How Did I Spend So Much $??

I think Pescado_Verde is a comedy writer. If not, he should be. Very entertaining stuff

 

I think Pescado_Verde is a comedy writer. If not, he should be. Very entertaining stuff

Ha! Maybe I am!? Have you ever seen "A Fish Named Wanda"? Yeah, I didn't write that. But it is funny and has a little bit to do with a fish so I've got that going for me, which is nice. There may be a market for my tomfoolery after all.

 

This is what scares me, lol. It all starts so innocently.

You’re story starts much like mine. I got one betta and put him in a 2 gallon tank (he’s since been upgraded to a 10 gallon tank) then another betta and put him in a 3.5 gallon tank on my desk at work (he’s still there), then I got a 29 gallon (listed as 30 gallon) Craigslist deal with a metal stand. And wow that stank was rickety. The fish tank would literally wobble when I walked by. Did I mention I live in an upstairs condo. So yeah, my situation is like yours with the apartment, but I have neighbors who live below me. I ended up replacing the stand with something I got from HomeGoods furniture section, so this $100 Craigslist tank and stand ended up costing me $200 because the new stand was $100. And then the filter was shot. So I had to buy a new one of those. And then I added an air stone and had to buy a pump. Not to mention all the decor and plants and the substrate. That tank alone has cost me well over $1000, because I got the fish from PetSmart and they came with diseases, but not to worry, PetSmart sells the medicine to treat those diseases too! How convenient! What a lucrative business model that must be!

Fast forward to today and I now have 6 tanks with livestock in them and a few empty ones, and plans to buy more. Just, not from PetSmart. I’m sooooo done with them.

 

Has anyone had a single fish cost them an entire tank. I had an oscar ram an ornament threw the side of a 75 gallon tank. Only tank I could find to replace it was an oceonic. So I went from a $50 used tank to a brand new oceonic with matching stand and topper. My wife didnt talk to me for a week. On a good note it was a peaceful week. Lol. Oh and it got the carpet shampooed to suck up the water.

 

Sounds like a common theme. From initial setup of my tank, to upgrading equipment, replacing broken equipment, buying fish, plants, fish meds, test kits, dechlor, food, buying more fish, cleaning supplies, plant fertilizers etc.... i've spend probably close to $600 on my 20 long over the course of 3 years.

 

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

I know I’m late to this thread but I started with a 1 gal with 2 guppies about 6 months ago. I now have 2- 29 gal tanks, 2- 55 gal tanks, and a 75 gal tank. The 75 gal is my most recent and I’m almost up to $1000 just on that tank I got not even a week ago. I think this hobbie is a bit of an addiction.

 

I know I’m late to this thread but I started with a 1 gal with 2 guppies about 6 months ago. I now have 2- 29 gal tanks, 2- 55 gal tanks, and a 75 gal tank. The 75 gal is my most recent and I’m almost up to $1000 just on that tank I got not even a week ago. I think this hobbie is a bit of an addiction.

Yes and there's such a wide range of different things you can do, all the different setups you could possibly do with a particular tank. All the fish and all the plants there are to choose from. When you've considered what you really want to do with your one tank, you've considered other ideas and another tank could make those other ideas happen and so on and so forth. My 40b is still not started yet but I got a brand spanking new fluval 406 this week for extremely cheap (I'm severely hoping that it works without issues). Hubby gave me the look as I had promised to keep fish spending to a minimum but I just couldn't pass that up. And he doesn't know it yet but I really want a shelving unit from the hardware store instead of a stand or something for it so I can put multiple tanks in one area. Hmm.

 

Yes and there's such a wide range of different things you can do, all the different setups you could possibly do with a particular tank. All the fish and all the plants there are to choose from. When you've considered what you really want to do with your one tank, you've considered other ideas and another tank could make those other ideas happen and so on and so forth. My 40b is still not started yet but I got a brand spanking new fluval 406 this week for extremely cheap (I'm severely hoping that it works without issues). Hubby gave me the look as I had promised to keep fish spending to a minimum but I just couldn't pass that up. And he doesn't know it yet but I really want a shelving unit from the hardware store instead of a stand or something for it so I can put multiple tanks in one area. Hmm.

I got everything on sale for my 75 gal tank including the fx4 I just picked up yesterday. It’s crazy.

 

Has anyone had a single fish cost them an entire tank. I had an oscar ram an ornament threw the side of a 75 gallon tank. Only tank I could find to replace it was an oceonic. So I went from a $50 used tank to a brand new oceonic with matching stand and topper. My wife didnt talk to me for a week. On a good note it was a peaceful week. Lol. Oh and it got the carpet shampooed to suck up the water.

