monthly cost to run a freshwater setup?

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

Including electric or just food/equipment/meds/test kits etc etc ?

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

depends on what your keeping?
Planted (excess costs in additives)
Larger Fish (messier and more poo...means more water changes, better filtration, more maint)

I can tell you what you'll need to do on a monthly / more frequent basis if that helps:

Water ---> (Partial Water Changes, Evaporation Replacement Water, Rinsing
Media and Filtration system, Regenerating Medias, Testing)

Test Kit supplies (to maintain/check levels)

Dechlorinator (needed everytime water is added)

Media Supplies (as necessary, some can only be used a brief period of time before needing replaced)

Buckets/Pythons/Containers (specifically for tank water/ treatment mixture)

Additives (such as medicines, chemicals to buffer, etc)

Co2 (tanks or whatever your system requires if using system for planted setup)

Foods (whether frozen, dry, or live-Best to alternate)

Electricity (to run all the equipment-timers,lighting,filtration,airpump,etc)

Bulbs & Bands to hold in place (Uv, light, lunar...supposed to last 6 mos or more...but I've gotten a defect a time or two also)

**Again, all depends on setup and equipment used**

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

Well, normally I buy large quantities of what I know I need on a monthly basis. I would say I spend about 80 a month ?

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

Again, depends on what your keeping. Certain species require certain types of water chemistry (hence the additives) whereas depending on your water...others may not need anything (additives wise).

Same goes with food...and tank size (bigger requires higher dosage/waterchange...and certain species will only eat certain types of food..and depends on live,frozen,or flake...with flake being cheapest)

So as you can see it depends on a variety of things.

Prime-dechlorinator (little goes a long way)250ml $7.49 at bigals (shipping not included)...just a quick reference.

You'd have to give a better clue on what you were planning on keeping (from there we can give ya a general tank size and what you would need via additives -knowing your water chemistry would make the additives part easier)
Also, whether going cheapest route or with top of the line/"overkill" for easy simple running.

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

I cant put a price on it myself as it varies greatly month to month! It also depends on what you want to do to modify the tank and other things...

Food is about 30 a month for me, Dechlorinator is about 8 a month.... but if I want new plants or fish I could be spending 50-60 a month

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

I don't want to figure it out .....

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

Heck..I've spent 50-60 on one fairly descent order of plants (which filled not quite half the 90g).

Here's my total..shh! Don't tell the hubby..these are pretty good estimates as exact amounts aren't remembered at this point
90 gallon black all glass aquarium= $190 (I believe)
90 gallon glass canopies= $42
55-110 gallon black aquarium stand=$100
Rena Xp4 Filter=$160
Lustar Filter-Max 3 Pre-filter (on xp4)=$8
Emperor 400=$30

Rena 300W SmartHeater=$30
Tom Oscar Digital Aquarium Thermometer=$12
Rena 400 Airpump=$22
2 Red Sea Aquarium Check Valves (2 @ $3.59 ea)=$7.18
Airline Tubing=$5.00 for 4 packs of black elite
Penn Plax Lok-Tite Brass Gang Valve=$8.00
Several Aquarium Nets of various sizes=$8.00 (brine shrimp, red, etc)
260W compact flour. light with lunars (Four 6700K bulbs included)=$139.00
Timers (lights and air...4 @ $5 each)=$20
2 Heavy Duty Multi-Outlet Power Strips and some 3-way adapters=$40
Turbo Twist 12x 36W Uv Sterilizer=$180
50' Python No Spill Clean n' Fill=$43
Python No Spill Clean n' Fill Brass faucet adapter=$4
144lbs of Eco-Complete Planted Substrate (Seven 20lb bags @ $19.99 ea)=$140.00
Api Freshwater Master Test kit=$17
Api Freshwater Strip Tests=$10
Hagen Nutrafin Plant Spikes (2 @ $5)=$10
250ml bottle Seachem Flourish=$8
250ml bottle Seachem Flourish Excel=$9
250ml bottle Seachem Iron=$9
250ml bottle Seachem Prime=$10
Purigen bags (4 @ $5)=$20
1L Seachem De*Nitrate=$13 (I'm having nitrate issues)
6pk Algone=$13 (again, recommended for nitrate reduction)
500ml bottle Seachem Phosgaurd=$10 (high phosphate levels @ one time)
14oz Polyester Floss (extra media)=$7
2L Eheim Substrat Pro & 4L Ehfimech=$100 (had a defective 2080 that couldn't be repaired by seller--returned the filter and was stuck with the media...so using it in my current filters)
Caves, breeding logs, driftwood, choya, blah blah blah=$100+
Plants=$200+ easily (this includes several which didn't take, arrived poorly, etc)
10+oz Tetra Flake Color Food=$10
8+oz Hikari Algae Wafers=$11
0.35oz Hikari First bites=$1.59
3+oz Spirulina Flake Food=$3.59
0.35oz Baby Sun Dried Shrimp=$3
Hikari Frozen Foods (Spirulina Infused Brine Shrimp, Bloodworms, Mysis, Brine Shrimp)=$4+/- a 4oz pkg

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

Oh yea I forgot the test strips... I use fert tabs so I do it every 3-4 months

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

Welcome to the world of fish keeping.

