Economics of Monster Fishkeeping

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duanes 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.Quote.

I found when sharing a house with a spouse, the fish hobby can become quite stressful over time.
Noise from pumps even as far away as in a basement can become a source of friction. ( I prefer rheophillic fish, so moving water sound is unavoidable)
Dampness and even slight odors for those with much more sensitive or intolerant noses than I, a source of friction emanating from a basement.
Just having a spouse see the extent of my obsession, was a bone of contention, and source of resentment.

After my 1st wife divorced me, (claiming my aquatic obsession drove her to it), is when the shed became a much better option.
And stress was relieved,
Yes, out of sight, out of hearing and sniffing range, became very useful, I'd just hide in the shed for many hours a day, doing water changes whatever unseen, and out of mind.

Because where I live now, my tanks are outside on the patio, so sound, dampness and its odors that I don't notice, have become non-issues.
Spillage, on the ground, a non-issue.
 
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Haha! Love is hard, brother!

And I think I may have unknowingly done the same thing you did. I work from downstairs at my home and there are no tanks upstairs. There is no shortage of things my lovely bride can gnaw on my head about but fish aren't one of them and I wonder if it's because they're never in her space. There are a couple of dead fish in the trash can under my desk and a ton of culled plants. Thinking out loud I'm sure she would not be impressed if she had claimed part of this same space.
 
Trouser Bark said:
Haha! Love is hard, brother!

And I think I may have unknowingly done the same thing you did. I work from downstairs at my home and there are no tanks upstairs. There is no shortage of things my lovely bride can gnaw on my head about but fish aren't one of them and I wonder if it's because they're never in her space. There are a couple of dead fish in the trash can under my desk and a ton of culled plants. Thinking out loud I'm sure she would not be impressed if she had claimed part of this same space.
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These are very important lessons for our 26 year old OP to ponder along the fish keeping path.
 
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Trust me this is stuff I’m keeping in mind. Most likely my tanks are either going in the garage or basement. I’ve told my significant other she can have the rest of the house to herself as long as I get the garage and the basement for my aquariums and guitar gear. As long as I get the space for my two main hobbies she can do whatever she wants with the rest of the house.
 
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Just tossing it out there...

When I was in my 20's I was far more transient than I am now and being able to move to another place was as simple as tossing my stuff in the back of the truck and waving.

There is nothing in my house now more difficult to move than my 800. It takes Samoans, scheduling, profanity, removing doors, pondering geometry and a stack of cash. If you don't think you've settled in for a spell I would not yet get a big tank unless you work for a company that pays for your moves. Once you get it placed and running you won't want to mess with moving it again for a long time.

Longer than that.
 
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Trouser Bark said:
Just tossing it out there...

When I was in my 20's I was far more transient than I am now and being able to move to another place was as simple as tossing my stuff in the back of the truck and waving.

There is nothing in my house now more difficult to move than my 800. It takes Samoans, scheduling, profanity, removing doors, pondering geometry and a stack of cash. If you don't think you've settled in for a spell I would not yet get a big tank unless you work for a company that pays for your moves. Once you get it placed and running you won't want to mess with moving it again for a long time.

Longer than that.
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Where I’m at right now is I’m currently an accountant at a CPA firm. I’m studying for my CPA. The firm seems to really value hard work and I don’t plan on leaving it. I also don’t want to be too far away from home so even if I did get a different job I don’t think I would move out of state. But I am sitting on a 180 so maybe I will set that up as a grow out for a few months to play it safe. But I will only do this when I have the funds to move on a bigger system so it’s not a matter of if I can upgrade but when I make the payment. I don’t want to be another person who buys baby monsters, says the will upgrade, and then never does.
 
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Well if you want to go this deep into the hobby then finding a spouse who is also on board is essential. Would rather be single than hear complaining about my aquariums.


As for the price it really is not that expensive as far as hobbies go. My old co-workers would buy a pack of cigarettes and some snacks at the gas station daily, sometimes more than once. I said I was going to start tallying it, and after a year they each had spent around 5,000$ doing that. When I showed them they said it was worth it for the convenience. They thought my aquariums were a lavish waste of money too, but it cost a lot less than their gas station hobby.


Anyway there seems to be this perception that aquariums are expensive, but they really aren't that bad especially when you put it into perspective.

As mentioned by others, heating the tank is the most expensive part. There are plenty of awesome fish that do not need a heater ,especially in such a huge tank where the temperatures will stay more stable on their own. Still a huge tank with a heater is perfectly affordable if you have a decent job.
 
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Trouser Bark said:
Just tossing it out there...

When I was in my 20's I was far more transient than I am now and being able to move to another place was as simple as tossing my stuff in the back of the truck and waving.

There is nothing in my house now more difficult to move than my 800. It takes Samoans, scheduling, profanity, removing doors, pondering geometry and a stack of cash. If you don't think you've settled in for a spell I would not yet get a big tank unless you work for a company that pays for your moves. Once you get it placed and running you won't want to mess with moving it again for a long time.

Longer than that.
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So I’m coming back to this thread because someone in my state is selling a 250 gallon tank (7ftx2ftx30inches) for $500. It’s an acrylic tank with an overflow. Is this something I should consider moving on as a temporary tank before I can get my dream tank? I feel like this could possibly be a cool saltwater setup for a large moray
 
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LambCh0p said:
So I’m coming back to this thread because someone in my state is selling a 250 gallon tank (7ftx2ftx30inches) for $500. It’s an acrylic tank with an overflow. Is this something I should consider moving on as a temporary tank before I can get my dream tank? I feel like this could possibly be a cool saltwater setup for a large moray
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Yes a great price for that aquarium. Go for it.
 
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