How does one afford this hobby??

[DoubleDutch]

I think our hobby is "polluted" with better/best products though nature provides the cheapest "replacements" for those.

The cycle alone is a natural thing. We tend to speed up the cycle by using bacterial starters etc ... Liquid patience replacers they are.

Rocks, leaflitter, wood etc can be found in nature as well. But somehow we got an anxiety towards nature, because of bacteria/germs/etc... The answer is chemicals, pesticides, etc....

Let things run their course, add a little drop of patience and another drop of nature to your tanks (available for free) and there you go.

Even a fish that dies is in fact natural. We try to throw in meds and even antibiotics to save "everything". Succes is 50% or even less.

I don't say one doesn't need to treat but sometimes it is better not in my opinion.

"Best or better product" often is a Marketing-thing.

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Self-control, patience and proper research can save you loads and loads of money.
All of those who convince you to spend your way out of problems are true idiots and they all need to be ignored.

"Less than three months into it" and you now know all about the nitrogen cycle and how to effectively manage just one tank?

@DoubleDutch makes excellent points.
Too often in this hi-tech society of ours, we can be tempted to buy the latest gadget, gizmo, pill, potion and lotion, to solve our problems.
There are probably even more producers of such, just gagging at the chance to exploit the gullible...and that includes too many fish shop staff.

However, once you've got a good tank, heater, lighting and filter, none of which need to cost the Earth, you're almost good to go.
Substrate can be 'dirt' cheap.
Ditto for rock and/or wood.
Water conditioner and a good test kit will be your next major purchase, but these should last a long while.

Any hobby usually requires a decent sum spending on setting up, but from now on in, your spends should be on plants, fish and food and, once you've sussed it, costs on fish and plants should be minimal.
(It's only when people don't know what they're doing and keep on killing fish...and then returning to the the shop, to buy some more to kill, that costs rise).

The lure of MTS is strong, although many spend to set up another tank in an attempt to learn from the mistakes of the first, or under the delusion that the next one will work out...without lessons being learned and applied from the first.

 

[Ch4rlie]

How does one afford this hobby??

With great difficulty at times

I sometimes look at what this hobby has cost me with my eyes wide shut!!

No seriously, this CAN be a ridiculously expensive hobby, especially if you buy brand new things online or from LFS at inflated costs. It does pay to be patient and shop around.

Some years ago, I bought my second tank, a ClearSeal 3 foot long tank with T5 light unit for £10, it was brand new, never used as the seller never got round to setting up the tank as he lost interest for whatever reasons, got a brand new HOB Marina filter for £1 at a car boot sale, but paid full prices for plants and substrate and livestock etc and total costs altogether was under £115 all told for everything, that’s not bad when you consider that at LFS the same brand and sized tank set ups sell for at least £300+.

There ARE good buys to be had but you have to be patient and keep a good eye on classified sections.

Having said that, as I have bought a brand new 3 foot tank (Juwel 200l/50 US gals) and a separate external filter from different LFSs and that did cost me a pretty penny or two but think it’s worth every penny as I enjoy this hobby immensely and know will get a lot of enjoyment out of them, wife not so impressed with what has cost me so far but she does enjoys seeing the fish and shrimps swimming around when it’s eventually set up and completed and she knows I am not that bad at this lark!

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

You could consider selling a kidney I suppose? although I doubt there's much left of mine after my early 20s...

 

[NannaLou]

I need to be careful with what I spend, but I don’t drink alcohol, smoke or go out to eat very often so it’s “my treat money”…

 

[Deleted member 149562]

Of course there is another problem with this fishkeepers lark...

"I'll just buy one or two extra....you know...incase one or two dies....."

Then you find that all have survived and you need one or two extra aquariums

(Been there, done that )

 

[Bruce Leyland-Jones]

Of course there is another problem with this fishkeepers lark...

"I'll just buy one or two extra....you know...incase one or two dies....."

Then you find that all have survived and you need one or two extra aquariums

(Been there, done that )

Been there, done that...
Bought 'spare' equipment, so I'm covered for emergencies when something breaks down.
Of course, there's then the temptation of having what is effectively fully equipped tank, just awaiting water, plants and fish...