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

Hey dawn what's the grand total so far? I will post what I have spent tomorrow if I have time.

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

You're not the only one buddy!
Everyone knows me by my first name and is forever asking about the kids, dogs, chins, etc. Lmdao! I think they know more about my house than I do. Lol!

Spent about $1600 on what I listed on the other page...and that doesn't include all the filter media replacements, fish, chemicals to replace the ones I went through, the previous light fixture that I wasn't happy with, the other emperor 400 I have, gravel that wasn't used, and oh my gosh...soo much more. I wish I could write it all off. [glasses]

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

i use to much.... all those food/fish/EVERYTHING!!!

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

Dear god dawn 190 bucks for just a glass tank? Thats so friggin cheap.
A 5 gallon only glass takes 30 Dollars here.. darnit

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

Here is an estimate of my equipment:

Tetra 250W Heater - $30 x 3
Titanium 300W Heater - $45 x 1
Other assorted heaters - $15 x 4
Used Emperor 400 - $10
Used Magnum 350 - - $10
Rebuild Kit for Magnum 350 - $20
30 Gallon Tank with light and Marineland Glass top - FREE
20 Gallon Tank with hood - FREE
Random HOB Filters - FREE x 3
55 Gallon Glass/Lights Only - $75
55 Gallon Stand - $100
125 Gallon Glass Only - $100 (came with a iron stand I threw out)
125 Stand (parts/materials) - $275
125 Light Hood (parts/materials) - $150
Digital Timer - $20 x 1
Analog Timer - $8 x 2
Power Strips (went nice) - $15 x 2
Other Power Strips - $4 x 4
10 Gallon tank Glass Only - $11
10 Gallon tank with filter and hood - FREE
5 Gallon Tank with hood - FREE

Hikari Frozen Bloodworms - $5 per dimple sheet (about 30 dimples)
Tetra Color Bits - $18 large can
Live Blackworms- $2 per portion
Other random treats - varies
Hikari First Bites - $6 i think
Frozen Brine Shrimp - $5 dont use too often or much of
Frozen Baby Brine Shrimp - $6 only get when I get Angel Fry

Flourish Root Tabs - $10 or so about every 3 months
Flourish Excel - $8 or so and I only add this every few months when I feel like it

Filter Floss - $3 lasts 1 rotation of cleaning
Pantyhose - $.50 per pair
Peat Moss - $12 per bag (50lbs) and I dont use much...

Meds I dont buy but have a stock that I stocked up on at home - $75 for all

Test Kits - $35 every 3 months or so

Swords - $6 - $10 x 5
Cabomba - $3 x 2
Stargrass - $3 x 1
Java Fern - $5 x 5
Java Moss - $4 x 2
Anubias Nana - $4 x 1
Microsword - $8 x 1
Chain Sword - $4 x 2
Red Crypt Wendtii - $10 x 1 (huge plant)
Plants that did not live in my tank conditions - $80 total flushed

Sand (50lbs) - $5-$10 x 6

And there probably is about another $300-$400 that I have burned through on stuff I dont have any more like a stump decoration that was $75 in the store that my Oscars destroyed, fake plants they destroyed... Black aquarium gravel I dont use and threw out... other aquarium gravel I dont use anymore... and even a 29 gallon tank that my wife made me get rid of with stand and hood that I paid $100 for (sold for $40 at yard sale )

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

Ok here is my estimate, and bare in mind that I haven't even got my tank running yet so I will still spend more for fish and plants. Also I get most of my stuff online and I am not adding shipping cost here.

40 gallon glass aquarium with stand (used) - 100
materials to paint stand - 20
Nova extreme SLR t5 lighting 156 watts - 185
fresh water bulbs - 45
materials for lighting mods - 30
10lb co2 cylinder (used) - 50
co2 regulator and 3 way manifold - 110
eheim canister filter - 85
hydor in-line heater - 40
materials to build substrate (sand, florite, worm castings, top soil) - 65
digital timer/power strip - 30
digital thermometer - 5
plant ferts - 15
drift wood - 90
aqua scaping tools - 40

And lot of little things here and there that I can't really think of right now.
Everything listed is for my 40 gallon tank only.

If I was to add shipping and all the little stuff I can't think of, I would say I have about 1000 in my 40 gallon.

Of course when I started back into the hobby after moving to VA I had sold all my old equip. so I had to buy everything, right down to new water buckets.

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

wow so long i rather not know mines and get a life!!! lol how long did that take you??? [laughing] [laughing] [laughing] [laughing]

 

Re: Monthly Cost To Run a Freshwater Tank?

My total was of course just for the things I'm currently using...nothing that was bought in the past..traded...sold...broke..didn't use..etc.