# Construction Cost



## SteveR (Jul 26, 2012)

So.. this is a little embarassing, but I believe an honest accounting is in order. I am about ready to *start* stocking this viv/terrarium with plants, and thought I should take an honest look at what it has cost so far.

Zoomed 12x12x18 terrarium	1	62.73	62.73

Zoomed Canopy	1	19.99	19.99
JungleDawn LED Bulb	1	36.99	36.99
Exo hygro/thermometer	1	16.72	16.72
Eheim filter (2211)	1	72.38	72.38
Eheim quick connects	2	9.99	19.98
40mm fan & A/C adapt	1	9.99	9.99

Black Silicone	1	3.99	3.99
Drylok - Gal	1	24.95	24.95
Styrofoam Boards	1	7.99	7.99
Paint brushes	2	0.79	1.58
Sandstone tiles	1	4.99	4.99
Eggcrate Diffuser	1	12.00	12.00
Unsanded Grout	1	11.99	11.99
Loctite adhesive	1	3.69	3.69
Gorilla Glue	1	10.97	10.97
Cement Tint	2	5.99	11.98
1-3/4" Glass drill	1	24.99	24.99
1" bulkhead	1	4.99	4.99
8x10" Glass (for top)	1	4.99	4.99
Zip Ties	1	2.99	2.99

Tree Fern Panels	2	24.95	49.90
ABG Mix	1	7.49	7.49
Cork Bark (Jumbo)	1	36.98	36.98
Ghost Wood	1	17.99	17.99
Tree Fern Substrate	1	6.80	6.80
Sphagnum Moss	1	12.99	12.99

====
Total: $503.02

Of course, now I have enough of this stuff to do it again for 1/2 the price. (But that, you see... is the trap...  )


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## tgregoire (Jul 21, 2010)

Yes, its def an expensive hobby! I have 2 tanks that cost me atleast 500 a pc, and im planning a new one that will probably cost atleast double that! No animals or plants included! But to me its worth every penny cause nature is priceless!!!!


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## SteveR (Jul 26, 2012)

I feel the need to say that a basic terrarium setup can be pretty modestly priced too, but once I got into an external filter and water pump, building a false bottom and fake stonework etc etc... then it sort of starts ...uh...growing.

That isnt a complaint - I think the end result is very nice - I am very much digging it. Just thought I would post something showing people (like me) that are new to it what they may be in for... depending on what the goals are.

After all... you could be doing this as an alternative...

The Hipster Home » Blog Archive » How to Make a Tiny Terrarium in a Light Bulb

or anything bigger, smaller, or in between.


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## cudda15 (Dec 7, 2011)

Staggering...nice itemization.


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## The Dude1 (Jul 5, 2012)

It is expensive given that you had to buy so much and went with a DIY background etc. I just finished turning my 46g into a really nice enclosure and I think I'm into it for less than $100 including plants. I had the tank, alot of wood, lights etc and I got more wood and moss etc from our property in Blue Ridge.


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## Totenkampf (Jun 25, 2012)

the eheim 2211 usually comes with quick disconnects so take that savings and upgrade your top from glass to acryllic. the greater clarity will refract less of the radiation spectra that your plants want. the tanks themselves arent too bad. its the substrate and wood that gets silly lol.


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## jeeperrs (Jan 14, 2010)

Wait until you start accounting for the actual frogs....


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## cudda15 (Dec 7, 2011)

jeeperrs said:


> Wait until you start accounting for the actual frogs....


Great Point!


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## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

I have wanted to do this...so here goes (I hope you dont mind - and if you dont maybe others will follow suit)

20g L Tank - $20
Egg Crate - $10
Two Josh's Frogs Orders for various supplies (wood, substrate barrier, leaves, sphagnum, plant cups, etc) - $140
Large Zoomed Cork Bark - $15 
More wood from Petsmart - $20
Silicone - $10 
Zip ties - $4
Play sand - $3
Aquarium Gravel - $10
EcoEarth - $10
Manzinita Wood - $16
Seiryu Stone - $21
Fogger - $50
Water Pump - $15
Airline tubing - $4
T5 Light - $45
Two cans of pond Great Stuff - $20 
Coconut - $2 
Segment of rope - $2

I still need more lace rock - $10
Some mopani wood - $30-40
A glass top - $20 at least Im getting it beveled, shatterproofed, and potentially drilled/cut.
More silicone - stuff I got was wrong color, and probably not enough - $16
I cant find a stone slate online at lowes so - $X.xx
Cost to potentially have the tank drilled - $X.xx
Pack of Straws - $2
MistKing System - $189
5 gal bucket - $4

Bought so far: $417
To Buy: $281 + $X.xx
Grand Total: $698 +$X.xx 

I figure that by the time I have plants all in it will be near a grand for this 20g L. 

