lyndatu

Hello there fish friends

We are almost complete on our list of equipment for the ultimate redo on our freshwater tank. We were going to start over becasue we had a lot of mistakes.................

The only things we need left are:

Aquarium Light with hood
Aquarium Test Kit
Algae Wafers for herbivore fish
Maybe some fine gravel or sand(optional)
Live plants(optional, we can use fake plants)

But I am very sorry about my parents............They've been spending lots of money for the aquarium because of me forcing them, and we are very low on money. They say, "don't worry, we'll buy all of these to make you happy," but no. I pity them................

Is there any alternatives for these remaining items on the list?

Aquarium Light with Hood: The hood is much more expensive than the light. I'm thinking maybe we can save some money by using a flourescent lamp we have here at our house.................Is this ok?

Aquarium Test Kit: I really don't know the price, but my fish senses tells me it's high. Can you test ammonia and nitrite levels in cheaper ways? We are going to use an overhead/trickle filter, which is told to be very excellent on biological filtration and becomes a breeding ground of oxygen-loving bacteria, thus speeding up the nitrogen cycle. Yes, I was also thinking of getting some stuff from a cycled tank, but people at the pet stores here don't know anything about the cycle.

Algae Wafers for Herbivore Fish: I'm planning to get some herbivore fish, maybe some shrimps or snails. I also don't know the price, but I also sense the expensiveness, but my fish senses aren't always right(sometimes a glitch). Any more alternatives for these greens for my fish?

Fine gravel or sand: I'm also planning to have some bottom dwellers so that means they have to have soft floor to drag themselves on. This is only optional! But, any more cheaper or easy-to-find alternatives?

Live Plants: Hmmmm...........I don't think there will be any alternatives..........or are there?

Any help would be VERY MUCH appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

jsalemi

A complete FW test kit would run $19 (US) online. There's really no substitute, and it's more expensive buying the individual tests for each chemical than it is to buy the whole kit.

You can use a florescent fixture you have, but you'd have to change the bulb to one with a spectrum more suited to an aquarium.

Check the DIY forum here -- someone posted a neat way to make your own veggie wafers for herbivores (or any fish, actually).

There are artificial plants that look just as good as live plants these days. Of course, they don't give all the benefits of live plants, but they do add to the tank decor, and they do serve the same purpose of providing hiding places for the fish.

Dino

Pool filter sand.

Costs about 5-6$ for a 40-50 pound bag.

lyndatu

Oh thank you! I'll see the make-your-own veggie wafers. Sounds convinient!

I understand that there's no substitutes...........Guess we'll wait for some money on Christmas!

Thanks anyway! More suggestions are highly appreciated!

COBettaCouple

If you're good at keeping them alive, go with live plants but if not then in the long run it would probably be cheaper to go with Tetra Wonders artificial plants. They look great, the fish love them and we don't have to replace them frequently as we did with live plants.