Running cost?

[Andre]

i have a question

Let me 1ste say i have a 650l tank with a sump i curently have malawi in them.

What will be the running cost of this tank if i convert it to salt water.

Just running cost not setup cost

If i have fish and corals.

Petstore told me around R1500 per month if i do it right.

Is this nr correct?

 

[Raven]

Hi,
Nope - way to high...
BUT - it all depends.
It depends on - how frequently you will do water changes, checking water parameters, what salt you use, what test kits you use...
What filter media you use etc...

At this stage I'm getting away with less than 300 a month. But - I'm not doing water changes, nor do I really test my water parameters.
But I would not advice you in following this route just yet - not for when you start with Marines. Once you get to know your tank, fish & corals it will be easier to skip water changes & only dose the required supplements...

 

[Andre]

Is this include fish food ?

 

[Adrian B]

That is a bit like the how long is a piece of string question- about a million variables. I run a 750 Litre system costs me about a R1000 a month, ask another 10 guys with a 750 litre system and they will all have a differant answear.

 

[RiaanP]

Fish Food, depends on how many fish, nano can go months on one tub, where I use 5 big tubs Ocean Nutrition in 6 to 7 weeks. On 650L you should be able to go between 1 to 2 tubs a month. At R400 a tub.

Salt, if you do the 10% water change religiously, at around R1000 for a tub that can mix 600L water. Depending on brand. So that is 60L per week, 10 water changes, 2 and a half months. So that is R400 per month.

Electrical. Depends on your equipment. DC pumps gives a lot more flow for the same wattage consumed. Focus on your return pump, then skimmer pump, then powerheads. Lights, T5 54W * 4 tubes, that is 200W. LED to cover that tank would also be close to 200W. Expect about another 200W for the pumps, and then 300W for the heaters.

Total, budget for at least a R1000 extra a month. But as you are already running heaters and buying fish food, the impact would not be that much. Power for the better lights, more flow pumps and skimmer would make the difference plus the salt costs.

 

[Raven]

Is this include fish food ?

Yip.
That includes my Fish food..

I use Ocean Nutrition, but because of fish load - it's lasting me 3 months...
But I'm making my own food which I feed every other day. (Fish roe, Spirulina, hake, mussels, prawns etc) This mixture last me at least 5 months.

 

[r0ckf1re]

I still have the salt I started my 200L system with. I do a water change once a month. I dont realy dose anything. Some months it costs me nothing, some months its costs me R500.

It depends a lot on what you want to achieve, and do.

I keep my system as simple as possible and enjoy it a alot.

 

[yusufp]

I still have the salt I started my 200L system with. I do a water change once a month. I dont realy dose anything. Some months it costs me nothing, some months its costs me R500.

It depends a lot on what you want to achieve, and do.

I keep my system as simple as possible and enjoy it a alot.

What % water changes do you do?

 

[r0ckf1re]

What % water changes do you do?

25L.
I honestly dont know what the electricity cost would be, I suppose R100-R202 at most as my bill has not really increased dramatically. I got around 50Watt Leds,2000L Pump, Bubble Magnus Curve 5 Skimmer, STC100 Controller with a 300W heater and fan, and a small air pump for my Orca Bio cubes all running permanently. My 39Watt x 4 ATi T5's run from 13h00 to around 18h00 or 19h00.

 

[459b]

1500 a month?! Am I doing something wrong?
Switching to bulk diy chemicals saved me a ton of money and my fish no longer get store bought flakes, they get a mix of fresh seafood, clams, mussels, etc, that I get from a fish shop. Could sage more if I collected myself

 

[Andre]

Thanks so it all depends

Are all of you keeping corals as well ?

 

[RiaanP]

Are all of you keeping corals as well ?

Yebo

There are not a lot of fish only tanks. FOWL - fish only with liverock
Guys with butterflies and angels mostly, as a lot of those fish are not reef safe.

 

[oliver]

As I dont live in SA anymore I will convert our prices to rand Salt 200 rand lasts for about 3 months 10% water change weekly,food mostly make my own chemicals and additives about a other 150 rand electricity cant really compare.