Didnt plan on that when I started for sure. 

I THINK this is it...might have to add stuff later on.


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## radiata (Jul 24, 2010)

tgregoire said:


> Yes, its def an expensive hobby! I have 2 tanks that cost me atleast 500 a pc, and im planning a new one that will probably cost atleast double that! No animals or plants included! But to me its worth every penny cause nature is priceless!!!!


Expensive hobby? You've never kept a reef tank! Froggers don't need 8 or 10 different test kits (the more accurate the more $), monthly salt water changes, very high output lighting, protein skimmers, assorted reactors, high volume water pumps, unregulated vendor claims, etc. I'm still a reefer too, but I really love the cost of the frogger hobby...


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## GRIMM (Jan 18, 2010)

You haven't spent a lot until you stop keeping track


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## SteveR (Jul 26, 2012)

radiata said:


> Expensive hobby? You've never kept a reef tank! Froggers don't need 8 or 10 different test kits (the more accurate the more $), monthly salt water changes, very high output lighting, protein skimmers, assorted reactors, high volume water pumps, unregulated vendor claims, etc. I'm still a reefer too, but I really love the cost of the frogger hobby...


Yeah.. I ran a 75 gallon reef for about 5 years. That was a serious investment in time and $.... but I tell you - nothin quite like a really healthy wall of live rock - a live sandbed teeming with who knows what - wave makers, dimming moon cycle lights... its great.

Not for the feint of heart or timid.


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## tgregoire (Jul 21, 2010)

I would consider it an expensive hobby but its all in how deep you get into it, if your throwing leca and coco fiber in a 20 gal, with a lid and hand misting its not so ridiculous, but if your building tanks that look like you cut out a chunk of earth and stuck it in a glass box....yes they get a little pricey, those whove built em, know what im talking about! 

I would consider reefing outrageous, thats why i dont do it!


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## SteveR (Jul 26, 2012)

Shrug. Its not a contest.

I think the entire ecosystem reconstruction business... reef, tropical vivarium... whatever.... 1/3 art, 1/3 science and 1/3 love.

Its all good - as long as you only bite off what you can comfortably chew.


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## bsr8129 (Sep 23, 2010)

kingfisherfleshy said:


> I have wanted to do this...so here goes (I hope you dont mind - and if you dont maybe others will follow suit)
> 
> 20g L Tank - $20
> Egg Crate - $10
> ...


That's a rediclous amount to spend on a 20gal


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## Krenshaw22 (Apr 21, 2011)

radiata said:


> Expensive hobby? You've never kept a reef tank! Froggers don't need 8 or 10 different test kits (the more accurate the more $), monthly salt water changes, very high output lighting, protein skimmers, assorted reactors, high volume water pumps, unregulated vendor claims, etc. I'm still a reefer too, but I really love the cost of the frogger hobby...


The reason I got out and moved over to frog vivaria.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2


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## Krenshaw22 (Apr 21, 2011)

My cost
20 gallon tank- free I had it
2 can of great stuff- 8$
Sheet of glass 10$
Silicone- 6$
Leaf litter- free its everywhere
Window screen- free
Eggcrate- 12$
Screen frame and end connectors-12
Screen spline fill-in 3$
Wood and slate- free
All my mini orchids 8 species- free my cousin raises and breeds them
Zip ties-1$
Hinges-2$
Handle- free
Superglue- 1$ 
Light bulbs- 8$ 
About 60$ my mini orchid tank is my cheapest ever made. My 20 long coated over 300$.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2


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## kitcolebay (Apr 7, 2012)

