have the money and time, a marine tank probably isnt for you. it doesnt just cost to set up the tank and buy everything, there are massive ongoing costs to take into account. in summertime when running a chiller, you are using the same amount of power that you are running a small air conditioner for your home. you need to buy saltwater every week. if you want to keep your fish and corals well fed and healthy, it will cost a little more than the few dollars a month it costs to feed tropical fish. every 6 months, the light bulbs should be replaced, meaning more cost again. and the list goes on. the money output will be ongoing with a marine tank and you should be prepared
hopefully this will help at least one person out there
if i have forgotten or left anything out, feel free to add
COSTS-PLEASE NOTE: THIS LIST IS A WORST CASE SCENARIO WITH ALL ITEMS BEING NEW. AS YOU WILL READ FURTHER DOWN THE POST, MANY OF THESE ITEMS CAN BE BOUGHT CHEAPER ON EBAY ETC. CAN ALSO PROBABLY BE CHEAPER FOR ANYONE NOT LIMITED IN THEIR OPTIONS OR FOR THOSE WHO DONT LIVE IN AUSTRALIA. PLEASE USE IT AS A GUIDE BUT DONT BE PUT OFF UNTIL YOU DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH.
im doing costs based on my tank which is a 4x18x18. i will list every single cost involved in getting my tank to today
tank & stand - $245
2ft tank for sump $65
10kg live sand $36
10kg crushed coral $53
aqualina t5 light cover $378
2 actinic, 2 10000k globes $60
macro aqua protein skimmer $380
holes drilled in main tank for sump $30
holes drilled in sump and partitions added $45
connectors for outlet and inlet to & from sump $50
hose $20
return pump (3400lph) $75
2 bags of instant ocean $140 (i was initially mixing my own water but have recently switched to store bought as ive found one close that stocks it and its so much quicker and easier and safer in my mind so i now use natural sea water)
chiller $320
refractometer $107
test kits $40
blue background $9 (i dont care what kind of tank it is, a background enhances a tank. dont go for anything tacky with a marine tank though, go for the blue background. you dont want another picture detracting from your corals and fish IMO)
electronic pH tester $80. while this isnt essential, im very pedantic about knowing exact water stats. this is just another way for me to get accurate reads
46.5kgs of live rock $465.00. this sounds like a lot of rock but the only creates a wall from one end to the other going no higher than about 1/2 way up. am hoping to get about 10 more kilos before im finished. of course, the amount of rock depends on the individual
Running Total
$2598.00 and thats before clean up crew, fish and corals
Clean Up Crew (not all added at the same time but all listed for cost)
12 small hermit crabs $18
12 trochus snails $20
2 turbo snails $24
2 collector urchins $25
3 peppermint shrimp $48 (i considered these a must for dealing with my aptasias)
bi colour blenny $35 this fella has been great for picking the algae of the live rock and even off the glass at the back of the tank where the scourer doesnt quite reach
Fish & Other Critters
2 ocellaris clowns $70 1 unfortunately vanished into thin air one day hence,
1 black & white clown $40
6 pontonine shrimp $96
3 green chromis $30
1 coral banded shrimp $30
1 large brittle starfish $16
1 small orange starfish $12
1 yellow lined sabre toothed blenny $40
1 leaf wrasse $40
1 cowfish $45 R.I.P. a lesson for all comes from the cowfish' time with us...DO NOT put a slow, weak swimming fish in a tank with a 2200lph powerhead
1 mystery wrasse $130 (i paid wholesale for this fish. it would normally have retailed at around $275)
1 flame angel $120
1 flame hawk $70
1 blue streak cleaner wrasse $35
2 yellow coral gobies $30
2 black coral gobies $50
1 citrinus goby $18
1 red striped coral goby $14
1 royal gramma $70
$974.00
Corals
bubble tip anemone small $40
large heliofungia $32
small heliofungia $26
small green tipped torch $26
large white tipped torch $40
small tan hammer $30
medium green/pink hammer $40
large deep purple hammer $55
sun coral $28
4 small fluffie morphs $60
12 red & green morphs $120
large frogspawn $45
duncanops small $25
1 medium jardinii $45
$612 and that is only the tip of the iceberg for corals. im done with the fish for the time being but corals will constantly be being added
Misc Items
Coral Gro $43 daily addition of calcium, strontium, iodine & trace elements (i think, without looking at the bottle)
ongoing water purchases $15 a week
remember your power will go through the roof so there is another cost to think about
digital thermometer $25
food $45 a week i feed a combo of brine shrimp, frozen angel food, mysis shrimp, marine blocks, marine green, spirulina flakes, spectrum marine pellets, cyclop-eeze & sea water. eventually defrosts down to a yummy smelling soup that can be administered to the tank and directly to corals using a turkey baster
powerhead for extra flow $50
turtle grass macro algae with 2 turtle grass crabs $35
heater $40
spare parts box $350 to put together. it includes: 1 spare actinic bulb, 1 spare 10000k bulb, various sized O-rings, aquarium safe silicone, a spare heater, spare impeller for powerhead, spare hoses, tubing etc for skimmer and sump, spare power head, pliers, torch and other bits and bobs
4 large white buckets only for marine tank. 2 clean and 2 dirty. large piece of hose for siphoning when needed. $60
$673
and before i forget, a Quarantine/Hospital Tank
2ft tank - $65
large pieces of dead coral $40
aqua clear hang on filter $89
heater $25
tiny powerhead $15
little bag of crushed coral sitting in the tank and some in the filter $10
medical kit lol
bottle marine white spot treatment $20
melafix $18
tweezers $3
torch $12
$297
without taking into account running costs, that makes a total of $5324.00
if i add into that running costs over the last, say 3 months, i could add another $300-$400 to that total
reality is, unless you have the money and time, a marine tank probably isnt for you. it doesnt just cost to set up the tank and buy everything, there are massive ongoing costs to take into account. in summertime when running a chiller, you are using the same amount of power that you are running a small air conditioner for your home. you need to buy saltwater every week. if you want to keep your fish and corals well fed and healthy, it will cost a little more than the few dollars a month it costs to feed tropical fish. every 6 months, the light bulbs should be replaced, meaning more cost again. and the list goes on. the money output will be ongoing with a marine tank and you should be prepared
hopefully this will help at least one person out there
if i have forgotten or left anything out, feel free to add
glad i could help
