Does Everything Have To Cost Us An Arm And A Leg.

[MHunt]

On the meds front i heard from a guy at an LFS that normal antiseptic cream is great as a topical treatment for wounds on fish. Reckons he used it before all the fancy fish meds were thought of and it works fine. Never had to try it mind, but after the grief i had trying to treat the ulcer on my dwarf gourami with melafix, i'd try anything once.

 

[LisaLQ]

Depends on what you think is cheap. I'd say your set up was a bargain, very cheap compared to the £400+ you'd be paying nowadays for a new set up.

My 6ft tank cost me either £100 or £150 from Ebay. Had it been new it would have been around £600 just for the tank and stand, I'd think. Then all the filters and things came with it.

If I'd have had to pay out full whack I wouldn't have fish at all - as I'm on benefits and there's no way I could afford it. Which would be a real shame to me, as my fish are pretty much the only thing (other than my kids) that keeps me sane at the moment, being stuck in all day every day.

So no, I'm glad you can get things on the cheap, and I'm glad there are alternatives for those of us with lower incomes. God knows the big companies rip us off enough with their labelled products, why encourage them?

 

[pica_nuttalli]

i have to throw my $0.02 in again and say that for me, the biggest expense is the on-going hike to my electric bill. shelling out $800 for my all three of my set-ups and then another $200 for all of my fish isn't really a bad deal considering that i could easily get 5-10 years of enjoyment out of them. heck, cable TV and internet alone would have cost me almost $6000 in the equivalent period! ($97x12 monthsx5 years) its the added cost to my electric bill for running the lights and the cannister filters that bothers me; i suspect that i pay an extra $30 a month--and I live in a state with some of the lowest time prices in the nation. i'm looking at moving to either Chicago or San Francisco next year and i already feel a bit queasy just thinking about my power bill.

i tell you what, if i ever set up a fish room, i'll do like Tolak and set-up a heavy-duty air pump to run sponge filters in all the tanks. i can't even begin to fathom the cost of running as many cannisters as some of the monster-keepers do!

--EDIT--
i'll definitely go the same route as feeshy and get a 2nd-hand main tank once i move next year. i don't think that it would have been possible for me to find a used 55g+ in the area where i currently live, but i know that in Birmingham (my significantly larger hometown) there are 75g+ for sale for cheap in the classifieds all the time. and if i wind up in the Chicago area, i'm sure that *someone* can get me the hook-up on some used equipment (momma wants a 55-breeder!)

--EDIT II--
this topic is fun!

 

[LisaLQ]

LOL - depends on what fish you're keeping, a foam filter's not going to do you as much good as a canister if you've got plecs or cichlids! You'd probably use more leccy trying to get your tanks clean with one of those!

 

[pica_nuttalli]

i'm telling you, Tolak runs his Angel tanks on a massive outdoor air-pump! said it should save him a bundle, cross my heart!

 

[demonmagus]

This is only expensive for me through quantity.

I saved an absolute fortune by buying two 150W Metal Halide lamps and ballasts for £70 from ebay. Another £40 and I have a 2x150W MH setup. Check out how much the Arcadia sets will set you back (here's a hint, don't expect much change from £500).

If you avoid anything with the word aquarium then you are laughing. I bought industrial T5 starters and saved a packet there. I drill all my own tanks and pick up second hand tanks and filters and even make my own Live Rock from time to time. Utilising pond Dechlor saves a fortune on water changes at around 100 gallons a week.

So to answer the topic question, the only thing that has to cost an arm and a leg is getting into very rare and expensive fish

where do you get the industrial T5 starters? would you fine em in B and Q?

 

[andywg]

This is only expensive for me through quantity.

I saved an absolute fortune by buying two 150W Metal Halide lamps and ballasts for £70 from ebay. Another £40 and I have a 2x150W MH setup. Check out how much the Arcadia sets will set you back (here's a hint, don't expect much change from £500).

If you avoid anything with the word aquarium then you are laughing. I bought industrial T5 starters and saved a packet there. I drill all my own tanks and pick up second hand tanks and filters and even make my own Live Rock from time to time. Utilising pond Dechlor saves a fortune on water changes at around 100 gallons a week.

