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

[harryman]

tell me what u think?
if you no were to get things cheap telll me please
thanks

 

[Fish Buddy]

I think it depends on how you start into the hobby. If the aquarium and accessories are passed to you by a family member or friend than it is quite cheap-needing only to buy fish and chemicals. But if you start with a new tank, and depending on the size, than getting into fish keeping is VERY expensive initially.

 

[Cichlidkeeper]

It depends on how addicted you get You can always set up an inexpensive tank. I would look in classifieds for a used setup.

My hobby is expensive because I make it that way. I have many tanks and it takes money and time to take care of them. I don't mind it though I think its worth it.

 

[BigC]

It is far far more expensive today than it was when I first started. New technology brings with it a price.
But getting back to the present. It's like any other hobby, it depends on the person involved and what resources, expertise and ingenuity you have to hand. Someone who are good a DIY will find things easier and cheaper not only building tanks but also filters, cabinets and hoods to mention just a few. What I am trying to get at here is a matter of personal taste, one could spent thousands of pounds on an all singing, all dancing state of the art aquarium but joe bloggs down the road might have only spent a few pounds/dollars on his setup and he might be the more sucessful aquarist.
Regards
BigC

 

[shuhu]

I have less than a year in the hobby, but I do know that it really depends on how far are you willing to go, which type of fish are you going to keep, or even if you want to keep live plants.

A 10 or 20 Gal tank, with an Under Gravel Filter (the cheapest) with an air pump, a couple of non-expensive fish, flakes food, live food once in a while, a heater and water conditioner... it is not much really. I believe thats about the minimum you could buy. Research all you can before getting any fish, look around at a local fish store before buying anything, just to get an idea of the costs.

 

[OscarsRule]

125 gallon lights, hood, plus stand =700.00+$ (not including filters and accesseries)
75 gallon W/stand, hood , lights, heater, filters, gravel,etc .etc.= 800.00+$
55galllon X 2=minus stands and substrate = 375.00+2 iron stands 178.00 total 553.00$

It does all add up in the end, And thats not including fish.

 

[dgwebster]

i find just a plain glass tank is cheap.
heater -cheap (about £15 or under regardless of wattage)
filter... depends on your tank but can be cheap.
accesories - this is where it goes mad. some real plants, some sand, net, water conditioner etc. cheap home made accessories - can be cheap. that pirate ship - bloody expensive.

TANK STAND: EXTORTIONATE

DIY can get you a very similar result to professional tank setup at a third or under of the cost in my opinion. and fifty times the satisfaction. plus, you will understand it all the more.

So: expensive for ready made, cheap if you are willing to do the work.

 

[doshka]

No, it need only be as expensive as you make it. A basic set up can cost as little as £30.00 but you will often find that you are not satisfied with your starter tank, moving on to bigger and better tanks. Tip:
keep your starter tank for breeding

 

[CBTF]

"Do You Think Setting Up A Fish Tank Is An Expensive Hobby?, as in the tank, the filter, the heater etc Options "


YES! Omg, I only own a 10G but ive invested so much energy and money into it. If you're looking to buy a first tank go with one of those all inclusive 5G gallon tanks that you just have to set up. Then you can get some smaller fish. Most recommend a betta, but that limits what can go in there. I'd get guppies or something neat.

That would cost under 60 canadian.

 

[xanthianacid]

Even if you start off cheap, you get bitten by the MTS bug, and there's not telling how much you'll end up spending then. LMAO.

enjoy it though, brings much happiness, frustration, sadness, fulfillment, joy, anger, worry etc.

anger if you have any children that is. Hah!

 

[soritan]

Yes, yes I totally believe it's expensive. But it's relative to your enjoyment, if it's overly so or not. I can't afford a larger tank, and a smaller tank would probably stress myself and my fish too much. It's taken me literally months and months to save up enough money for all the things I need to start a 20g. I inherited my 10g. I got lucky with my two 5gs.

If you're too poor to jump into the game, though, don't. You'll wind up being cruel by accident, unable to afford to give the fish the food, home, and care they require. The usual, general, answer, is always the most obvious and most frustrating -- research before you buy! Look at what you're able to do, be real about it, and then figure it into your budget. Resist the urge to buy over it, or buy fish who won't fit. Aquarium keeping requires gobs of patience, and IMHO, that's part of what makes it grand.

 

[fishfishfish]

i spen 50 bucks easily at my lfs.but once i get finished and am satisfied,i really enjoy it.

o by the way i am totally addicted to fish.im on fish sites atleast 2x a day

 

[prankster705]

It can be very expensive. Pro sruff costs a lot (presurized CO2...), but it can be cheap- DIY (you can't diy everything). just the tank, filter, heater they aren't expensive. little addons make it expensive (good planting (lights for a 20 gallon- 150$)). But you (at least I) can be very proud of the achivments and feal good about it. To me it's just relaxing to lay down and watch the tank for an hour (maybe fall asleep). So the conclusion is that it can be very expensive or quite cheap. That is my humble opinion.

 

[CFC]

It all depends on what kind of set up you want, i set my 200 gallon (800 litre) up for a little over £500 which is less than the price of an off the shelf system half its size, but its not an attractive set up by any stretch of the imagination. The tank is a plain all glass aquarium with no hood and the single strip light just resting on its plastic cover, the stand is built from rough sawn 3x2" unpainted timber salvaged from work and the electrics and filtration are in plain sight below the tank.
At the other end of the spectrum we have just bought a Rena Classic 600 litre which even at heavy discount cost us £835 but is an attractive piece of furniture as well as a quality aquarium.
If all you require is a glass box to hold your fish then you can set up a funtional aquarium for very little, if you need the tank to look attrective in your front room as well then you have to pay a little more.

 

[cujoho78]

Hi. In my opinion the hobby as a whole isn't expensive. Yes it is a little expensive to get started, but after you have all the stuff, i think the hobby is very cheap. Let's imagine that one spent $1000 on a complete set-up (sorry for you foreign currency people). You would have a decent sized tank 55+ gal with a nice stand filter, heater, accessories and fish with money to spare. Initially the $1000 sounds like a lot of money, and it is, but once you have everything, i don't find the expenses are very much at all. Then you get to enjoy the hobby for years without any more major expenses. Look at other hobbies like snow skiing, waterskiing/ wakeboarding, hockey, cars, horses. All of these hobbies require a sizeable initial investment and also require major expenses year after year in equipment repairs and replacement, insurance, fees etc. Keeping other pets like dogs and cats require greater expenditures on food and vet bills especially when they get sick, all on top of the initial price of the pet. So all in all, i think that if you can stomach the initial investment in the equipment, keeping fish is a very rewarding hobby compared to other hobbies.