Yeah. Have a bite of this here apple, Eve - tastes real good. =)

Yeahhhhhhh... I guess I should just get a pass to the Vancouver Aquarium for a year and go there every day or whenever I feel like looking at fish. I'm a student and an artist (what could be worse in terms of getting rich strategy!), guess it would be hard to afford a beauty :(
You guys post wonderful pictures and make me really really want one, but when I look at the hardware gallery it hurts my brain to even think about learning to operate all that. Looks WAAAAAY too complicated!
Will enjoy your pictures and my mean Betta fish :razz: :cry:
Hope one day...
Jenna

LOL !

On my 108 Gal, i stopped counting after 7g's
My 66 gal now is @ 5K.
I have seen tanks above 20K and this is not something really special.
People who have expencive tank setups do NOT post here i am sure.
Ask in your LFS who's tank they look after and they will tall you how much someone can throw at the tank.

In Europe that is even more creazy.

This would lead to conclusion that people are ready to spend more. thats why we see equipment in 2-3 k range now like LED light and new skimmers line.
The 64000 $ question is what cen WE do about it?

how about your wife, friends and personal life

Well, you don't HAVE to spend five grand on a system. I guess it all depends on the amount of disposable income you're able to throw at it.

In the end, we all do what we can with what we have. There are a lot of items that people get to make things easier, though they're not *really* necessary.

The hobby doesn't have to be overly expensive. If you have a limited budget consider buying used equipment. There are a lot of great deals to be had in the forsale section of this site. As an example I picked up a 75 gallon tank, 90 gallon tank, pc lighting for both and glass tops for both for $150.00. Just bide your time and pick things up as you can.

Most of the really nice big tanks come over time as well. People will upgrade to bigger tanks and re-use equipment. A lot of coral colonies start as little frags. Others will have dedicated frag tanks to grow them out and sell for cash to support thier hobby. There are losts of ways to do this on the down low without breaking the bank.

A lot depend s on the type of tank you want. Of course size but also what do you want to keep? That will dictate what you need for equipment etc.

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I always compare my expenses to that of keeping other types of pets. I don't think it's uncommon for people to spend upwards of $600-$700 anually on a dog (not including the initial purchase). Which should be roughly what I spend a year on maintaining the tank. My initial cost can't really be pinpointed though, because I'm one of those who have slowly upgraded over the years. It's not those most ecomoical way to get a big tank, but it doesn't bite your wallet so hard right off the bat.

It's not the hydro, salt, additives & food that is the expensive part. It's the "oh, let's visit the LFS & just take a look" visits that hurt the wallet. Often find another fish, coral (especially) or invert that you suddenly just need to have. There are very few nice, colourful specimens you can add to your tank for less than $30, so it can get expensive stocking a tank real fast, unless you're patient enough to go the "grow-out your own frags" route.

Anthony