Yeah, yeah, blame it on the poor fish WE ALL KNOW IT WAS YOU!!

 

I got everything on sale for my 75 gal tank including the fx4 I just picked up yesterday. It’s crazy.

I rarely shop in stores now except maybe to pick up some food or ferts or something. Got the fluval canister off Craigslist and was expecting it to be used and probably in poor or incomplete condition. But it was new, everything still in it's packaging including all the media etc (was a teary eyed moment). I can only imagine the cost for a fx4 even on sale, but I understand paying more for guarantee and quality though.

 

Craigslist is going to be the end of me, lol. Having my coffee this morning I found a 20 gal tank complete with filter/pump, lights, decor etc... for $60 and I feel like if I were to watch it for a couple of weeks and it's still there I could get it for $40 and at that price I might pull the trigger. I haven't even really started the build on my 55 yet. I may be in trouble.

 

My cheapest tank build cost me $22. $15 for the 2.5 gallon, $6 for some sand substrate (used the rest on my 5.5), $1.17 for three berried ghost shrimp (though one is actually a whisker), then filled 1/3 of it with java moss and sußwassertang I already had, and filled the top with anacharis. It's going pretty well, I kept the parents in and I still have ~15-20 babies that survived the larval stage, and one of them still has berries. I don't think any of the whisker babies survived, it was kind of weird.
Now, if we're talking about the most expensive set up I've done... Yikes, it was a lot! All for my little carnival goldfish, she's a good little fish.

 

Craigslist is going to be the end of me, lol. Having my coffee this morning I found a 20 gal tank complete with filter/pump, lights, decor etc... for $60 and I feel like if I were to watch it for a couple of weeks and it's still there I could get it for $40 and at that price I might pull the trigger. I haven't even really started the build on my 55 yet. I may be in trouble.

My first tank was a new tetra 3 gallon cube for $10. Then a 20h I found at a yard sale $5 for the tank hood, heater, & filter. Got a new 10 gallon & 5 gallon from petco during the $ sale. The next two tanks were free from craigslist a 10 gallon and 20h. Then at a swap meet I got a 5 gallon and 10 gallon for $10 total including hoods and filters. I found a 10 gallon at a thrift store with hood for $4. The 3 gallon bowls I got were $10 on sale at a hobby store and $3 for the sponge filters so $13 each. I've given a couple tanks away to friends and my daughter claimed one for her baby snake.

So then I made a mistake and got a bad 55 gallon off craigslist for $40 it included filter, gravel, lots of decor and a siphon, and a 29 gallon stand was thrown in too. But the tank is missing a brace which I didn't realize at the time was needed and the trim is cracked so I'm lost as to what to do with it at the moment. The most expensive tank I've gotten was the 40b that was $45 plus I think $32 for the glass lid and now $40 for the filter. Horrible at math but that is about $300 for 13 tanks plus another $100ish for filters, lights, heaters, potting mix, and gravel. But I feel like I've probably spent more on everything else like plants and fish than on the tanks and equipment. *guilty look*

 

So then I made a mistake and got a bad 55 gallon off craigslist for $40 it included filter, gravel, lots of decor and a siphon, and a 29 gallon stand was thrown in too. But the tank is missing a brace which I didn't realize at the time was needed and the trim is cracked so I'm lost as to what to do with it at the moment. The most expensive tank I've gotten was the 40b that was $45 plus I think $32 for the glass lid and now $40 for the filter. Horrible at math but that is about $300 for 13 tanks plus another $100ish for filters, lights, heaters, potting mix, and gravel. But I feel like I've probably spent more on everything else like plants and fish than on the tanks and equipment. *guilty look*

I'd advertise it as a reptile house and just be sure to be honest with whomever looks at it and tell them that it doesn't hold water. Sounds like it would be a good home for a corn snake or similar.

 

I'd advertise it as a reptile house and just be sure to be honest with whomever looks at it and tell them that it doesn't hold water. Sounds like it would be a good home for a corn snake or similar.

Yeah I was thinking of just holding onto it for now because it might become a future home for my daughter's snake, maybe. But considering the size and shape of that tank it would probably be better for a more active snake as you mentioned.

 

Thought for sure I was going to end up spending more money again tonight.
Disclaimer: I do NOT actually have an aquarium yet. I have a large glass box that I throw money into once or twice a week.

