How to calculate running costs of a large tank

YOYOYOReefer · Oct 17, 2022

big tanks = big dehumidifiers/ air exchangers etc.. the "hidden costs" that can be higher than the fixed costs.

we have solar SO I can say without the power component i still spend $200-$300 a month for 1 smaller reef and 2 300 gallon predator tanks and one lagoon thats probably 3000 gallons . I do run alot of UV and bigger skimmers so i have to get replacement uv bulbs and salt., but i dont care about the power as the solar is oversized and runs the barn and the house.

flashsmith · Oct 17, 2022

Costs me roughly $100 a month to run a 170 gallon and an 80 gallon. Another $100 for additives and food. Another $100 for filtration needs. Another $100 for when things unexpectedly fail. Another..... Well you get the picture... There's no bottom in this rabbit hole.

thatmanMIKEson · Oct 17, 2022

It's not how much allowance I get, the question is how big is my mom's basement...

flashsmith · Oct 17, 2022

Also my entire drinkware set in my house consists of Saltwater Aquarium pint glasses and shot glasses. And that's just from the last year. Lol

Rick's Reviews · Oct 17, 2022

Send your wife and kids off on holiday, paid for via you, take a meter reading from day one you dropped them off at airport, then take a meter reading before you pick them up from airport, in a 7 day period this is how much your equipment costs

SVP · Jan 9, 2023

Kodski said:
I'm looking into planning a large aquarium build. The smallest I'd like to go is 400 gallons and potentially all the way up to around 1200-1500 gallons. What very well could be the limiting factor however, isn't the actual volume of water. I'm thinking my limiting factor will be running cost. I'm not worried about equipment cost and startup costs, as I can always DIY, buy used, or save up. That does no good though, if in the end, I get everything up and running just to find out that my pocketbook isn't up to the task of supporting that large of a tank let alone enough of a budget left over afterwards to actually put a living animal in the tank. So being one that likes to research and plan things out, that brings me to the question of, how does one calculate running costs of a large tank?

Of course you have consumables like salt, filter socks, filters, light bulbs, ect, all of which are fixed enough to at least calculate based on water volume, water change plan, and length of running time. But then you have things like, calcium dosing, alk dosing, that are all variable tank to tank. You've also got your literal consumables, all your fish food, how does one at least come up with a rough cost estimate for all of these?

Then there is power. Again, you've got the easy things to calculate like return pumps, powerheads, skimmer, ect. Using wattage and estimated run time you can figure out running costs that way. But how does one calculate the cost to actually heat such a volume of water? Figure out the ambient temperature difference vs the desired temp, then somehow figure out the thermal heat transfer efficiency of whatever heating method I go with? Is that even possible? Or what about humidity control, on large tanks humidity is always a concern and we all know it sure costs enough to keep our house comfortable, let alone having several hundred gallons of water to worry about as well.

I understand for a small tank, running costs are just part of owning a tank, and if you're worried about the running costs there that you've probably chosen the wrong hobby. However, I have got to imagine that at some point there has to be some kind of regard and planning to upkeep costs in relationship to the size of the tank. I mean, some of the large tanks home to Reef2Reef have got to cost several hundred if not thousands of dollars a month to maintain and keep running. I personally just want to figure out where my limit is BEFORE I go through the trouble of planning a tank that ends up being too large for me, er.. my wallet to support.

Here ya go you can figure out every detail you'd like with this link. Your situation will differ from every other cat. Soo many variables. so plug your numbers into the calculator and viola.