Quote (Skinned @ Sep 26 2015 07:20am)
Craigslist friend. The 65 gallon square I got I paid like $150 for. But filling it up with water the first time was nerve wracking :p
Well there is the cost of the basic equipment. You have the aquarium, filter, heater, air pump and stone at minimum. Then you have to buy chemicals like water conditioner, bacteria to start the nitrogen cycle. And the food isn't expensive if you just stick to flakes and pellets (I mix live blood worms, diced beef hearts, and brine shrimp for my guys alot :) )
But I would shop around. At PetCo, Pet Supplies Plus, and PetSmart they sometimes have dollar per gallon sales, where you can get a 20 gal for $20, up to 55 gal for $55...those are great deals. A 55 gallon tank is four feet long and can handle most fish unless you want to get the real big central American cichlid or a Frontosa from Tanganyika.
One of the big cost driver for my tanks is lighting, plants, and driftwood. I like the natural look. Driftwood is about $10 for a small, $20 for a medium, and $30-$40 for a large piece. Fish love them.. I have mine arranged into caves and whatnot. Most of my plants are Amazon Swordplants, Anubis, jungle vale, and java fern. Plants are expensive. Anubis are costly but are pretty and tough, survive on little to no light. Amazon swords need lots of light and care. I use CO2 booster chemicals in my tank to facilitate growth.
Altogether I've spend quite a lot. I've spent a lot of money on costly mistakes learning the trade over time. If you set up an aquarium, buy the stuff, set it up, and don't buy the fish yet. Don't get the fish until everything is set up. Then just get one or two tough fish to ride out the ammonia/nitrite cycle. African Mbuna are tough as nails.
I've spent thousands of dollars on this hobby. My South American tank has $200 in amazon sword plants in it :p
Cool thanks alot for the info. trying to do more research before I jump into this lol.