What will it cost?
Rough costs in Canadian dollars, before you commit. The price of the animal isn't included.
A reef tank
A reef tank is the most expensive kind of aquarium to set up and to run. The corals themselves start small and cheap, and grow.
- To set up
- $2,400 – $8,000
- Before it comes home
- Each year
- $1,050 – $2,750
- About $88 – $229 a month
- The first year
- $3,450 – $10,750
- Set-up plus a year of keeping
- Over its lifetime
- $12,900 – $145,500
- Usually lives 10 to 50 years
Before it comes home
- Tank, stand and sump$800 – $3,000
- Pumps, heater, skimmer and reef lighting$1,200 – $4,000
- Rock, sand, salt and test kits$400 – $1,000
Total$2,400 – $8,000
Every year after
- Salt and purified water$300 – $700
- Food$100 – $250
- Supplements and test kits$300 – $900
- Electricity$350 – $900
Total$1,050 – $2,750
These are rough guides for planning, not quotes. Prices vary a lot by region and by what you choose, and one emergency vet visit can cost more than a year of everything else. The price of the animal isn't included.