Economics of Monster Fishkeeping

[LambCh0p]

Currently at the point in my life where I am saving up for a house with the intention of getting a large aquarium. At least 10 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 2-3 feet tall. If I can go bigger, I will.

I make pretty good money and work in a field where I will continue to get raises, but I want to know if a tank this large is realistic for middle class wages. The initial startup is not what concerns me, it’s the cost of heating the tank and feeding monster fish.

There are two different setups I am considering. One would be a freshwater tank with a red tail catish, a stingray or two, a silver arrowana, and maybe some peacock bass. The other option would be a saltwater tank with large morays, groupers and some type of catshark or epaulette shark.

Are these setups realistic or am I just a stupid 26 year old who is dreaming too big? I’ve wanted a large tank all my life. The closet I have ever gotten was a 120 gallon. But I know that’s not big enough to keep the fish I mentioned above, which are the fish I’m really passionate about.

Any advice from older more experienced monster fish keepers would be greatly appreciated. I really want to make the dreams I’ve had since middle school a reality.

 

[tlindsey]

Are these setups realistic

Definitely realistic.

freshwater tank with a red tail catish, a stingray or two, a silver arrowana, and maybe some peacock bass. The other option would be a saltwater tank with large morays, groupers and some type of catshark or epaulette shark.

The freshwater setup would be more economical.
The Saltwater would require cost of salt for wc's and extra equipment skimmer etc.

 

[tlindsey]

In the 80's I personally had saltwater and freshwater setups but unfortunately not able to afford to maintain saltwater setups. Prices of aquarium related things have risen drastically over the years

 

[LambCh0p]

In the 80's I personally had saltwater and freshwater setups but unfortunately not able to afford to maintain saltwater setups. Prices of aquarium related things have risen drastically over the years

Those were my thoughts. As cool as the saltwater setup would be I think I’m going to have to start with fresh until I work my way up the corporate ladder a bit more. As for getting a tank, any reccomendations? I was thinking of getting something from fish tanks direct, but do you know of any other good suppliers of large aquariums?

 

[Midwater]

Good for you. Get yourself a monster fish tank, and enjoy it. It is expensive, and it is a commitment, you know that.

 

[jjohnwm]

I think this is absolutely a realistic goal...if you are serious enough about it, and it sounds like you are. A monster tank will of course always be expensive to operate, but what hobby isn't? Any hobby, once you get into it in a serious way, is going to cost money. Whether or not it's worthwhile to you is obviously something only you can answer.

You can save a considerable amount of money if you avoid the compulsion to keep your fish at temps in the 85F range. Most fish do just fine at temps 10degrees cooler than that, and every degree cooler translates to money saved. Submersible pumps generate a certain amount of heat, so using them rather than external pumps factors in as well.

A big tank looks best when framed into a wall, which allows you to insulate the back, sides and bottom and thus saves money. While the energy required to raise the temp of a given volume of water by a given number of degrees above ambient is fixed and can be calculated, the rate at which heat is lost to the surrounding air can be drastically reduced by insulation, thus saving money. It costs more to raise the temp to a given level than to maintain it at that level, so insulation makes a big difference.

Food costs money, plain and simple. If you buy it in small quantities it costs a lot more; buy it in bulk, re-portion it and then freeze for later use. No different than buying food for yourself.

If you have the mindset that says any problem can be solved with the application of ever-increasing amounts of money, then you can certainly make fish-keeping...or anything else...prohibitively expensive. If you are blessed with that rarest of super-powers...common sense!...then you should be able to bring the cash outlay into line with your comfort zone.

I'm as cheap as anybody, and cheaper than most...I certainly don't like paying for electricity...but I find that the biggest limiting factor in my fishkeeping is not the cost, but rather the two factors of space and time. Having retired and moved into my final house, which is much smaller than most I've owned, puts limits on how much room I have for tanks. And, most importantly, I must constantly keep in mind the time it takes to maintain my tanks; for me, it's critical to avoid the temptation for just one more tank...because it's very easy to pass the tipping point where pleasant labour becomes tiresome drudgery. The more you can automate or streamline your methods for water changes and cleaning, the better your hobby will be. It's supposed to be fun; make sure that it never stops doing that.

Get that big tank!

 

[Trouser Cough]

I've got the tank you describe, I'm the guy you describe and I agree w/ the prior posters. Freshwater will save you money and is a smaller time commitment as well. My largest tank is an 800 gallon and I run it at 73*f and have six FX6 canisters plumbed to it. I only have one 200W heater in the tank as the most cost effective way to heat the tank is by raising the house temperature at that zone and then lightly supplementing same w/ a tank heater. The logic is that it's more cost effective to heat your tank w/ your home than your home w/ your tank.

The FX6's consume about 45W per unit from the time you plug them in so in my area where power is roughly $0.25 /kWh that means my 800g consumes roughly 470 watts as long as I don't turn the lights on (which they typically aren't).

My rough cost to operate the tank:

Per Hour... about $0.12

Per Day... about $2.88

Per Month... about $86.40

Per Year... about $1051.20

There are other related costs to operate that aren't as straightforward to calculate like how much does a 200g weekly WC impact your water heating bill, what's the cost to run a zone on your home at a higher temp than you otherwise might, etc.

The short version is that of all the hobbies your buddies might have like a motorcycle or a high zoot car, etc., each of those are far more expensive than running a tank. Typically those other hobbies aren't offering any enjoyment once you turn off that key as well whereas the tank is a constant and fun to have even when you're not physically doing something to it and yeah, get that big tank!

Second hand is best even if you have to reseal it. If you live in an area like PHX there are always a handful of geezers looking to get rid of a nice big tank in the area that's far from the cost of new.

(Edit: Oh yeah... I do like UV sterilizers and run them as well. IIRC they're about 30W apiece and that adds to the bill as well but the amount of nuisance they eliminate is easily worth it for me. Add 30W per hour and a new bulb every 12 months to the above figures and you'll still be hovering around that hundred bucks a month number).

 

[duanes]

I realize you are not talking about a reef tank, but some of the same equipment and up keep for SW fish costs are similar.
Ep.4 - How much does a dream saltwater reef tank cost to set up? | BRS360

While in the states, I had about 1500 o 3000 gals in fresh water tanks. And I would consider my income middle o lower middle of the road, so take this with a grain of salt
I got 90% of my tanks used, so I saved a ton, but my month to month costs for energy were what they are, are basic according to geography.
I put all my tanks in a separate shed, and it had a separate WE energies line so I could actually separate expenses.
In the midwest, the monthly electric bill in "winter" average about $400 per month, about half of that in summer, when I didn't heat most tanks, and the combined water/sewer bill only about $50 per month.
I used hardware store lights and bulbs so minimal cost
Fish feeding (because I raised a lot of my own) was minimal.

 

[Trouser Cough]

duanes Did you find that you wished you had the tanks in the house? My experience has been that there's an out of sight / out of mind component and that I miss a lot of what a tank has to offer if it's not where I am.

 

[tlindsey]

good suppliers of large aquariums?

Tbh I don't know but other members will chime in.