A reef tank cost calculator estimates how much it takes to set up and maintain a saltwater aquarium by combining equipment, livestock, supplies, and electricity. Use it to build a reef keeping budget before you buy a nano tank, mixed reef, or larger show system.
Prefer to track the real numbers after setup? My Reef Log helps you log livestock, maintenance, and water test history in one place.
Suggested ranges assume a quality beginner-to-intermediate mixed reef setup. Changing tank size resets the calculator back to recommended values for that system.
Current estimate is based on a 75 gallon system.
Core hardware needed to get water circulating, lit, heated, and topped off.
Glass, rimless, or AIO display only.
Stock stand, DIY stand, or finished cabinet.
LED fixture sized for soft corals to mixed reef coverage.
Sump, AIO filtration upgrades, or hang-on equipment.
Wave pumps, return pump, and basic plumbing parts.
Heater, controller, or a second heater for redundancy.
ATO pump, reservoir, and sensors.
A first wave of hardy livestock for a new reef tank after the cycle is complete.
Snails, hermits, and starter utility inverts.
A small mix of hardy frags like zoas, mushrooms, and euphyllia.
Clowns, gobies, blennies, or other beginner-safe fish.
One-time purchase items you usually need before the tank can run smoothly.
Enough salt to fill the system and handle early water changes.
Salinity, alkalinity, calcium, magnesium, nitrate, and phosphate.
Replacement cartridges, DI resin, or starter filter set.
Recurring supply costs once the tank is established.
Assumes regular water changes every month.
Alkalinity, calcium, trace elements, and occasional media.
Pellets, frozen food, nori, and coral nutrition.
Refills for checkers, reagents, carbon, or phosphate remover.
Estimate monthly power use from lighting, pumps, and heater runtime. The electricity total gets added to the monthly reef budget automatically.
Estimated monthly cost: $12.48
Estimated monthly cost: $12.10
Estimated monthly cost: $8.12
Adjust this to match your local power bill.
Start with a preset like 20g, 40g, 75g, or 120g, or enter your own custom gallons.
Check the recommended cost ranges for equipment, livestock, and first-purchase consumables.
Update any min or max fields if you are buying used gear, premium lighting, or a larger coral pack.
Fine-tune salt, additives, food, testing, and electricity to see what ownership may cost after the tank is running.
A small reef tank often starts around the low four figures once you add the tank, stand, lighting, filtration, livestock, salt, and test kits. Larger systems climb fast because lighting, pumps, and livestock budgets usually scale with display size.
Lighting, filtration, and the display system usually absorb the biggest part of the budget. Livestock can quickly overtake equipment spending if you jump into designer corals or premium fish early.
Monthly reef keeping costs usually come from salt, additives, food, testing supplies, and electricity. A modest nano tank may stay fairly light, while larger mixed reefs can spend much more each month once coral growth and power use increase.
Yes, used tanks, stands, and pumps can lower the initial cost a lot. The tradeoff is higher risk on items with seals, electronics, or hidden wear, so it helps to keep a repair buffer in your budget.
Usually yes, because larger systems need more salt, more additives, stronger lighting, and more flow. The upside is that bigger tanks often offer more stability, which can reduce losses from mistakes.
Confirm true water volume before budgeting equipment and salt.
Estimate water-change salt usage once your tank is running.
Plan supplement costs when coral demand starts climbing.
Check whether your starter fish list fits the system size.