Do you want the long version or the short? Scroll to the bottom if you want the short, I'm going long here.

I was trying to use BDBS and it wasn't working out. Probably the wrong grit, too fine. Anyway, I had a mess. 55 gallons of black soup circulating for a couple weeks and it was not clearing up. I made the decision to drain the tank, empty the sand and just start over with the whole thing. Besides, I'd been in such a hurry to become a fish keeper that I hadn't given the used tank I'd got off of Craigslist a proper cleaning and this would be a good time to do that.

Somehow in the process, unbeknownst to me until this evening, I had managed to catch one of the hoses under the front edge of the base/stand while I was moving it around. Well, not really the hose, more just one of the little plastic levers you turn to open or close the valve on the end of the hose. I had taken the filter out and the hoses were dangling loose and somehow....
I realize this as I'm trying to put the filter back under the tank. I'm hooking the hoses back up and notice the lever is missing and then I look down, look close and there it is, wedged under the base. I grabbed it with my fingers and try to wiggle it out from underneath but it's got 400 pounds of water sitting on top of it and it's not budging.
You ever watched a NASCAR or Indy race? You know how fast those pit crews can change a tire? I'm getting that way with draining my tank, just in one weekend. Sigh. I thought for sure I had broken this little piece of plastic and was hosed (HA! See what I did there?). Thankfully it was fine and the tiny O-ring that goes on it was there on the carpet and somehow I saw it too before I vacuumed it away.
So no money spent this week so far but the weekend is coming and that means shopping for a decent substrate. WHEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! I'M A MONEY FOUNTAIN!!! I'MA MAKE IT RAIN UP IN HERE!!!

TL;DR - Tried to break stuff, got lucky and didn't

 

Lol well at least you're working out the kinks before you get fish. I like bdbs but I'm seriously thinking about getting some real aquarium sand or something when I upgrade the shrimp to one of the 5g's.

And I have to visit the fish store today, can't wait! LOL.

 

Lol well at least you're working out the kinks before you get fish. I like bdbs but I'm seriously thinking about getting some real aquarium sand or something when I upgrade the shrimp to one of the 5g's.

And I have to visit the fish store today, can't wait! LOL.

Managing Director at work used to have aquariums before kids came along so I talk to him about what I'm doing and this is what I told him. I'm not killing any fish with my shenanigans and making mistakes is a great way to learn as long as nobody gets hurt.

 

Thought for sure I was going to end up spending more money again tonight.
Disclaimer: I do NOT actually have an aquarium yet. I have a large glass box that I throw money into once or twice a week.

Do you want the long version or the short? Scroll to the bottom if you want the short, I'm going long here.

I was trying to use BDBS and it wasn't working out. Probably the wrong grit, too fine. Anyway, I had a mess. 55 gallons of black soup circulating for a couple weeks and it was not clearing up. I made the decision to drain the tank, empty the sand and just start over with the whole thing. Besides, I'd been in such a hurry to become a fish keeper that I hadn't given the used tank I'd got off of Craigslist a proper cleaning and this would be a good time to do that.

Somehow in the process, unbeknownst to me until this evening, I had managed to catch one of the hoses under the front edge of the base/stand while I was moving it around. Well, not really the hose, more just one of the little plastic levers you turn to open or close the valve on the end of the hose. I had taken the filter out and the hoses were dangling loose and somehow....
I realize this as I'm trying to put the filter back under the tank. I'm hooking the hoses back up and notice the lever is missing and then I look down, look close and there it is, wedged under the base. I grabbed it with my fingers and try to wiggle it out from underneath but it's got 400 pounds of water sitting on top of it and it's not budging.
You ever watched a NASCAR or Indy race? You know how fast those pit crews can change a tire? I'm getting that way with draining my tank, just in one weekend. Sigh. I thought for sure I had broken this little piece of plastic and was hosed (HA! See what I did there?). Thankfully it was fine and the tiny O-ring that goes on it was there on the carpet and somehow I saw it too before I vacuumed it away.
So no money spent this week so far but the weekend is coming and that means shopping for a decent substrate. WHEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! I'M A MONEY FOUNTAIN!!! I'MA MAKE IT RAIN UP IN HERE!!!

TL;DR - Tried to break stuff, got lucky and didn't

I love this! 5 years ago I took in goldfish and it was a disaster. I spent so much money trying to keep them alive. I mean, like, more than a couple grand when you include medicine, new filters, the 60 gallontank.... They did alright but were just never very healthy.

