How Did I Spend So Much $??

Seriously. Last July I was at a large rummage sale and found a very nifty looking 5.5 long aquarium. Remembering the fun I had with guppies when I was younger, and since our son had been begging for a pet of his own, I decided to drop the $10 on it. It came with a filter, a under-gravel heater, HOB, decor and a few other things.
Because of summer travel, then the start of the school year and this and that, we didn't get it set up until April of this year. And by set up I mean we bought some plants ($24) and another piece of decor ($10), and plant tabs ($13). The next week I bought a thermometer to replace the liquid crystal one stuck on the tank ($4), a better heater ($21) and some test strips ($10). Finally at the end of the month we bought our betta ($4), food ($4) and some more plants ($10).

I wasn't REALLY paying attention to the costs, thinking what a good deal we'd gotten on the aquarium, and how inexpensive betta are. So it completely went over my head that I'd managed to drop over $100 in one month on my cheap setup.

But it gets worse. The next month the bug bit, and suddenly I was seeing ads for cheap aquariums EVERYWHERE. I ended up buying a Craigslist 37 g with cabinet and a lot of accessories for (only) $32! What a steal! I then watched a ton of DIY videos for aquarium builds, determined to do this within my budget. Between visits to the hardware store, the lfs, and buying the occasional thing for our betta Ocean, I managed to spend another $175 in May (and don't even have that aquarium fully built yet, but that's another story).

And it gets even worse. Mid-May I had decided that our 5.5 acrylic was nice and all, but badly scratched. I'd seen some videos on how to fix that, but Ocean needed another aquarium in the meantime. I'd also seen videos on soil substrate (for cheap!!), and I wanted to experiment with that. Late May I found a 10 g for $7, and decided I could kill two birds with one stone, and try my dirt tank and then move Ocean into it. But it needed a new light, and a heater to get it up to temp and while I could move some plants over, some more would be nice, and... long story short, 7 days into June I've spent an additional $112 on my "cheap" setup. $20 of that was on some tank mates for Ocean, since it seemed like a waste to have a betta in a 10 g all by himself.

I added up the receipts yesterday, and sat back in shock, wondering how I spent nearly $400 on my inexpensive, DIY tanks >_< That was pretty much my hobby budget for the year...so does anyone have advice on how to ACTUALLY do this cheaply? ...Other than stop buying more aquariums, because I think I learned that one

On the bright side, I have most of the supplies I need for a while...except I will need a new heater and light for the 37g....*sighs*
Hope this makes some of you laugh

 

hahahahah man o man I am with you. I have spent over $1000 on the 4, yes I said, 4, tanks I have now. and it just keeps getting higher n higher as I fill and plant and get better suppies exc... so in conclution I can't help you do this cheap but I did get a good laugh from your story. thanx for that lmbo

 

its tough. Lol. I started with a couple used 55 gallon tanks $100 for both and a 75 for $50. Didn't like anything they came with so replaced everything but the tanks. Was scared to see how much I spent. My 75 exploded so I had to scramble for a new tank. Only could find an oceonic. Yea wasn't cheap. With what I spent over the years I could of bought a new truck. Best advice I can give is to check amazon they seem to be cheaper than a pet store.

 

Seriously. Last July I was at a large rummage sale and found a very nifty looking 5.5 long aquarium. Remembering the fun I had with guppies when I was younger, and since our son had been begging for a pet of his own, I decided to drop the $10 on it. It came with a filter, a under-gravel heater, HOB, decor and a few other things.
Because of summer travel, then the start of the school year and this and that, we didn't get it set up until April of this year. And by set up I mean we bought some plants ($24) and another piece of decor ($10), and plant tabs ($13). The next week I bought a thermometer to replace the liquid crystal one stuck on the tank ($4), a better heater ($21) and some test strips ($10). Finally at the end of the month we bought our betta ($4), food ($4) and some more plants ($10).

I wasn't REALLY paying attention to the costs, thinking what a good deal we'd gotten on the aquarium, and how inexpensive betta are. So it completely went over my head that I'd managed to drop over $100 in one month on my cheap setup.

