Want to save money in this hobby?

[cilyjr]

Join your local reef club!

Living in New England where the states are small and everything is packed together, i have the benefit of having at least 4 clubs within driving distance from my home. it took me some time to join the most local of these clubs. i was apprehensive to join. i made a lot of prejudgments about the sorts of people that might join a "fish" club. i did however log into the forum and chat a bit. after awhile i decided to attend a meeting and was glad i did. i met a bunch of regular people of all ages who shared a common interest with me. i joined that day! the club is a smaller club with maybe 40 or so members anywhere from 10 to 40 people can show up for a meeting. there is a much larger club in the area i have yet to attend a meeting (maybe i will if they bring a speaker i want to hear)they have attendance in the 100s.

I benefited greatly from joining my club. in addition to getting access to a wealth of information from members. i get amazing deals on live stock (the best deal for me as of yet is a colony of pink acro that is roughly a foot to a foot and a half, price was a bucket of salt) and equipment (see the 90gallon price list). and lets not forget the friendships i have made!!

another benefit are discounts at local fish stores and group buys. area club members get a 10% to 20% discount on supplies from several different stores in the area. also participating in group buys set up by members is a great way to save. need salt? get together with other members and buy a palliate of salt from an online vendor or even through a LFS. i have gotten the 200gallon box of IO for as low as $25 bucks. getting critters (clean up crew) and frag packs from online vendors in a group buy is great way to go as well!

here is a comparison of the 2 tanks i have set up. the first was a 46 bowfront. the current is a 90 gallon reef ready. the 46 was set up buying either online or from LFS. the 90 from club members and online vendors only. it is important to note that most of the equipment for the 90 was used, but all was in 100% working condition!


set up my 46 bowfront (without club)
tank (having it drilled too)$300ish
stand free (deal with tank)
skimmer $ 170
pumps (couple mag 5 couple maxi jets) 150ish
lights (pc first, than t-5) 400
sump 30
heater 30
test kits plumbing ect 60ish

total around $1100
i am sure i am forgetting some odds and ends.

after having that tank for a bout a year we bought a house and had room for a bigger tank. i had been an active member in my local club for most of the time. I have also been lurking in the shadows of the MEGA reef club in my area as well (some of the equipment came from their equipment forum).

setting up the 90rr (with help of club)

90 gallon reef ready tank 50 (used)
stand, 50
little giant 4-mdqx-sc pump (for CL) free (member/friend had it laying around)
other pumps (mag and maxijets)60ish
lights, more t-5, 100 (used, from member/ friend)
hood, 50
skimmer, free (member/ friend had like 3 of them rated for 150 gallon tank)
sump, 60 (used 75, the sump cost more than the display, hahaha)
heaters, (1 150w, 2 100w)30, 20,20

around 400 dollars for a tank that is more than twice as big! now thats savings. its important to note that i did not include live rock or sand which are an important parts of a natural filtration system.

i had around 70 LBS of live rock in the 46 i purchased online 40lbsfor $3.79 a LB (that included shipping) the extra 30lbs came in a piece at a time over a year (IDK how much it cost). then added another 40LBS from a friend/member for the 46 after i broke it down. currently i am adding dry base rock at a few pieces a week ( bringing the total to around 190-200 pounds) its very cheap and will go live in a few months!

it is also important to note how much help, in both physical labor and ideas on how to set up I got from people who have become friends! thanks for looking at my post. I would love to hear about anyone else out there that feels they have been helped by their local reefing club!

thanks,
House Bound in Blizzard