Well, you got me curious. I had saved most of my receipts, but hadn't dared to add them yet. Figured it looked like less if left in their pretty pile. I TRIED to do mine on a tight budget.
My setup is a 150 gallon tank w/stand. Canister filters. 8-bulb HOt5 lights. Waterfall feature. "Creek". Humidifier/fogger. "Rain" setup. DIY misting system. DIY outlet center with 6 outlets on individual switches and 6 always on. http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/81687-6ft-150-gal-first-time-palu-build.html http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/me...150-gallons-12-leucs-6-ft-2-months-later.html

Here's the rounded numbers of my project...
150 gallon tank with stand and 3 canister filters- $50
60" 8-bulb 80 watt HOt5 light fixture- $75
New glass canopies- $80
60"/54 LED lunar light bar- $55
ABG, hydroton, leaf litter, digital gauges- $80
Zoomed cork rounds- $25
Eggcrate/false bottom- $24
"Pond" wall- $13
Fittings/hoses- $40
Misting lines/vines and nozzles- $18
Electrical and timers- $20
Great Stuff- $18
Silicone- $21
Titebond- $19
Buckets of gravel/rock- $8
Peat moss- $10
Coco Husk- $14
Coconuts- $10
Black contact paper- $6
Humidifer/fogger, slate, screen, foam sheets, pump- Free
Plants- $125'ish
D. leucs- 6 for $180
More D. leucs- 6 for $130

Total before plants and frogs- $556
Total after plants and 12 Leucs- $991
Not too bad, but a lot more than I thought

-Chris


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## Duff (Aug 4, 2011)

SteveR said:


> Shrug. Its not a contest.
> 
> I think the entire ecosystem reconstruction business... reef, tropical vivarium... whatever.... 1/3 art, 1/3 science and 1/3 love.
> 
> Its all good - as long as you only bite off what you can comfortably chew.


Well said I say! The great thing about this hobby is that there's a price point for most everyone from budget minded to "all out" and every where in between. The opportunity to focus on just plants, or frogs or a combo of the two, to be creative or habitat minded. It's just plain awesome to see everyone interpretation. I think these posts are great for outlining that if not monitored the cost can get very expensive but can also be done on a budget! I started keeping track on my 1st tank and came out at about $70 but then decided it was best to let it be and buy only what I can afford at the time - as well as keep a lengthy wish list for the future


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## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

bsr8129 said:


> That's a rediclous amount to spend on a 20gal


Its my first viv...like I said, I come from the world of reefing where it seems you get what you pay for. Now its up to me to see if my scaping will be anything but rubbish...I hope I can make it look as good as it costs. 

I really want to do a good job (we will see about that) and a couple times Im having to go back and rebuy things because it wasnt quite right. 

(I did that $40 wood order last night from NEHERP so that I wont risk the grapewood I had bought from Josh's Frogs disintigrating. Interesting comment - I dont think Josh's warns you about that, but NEHERP does kinda cool.)

Another thing is that some people are well connected, or have, or can afford to buy in bulk. Im a college student, and Im paying shipping a million times cause saving up this much money at once would take me half a year. 

I get that I could have bought a Ten gallon, put ABG in the bottom, added some plants, some sphagnum moss, a coco hut and called it a day...but the thing that really got me interested in this was the beautiful, stunning, and realistic displays of others...hence my budget I guess. I have a piece of the reef, and now I want a piece of the jungle!


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## Quickness (Jul 19, 2012)

radiata said:


> Expensive hobby? You've never kept a reef tank! Froggers don't need 8 or 10 different test kits (the more accurate the more $), monthly salt water changes, very high output lighting, protein skimmers, assorted reactors, high volume water pumps, unregulated vendor claims, etc. I'm still a reefer too, but I really love the cost of the frogger hobby...


Agreed 100%. I too am still in the salt water hobby and have dished out hundereds for an eye of a chalice that was the size of a pencil eraser.. 

You are usally into it an easy couple thousand for a decent sized setup, nice equipment, sand, and rock. Fish and coral not included. LOL So when I see a frog that is only 70-80 and most plants I have seen being no more then 20-30, is a bargin!


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## Quickness (Jul 19, 2012)

300.00+ without the chance of them actually breeding and making some sort of return on them... Then had them vanish about a week or so later.


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## nonliteral (Mar 26, 2012)

My hobby rule of thumb has always been that if you're still willing to add up the numbers and look at the total while sober, you're probably still okay...


