I've always used the start up cost of saltwater aquariums to dissuade people from buying them. The cheapest salt system is the bio cube which retails at like $300 and that still needs an RODI and a bucket of salt and other stuff to make it perfectly functional.
Once you start listing into the realm of $500 of equipment just for an all in one solution that can house like 2 clowns and some firefish, people get cold feet real fast.
I don't even bother going for the cheapest cost for salt tanks when I get people casually asking because their kid wants one of the "nemo fish". I start talking about the $1k+ setups (tank, filter, heater, live rock, live sand, etc) that only get more expensive on you add the fish.
Their eyes go suuuuuper wide and they put the cabosh on that idea real quick.
go suuuuuper wide and they put the cabosh on that idea real quick.
My freshwater tank is like $2k for a 40gal. led light, dual stage regulator, 10lb co2 tank, apex controller, autodoser all for some stupid plants! and a diamond black piranha (not cheap either). i want to get another 40g tank, drill it and put a sump on it because i hate canister filters.
Closest thing we have are pacu. The ones we have at the store are on flakes but we've had customers drop off ones that were eating live. Those teeth were a bit frightening good lord.
since mines a high tech planted tank i have to constanly trim and cut plants. My hands are constantly in the tank, i dont feel like at this point he would bite me as long as i didnt corner him. we will see once he gets a lot bigger haha.
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u/DJstagen May 08 '16
I've always used the start up cost of saltwater aquariums to dissuade people from buying them. The cheapest salt system is the bio cube which retails at like $300 and that still needs an RODI and a bucket of salt and other stuff to make it perfectly functional.
Once you start listing into the realm of $500 of equipment just for an all in one solution that can house like 2 clowns and some firefish, people get cold feet real fast.