Is this hobby cheap or expensive?

[keokoi]

Quote: Originally Posted by Joansmithe Yep those clams are pretty pricey when you consider the cost of the ones in the clam sauce! My most expensive fish were in the 600 gallon tank- all angels and tusk, a few heniocus and gaint butterflies. I think the Emperatus and the scribble were expensive ones? Or maybe the magestic, or blue face? I would shuck live clams , by the way, and they would go nutzzz pecking at the clam flesh. But between the guilt I felt, especially after coming back from a dive trip and looking into a tiny 600 gallon 'box' and the ocassional death of a favorite, I just one day, couldn't do it anymore. Know what I mean? JR

I am an avid diver as well.. It gets to me too to know that most of these non tank raised fish were taken from the ultimate enviroment.. and I have to confess I have taken from and put them in the tank as well..

I think the most it ever hit home was when I used to help out at a Saltwater fish wholesale distrubtor (all net caught) and see the DOA rate... That makes it hit home the worse.. I used to also pick out fish for a shop for fun.. No going to those bigger wholesellers warehouse its like a morgue. Going to those you see and wonder how cyanide ever got into the hobby...

Joe

[Joansmithe]

I still keep two marine systems- a 78 bow and a 50 bow. I keep captive bred stuff mostly - small stuff- clowns ( black clowns, actually spawned them in 2004). The idea that captive bred stuff is for a me a 'vote' and a donation to support the move away from gathering the wild stuff. Having said that, out here in the East coast we dive the inlets in late summer/early fall and collect all the tropical species that got caught up in the gulf stream last spring. They are usually still tiny but thriving in late August. They will be dead of course as the water cools in Sept. so we do a kind of 'rescue/grab bag' dive! Mostly butterflies and those little guys ( about silver dollar size) are tough as nails in a home aquarium. I swear I can see the gradititude in their eyes when I turn up the aquarium heater and drop in some 'good food'!

JR

[junglegeorge12]

Here the salt water setups are very expensive. But the things to fill it with are free if you have a net, and in abundance year round if you know where to go. I used to do salt water, but shut it down to build a train room and remodel. Eventually I will set up a large one as a room divider after a whole bunch more remodeling. I also prefer to be outside enjoying the ponds to indoors looking at a salt water tank. I guess if I suffered a winter it might be different.

Koi keeping is really a middle to lower end cost hobby. Racing, traveling, scuba diving, boating, flying, are all far more expensive. Flying is the most fun by far, but expensive due to fuel costs these days. Boating is expensive AND alot of hard work. Fishing isn't that bad and is fun. The thing about koi keeping as a hobby is you can enjoy it for many hours every day. You cannot do that with flying and many other things unless you have some very deep pockets.

[saratogatan]

this hobby sucks, $200,000 into this hobby, all I have are a bunch of s**t swimming in my pond. My PG&E bill regualarly runs pass $1000 a month, water bill is way high. $600+ on pooh generating pallet yearly. I have to clean the stupid filters 2 times a week, that truely cut into my time with my family.

maybe I should convert the koi into sashime, but would be frighteningly expensive sashime.

stan

[Steve Nguyen]

it depends on how much money one has in the bank. for me, this hobby is too expensive but it helps me relax so it's a good trade off.

Steve

[luke frisbee]

expensive, what does that mean?

[Ryan S.]

Expensive as a hobby for sure - Most fish decline in value with time. Then pond cost, only usually to have to fill in when moving or no significant increase in value to house. Electric and maintenance expenses.

Look back at some other hobbies. My sports cards and coins I have small gains I could walk out ahead but barely. My classic cars I could walk away today with ~50% gain. My Koi and ponds, negative ~50% or so maybe.

[koiczar]

I think the value of the words "cheap/expensive" are simply relative to an individual's point of view. Depends on what level of the hobby you wish to settle into.

Saratogatan - Stan

Stop complaining - If you've put that much money into the hobby and still don't enjoy it - then what's it all worth?

For me, I try to be realistic. I don't/can't afford to spend a lot of money on fish. I decided a long time ago that to stay happy in this hobby, I had to develop an eye for selecting younger fish with potential - NO, DON'T SAY THAT NASTY WORD - T$%T%^OI!! Over the years, I have come to appreciate SOME of the finer nuances in this hobby, have made many friends I enjoy being around and talking koi with. When I come home, I can sit out by my pond, feed my fish and forget about the world outside. It's kinda a Zen thing but then again just a stress reliever. Koi are many things to many people but I really believe they have individual characteristics that can endear them to people. Their behaviors are so individualistic to a fault. No two koi actually behave the same. I guess it's this individuality, peacefulness and calm that keeps my interest in this "hobby".

Enjoy it for what you want it to be and don't let others persuade you to a different course. The hobby belongs to all of us and to each of us - SO ENJOY!!!!

Mike

[Sangreaal]

I think this could be an expensive hobby, but doesn't necessarily have to be. It depends on what you want or need to put into it and your economic ability to do that comfortably or not. It's all relative. For instance, I think a 1 1/2" hose 20ft long is expensive at $25! Of course I faint at the cost of pumps and their electrical useage and anything else that is associated with the word koi, like those $300 Momotaro nets I covet. So for me it could be an expensive hobby. *nodnod*

Instead of hocking the farm though, I wax creative, doing ALOT of DIY stuff. I'm so very lucky to be on a well full of pristine but hard water. It makes keeping the water quality so much easier than someone who lives in town on a chlorinated city system. So while I'm still working on my shower filter idea (works but is too small) I have the luxury of keeping a good flow through going on in the pond until I'm finished. It makes it easier to afford when I can pick things up along the way instead of paying out a windfall of cash or enslaving myself to a credit card company to get what I need immediately. So in the end, it doesn't feel like it's an expensive hobby to me, though in reality, it really is. *LOL*

Cost of my 3500gal+ experimental pond so far is about $265, not including fish, and it's keeping them well even though I'm nowhere near finished. To some that may be cheap. To those on a beggar's budget, expensive. It's all relative. But one thing is a constant...

...Rich or poor or somewhere in between, we're all in this for the same reason--the love of koi.

Marie

[aquitori]

Quote: Originally Posted by saratogatan this hobby sucks, $200,000 into this hobby, all I have are a bunch of s**t swimming in my pond. My PG&E bill regualarly runs pass $1000 a month, water bill is way high. $600+ on pooh generating pallet yearly. I have to clean the stupid filters 2 times a week, that truely cut into my time with my family. maybe I should convert the koi into sashime, but would be frighteningly expensive sashime. stan

Tan, I feel for you but we all have been down the road of disappointment. Maybe not in the 6 figure range like you, but the tosai disappointment. It took me several years to realize that buying tosai is just for learning and nothing more to expect from it. Atleast now I can come to my own conclusion of development and not rely on others. If someone says "Hey Antonio, why dont you try this out for size"....I would just say "Why dont you try it first".

What I tell hobbyist today is study, study, study...Most get the curve and most dont. The BAD thing about todays hobbyist is that they want all the knowledge, but dont want to put in the time and money to learn.

In this hobby there are no "SHORT CUTS"!!! If the hobby was that easy there would alot of Dick Benbows, JRs, Keokois out there, but there isnt.

Tan, the hobby is supposed to enjoying..

Tony