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## nonliteral (Mar 26, 2012)

Quickness said:


> 300.00+ without the chance of them actually breeding and making some sort of return on them... Then had them vanish about a week or so later.


For me, the worst ones always stuck around -- usually expensive angels who'd slowly starve while I went to ever more crazy and expensive extremes to try to get them to eat in captivity...


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## kingfisherfleshy (Mar 17, 2012)

With a tank stocked with the likes of a clown tang, chevron tang, purple tang, blotched anthias, majestic angelfish, mystery wrasse and more...Im very used to spending money on my reef. 

However...think of it this way. 

I also ran a 75g reef. I got all the rock and sand (plus a bunch of other stuff I later replaced for $150) at a garage sale...you can get dry rock and sand (the best stuff IMO) really cheap these days. 

All I needed then was lights (having a hard time selling a complete sunlight supply 2x 250W MH system right now...for $75), a tank, heater, skimmer (AquaC Remora worked for a 75g - $170) and 4x Koralia 4's. 

All told, if I did stuff the right way on that tank...bought my lights used...the total cost would be less than what I just spent on this viv Im building now. 

It all just depends what you are going for. The little things have added up on thsi viv...a little of this material, a little of that materia.

When I start putting it together I know that Im not going to be able to use it all, but through various builds on aquaria you learn that its better to have too much than to say...well I really need/want this...and have to go back later and try to add it. 

Stockpile stuff and do it right IMO.


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## pdfCrazy (Feb 28, 2012)

OK, my 2 cents!

75 Gallon (approximate) Exo Terra Viv. 

Exo Terra, 24" wide, 18" deep, 36" tall. 300.00
Glass top, drilled for mister bulkheads 30.00
1 quad mistking, 2 doubles. 100.00
1 pro-products, Pro mist PM 70 setup, 239.99
Enough Tree fern panels for 3 walls 100
Various large and small broms 75.00
various other plants, climers, shinglers, orchids 40.00
magnolia and live oak leaves 24.00
ABG mix, 20.00 approxiamte
hydroton 5.00
Glass panes for Euro false bottom 40.00
36" piece of Malaysian drift wood 95.00
5 tubes of Silicone I 25.00
T-5 lights, 2 strips, 70.00
Power compact 75.00

Total $1168.00

And thats not including all kinds of various small miscelleneous fastners, and stuff. Then, add the 6 Ranitomeya Vanzolinii and bam, its near $2000.00

Given, the misting system now runs several tanks, leftover plants, etc for more builds. But half my lighting that I did not include in the prices are leftoevers from years ago. Many plant cuttings not included were from trades, or local friends. So...yeah. I coulda bought a cheap car instead. Would I? No, I love that viv. Its my stress reliever.


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## [email protected] (Mar 19, 2009)

Interesting breakdowns.


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## frog dude (Nov 11, 2011)

my bare-bones 20 long

20g long-free

Glass lid-$7.50

Light-free 

Hydroton-$10

Screen liner- $1.99

ABG-$19

Leaf litter-free

Microfauna-$8

Wood/decor-free

Plants-$17 

Two dendrobates tinctorius azureus froglets: $60

Total:$126.98. 
Remember, this is a bare-bones viv with no background and hand misting. It wasn't expensive at all, and this is more-or-less temporary. I plan on building another vivarium for them soon.


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## outofreach (Aug 21, 2012)

ok my turn.

started just building a terrarium and it got out of control, keep in mind this is my first step into this.

150 gallon tank $300
built into wall, installed header, etc $2,500
fluval filter $130
mister $150
fogger $35
Humidity/temp thermostat and control $65
co2 set up $150
fans $25
water test set $60
cork, tree fern, substrate, plants $300
building supplies $300

then decided i needed frogs
changed everything around bought more stuff $300

then decided i needed a rack system for back room and more frogs

4 10 gallon tanks and mods, lighting $200
more tree fern, cork, substrate $150

then decided they needed bigger tanks
4 exo terra set ups and build outs $600

baby frogs - lots $500

feeding supplies $100

and a ton of stuff i forgot

$5,715.00

then i have fish tanks, 150 pound turtles in my backyard and a dog

feeling a little nutty


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