why is setting up a marine tank so expensive?

Answer 1

1) additional equipment (protein skimmer, salt, hydrometer, sump, etc.)

2) many of the fish and inverts have not yet been bred in captivity (or with any degree of relibility to make the effort commercially feasible). This is because...

a) some larval fish need different environments than adult

b) some larvae are so small they cannot take typical foods

c) some are so large and territorial as adults, you'd need
a large pond to breed a single pair

So look at it this way - if you buy a freshwater fish, the fish farmer (in Florida most likely) has rows of big outside ponds with water flowing through them where he keeps thousands of breeding pairs in the right conditions for them to breed. They get hundreds of millions of fry. The general costs you are paying for include feeding, paying someone to feed, net, bag, and ship the fish, food and shipping supplies, air travel to the airport nearest your store, UPS to the store, the store marks up their price 2-3x for profit. This may seem like it would add up to a lot, but because of the number of individual fish and types of fish, you can get lots of fish for less than $5. Let's look at costs for marine fish that can't be bred in captivity - Someone has to go to where that type of fish is found (cost of boat, crew, and fuel) and divers to catch the fish. Since many areas are regulating how the fish are caught (add some $$$ because hand netting is slower and catches fewer fish). They may not be able to collect fish every day (bad weather, mechanical problems with boat). Then the boat and crew have to return to port. Fish have to be transported to a holding facility (sometines that fish farm if they have holding areas with saltwater), sorted, fed (and wild caught fish don't eat cheap flakes or pellets), plus you still have the above costs for freshwater fish to get them to your store. But now, instead of talking hundreds of thousands, maybe we only have numbers in the thousands. So instead of paying $5, you're now paying $50 (or more).

But then, if you're paying $500-$1,000 for the fish, corals, and inverts for a decent sized tank, don't you want to get the right equipment that will help keep them alive?

It would be possible to reduce the price of marine fish if we went back to the "old ways" of fish collecting - cyanide and TNT, but at what environmental cost? There's been talk in the hobby about further collecting restrictions, which will drive the cost of wild caught fish even higher.

One of the best things a saltwater fish keeper can do is to support those shops in their area that supply captive-bred marine fish (especially those who deal with local breeders and hobbyists) and the researchers working to breed marine fish in captivity. Once a reliable captive-bred source of marine fish can be established, the cost of the fish should go down.

Answer 2

Setting up any tank is expensive.

Answer 3

because marine fish arnt suitable for the cold and stuff over here, so we have to buy expensive equipment to try and simulate their natural environment in their tank, if you didnt they would die within the day probably.

Answer 4

Its become a money making racket.I have kept tropical fish
for 12years & there has been a huge price increase due to more people have become interested in keeping them.So the companies have jumped on the band waggon.

Answer 5

Because your trying to replicate a very fragile and balanced enviroment. Each piece of equipment gives you a better chance of setting up a healthy enviroment for your livestock to thrive in.

Answer 6

Because the equitment is expensive or it could be the store you are purchasing your AQUARIUM from. But dude, you need some details!

Answer 7

because of the salt water, it has to be perfect or the fish will die,

Answer 8

IT depends what size your talking bout