Question From Newbie

[andrewcollier]

My name is Andrew. I kept tropical freshwater fish up to about 30 years ago, and I am now thinking of re-entering the fray! At present I am employed and can afford most things I need, but would like to have some idea what I should budget annually should my circumstances change.

My plan is to get a 5ft tank possibly 2 ft wide and 2ft 6 high and site it in our porch. I realize this is going to be something like 300kg just for the water so I shall take serious advice from engineers on making a stand for it. I think the extra height would make it look more in proportion.

My problem is if I buy it , can afford to run it, so can any body offer any advice based on their own experience the following?

1. The possible cost (wide variation) of re-stocking with fish and plants per year due to natural losses.
2. The possible cost of heating. The porch has a radiator, but kept at a low settiing. The tank will be positioned in an alcove so each end will be barely visible. Therefore I am considering building a box around the tank that will contain insulation. I would also consider putting a cover on the front at night. How much would such insuation reduce the bills by and what may they be?

Thanks for your consideration

 

[Chri$]

Have a look on the PFK website where you should find a calculator which allows you to work out how much it costs to run your tank (heating, filtration, lighting etc)

This wouldn't be the Andrew Collier that lives in kirkbymoorside would it?

 

[Miss Wiggle]

simple answer is running costs will be minimal.

something like having 2/3 extra lightbulbs in your house electricity wise. i went from 2 to 8 tanks within a couple of months and never saw any rise in leccy bills.

set up costs vary as you can get 2nd hand tanks and equipment dirt cheap or you can get all brand new custom made stuff so the price ranges vastly.

and the cost of fish is really gonna depend on what fish you get.... yes if you keep show grade discus it's gonna be expensive to replace them...... but for average community fish your talking 2/3 quid each fish. so lets assume you loose 1 fish every other month... (in a healthy well maintained aquarium you shouldn't even loose this much) thats gonna be 36 quid a year.

plants.... you can get a good package deal from various internet sites with all the plants you'll need for your tank for 20 quid... if you set up things for your plants correctly e.g. high lighting, Co2 this should last you, if all your plants thrive there is a lot of swapping around this and other forums where members trade cuttings and spare plants so in theory you never need to buy any more.

so assuming you go for decent gear to set up the tank, and look after it well you've a yearly cost of 3 lightbulbs worth of electricity, 35 quid of fish, 20 quid on food, another tenner on medications, water treatments etc. all in all i reckon less than 100 quid a year.

 

[fishcollector7000]

hi, looking at this im not sure if i can help you but i can try and give you a rough idea of how much it costs me. i will give you a king of rough breakdown for materials and fish ect but for the bills which i think you mean i really am not sure. also it depends on your local fish store prices obviously mine will be slightly different!

[/b] could be from 100 pound up or cheaper if you have smaller?
a heater is roughly 20-25 ponds could be less if you shop around!
a filter depends what system you use? i have a jewel andthe filter sponges are 3 ponud each roughly for about 6.

ok then a background again this is going to be very vaugue as i do not know your preferences?
paper is bout 5 pounds roughly
polystyrene would be about 10ish?
or you could create your own which is slightly more creative but looks nice once youve finished.

urm then you have gravel/sand this again varies due to the size of your tank a bag of gravel could cost anything from 5-12 pounds as with sand.

i just purchased some sand which is normal colour and looks v.nice for 4 pound a bag i brought 4 to fill my 125l jewel.

my man friend brought black sand this cost him 15 pounds per bag but it was definatly worth the cost!

IT REALLY DEPENDS ON THE QUALITY OF YOUR CHOICES ON PRICE REALLY UNLESS YOU BARGAIN HUNT!

acesories at the most extreme price each i would say 15 pounds

but if you wanted rocks/ bogwood genrally they are priced again on size i have seen pieces for 5 pounds in some fish shops. they look quite nice against plants!

ok rite now the fun part! The FISH

basically most SMALL fish are under 5 pounds
the larger ones may be more
and if you get into rare and oddball fish obviously the price increases!

plants
plants at ,y Local fish shop are 3.50 although you can get them for cheaper than this! i have seen it!
although once again

if you have bunches it is less costly than a established pot!

although with real ones you do tend to have to replace!
some last longer than thers and if you take care of them you will not have to!

or there is plastic fantastic ! which you do not have to replace! these would be at roughlt 2-3 pounds

silk would be at 3-4 roughly but they tend to get dirty.

also alongside all of this water conditioner!!!!!!
VITAL for water changes i think the biggest bottle is 250ml tetra safe brand at about 8 pounds!

also if yur fishes get sich you may have to purchase medicine which is about 7-8 pounds

test kits to test your water quality would be about 15-20 for a full testing kit

and a gravel cleaner roughly 5-10 pounds

themometer about 2-3 pounds!

you probably know all this but i was trying to give you a brief idea! as sometimes i know when i first started i didnt think of the costs of testing water and sickness etc!

overall i think if you take care of your fishes i would say it will work out cheaper!

I HOPE I HAVENT PUT YOU OFF! my prices are based on an expensive fish store although there quality is amazing and i would not fault this.