Aquarium Budget

[TheStardustTraveler]

Greetings fellow aquarists,

I was thinking about how much money I've spent over the years on the hobby and was curious as to what other people spend their money on.

Fish
Filters
Food
Chemicals
Books & education
Decoration

What do you spend the most on?
What do you spend the least on?

 

[DrRob]

I invest in glass. DIY filters, buy pumps and heaters, make chemicals from scratch, use the internet for education and gather wood, buy cat litter and play sand for decoration (oh and trade plants on forums).
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/408761-the-misers-guide-to-fishkeeping/?hl=%2Bthe+%2Bmiser%26%2339%3Bs

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Fish cost the most. Except I also have them spawn so they often pay for themselves and then the other stuff as well.
 
I spend the least on books. I have bought only 2.

 

[TheStardustTraveler]

I invest in glass. DIY filters, buy pumps and heaters, make chemicals from scratch, use the internet for education and gather wood, buy cat litter and play sand for decoration (oh and trade plants on forums).
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/408761-the-misers-guide-to-fishkeeping/?hl=+the++miser's

What percentage of this forum do you think are into DIY stuff?

 

[DrRob]

Ohhh, now that's a good question. I suspect that answer is that, at it's lowest level, none of us are beyond scooping things up in a pint glass instead of a special container, whereas others build their own tanks and lighting arrays with computer controllers. As for percentage, I'd suspect it's on the lower end, but that's partly because the bigger tanks and more specialised set ups lend themselves most to DIY as the commercial option is either very expensive or doesn't exist.