But it gets worse. The next month the bug bit, and suddenly I was seeing ads for cheap aquariums EVERYWHERE. I ended up buying a Craigslist 37 g with cabinet and a lot of accessories for (only) $32! What a steal! I then watched a ton of DIY videos for aquarium builds, determined to do this within my budget. Between visits to the hardware store, the lfs, and buying the occasional thing for our betta Ocean, I managed to spend another $175 in May (and don't even have that aquarium fully built yet, but that's another story).

And it gets even worse. Mid-May I had decided that our 5.5 acrylic was nice and all, but badly scratched. I'd seen some videos on how to fix that, but Ocean needed another aquarium in the meantime. I'd also seen videos on soil substrate (for cheap!!), and I wanted to experiment with that. Late May I found a 10 g for $7, and decided I could kill two birds with one stone, and try my dirt tank and then move Ocean into it. But it needed a new light, and a heater to get it up to temp and while I could move some plants over, some more would be nice, and... long story short, 7 days into June I've spent an additional $112 on my "cheap" setup. $20 of that was on some tank mates for Ocean, since it seemed like a waste to have a betta in a 10 g all by himself.

I added up the receipts yesterday, and sat back in shock, wondering how I spent nearly $400 on my inexpensive, DIY tanks >_< That was pretty much my hobby budget for the year...so does anyone have advice on how to ACTUALLY do this cheaply? ...Other than stop buying more aquariums, because I think I learned that one

On the bright side, I have most of the supplies I need for a while...except I will need a new heater and light for the 37g....*sighs*
Hope this makes some of you laugh

There is really no way to do it cheap. Even getting things from the hardware store can be more expensive than just getting what you want already made. I watched some DIY videos about aquarium sumps and the guy claimed it cost half the price it would have to get one from the pet store. I got everything he did and it was only a few dollars cheaper than getting one already made. I was so ****. I'm glad I'm not the only one.

 

HI Lacey D, I know the feeling, when the bug gets you you just can't help yourself, my wife keeps commenting on all the deliveries I have from ebay & amazon so I keep saying 'oh that was only 2 pounds & that was only 5 pounds etc.' hope she never thinks about adding all those small amounts up or I'll be well in the poop

 

Just wait. One month I spent about 300 just on treating and failing to disease. I don't tell anyone what things cost me. Partially because I get a steep discount, and partially because once I explain the tank and stand price, nobody thinks to factor anything else in. Except my wife. She caught on quick with guns. She's just politely ignoring the cost runups on my tanks.

 

Just imagine how bad things would be if you weren't so frugal when shopping.

I haven't been so frugal, and I've probably spent over $1000 this year on fish stuff.

 

Just wait. One month I spent about 300 just on treating and failing to disease. I don't tell anyone what things cost me. Partially because I get a steep discount, and partially because once I explain the tank and stand price, nobody thinks to factor anything else in. Except my wife. She caught on quick with guns. She's just politely ignoring the cost runups on my tanks.

Ack, yes, I'm afraid of what will happen if any of the fish get sick :/ I bought some endler, and hope to trade nice babies back to my lfs for a discount >_> My husband did get twitchy about my getting the 37 g, but he's also 'politely ignored' the 10 gallon that spontaneously appeared in my son's room. And by that I think he's put on blinders right now, since his own hobby is even more expensive

 

My "low maintanence" aquarium quickly turned into two aquariums that I just spent $100 on just driftwood and leaf litter for, not to mention the live plants I have been collecting.

Fish medication has been my downfall, especially when I spend the extra $30 for next day shipping.

 

I think everyone on this forum understands.

My husband boggles at my little 10G Betta set up every time I come home with another plant or something he tells me what the tally is currently at ($153.00 apparently).

Between the fish and the dogs the people at the local high end pet shop know me AND my animals by name.

That said I do constantly watch craigslist and KiijijI for good deals.

 

Some of my purchases I sneak in through the garage and act like they have been already in the stockpile since years. So far the wife is convinced about this story (or politely ignores).
When we all go together to the petstore, I pick the one beside the TJMaxx. This way I know I don't have to feel guilty on the way home.

 

Kinda like free puppies or kittens My Mattie (Sheltie mix) eats better than we do most of the time.

I refuse to add up what I have spent on my tanks since I set them back up a couple of years ago. I don't want to know and hubby doesn't need to know.