When they passed..... oh man.... like you said. "IMA MAKE IT RAIN!" The guy at the local fish store knows me well. I paid his mortgage in April and may. I may have made his car payment this month. Oh man.... I have a problem!

Every time a holiday comes around that's what I ask for. Mothers day, my birthday, our anniversary. Hey. 4th of July is on the way....

 

my friend told me she was going to flush her betta unless she could find someone to take him... me being me I did. my first mistake (or should I say step in the right way I got him a 10 gallon kit on sale for 20! but some how the first trip to the store ended with 200? stand costed me nearly 80! and now I don't even have my other tank on a stand -.- even after all my research to help bring the fish back to health, I didn't research about brands. I had apI and topfin everything, which now I know I should have gotten prime and all that jazz. decor, substrate, food, airline, pump, clips, bubbling toys, which I learned bettas (or at least flair) don't even like anyway, flair was too far gone with dropsy signs, and he passed, then I was stuck with a tank! so then I thought community tank with betta! but then I read all about them getting agressive, didn't want to deal with mire heartbreak, but what would I do for my love for bettas? get another tank obviously! I couldn't use the one I had because of the heavy filter I learned later, and it wouldn't fit the divider I wanted, so here we are almost 400 later, how did this happen?! and I don't even have any fish yet. help.

 

Dropped another $77 today. I think I'm done for a while.

HAHA!

 

I don’t know how much total in my 5 tanks, but I do know a 35 cent feeder fish cost me close to a $1,000.00 for his pond once I learned comets couldn’t live in a tank.

 

^^^ We've got a new leader in the clubhouse.
I dropped nearly $100 this weekend on some plants and fertilizer. Still building my first tank so it was going to happen sooner or later. Now with this Petco sale... I may not be done for the week.

 

Yes at the Petco sale!! I’m going soon to buy some more tanks hahaha They had 4 20L yesturday so I hope that they have 2 left when I get there!!

 

Yes at the Petco sale!! I’m going soon to buy some more tanks hahaha They had 4 20L yesturday so I hope that they have 2 left when I get there!!

Yeah, so, about that Petco sale... You buy new tanks you need things for 'em, right?
Welp, as the saying goes "A fool and his money are soon parted". The good Dr's Foster and Smith know one when they see one.




Edited to add: About that heater controller - It will eventually get below 80 degrees here and there's a chance I'll need it. Better safe than sorry, right??

 

I'm looking down the barrel of another series of purchases. I got a 20 gallon L at the Petco sale (should have gotten 2), which will need a heater, a hood and a light. It came with rebate coupons, so... that will happen this week. Finally getting the 37 g set up in the living room this week... and that needs a cover and a light, since the light that was SUPPOSED to go on it is on the 10 gallon "quarantine" tank which currently holds 80+ endler fry and the 2 females who birthed the horde. Two days ago it was holding at a "reasonable" 40+...then they went to work again. Those two female endler are the reason I have gone from one aquarium to 5 in 3 months >_< On the way into work today, I was like "OK....be reasonable. ALL the fry don't have to live. You have to go to the lfs anyway...it would be easy to pick up one more fish--say a nice female betta--and you wouldn't have to worry about dropping $200 every month on a new tank..."

But the reality is, I want them all to live >_< Even though I'm running out of room to stash them all, and only a few from the first batch have grown up to the point I can sound out the lfs on taking them back... >_>

 

This thread is incredibly depressing why do you guys make me think about all the money I've spent smh

 

Hubby bought my tank, filter and gravel as a birthday gift for me. Then I started buying more stuff to set it up. And buying. And buying! He said he got out of this cheap compared to what I’ve spent. I don’t even have fish yet!

 