So to answer the topic question, the only thing that has to cost an arm and a leg is getting into very rare and expensive fish

where do you get the industrial T5 starters? would you fine em in B and Q?

Probably not B&Q. Just find somewhere that stocks Osram starter units. I found one on the internet.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

hrmmm, im not too into peeing on my hands. that warm stinging sensation creeps me out

 

[Azaezl]

I got a bargain off ebay too, my juwel rio 240 cost me £120, came with the cabinet, external filter, one of those 3d backgrounds(foamy stuff not fibreglass) decorations, 3 diff heaters, spare filter, circulation pump, 2 air pumps, gravel and fish! I also got a bargain from my lfs, they had a 50l tank marked down from £40 to £20 because the heater was broken, I complained about the broken heater and got another £10 off!

I've asked this before but can wood from a tree be used in a tank? My old oak tree had been dead about 6/ 7 months maybe more, had it cut down about 4 months ago and there are loads of logs in the garden. I'm moving soon so if they can be used I may as well give them to people who could use them in their tanks! I'm a right tight wad, when I bought a 70l I naughtily stuck a piece of mopani wood in the tank and "forgot" to mention it at the till, at the time I was determined not to pay £8 for a bit of wood! It is a large chain of pet store so I'm sure it didn't break the bank(naughty me though LOL)

Also as a little hideout for smaller fish(if you don't mind mad coulours) how about those plastic hamster houses? They are only about £3 and they are quite big.

 

[MHunt]

I got a bargain off ebay too, my juwel rio 240 cost me £120, came with the cabinet, external filter, one of those 3d backgrounds(foamy stuff not fibreglass) decorations, 3 diff heaters, spare filter, circulation pump, 2 air pumps, gravel and fish! I also got a bargain from my lfs, they had a 50l tank marked down from £40 to £20 because the heater was broken, I complained about the broken heater and got another £10 off!

I've asked this before but can wood from a tree be used in a tank? My old oak tree had been dead about 6/ 7 months maybe more, had it cut down about 4 months ago and there are loads of logs in the garden. I'm moving soon so if they can be used I may as well give them to people who could use them in their tanks! I'm a right tight wad, when I bought a 70l I naughtily stuck a piece of mopani wood in the tank and "forgot" to mention it at the till, at the time I was determined not to pay £8 for a bit of wood! It is a large chain of pet store so I'm sure it didn't break the bank(naughty me though LOL)

Also as a little hideout for smaller fish(if you don't mind mad coulours) how about those plastic hamster houses? They are only about £3 and they are quite big.

If you're really not sure about the wood, you can always treat it with an aquarium safe varnish.

 

[smurfyy_2k3]

For cheaper lighting, get ordinary household bulbs (I recommend screw fitting instead of bayonet caps) in daylight which are just T5 bulbs for the house and they have a built in starter etc

I got mine from HERE at about £6 each then wired them in for a few quid. I think 50 watts of light cost about £18 including wire, plug and bulb holders.

WARNING: Do not allow them near water or condensation, mine sit nicely over condensation trays to prevent them getting wet.

With the floss used in filters, the like of Juwel recommend they are thrown away weekly, well if you are throwing it why not just rinse it under the tap, obviously it will kill some if not all bacteria contained in there, but no more than putting them in the bin will The Juwel ones will take about 10 good blasts under the tap.

Also don't replace your sponges in your filter unless they are falling apart. If it is severley clagged up, and rinsing and squeezing it in old tank water isn't clearing it, again, use the pressure of the tap to blast it clean, again all the bacteria you lose doing this would have been lost in the bin anyway

Make your own moonlights, there are plenty of instructions in the DIY section, but basically you can get a twin set of 12" blue cold cathode bulbs for about £6 delivered from ebuyer and a variable voltage adapter for a few quid off fleabay (I paid about £20 inc postage for 6) then it's simple to wire them and costs about £8-£9 which is about half what you pay for them even through fleabay.

Arfie

i wouldnt bother with jewel advice anywhoo i dont use the square pads they recommend i buy a big old bag of filter floss and just chuck that ontop of the carbon sponge