Do You Think Setting Up A Fish Tank Is An Expensive Hobby?

[OscarsRule]

"you get bitten by the MTS bug, and there's not telling how much you'll end up spending then"

That bug bit me right on the arse. LOL ,and my bank account.

 

[Soaup]

I think its expensive to start but once you get everything set up its good.. It also depends on how you start.. I have a 55 gallon which was free with a stand hood and filter. I have a 125 gallon that was bought from the store as a floor display everything was about 900. It depends on how you go about it.

 

[Durbkat]

Yes I think its an expensive hobby but it depends on what size tank you start out with. Like with my 55g I got lucky and found it on sale and what came with it was the tank, filter, heater, and the hood and light for $180 and I had some build the stand and that was about $50 of wood for it. Then the money I spent on gravel and plants was almost $80.

 

[dgwebster]

"you get bitten by the MTS bug, and there's not telling how much you'll end up spending then"

That bug bit me right on the arse. LOL ,and my bank account.

i know the feeling, only had my 2 foot tank 8 weeks and i want a 4 foot minimum. was looking at a 4x2x2 today and drooling.

but i am a fan of the custom job. give me a plain glass tank and ill build the surround. sure, some 2*4 and 2*2 look ugly, but sand it down to remove the roughness and then create shelves and cupboard doors out of some decent wood and stain it for less than £100. I reckon i could get a 55gallon+ fully setup for alot less than a "all in one" solution.

however, going to be a bit more time before i get mines, still looking at that good old mortgage and place to buy problem. hopefully by the summer time *crosses fingers*

 

[Ethos]

It is far far more expensive today than it was when I first started. New technology brings with it a price.

Yes Yes Yes!

$475 on one 55G set up.
And its not very stocked/decorated.
I have a large fish list for it, but all the fish are still very juvinile.

 

[dwarfgourami]

Not expensive as hobbies go- as long as you're happy to stick to the basics. No more than playing an instrument or being part of a sports team or whatever- it always adds up. It may be that you can get the fish hobby to add up to even more than most others if you really try, but that's personal choice.

Still, I don't think it's a hobby you should take up unless you can set aside a little extra for emergencies. After all, it is about being responsible for living creatures. It does get to me when I hear people who've spent their last penny on lots of expensive fish and then can't afford the test kit or grumble about the cost of dechlorinator. It's like any other animal, you've got to plan ahead to make sure you can afford to keep them.

 

[@ombomb]

Freshwater tank (47.5 USG):

Tank + equipement: £180
Replacement Filter: £45
Lighting upgrade: £50
DIY CO² / Nutrafin Kits: £40
Pressurised CO²: £180 (not including refills)
Backup CO² cylinder: £50

£545 with nothing in the tank and ignoring the cost of the table it's on, although costs could have been kept down had I bought the right equipnent initially rather than buying a kit and having to upgrade. Not cheap but that's all paid for now and the running of the tank costs very little. My 24G cube, which I'm setting up as a nano reef, will end up costing more that the FW tank, but not THAT much more.

 

[piper]

70 Gal Tank = £50
Stand and hood = £100 DIY
Lighting = £100 with two bulbs 1.1WPG, need another unit soon
Filter = £100
2 Heaters = £80 (could have just used one)
Substrate = £100, that one hurt a lot
Bog wood = £25
Plants = £30
Fish = £15 and rising

Total = £600 plus all those other little bits and bobs.

But now the spending should halt. It’s only the initial set up that causes the hole in the pocket, I hope.

Have been looking into CO2

 

[alby10]

It depends on what hobby you compare it with, most of the outlay is when you start but after this it’s as cheap as chips.
I buy all my fish as juveniles and have the pleasure of watching them grow, Knowing how old they are and how long they will live, my most expensive fish was £8 (less than 4 beers), compared with my other hobbies the cost is minimal and so rewarding.
Day to day running costs next to nothing and the pound for pleasure ratio must be the best there is.


IE:
Digital camera £1300
Computer £ 1000
Girl friend Many thousand (LOL)