I am by no means an expert but I have been in this hobby over 50 years ( 57yr old ) you may not agree with my advice but it works for me. First off instead of spending lots of money for a top you can go to Lowes or Home Depot have a piece of glass cut for the tank allow for the heater and out of the piece you have have them cut length wise another 3" off. then you can get some Aquarium silicone and get a cheap wooden knob. Without a lot of effort you have a top 15.00 to 20 depending on how big the tank I have one cut for a 20L 10.00. As far as lights if you go on E-Bay or Amazon sure you can spend a fortune I have had really good success with the LED strip lights once again look around maybe 40 depending on size of tank. Heaters on E-Bay I and get 2 heaters with shipping 20.00 250w or 300w. Filters I use HOB type my favorite are Marineland either Emperor or Penguin if you got to Petco or PetSmart you will hand over a chunk or your money however if you look at Pet Smart online you will find the same filter for half of what you pay if you just went into Pet Smart and did not ask. They will honor their online prices. Another good option chewy. As far as rocks I go to a local landscaping place I can by rocks for .35 cents a lb. A lot cheaper then any pet store. Its your money and yes I do use Dr.Foster's and Smith these are just other ideas. The way I look at the fish really do not care what type of hood you have or for that matter the light, you care because you want the fish to look there best and if you have plants you want them to thrive as well. Hope this makes some sense I have done this for years always looking for way to save. Before I forget if you have a 55 or 75 I go to Lowes HomeDepot buy a cheap 4 ft light fixture less then 20.00 then order a couple decent bulbs from Dr. Foster and Smith. Like I wrote this is how I do it when I put together a new tank ( or a tank that's new to me I look for used tanks I do not care if it leaks I get a razor knife cut out the old silicone and reseal sure it takes a little effort but its cheaper then buying a new tank sometimes ).

 

Boy... the salties haven't even chimed in yet. When the cheapest saltwater fish you can find is $15... and that's for a blue line goby. Yeah, most are around $30-100 easily. And then coral frags at $15 for tiny cheap ones and if yu want a decent one oh its $35. Oops. And of course salt mix, I'm about to spend $70 on 200 gallons worth of salt, should last me a while though. Equipment is more expensive, good lights are $130+ easily on a nano tank. And I only have 2 nanos!! 20 g and 24 g. Yikes. Don't wanna know how much I've spent.

 

When I had a LFS for 26 years, I would tell my customers " the only way to have a cheap fish tank, is to not have a tank at all " Fish keeping is a hobby, and like all hobbies is a waste of money! You have to weigh out how much enjoyment you get per dollar. I've done many hobbies in my life and can say that fish keeping gives you a lot of bang for the buck. I used to have a salt water fishing boat, I even had it for 23 years, so the accrual cost of the boat, when you put it into service for that many years was pretty good. But you soon learn that the meaning of BOAT is "break out another thousand" A tuna fishing trip on a 20 foot boat could cost up to $400 in gas alone! ( remember, I'm in California) So the moral to the story is " if you think your spending too much, stop doing the hobby and find something that's worth doing". I got a deal on a 360 gallon acrylic tank for only $600 dollars and it ended up costing me just under $20,000. I wasn't surprised at And would do all over again, because I really enjoy it.

 

When I had a LFS for 26 years, I would tell my customers " the only way to have a cheap fish tank, is to not have a tank at all " Fish keeping is a hobby, and like all hobbies is a waste of money! You have to weigh out how much enjoyment you get per dollar. I've done many hobbies in my life and can say that fish keeping gives you a lot of bang for the buck. I used to have a salt water fishing boat, I even had it for 23 years, so the accrual cost of the boat, when you put it into service for that many years was pretty good. But you soon learn that the meaning of BOAT is "break out another thousand" A tuna fishing trip on a 20 foot boat could cost up to $400 in gas alone! ( remember, I'm in California) So the moral to the story is " if you think your spending too much, stop doing the hobby and find something that's worth doing". I got a deal on a 360 gallon acrylic tank for only $600 dollars and it ended up costing me about $20,000. I wasn't surprised at And would do all over again, because I really enjoy it.

I've heard that definition of boat before We used to have a small catamaran...After the first year we never made it in the water again, because the cost of the new tarp, some pontoon repair, a new sail... yah. Eventually we sold it and now just rent a boat when want some quality time on the ocean *shrugs*

Can't rent aquariums though, and for me the fish are cheaper than therapy, and probably more effective Spending half an hour staring into the tank and grinning at the antics of all my beauties makes it worth every penny <3

Oh, and SERIOUSLY gorgeous tank!!

 

My last little spending spree documented above came about due to finding some spare change in the sofa. Fish happens.

 

My goodness and I thought I was bad. I just got a 29 gallon tank the other week when my boyfriend was at work. I snuck out to the local re-store, got a $25 cabinet and set up the entire tank while he was at work. He thought that was the end of it.

The UPS truck pulled up the other day with a live fish shipment & a 2nd package full of mopanI driftwood. Needless to say, I wasn't able to sneak the packages in because he hadn't left for work yet. I was busted. The place I ordered the fish from didn't send all of my fish yet so i'm sure he'll be even more excited when the UPS guy dumps off another round of fish for me.

I haven't checked how much i've spent yet but, I don't really care. I'm enjoying my fish. lol