I think we all know where you are coming from.

 

Cannot tell you how much I have spent on bettas. My first one was in a 1 gallon and got put in two 3 gallons, a 6.6 gallon, and finally a 20 gallon. Of course during all this I was experimenting and upgrading and looking up stuff. I have real bad anxiety sometimes and I tend to over think a lot so I replaced and redid A LOT of things. Once my first boy died I got another, I refuse to buy another tank or have more than one betta. So over the course of two and a half years, two bettas, and a few nerite snails I have spent probably around 400-500 dollars.

 

i'm keeping a running tally on just a 10 gallon betta tank i'm setting up and it's just. upsetting lol.

 

DO NOT let me wife read this. I have her convinced I can do my rack cheaply... shhhhhhhhhh

 

So let's see now that I'm 8 1/2 weeks into my return to fishkeeping.

3.5 gallon tank with hood and filter----$22
Halfmoon Betta---------------------------$10
Nerite and Mystery snails----------------$6
Decoration---------------------------------$10
Plastic and real plants--------------------$23
Test kit-------------------------------------$22
Heater--------------------------------------$16
Net------------------------------------------$4
Various foods------------------------------$60
Conditioners-------------------------------$15
Siphon tubing------------------------------$4

Total-----------------------------------------$192

OMG, what have I done?

Some of my purchases I sneak in through the garage and act like they have been already in the stockpile since years. So far the wife is convinced about this story (or politely ignores).
When we all go together to the petstore, I pick the one beside the TJMaxx. This way I know I don't have to feel guilty on the way home.

LOL The PetSmart here is right next to TJMaxx too. Walmart is also in the same shopping center.

 

Welcome to the expensive hobby of fish keeping . It does add up purchasing all the items needed for a new tank. I'd hate to think how much money I've spent over the yrs with my past tanks, goldfish I had purchased from breeders out of state, live plants, a cabinet full of fish medicine, etc. Enjoy your tanks

 

I have two pet stores by my school, so every day after work I would find myself in there spending at least $10 - $20 a day on all these things I though I needed, and then didn't even end up using. Or used a month and then got rid of, or all these different filters because mine were too noisy, etc. etc. etc. I had to ban myself from going because I was going broke on nano tanks haha.

 

My wife has 2 horses. They’re boarded at a nice place 15 mins from us. At $650/mo... per horse!!! I feel like my $1,500 and change (ok, quite a bit of change) in my first almost-year in the hobby is... unassailable.

 

I've lost count.....

 

My wife has 2 horses. They’re boarded at a nice place 15 mins from us. At $650/mo... per horse!!! I feel like my $1,500 and change (ok, quite a bit of change) in my first almost-year in the hobby is... unassailable.

Oh yes. There's nothing quite like horses to make every other animal-related hobby seem inexpensive

I did go spend $100 yesterday on the food for our cat, and litter, etc. costs roughly $30/month, so that helped to put it into perspective When it comes to maintaining them, fish are great!...it's the setup that kills the wallet

 

Yeah my two spoiled lap dogs eat roughly $50.00/week in food and treats.
Which makes the fish tanks seem fairly inexpensive as well.

 

It happens!

I’ve lost count, however I’ve spent somewhere around $700-$800 on my 20 G...

 

So let's see now that I'm 8 1/2 weeks into my return to fishkeeping.

3.5 gallon tank with hood and filter----$22
Halfmoon Betta---------------------------$10
Nerite and Mystery snails----------------$6
Decoration---------------------------------$10
Plastic and real plants--------------------$23
Test kit-------------------------------------$22
Heater--------------------------------------$16
Net------------------------------------------$4
Various foods------------------------------$60
Conditioners-------------------------------$15
Siphon tubing------------------------------$4

Total-----------------------------------------$192

OMG, what have I done?


LOL The PetSmart here is right next to TJMaxx too. Walmart is also in the same shopping center.

haha mine is next to a tjs as well lol

 

Seriously. Last July I was at a large rummage sale and found a very nifty looking 5.5 long aquarium. Remembering the fun I had with guppies when I was younger, and since our son had been begging for a pet of his own, I decided to drop the $10 on it. It came with a filter, a under-gravel heater, HOB, decor and a few other things.
Because of summer travel, then the start of the school year and this and that, we didn't get it set up until April of this year. And by set up I mean we bought some plants ($24) and another piece of decor ($10), and plant tabs ($13). The next week I bought a thermometer to replace the liquid crystal one stuck on the tank ($4), a better heater ($21) and some test strips ($10). Finally at the end of the month we bought our betta ($4), food ($4) and some more plants ($10).

