Controlling Hobby Spending and Buying Usefull Products

B

blide

Last night I was reviewing my 12 month financials and noticed I was spending way too much a month on marine items! :shock: This really made me start thinking about how much crap I bought overtime and had to ask myself "What's really changed about my tank that justify's spending this much"? So I thought I would create a thread where we could brainstorm on what products we really need and what products could be utilized more efficent for our tanks.

For example flow: I've spent a stupid amount on flow over time on my 75g that could of been prevented with less money and better products.

MJ1200 - X3 = $60
MJ900 - X1 = $17
Algae Free Powerhead Magnet - X1 = $25
Chavet Wavemaker = $40
SQWD = $50
Closed loop pump = $100
Closed loop plumbing - $20
Tunze Stream 6000 - X1 = $260
Single Controller = $60
Tunze 6045 NanoStream - X1 = $100
Shipping costs = $40

Total - $772

Which is crazy because I could be running a Tunze Wavebox and a Tunze 6000 (or 2 Vortechs w/Battery Backup) for the same price and would of never needed all this other stuff. Plus had better quality products, more flow, and items that hold more value if I needed to sell them.

I know some of this information is obvious to some people, but I wanted to share this in hopes someone else wouldn't make the same mistakes as I did on water flow. :D
 
Yeah I feel your pain...I spent way too much money on equipment for my tanks that I can see I could of done by buying a quality product the first time. Or having a hair an buying something on a whim without sitting down and thinking out the purchase....

My next tank I am thinking about biting the bullet and getting two vortecs. just do not know yet
 
I understand where your at Bill. I recently went threw everything in the closet and had small power head after powerhead . Useless to me for my 180. Time , money , and gas running around town looking for good deals and now just sitting in the closet.

I don't want to think about prices and money really spent on useless products I'd probably break down. Only 2 yrs in the hobbie I can only imagine you 8yr and up guys.
 
I'm actually thinking about paying someone to sort out a room FULL of junk (fish stuff) that my husband refuses to clean up or sell off. ~_~ who knows how much money he's spent on all those useless stuff. just fish tanks, we've got 8 or 10 laying in that room... *cry*
 
I have an idea, how about the club have an excess items garage sale for members only. This way one members useless items could be another members gain.

Maybe we could do this during one of our monthly meetings instead of our normal presentations.
 
sounds good to me . drop one item pick up an item. My wife would love that coming home with the same amount of stuff I left with.
 
That still dosn't control spending because the intial purchase is being made by someone. The idea of the thread is to eliminate the used goods "goldmine" by never buying them in the first place. :D
 
It all sounds good to me....as I am needy for all things aquarium.....So in order to prevent me from filling up a closet with non-essentials and killing my cashflow, I would gladly take any advice on how to and what to equip my tank with.....I have a non-drilled 150 gal tank with approx 180 lbs live rock....a very full tank of fish!!!! 17 total.. they came with! What I am in need of is lighting and need to set up sump...not sure where to start, I keep watching the buy/trade on here but am always a little late when I think I see what I need, or when I see something not sure that it is what I need :roll: Any advice? or if you want to unload any "stuff" on me that I might need.......that's cool too! I do have a few soft corals, and a small anemone. would like lighting that will support a clam!
 
Even though I am able to deduct most of my stuff, I still cringe at the cost. The last 2 months have been BIG months for costs, but the previous year or so was very small.
 
This is an evolving hobby!!!

I don't think that anyone started with a 17,000g reef with all the rare coral and fish. The best advice that I got before I set up was go as big as I could afford. I went with a 100g now I am starting a 250g and it has only been a year. As we spend more time in the hobby we learn from our mistakes and hopefully others. There is no reason that a maxi jet pump is useless to someone starting out. I am just glad they are cheep and create flow. It does not take all the top of the line equipment to have a successful reef tank. It is up to ones self to determine what is useless. It will be different for everyone.

We should be talking about the bad pumps that kill tanks or lighting that burns down houses.

JMO
 
my first post was not really helpful to the thread, i apologize.


I do however agree with blide and eman. I think that you get what you pay for, and having a plan and following it instead of getting side-tracked into 10 different "cheaper" ways of doing something is good.

On the other hand, i started with a 37g and scraped up the money for 2 24" pc lights, now i've got useless retro pc lights laying around and a 37g tank and so on and so on. they worked we'll in the beggining though
 
What? Ya'll mean you haven't trained your Tang's to poop money??? Oh man, I thought everyone had learned that trick, makes the hobby SO much more palatable!

But seriously... Yeah... I've got closets full of wasted money on projects, additions, changes, etc that I eventually didn't pursue... But, I didn't know what the heck I was doing when I set my current tank up, so the whole thing was a huge learning experience... When/if I ever set up a totally new tank from the ground up, it'll be FAR better planned, with the right money spent in the right places from the beginning...
 
I think a healthy reef tank comes down to the trinity of:
Light - Water movement - Water quality

So I think time/money/planning should focus on:
lights - pumps - skimmer

What do yall think?
 
i wouldnt look at it as a mistake $460 of it went just to the Tunzes :shock:

the closed loop system is a thing that can be very handy and it didnt cost that much 8)

a huge pump on the closed loop with scwd and add on the wavebox like you stated above would be a good choice.... but thats if we lived in a perfect world made of gum drops and the Tunze wavebox was $50 each :lol:
 
Controlling & Money.... Those two hardly ever go well with me. I spend more a week on fish than groceries and clothes (and other necessities :)) combined! I grw bored with freshwater since once you became fully stocked, you could only buy some food and maybe a plant and you were done. Reefkeeping means theres an endless possibility of coral when you're first starting up, I bet even 10 years from now I'll have difficulty not bying things for my tank(s).
 
To control yourself when you make purchases, never buy it the same day you want to. Sleep on it. Either that or make a list before you go shopping. Make yourself a budget for reef stuff per month that is a reasonable amount you can spend and your spouse would be in agreement on.

Put that amount of cash in a envelope marked "tank stuff" and put the money in at the first of the month. Use cash. It's harder to let go of than debit or credit purchases. When the money's gone, you stop spending for the month. This is just for those people who want to learn to delay gratification for a reward in the future, which I know a lot of us are still kids and we want it now, and I mean now.

Just some thoughts. The dreaded "B" word, a budget. Make yourself a budget for reef stuff. Save until you can get what you want. Go slower and learn everything doesn't have to be perfect right now.

Kay
 
"Budget we dont need no stinking budget" my blazzing saddles rendition...

Yeah it is hard for me to budget when great group buys come up like sand or things I know I need come up on the sales forum.. I wish I knew about dfwmas when I bought and setup my first tank that was definetly a major drain on my funds....I guess I need an intervention....definetly glad gmacy bought the bermuda prop tank.
 
I have another good example of buying the right products: Controlling Tank Parameters

1 - Pinpoint PH Meter w/Probe = $90
1 - Rainbow Temp Thermometer (crappy & unreliable) = $30
3 - Light Timers = $30
1 - Wavemaker = $40 to $80
+ shipping costs and etc.

Total = $230+

With that amount of money you could buy an Aquacontroller JR or a Reef Keeper!! Which are dependable products with more functionality and hold more value at re-sale.

:D
 
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