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caveman0777

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jun 28, 2012
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38
Approximately how much does it cost to start an aquarium excluding fish, just equipment etc... (i have a 20 tall)
 
caveman0777 said:
Approximately how much does it cost to start an aquarium excluding fish, just equipment etc... (i have a 20 tall)

I don't think that there's an approximate cost to starting out, some of us here have spent allot when they started and some haven't. When I first started I paid 100 for the tank kit plus 17 for the substrate, I think 30 total in decor. There are some that buy equipment separately which can get more expensive but in the long run will last longer than the stuff I have. I think it all depends
 
When I buy used I usually buy around $2 per gallon with everything or less(like a 20G for $40). When I buy new I just find good deal like a 29G for $100.
 
It all depends as it varies from person to person. When I bought a 10 gallon for a FREE turtle (I found it at work), I had to buy necessary things. I needed food, basking light, basking area, tank, water conditioner, gravel, heater, ect. Spent about $150 or so and was still missing a few necessary things.

I ended going to a 65 Gallon long tank and spent about $200 for the tank, hood/light, stand, under gravel filter plus tubing, one decor, and a few plastic plants. I then had to buy a bigger heater, API master test kit, a few more plants (3 live, a couple silk and plastic), other various chemicals, buckets, vacuum, more gravel, filter, cleaning supplies (to clean the glass), and a few other things here and there. I also bought a few fish as well to hang around with the turtle. (2 koi, 1 cichlid). I just bought a new light as well to give a better lighting for my tank. (went from low light to High). Not counting the fish, and everything for my 65 gallon setup, I say I spent about $800 from what I can think of off the top of my head at the moment.

With some things, you can get away cheaply. With others, you get what you pay for. I just bought stuff I think will last a long time coming, or have good reviews. I also bought everything new, except for the tank setup I paid about $200 initially. Everything else is new. You can also save money here and there by buying off eBay or various other websites out there.
 
Since u already have the tank, ur probably looking at roughly $200 to get running. Roughly 25-50 for heater (100w), 50 for filter (hob), and 100 for decent lighting (24" t5). These are approx as each of these areas can be more expensive depending on what u buy.
 
I have found a lot of used items on my local craigslist. I generally only pay $1 per gallon for a used tank (there are many to be had near me so it drives price down). Look for yard sales too as many people get in the hobby and want out when they realize its not as easy as they thought. My neighbor got a full setup for super cheap that way.
 
It all depends on how you go about it. The grand startup total for my 20 tall was around $250-300, I got a 20 gallon kit with the filter and lights and hood for around $100, then spent another $120 on the stand, $20 for a heater, and around $20 for the gravel. Most expensive "gift" I've ever gotten - my ex got the kit for me for Christmas but I had to get everything else, and ended up spending more than he did on it, my 30 gallon was $200 for the tank, stand, two filters, a glass too, a light strip, a heater, gravel (that I replaced with sand for maybe $20), nets, algae scrubber, and a few other little things, I replaced one filter for $40 and I replaced the light strip for $50. I just got a 58 gallon with a stand, glass top, lights, a crappy filter, a heater, a mag float, and an air pump for about $80, and i just spent $40 on a new filter. The last two tanks were used set ups, mind you.

If you can find some used equipment in good shape for a good price, you could set the tank up for maybe $50. New equipment for a 20 gallon would probably run you about $100, depending on the brand. Check petco's website, they have a pretty good sale going on right now for the 4th of July. If you don't have a stand yet, that will probably cost another $100 if you buy one, but you can build one for much less if you want to. I've seen stands made from some wood planks and cinder blocks that look pretty cool and are really cheap to build.
 
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