I wasn't REALLY paying attention to the costs, thinking what a good deal we'd gotten on the aquarium, and how inexpensive betta are. So it completely went over my head that I'd managed to drop over $100 in one month on my cheap setup.

But it gets worse. The next month the bug bit, and suddenly I was seeing ads for cheap aquariums EVERYWHERE. I ended up buying a Craigslist 37 g with cabinet and a lot of accessories for (only) $32! What a steal! I then watched a ton of DIY videos for aquarium builds, determined to do this within my budget. Between visits to the hardware store, the lfs, and buying the occasional thing for our betta Ocean, I managed to spend another $175 in May (and don't even have that aquarium fully built yet, but that's another story).

And it gets even worse. Mid-May I had decided that our 5.5 acrylic was nice and all, but badly scratched. I'd seen some videos on how to fix that, but Ocean needed another aquarium in the meantime. I'd also seen videos on soil substrate (for cheap!!), and I wanted to experiment with that. Late May I found a 10 g for $7, and decided I could kill two birds with one stone, and try my dirt tank and then move Ocean into it. But it needed a new light, and a heater to get it up to temp and while I could move some plants over, some more would be nice, and... long story short, 7 days into June I've spent an additional $112 on my "cheap" setup. $20 of that was on some tank mates for Ocean, since it seemed like a waste to have a betta in a 10 g all by himself.

I added up the receipts yesterday, and sat back in shock, wondering how I spent nearly $400 on my inexpensive, DIY tanks >_< That was pretty much my hobby budget for the year...so does anyone have advice on how to ACTUALLY do this cheaply? ...Other than stop buying more aquariums, because I think I learned that one

On the bright side, I have most of the supplies I need for a while...except I will need a new heater and light for the 37g....*sighs*
Hope this makes some of you laugh

Between all the tanks I have had, started with a 10, then up to a 120, then down to the current tank at 55 I'm working on about $4000.

 

It's a one way street!! I spent probably around 300 on my 29 gallon.. and then around 550 on my pond... But in perspective.. my four dogs.. with vet bills and treats and such.. probably closer to 8000!! So fish are my cheep hobby!!! And yes my dear hubby of course they need 10 different kinds of food! How would you like to always eat pizza for every meal??lol

 

I’ve bought several 20 tall kits for less than $100.00, already knowing I was going to add a glass lid ($40.00), upgraded light ($40-60), and either add a sponge filter, or replace the kit one.

I just buy bare tanks now.

In 9 months i’v Added a 36, a 29, 4 20s and a 5 gallon.

Don’t ask me the cost cause I don’t want to know.

 

Seriously. Last July I was at a large rummage sale and found a very nifty looking 5.5 long aquarium. Remembering the fun I had with guppies when I was younger, and since our son had been begging for a pet of his own, I decided to drop the $10 on it. It came with a filter, a under-gravel heater, HOB, decor and a few other things.
Because of summer travel, then the start of the school year and this and that, we didn't get it set up until April of this year. And by set up I mean we bought some plants ($24) and another piece of decor ($10), and plant tabs ($13). The next week I bought a thermometer to replace the liquid crystal one stuck on the tank ($4), a better heater ($21) and some test strips ($10). Finally at the end of the month we bought our betta ($4), food ($4) and some more plants ($10).

I wasn't REALLY paying attention to the costs, thinking what a good deal we'd gotten on the aquarium, and how inexpensive betta are. So it completely went over my head that I'd managed to drop over $100 in one month on my cheap setup.

But it gets worse. The next month the bug bit, and suddenly I was seeing ads for cheap aquariums EVERYWHERE. I ended up buying a Craigslist 37 g with cabinet and a lot of accessories for (only) $32! What a steal! I then watched a ton of DIY videos for aquarium builds, determined to do this within my budget. Between visits to the hardware store, the lfs, and buying the occasional thing for our betta Ocean, I managed to spend another $175 in May (and don't even have that aquarium fully built yet, but that's another story).

