Most of us who have been around fish for a while know NOT to buy the professional sump containers, because making your own even from old aquariums is much cheaper.
But there are actually LOTS of ways to cut costs or time in this hobby. I'll name a few here, and you all can join in if you know of anything else. This is primarily for the hobbyists in the U.S., but there may be other versions in the U.K. similar to these.
Substrate - for gravel, go to Lowes Home Improvement stores. They have a good-sized bag of "pea gravel" that is quartz-based. One bag covers the bottom of a 30G aquarium for just $4 a bag. Quartz itself is safe for aquariums. Just rinse it very well before using it.
Bonus: I used two different sized strainers to rinse mine. A plastic one with large holes, and one made of screen. The screen caught finer particles that I use for guppy fry, where they can't go down under the gravel and possibly get stuck or crushed.
PH adjustments - Vinegar is acidic and Baking Soda is alkaline. But I would use these sparingly, as sudden spikes in either direction is worse than being on the wrong side of the PH scale. But you can often get the PH to an even 7.0 and use tiny amounts of this to "nudge" it in the direction you want.
Fine-Mesh Nets for Fry - Don't bother. Use airline tubing to siphon the fry into a different container.
Airline tubing - speaking of it, don't bother getting it from a pet shop. The same exact stuff, made from the same exact materials, in the same exact fashion, is sold at many home improvement stores by the foot. This is also particularly helpful if you need a lot to cover several tanks with. You can buy as much - or as little - as you need.
Hoods - Unless it's a standard 10G tank, it could be much cheaper to just buy pieces of acrylic to cover the top, and some type of LED lights to sit somewhere above that. Actually, it may be cheaper for a 10G tank as well, depending on where you live.
Slate Rock, Driftwood, etc - LOOK AROUND YOU! I found slate rock covering the ground of a very tiny wooded area in... an apartment complex! For Driftwood, I have made my own using hardwood logs found outdoors. The key is to treat it properly before using it. Find a container that it will fit in, which can hold water. Fill it with enough water to cover the object. Add lots of bleach - enough that you can smell the chlorine. Let it sit for FIVE DAYS to penetrate any pourous surfaces. Then rinse and let it soak in plain water for five days to weaken the bleach that soaked i to the material. The bleach will also weaken on it's own over time, but this step helps speed up the process. Then rinse again and soak five more days in water treated with a dechlorinator, and you're done!
WARNING: ALWAYS research rocks before you use them. Granite, for example, is alkali and could really affect your PH. Quartz is safe, and most slate rock is safe. Yellowish rocks usually have sulfur and aren't safe at all. Any metallic rocks are often iron-based which can not only be deadly, but could create rust right in your fish tank!
Anyone have anything to add?
But there are actually LOTS of ways to cut costs or time in this hobby. I'll name a few here, and you all can join in if you know of anything else. This is primarily for the hobbyists in the U.S., but there may be other versions in the U.K. similar to these.
Substrate - for gravel, go to Lowes Home Improvement stores. They have a good-sized bag of "pea gravel" that is quartz-based. One bag covers the bottom of a 30G aquarium for just $4 a bag. Quartz itself is safe for aquariums. Just rinse it very well before using it.
Bonus: I used two different sized strainers to rinse mine. A plastic one with large holes, and one made of screen. The screen caught finer particles that I use for guppy fry, where they can't go down under the gravel and possibly get stuck or crushed.
PH adjustments - Vinegar is acidic and Baking Soda is alkaline. But I would use these sparingly, as sudden spikes in either direction is worse than being on the wrong side of the PH scale. But you can often get the PH to an even 7.0 and use tiny amounts of this to "nudge" it in the direction you want.
Fine-Mesh Nets for Fry - Don't bother. Use airline tubing to siphon the fry into a different container.
Airline tubing - speaking of it, don't bother getting it from a pet shop. The same exact stuff, made from the same exact materials, in the same exact fashion, is sold at many home improvement stores by the foot. This is also particularly helpful if you need a lot to cover several tanks with. You can buy as much - or as little - as you need.
Hoods - Unless it's a standard 10G tank, it could be much cheaper to just buy pieces of acrylic to cover the top, and some type of LED lights to sit somewhere above that. Actually, it may be cheaper for a 10G tank as well, depending on where you live.
Slate Rock, Driftwood, etc - LOOK AROUND YOU! I found slate rock covering the ground of a very tiny wooded area in... an apartment complex! For Driftwood, I have made my own using hardwood logs found outdoors. The key is to treat it properly before using it. Find a container that it will fit in, which can hold water. Fill it with enough water to cover the object. Add lots of bleach - enough that you can smell the chlorine. Let it sit for FIVE DAYS to penetrate any pourous surfaces. Then rinse and let it soak in plain water for five days to weaken the bleach that soaked i to the material. The bleach will also weaken on it's own over time, but this step helps speed up the process. Then rinse again and soak five more days in water treated with a dechlorinator, and you're done!
WARNING: ALWAYS research rocks before you use them. Granite, for example, is alkali and could really affect your PH. Quartz is safe, and most slate rock is safe. Yellowish rocks usually have sulfur and aren't safe at all. Any metallic rocks are often iron-based which can not only be deadly, but could create rust right in your fish tank!
Anyone have anything to add?
/www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxFb3EeZ7l8
