Cost for Your FW Setup

[Punkymom]

Ok. I'm not finished buying yet, so here's my list so far:

55 [acronym:2d5c0e6a68="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:2d5c0e6a68] tank starter kit from PetSmart included hoods and light fixtures, filter, heater, and food samples valued at more than $5.00 and a cool video to watch: $150.00
Gravel (I will be returning this as I believe I can get it cheaper at Wal-Mart) 2 25# bags: $26.00 <shocker!!!>
Decoration i couldn't live without: $25.00
Complete water testing kit (haven't bought yet): $20.00
Plants (haven't bought yet): $2.00e (about) I'll probably buy like 15 or so
Fish (haven't bought yet) 6 angels: $5.00e, 4 corys: $3.50e, 3 swordtails: $3.00e (I think)
Wrought Iron stand: $65.00 (should be here tomorrow, then I get to start setting everything up!!!)
Background (haven't bought yet): $2.00 a foot
One of those cool vacuums that hooks up to the sink (haven't bought yet): $30.00
Fish bucket (haven't bought yet): $1.00 (I'm another fan of dollar stores!!!)
One of those cool algae magnet things (haven't bought yet): $10.00

I think that's all

That's roughly $425.00

[justDIY]

if I may comment

6 angels alone would be "close quarters" for a 55 gallon, full grown they like to have about 10 gallon each or 15 gallon for a mated pair - having to share 50 gallons with 7 other fish will make them mighty uncomforatble when they reach adult size...

if any of your angels decide they want to breed, you will have a big problem, as there won't be enough space to establish separate "territories", casuing your poor angels to fight with each other and with the other fish.

of course, if you're plannin on upgrading in six to nine months, perhaps adding another tank, then you could take out some angels (pairs hopefully!) and move them to new home(s)

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as far as your gravel - unless you're looking for a certain colored variety, check out your landscaping companies. for less than $10 you can get more than enough chat gravel, pea gravel, river rock or quartz sand to do a 55 [acronym:4801102c15="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:4801102c15]... sure the landscape products are a little dirtyer than the prewashed gravel sold for $10 a small bag at the pet store, but it cleans up easily and has a very pleasing natural look to it. I visited a local concrete and landscape business here and received ~ 90 lbs (2 5gal buckets) of "crushed" river rock gravel that looks awesome underwater ... the best part was the price - FREE ... they sold the stuff for $10 a ton!


also if you're considering a lot of plants, you might want to check out Schultz Aquatic Potting soil. I am a recent adopter of it and it works well... although it is more expensive that aquarium gravel, it is a lot less expensive than aquarium 'plant gravels' like fluorite or laterite. a 2.5" layer of this covered with 1/2" of pea gravel would give you great results.

[Deliverme314]

90 gallon planted
Tank and stand $400
Lighting 4X65 JBJ formosa Delux $300
Fluval 304 Filtration $120(i think)
Emperor 400 filtration $80(i think)
Sand 100lbs... didnt use all of it $10
Flourite 60lbs used all of it $45(i think)
Co2 system including [acronym:14ddc748d3="Powerhead"]PH[/acronym:14ddc748d3] Controller, tank, reactor etc... $370
350Watt heater $30
Plants $150
Prunning set $25
fish $50 (so far for my cyclers)
Chemicals(stress zyme, amoo lock...) $50
Testers $40
Buckets for water changes $20

I know Im forgetting something... approx total so far... $1690!!! Tank is a month old yesterday.

[purplestarfish]

All told, I spent about $75 for a ten gallon set up. Tank, filter, tiny food packet, and light bulbs included. Came from Walmart . . . don't remember how much I spent on it. I bought three bags of gravel, 5# each; plastic decorations; heater; tacky background design (since been flipped over to the black side); decoration that was $9.99 but only really worth 4-5 bucks . . . and that was about it. I had read enough to cycle my fish and add fish gradually, though, so the fish didn't come till later and therefore I'm not counting them.

20 gallon: I just transfered that gravel, bought another few pounds of gravel for the ten gallon, and a few more decorations (tacky, oh well). It got its own heater and filter but is currently empty.