And it gets even worse. Mid-May I had decided that our 5.5 acrylic was nice and all, but badly scratched. I'd seen some videos on how to fix that, but Ocean needed another aquarium in the meantime. I'd also seen videos on soil substrate (for cheap!!), and I wanted to experiment with that. Late May I found a 10 g for $7, and decided I could kill two birds with one stone, and try my dirt tank and then move Ocean into it. But it needed a new light, and a heater to get it up to temp and while I could move some plants over, some more would be nice, and... long story short, 7 days into June I've spent an additional $112 on my "cheap" setup. $20 of that was on some tank mates for Ocean, since it seemed like a waste to have a betta in a 10 g all by himself.

I added up the receipts yesterday, and sat back in shock, wondering how I spent nearly $400 on my inexpensive, DIY tanks >_< That was pretty much my hobby budget for the year...so does anyone have advice on how to ACTUALLY do this cheaply? ...Other than stop buying more aquariums, because I think I learned that one

On the bright side, I have most of the supplies I need for a while...except I will need a new heater and light for the 37g....*sighs*
Hope this makes some of you laugh

Jeez, I feel you. I bought my first tank because I got a super deal on it, and the SO was annoyed. She caught the bug too though, and before we knew it we had spent more than $200 in two months, and then another 50-60 each month since. I recently bought a 30 Gallon kit that was half price, then panicked because I couldn't believe I'd done that.

 

Craigslist is King (and my down fall). I just saw someone unloading 2 tanks (10G an 5G) and everything included for $60 and bought them cause I'm setting up a home office and was like 'Oh I would love to have a little shrimp tank on my desk'. And then realized.... now I am going to need to fill these....

At least I have an already cycled tank??

 

Lol I totally can relate. I was sitting in the car with my Husband the other day and we were talking about my fish tank. He says "That fish tank probably cost us $700 now right?" And I said, "No" Then I started adding everything up. I originally bought the tank used. 55 gallon with stand for $160. It came with a HOB and some other stuff that I didn't end up using because a HOB wouldn't work for the area I was putting my tank. So We bought a canister filter, Then we had to buy, Prime, Air Pump, misc. fish tank accessories, substrate, Decorations, and live stock! We also bought a python because I couldn't imagine refilling my 1 gallon bucket 20 times if I had to do a huge water change. Lol. All and all, he was almost right, it came to almost $700.

 

Just about 1.5 years in.
Yes, it can get expensive, especially starting up. But it is so "Enjoyable", its my stress relief. It's absolutely worth it. Better than going to the doctor and filling up on meds. Also, I have met a few members from here and another forum. "Great People". Right now I'd have to say close to $2K. Just a side note I have 6 tanks. And at present have the ability to at least maintain my "Wet Pets" in food and plants by trading and selling. In fact going to "Auction" tomorrow. Last auction I made some dollars. At times I have surplus and I offer here for "Shipping costs or Trade Only". Good Luck and Happy Spending! LOL

Oh, by the way "Welcome to Fishlore"
Just thought of it, but wait until you catch the "MTS "virus. You'll see! $$$

 

I literally spent just under $60 today on 6 SerbaI Cories, $5 on a Java Fern, $5 on a Mystery snail. $20 on tropica substrate for a new tank, $3.99 on a bag of rounded pebbles, $13.99 on a new bottle of flourish...... Shhh. Don't tell hubby.

 

Oh lord I don’t even want to think what my tanks cost me. In 2 years my 0.5 gallon betta bowl turned into a 2.5 then a 10, got some 0.25$ goldfish( who now eat 30$ of food a month I might add). Tank tally now is 6x2.5, a 5, 2x 20s, a 30, and a 75. Not to mention the 15 gallons of empty tank I have. If I had to guess I’d tally my tank costs at about 3-4000$ and most of the tanks aren’t scaped and there’s always something that needs to be upgraded DX Fish food alone runs me 100$ every 3 months

And I’m not even going to add in what I spend on the horse’s monthly board or cat food/litter.

