I just started my 55g/20g sump up... and even at this size I was blown away by the cost.
Even if you do things cheaply, you are inevitably going to purchase some stuff new.
I went with premium equipment to give my tank the best shot at surviving and thriving, and even with a 55(75g) total system volume, I'm pretty close to $1500.
some prices not to overlook (that I completely overlooked)
If you want cleaned, cured and stable Live rock with good growth... and you don't know anyone who can provide you 100lbs cheap. Most people buy from their LFS. Well, at $7-9/lbs... thats almost 100$ and you've only got 100lbs. You can get rock a LOT cheaper on these forums, or kajiji if you're lucky. If you want to save, go with that option. I opted for the dented wallet because I was scared of bad LR. Hind-sight is I should have manned up.
another cost is: All the extras that go with this type of tank. Built in RO systems, Redundancy systems for your RO (so it doesn't flood... oh say your kitchen and living room. F%$#). QT tanks for your inevitably large live-stock. Spare heaters/power heads for your saltwater/Ro water curing units. The extra wiring required for large systems (anything over 100g I've heard it recommended that you go with 2 separate circuits rather than 1 dedicated--aka, a separate circuit panel for your tank).
In another thread I saw Grizz say that on dry months he'll lose 50%ish of his water volume in evaporation. So for a 120g tank, your top-off needs to account for stuff like this. A 5g top-off system will quite literally suck dry in a couple of days if its not refilled.
That being said:
With my little 55g I am completely in love with the hobby. I'm always reading more and more every day, researching, building, contemplating and at the end of it I get to see a little part of nature come to life in my living room. It is not only a great responsibility, but a fantastic honor, to be able to create something like that. If I had the cash, I would have gone bigger. But for now, with my little tank, I am not regretting a single penny I've spent on it.
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