 

[emeraldking]

In general, each hobby does cost money. Even if you'd collect leaves, for instance. If you're only able to find specific leaves in another region. You have to drive up there or use public traffic. or let is send over and have postal costs. So indirect expenses.
But you can make a hobby as expensive or inexpensive as you'd like it to be. Depending how creative you can be. Overhere with the aquarium hobby, I'm low tech. I still give substance to the hobby in the same way as I did in the '70s. For keeping and breeding fish hasn't changed throughout the years. Commeciallywise and techniques have changed throughout the years. Fishkeeping itself not. Novice aquarists will mostly lead themselves by what's going on in the commercial world. And at certain forums, a lot of young people that grew up in a more commercial world, do promote supplies that are offered in the modern commercial world. Fishkeeping can be practised more basic than a lot of people may think. The crucial part of this all, is that you just need to know what you're doing.
My whole set up of fishtanks is basic. No modern equipment or commercial modern technology. And my tanks are stable and all of my fish are doing fine. And note that I've got more tanks than most members overhere. And I'm maintaining them all without too much effort, while I'm in a bad health condition. I'm one of those that can prove that it doesn't have to cost that much.

I'm buying my supplies and fish food from a wholesaler and do pay wholesale prices (with my network within the aquaristic field does have advantages). I do use certain floaters and certain species of the characin family (one in a tank) as an indicator of my water parameters.

There is always interest in my fish. I can reinvest that money. And I write articles for some relevant livebearer magazines. And from time to time an aquaristic magazine asks me to provide them with some photos. And one can get paid by giving lectures as well.

But again, I don't spend that much money on the fishkeeping. But sometimes a certain breed of fish will cost more than what we're used to. But I guess, that's one of my higher costs from time to time.

 

[Avel1896]

Hello
A damn expensive h̶o̶b̶b̶y passion ! But a good way to learn patience that is the best friend of aquarist !
I spent 18 months to set up my first tank years ago and it worth it : tank has all the time necessary to balance by itself, it allowed me to add more plants, and especially, gave me enough time to make a fish wish list, learn about their needs - I mean not what they tolerate but what make them thrive in captivity - their ideal tank mates, their behaviors... All this allowed me to enjoy 7 happy years with my Cupang Betta CT.

 

[anewbie]

Do you see that new car you were thinking about buying. Well forget it; it is time to upgrade your aquarium and to add another.

 

[Fishmanic]

Wait for the next stimulus check from the governnment and then go "Fish Crazy."

 

[emeraldking]

Do you see that new car you were thinking about buying. Well forget it; it is time to upgrade your aquarium and to add another.

That's funny....

 

[PheonixKingZ]

For my freshwater tanks, I got both of them used for a great price. I think buying tanks off of Craigslist is a GREAT way to save money. It may take a little bit of work to get them all cleaned up, but it’s worth all the money you save.

All my equipment however, I buy new.

NEVER buy a used heater, EVER. I bought a used heater with my 20g long, and I ended up killing my betta because it overheated.

Buying used lights is fine in my opinion, as long as they test the light out before selling it to you, or they send you a current video of it working.

 

[Naughts]

We are under pressure from manufacturers and stores to spend all our hard-earned cash, that's a given. We allow sellers to lead us down the garden path buying pH adjusters, water clarifiers, vitamins and minerals etc before we realise it is harmful or unnecessary snake oils.
But then there is an amount of elitism on forums, people saying you must have this or that brand of food/ equipment/ tester etc. Part of the reason is that they 'spent their hard earned cash on it, so it must be the absolute best'...right? If you already have something, use it up then try something else. It may be better, or it may not.
Sometimes the people telling us to buy things are just too new to the hobby to see that all those bottles of medication, bacteria boosters and test kits will just sit in the cupboard unused.
So we have to be careful who we listen to and make our own choices wise.

 

[BLK]

I enjoy watching Irene’s videos with GirlTank on YouTube. She’s employed by Aquarium Coop. She’s very thrifty, smart and fun to watch.