Cost of small fish tank setup? and upkeep?

Question

I'm interested in getting a fish, but I was wondering what a new setup cost for a small fish tank and about what regualr upkeep is. Just looking for a ballpark estimate.

Answer 1

Lets see..

The smallest I'd go with is a 10 gallon unless you want something really small with a betta (that would only be about $10-20).

The top fin 10 gallon kit is the cheapest way to go. Cheaper then buying it all individually.

10 gallon kit with out heater made for goldfish - $40
10 gallon kit with heater for tropical fish- $50

gravel and decor- $10 at the least. Can be more if you want fancy decor and plastic plants.

fish- depends on what kind you get. Community are the most colorful, hardiest and cheapest. $10-$40 depending on what you pick.

I wouldn't get goldfish for that small of a tank. They grow big, fast. But if you did do goldfish, I'd only get one. Thats $0.10-$10.

The kit comes with all the chemicals and food you need to get started.

Monthly cost (chemicals and food) - Not that much, it's gotta be way less then $5. The food will last you months if you feed appropriately. The chemical's going to last a while too. You only need to clean once a month.

One item that doesn't come with the kit that is a much have is a tank vacuum. The easiest quickest way to clean your tank. It'll cost less then $10 for a manual one. Have a store employee show you how it's used. It's simple.

Good luck. They aren't really that hard or too much work once you get the hang of it.

So adding it all up, your looking at $90-$100 minimum (can be higher with more expensive fish, and decor).

PS- make sure you research the kind of fish you decide to get. There are simple steps to keeping the fish healthy. Some people think you just dump the water in and dump the fish in and they end up losing a lot of money & patience that way. Just ask the employees at the store you go to on how to keep the fish healthy and how to take care of the tank.

Good luck.

Answer 2

It would just depend on what type of fish you want.

Goldfish... 10 gal should do. They are dirty though and require alot of up keep. Bowls suck when it comes to goldfish because you have too clean it every few days.. and that's not good for the fish. Set up is probably $30-60 and maybe $5/month.

Betta... great for 1st timers. They do well in bowls, 10 gal tank would be great.. but, when I put my betta in a 10 gal, I wanted too add more fish bc of all the extra room. Male betta's are pretty much a 1fish-a-tank fish. Bowl set up is between $10-30 (probably only $3-4 every 3 or 4 months) 10 gal $50-60 (about $10/ 3-4 months)

Tropical fish... I think it's 1 gal for each inch the fish will be at adult size. (The myth of a fish will stay the size of it's tank is not true. ) Also, that goes per fish.. IE: If you have 3 fish that will grow to be 2 inches each, you will need a 6 gal. tank. Although, the more water, the better it is for them. Also keep in mind that all tanks require a 10% water change once a month. 10 gal set up is about $50-60. I spend about $10/every few months on my 10 gal. I spend about $20/month on my 55 Gallon... but the fish eat A LOT.

Salt water...dont know much about salt water tanks, but, I've always been told the bigger the tank, the easier it is to care for. Guessing: $100 at the cheapest.. $40/m

Like I said, it all depends on the type of fish you want and the size tank you'd like. I hope this helps!!!

Answer 3

A basic, tropical freshwater tank (10 gallons), with a heater and an air pump. would cost about $60-$70.

Decorations - 5-10lbs gravel and some plastic plants $10-$15

Basic chemicals - $5

fish - $10-$20.

Miscelannious items - $10
$95- $120 is my estimate.

You could probably do it for $50 if you look in your local classifieds and find a used tank and the parts that way.

Answer 4

I'm gonna go in a whole different direction here, if you like bettas, here is an idea

10 gallon kit with tank, lid and light, heater and filter, runs around $30-$50
water conditioner around $4 for a small bottle like aqua safe
basic testers, like ammonia, nitrite and ph around $15 in a kit
Gravel around $10
live plants around $3-$12
gravelsiphon $6 (is a must for weekly partial cleaning)
Food $5-$10, once every 6-12 months

That's the basics

What you could do with a 10 gallon, is getting yourself up to 5 FEMALE bettas and 2-3 cory doras (bottom feeder)
These fish should cost you all together a max of $25


Hope that helps
Good luck

EB

EB

Answer 5

My 10 gallon set up cost me around $50
$10 to stock with fish
And a couple dollars each month for filters.

Answer 6

This is a budget planted tank i did .....http://www.arofanatics.com/members/dragonfly_sg/stages-lowmaintplanted/

And the breakdown of the cost is here..... http://www.arofanatics.com/members/dragonfly_sg/lowmaintenanceplantedtank/

Prices in Singapore dollars which is 1 USD = 1.5 SGD.

Things might cost more where you are, esp. for people in the Middle East. So it's just a guage.