Cost per month?

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moose1960

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Sep 8, 2002
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Before trying my hand at marine was wondering what everyones aprox cost per month/ year to keep up your tanks. Please state your tank size. I am thinking of going to 225g in late summer.
Eg. additives, salt, chemicals, fresh sand LR/LS etc.
Any thing you do to keep your tanks running perfectly.
Thanks.
 
Between the tank and stand, liverock, sand, salt, water, lights, additives and supplements, livestock, food, heaters, powerheads, protein skimmers, refractometer, bulb replacements, an endless parade of toys and gizmos, and 1.21 gigawatts of electricity.... I think I'd rather not know.
 
The thing is, mostly everything you buy lasts for many months, for say a 55... I guess you could assume that you will be replacing the stuff 4x as fast as I am which is about every 4 months... Sooooo........

Reef Plus - $15
Reef Trace - $10
Kent Kalkwasser $15
Sea Chem Alk buffer $10
Salt (a 200 gallon bucket should last you 2 months based on 10% weekly water changes...) $50/2 = $25

That's my estimate...

NOW, let's NOT forget about the electricty... On a tank that size, for a reef, yer gonna need about 1000w of halides and PCs going... Based on an 11cent kw/hr rate and a 12 hr photo period, thats............ $40.92 a month to run the lighting alone... Then add a few 250w heaters, about 6-8 powerheads, skimmer, lighting for the refugium, fans in the hood.. It adds up pretty fast =)

I'd estimate $150 a month to run it, minimum, and that isn't including livestock, liverock you buy on a whim, or any other incidentals..
 
Originally posted by moose1960
[B Im trying to figure out if it will be much more then the brackish set up i have now. [/B]
Click to expand...

Yes, it most certainly will, although (depending on what you're looking to do) it doesn't have to be that much more. Are you planning a reef tank or an FO? If you want a reef, it's going to cost you. As Raven mentioned, the power costs of simply running the lights is substantial. Plus you'll have to change the bulbs routinely (not cheap). Also if you're doing a reef, it would be wise to use RO/DI water, which you will have to buy very regularly (not only water changes, remember. You'll also go through several gallons a week in top offs). If you purchase an RO/DI unit, this would save you in the long run, but you'll have to factor in its inital cost, as well as the ongoing costs of replacing RO membranes and DI resins, which don't come cheap.

If you're looking to just keep fish, the initial equipment costs will bite you a bit (liverock, skimmer, powerheads, etc.), but the maintenance costs will drop considerably. Besides the electrical costs of running the system, all you'd really have to buy regularly is salt.
 
Well the truth is the electricity is the most costly factor of running your tank.

Not to metion the replacment bulbs.

www.aquariumadvice.com/calcs2.php you will find a quick and dirty aquarium electricty calculator there.

Enter your wattage ratings on your equipment. Enter your killowatt cost and then enter your approx time per day the equipment in question is running.


My 80 gal tank bumpped my electric bill up about $40 month.
 
I add to my 90 gallon tank kalkwasser and food.

The food costs about $20 a month, and the kalk mix about $5.

The electricity cost is about $40 a month. (2x400 watt MH, 330 watts of VHO, Mag 9 return pump, and a 65 watt PC for the refuge.)
 
I guess I should of added what I was going to keep. At this time the reason for going marine is my fish now. I have 3 columbian cat fish (arius seemani), 4 scats(Scatophagus multifasciatus), 3 Monodactylus sebea, and 3 monodactylus argentus. They would be the primary inhabitents, then as time and knowledge improves I would see what else i could add with them. So i am assuming then just cost of skimmer more power jets, LR and LS. I would like to go sump underneith the main tank and if all goes as planned it would be a 225 g tank. Salt seems to be the big item monthly.
Q? in my brackish setup (55g) I do a 25% water change a week. When i go to a 225 marine is it still 10-20% water change a week that would be up to 50 gallons of water a week. 50 gallon bag of salt here cost 30 bucks.
:eek:
 
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