EDIT: I’m also going to mention how great full I am that utilities are included in my rent lol

 

Well, omg, the money I have spent since delving into fishkeeping in October 2017 is just astonishing. Started out with saving my son's Betta who was in a bowl, so had to order him a new 3 gallon, and filter, heater, heater didn't work right, so ordered 2 more heaters just in case, then I wanted more betta's, so bought 2 brand new split tanks, and the cost of the bettas, needed heaters for those tanks, then I didn't like the flow of the split filter, so ordered new filters for these tanks, all the food, medicine to have on hand. Then I wanted snails, nerites just don't do it for me, they die, bought 2 batches that just never moved, could never tell if they were dead, so ordered mystery snails, then they were too big for the betta tanks, so they got their own tank, but it was too small but I had no room for bigger, so moved rooms, had to pain this room, put new tiling on the floor, all the money involved in that, the 40 gallon breeder, new heater, 2 big filters, can't forget to mention snail food, Cory food (Oh forgot the Cory purchase), a Python to change the 40 gallon water, but it is too short, so just now bought an extension hose for the python, and some more food for the fishies. IT NEVER ENDS. I have probably spent 3000 since October easily. I do not tell anybody what anything costs, and hubby just knows something was bought but not what and not how much. But pretty much think I am finally done. No more room for more tanks, no more money for more stuff, but only thing I will buy is if my bettas die any time soon, leaving me room for a tank, I might buy 2 minI puffer fish for their own tank. That is my dream, then of course will need a tank to keep their food in. IT NEVER ENDS. I guess one day I would like a saltwater tank, but that is too much for me right now. I also have a slew of animals that I have to maintain and buy stuff for constantly, ferret litter, food, dog food, 3 cats, a parrot who needs special food, omg, my animals will put me in the poorhouse some day.

 

It's adding up quickly and I haven't even purchased fish or plants yet! I started fish keeping a year or so ago with just a Betta in a cheap one gallon acrylic tank. No filtration, just some gravel and a fish. Poor fish. I didn't have his tank heated and he died during the winter, probably because I don't keep the house at anything close to 78 deg. Anyway, I felt bad about that but still wanted another fish so I bought a little Top Fin 2.5 gal tank that came with a filter. This tank is doing MUCH better. "Carlos" (the new Betta) is very happy and has gotten HUGE, has great colors and an amazing tail and fins. I added a couple of Nerite snails over the last few months which caused him some stress and feeding them algae tabs has made the tank a bit dirtier and requires more maintenance but so far so good though there have been a few "What have I done" moments/weeks.

We had a talk and decided to add on to the fish population so I got a 3.5 gal Top Fin and a new Betta, plus of course the requisite decor and additional filters that will eventually be needed. This second tank was on sale, only $19.99 at PetSmart! What a bargain! By the time I was done with just that tank I had right at $100 wrapped up in it alone.

And then.... the bug really bit me. If I could keep these two little guys happy and healthy, what could I do with a REAL tank? Fast forward to a Saturday morning about 6 weeks ago, having my coffee and decided to browse the local Craigslist and lo and behold, there it was, a 55 gal with wooden base/cabinet calling out to me! $100? Why, that's chicken feed! And delivered for that price too? I MUST HAVE THIS!!!

So now I'm the proud owner of a 55 gal bare bones tank now and am slowly working on setting it up. I've bought and Eheim Classic 350 for it, 100 lbs of black sand that is designed for use in a sand blaster, some dollar store ammonia, large bottle of tap water conditioner, small bottle of nitrifying bacteria, master test kit, some rocks and driftwood, a light that should be delivered today, a ramp timer for the light that should be here in a few days.... Sigh.

I've spent the last month or so perusing a lot of YouTube videos and fishkeeper forums to try and get up to speed before the Big Day (the one where I actually have fish for the tank).

Anyway, I just joined this forum today because I've found it to be one of the friendliest and most helpful to noobs, at least from my reading various threads on a wide variety of topics.

I haven't kept a tally of my total expenditures but as most of what I've bought has come from Amazon, Walmart and PetSmart I can probably get a good idea of where I'm at financially in this hobby pretty quickly. My "Cart" on Amazon has about $200 worth of stuff sitting in it right now, things I've run across and think "Oh, I'll need one of these soon so I'll add it to the cart". A Python fill n drain, couple of digital thermometers ('cause you know I don't trust the heater to be accurate and just might need an extra someday). Etc...

