I actually went cheaper coming into this hobby, used to rockcrawl, and if you werent breaking you werent going big enough. lol Probably one of the few hobbies that might be more expensive.
What I love most about this hobby is- it is always changing. I went from a beginning reef tank(softies), to a LPS craze, to a SPS faze now kind of back to LPS including mainly chalices but still encrusting montis.
There are just so many different routes you can take, it is what has kept me going on for this long, I am usually a.d.d. with hobbies.
Plus as I am sure you are aware of- automation makes this hobby alot less stressful. I try to keep corals that allow me flexibility. I like to travel but dont think twice about leaving my tank unattended for 3-4 days. 5 I will get a tank sitter.
Kevin- 375 Gallon Reef
Reefing made easy...