As for my 55 gallon . . . WITH solid wood (oak, matches my furniture by coincident) cabinet . . . it also came with:
-2" bed of gravel
-heater
-thermometer
-siphon
-pH and nitrite and ammonia and [acronym:76d9f2c0f0="General Hardness"]GH[/acronym:76d9f2c0f0] kit
-net breeder
-5 scissortail rasboras
-6 harlequin rasboras
-1 bala shark (7")
-3 kuhli loaches
-2 clown loaches
-1 tattered betta
-food
-net
-other stuff which I probably don't remember but I know I have
and it would have come with zebra danios and plecos, too, but I turned them down. So I got all of the above for an amazingly low $200 (the price of the tank and cabinet by itself for brand new, without anything else, most likely!).
I then bought a $29.99 "tree root" decoration and around another $30 of plants, most of which are dead, because I had none of the necessary implements (which I am ordering via catalog this week, finally). But it's all good. Happy stuff for me!

[Punkymom]

I'm planning on using the swordtails for cycling and then removing them. I have another tank that isn't set up. It's a 10 gallon and it will be just for them.

[yv1]

here sjust for the basics....

truvu 40 gallon tank (used) with hood & heater- $90
stand (used) - $60
filter (new) - $45
hagen co2 system - $26.99
submersible light tube - $40
2 screwn-in [acronym:0cec1928aa="Compact Flourescent"]CF[/acronym:0cec1928aa] bulbs - $32
substrate - $40

total: $333.99

other accessories like chemicals and vacuum, etc not included in total. and of course plants and fish and fish food not included. i think if i added those in id be up in the 600's.

one day ill start a [acronym:0cec1928aa="Saltwater"]SW[/acronym:0cec1928aa] tank....when im not skipping lunches to buy more filter media. :P

[Punkymom]

The "almost" complete list of purchases:

55 [acronym:ebbab1f6de="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:ebbab1f6de] starter kit: $159.99
12 plants: $28.68
Plant food: $5.99
Book on aquarium plants: $6.95
Aquarium salt: $5.99
Algae magnet: $12.99
8' of airline tubing: $1.49
Water testing strips: $22.99
Airstones: $4.99
Flourish tabs for the plants: $8.99
Stand: $65.00
Gravel (60# worth): $31.99
Python gravel cleaner: $39.99
Fish food (had to throw my old food away): $11.98
12" Fish Net: $7.49
Accessory for Python thing: $5.99
Airline holder thingy (suction cups): $1.89
Aquarium sealant: $6.99
Decoration I couldn't live without: $24.99
Background: $7.96 (about)
Severums: FREE!!! (haven't added yet)

Grand Total: $500.00 (by the time I buy fish and all that, [acronym:ebbab1f6de="Laughing out loud"]LOL[/acronym:ebbab1f6de])

I don't think I want to add up my tank. I might die of a heartattack!

[demurefemme]

without including any fish or plants, the setup for my 46 [acronym:ca37922310="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:ca37922310]. was about 430 dollars (including tax)...i can't remember the exact breakdown, but here's what all that covered:

46 [acronym:ca37922310="Gallon"]gal[/acronym:ca37922310]. bowfront glass tank
stand, cover, light hood
heater (150 watt, at the time)
3-4 bags of gravel
emperor 280 filter
tank thermometer
water conditioners
gravel vac
bogwood (my [acronym:ca37922310="Measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions"]ph[/acronym:ca37922310] saviour)
fish net
proper [acronym:ca37922310="Measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions"]ph[/acronym:ca37922310] 6.5 (it was originally for multiple angelfish, but "shark" decided that he wanted to be the only one....so it's now a tropical community)

that's all i can think of right now!

[shawmutt]

I've already said how much my tank cost in this post, but I just did a complete overhaul and started over. I went from the pic in my gallery, to this http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewto...987&highlight= and it cost me:

$10 for eggcrate to line the bottom
$25 for bucket o' rocks from local plant store
$5 for carribean play sand
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$40...not too bad, huh?