I'm going broke and don't even have fish yet.

 

It could always be worse, my supplies were getting old, and I needed something to clean the algae off my 20 gallon with, I bought the supplies and a gold algae eater and ended up spending $80 on just supplies and one fish. Adding that up to the fish I have bought earlier this year and the tank itself I’ve probably spent around $1000 this year alone

 

It could always be worse, my supplies were getting old, and I needed something to clean the algae off my 20 gallon with, I bought the supplies and a gold algae eater and ended up spending $80 on just supplies and one fish. Adding that up to the fish I have bought earlier this year and the tank itself I’ve probably spent around $1000 this year alone

OMG I know the feels. I literally have never walked out of my LFS without spending at LEAST $70, even though I always go in thinking "Oh I just need filter media".

And then I go into the fish room (this place is amazing like they have 2 warehouses of tanks!

And then see the above spending....

I also have a semI local fish shop (at least it's a trek to get there so I don't get there often) that specifically specializes in nano tanks, and fish for nano tanks (less than 15G) and imports all sorts of things you can't get anywhere else (betta imbelus, sparkling gouramis, pygmy and dwarf EVERYTHING, all sorts of insane shrimp breeds...)

When I go there I take out cash before hand, and leave ALL my cards at home cause other wise we'd be broke.

 

lol I used to be able to "sneak" my purchases in. Now my daughter tells on me cause she loves the drama. *sigh* I do not want to know how much I have spent on fish in the last year. The hubby tends to concede because I work my tail off non-stop and 'deserve a hobby' but I think he's temporarily reached his limit of understanding. One time I came home with $45 worth of shrimp and the hubby was like next time you spend that much on shrimp it better be edible and I was like well technically these ARE edible... (shudder). Last swap meet I came back with 1x10g, 1x5g both with lids and filters, 5 peppered cory babies, 2 scarlet badis, 1 yellow shrimp, 4 chilI rasboras and I spent only $32 I was ecstatic. Hubby not so much lol I have to watch my step or I'll never be able to get that canister filter I've been wanting for the 40b...

 

I guess I should add in the cost of the living room carpeting because, yeah, that really happened. I promised myself I wouldn't be impatient with this because I know me. So... the sand. Let me tell you about the sand first. I'm doing this on a budget (allegedly) and so I see what "aquarium" substrate costs and of course I think "I can do this cheaper! I'm resourceful!". And so I discover Black Diamond Blasting Sand. I watch some videos of people with their tanks and they're using this stuff and they look fantastic!

So one Saturday several weeks back I am waiting at the door for Tractor Supply to open so I can get me some Black Diamond Blasting Sand, because I'm smart and frugal and ambitious. I tell the girl what I'm there for, she calls some guy from the back and he goes to check and comes back to tell me they're out. NOOO!!! Okay, don't panic I tell myself. We're being patient here. "What else do you have?". The words came out of my mouth so quickly it scared me. "Oh, we have play sand". Okay, I wasn't dead set on the other so play sand it is! The guy comes back and he has the Black Diamond! Praise be to Fish Allah! It was up on top of the play sand out of sight but there it is! I get my 100 pounds of Black Diamond Blasting Sand and drive home, smugly patting myself on the back for being so smart and patient and ... did I mention smart?

I drag the bags into the living room, find the box cutter and make a slit in the top of the one, lift it up and dump the contents into the tank. Whoof! The black cloud of dust that came up filled my nose and mouth. Oh God, what have I done? Oh well, too late now and I'm sure the filter will take care of this, let's dump in the other bag! Wheeee!!!!!!! I'm having fun, being smart and building a tank!

I'm getting to the part about the living room carpet, I just want to establish first that I am a genius.

I start to fill the tank very slowly, one half gallon pitcher of water at a time so as to not disturb my new substrate. It's looking a bit murky but no fear here, it'll be fine, right? RIGHT? I get the tank filled up and the water is so dark I can't see thru it. I turn on the filter and let it run, that will fix the cloudiness I tell myself.

A couple days later and I'm rethinking that as I sit gloomily gazing at my tank of black soup from across the room.

 

I’m a narcissist. But cases like this, I can say I truly hate myself.