henryD
04-29-2003, 10:33 AM
I was reading through some of the links about how expensive this hobby can get. It is true. I think there are a number of ways to save where you can. Here are my tips. Hopefully everyone can add to it. It would be a great way to help new people get started in the hobby or help existing people get more tanks.... ;)
1. Buy old and used tanks. The local classify is a great way to find good deals on tank. Most people who kept fish usually have an old tank in the garage or basement they want to get rid of. You can usually buy a full set up for 1/5 the cost of a new one. Don't be afraid of leaky tanks. Most of them just required some new silicone.
2. Order your supplys from online stores and buy them in bulk. There is a great number of stores to buy equipment and food. Most LFS make a 2x or 3x profit. Even with shipping you are saving a substantial amount of money.
3. Plan ahead. I had an outbreak of hexamite. I must of spent $50 in meds alone at the LFS. Now I have bought a bulk of metro. It only cost me $12.00 and a received 2x the amount. I also have an extra heater around in case one goes down. I paid 18.00 compared to $39.00 the store is charging.
4. Setup a medical tank. You can save on the amount of meds you use because the volume is significantly smaller. I am only treating 10 gallons versus 55 gallons.
5. Culture and prepare you own food. We all want to provide variety to our fish. You can save alot of money by making your own food. Grab one of the receipe from Simply and make a bulk of food. I figured you save about 5x+ it would cost you to buy it. Start a culture. This will not by any means be a regular feeding but it will add some variety to your fishes diet.
6. I am a little conflicted in this one but......The fish is all about supply and demand. Some strains of fish are more expensive than others. It does not necessarily mean they are better. You can order strains that are not the "hot trend". I did this back in january because I figured if I was going to make mistake then it mind as well not be something I payed a ton for. I can also see saving your money and getting something you really want.
7. Make one big order or order locally. When I say order locally I don't mean at the LFS. If you can find a breeder locally you can save on shipping cost. It cost about 50-100 for shipping and you can add the extra money to 1 or 2 more fish. Also if you can wait and make one big order you can save on shipping. Most airline charges by the package and a set weight. So no matter if you order 2 fish or 4 fish you still end up paying $50-100. Why not wait and put 2 orders together to save on shipping.
Water....This is just a thought not sure if it will work. It also only applies to those who are on city water. The majority of your water bill in not in the water itself but the sewage. This is why you get charge for a different rate if you have a seperate meter for an automatic sprinkler system. If you can get a seperate meter set up for your fish water changes then you could save on the water bill. Of course this assumes that your changing more than 200 gallons a day. Otherwise the saving is very minimal.
Electricity. If anyone has a good idea on this one I would love to hear it. Short of moving out of the cold northeast to warmer climates I am just going to have to pay for the heating.
Finally one of the best thing you could do is do all the research you can. Read through all the post on Simply and other forums. Ask questions. Know what your getting into. This way you can save yourself some heartache and some dead fish.
1. Buy old and used tanks. The local classify is a great way to find good deals on tank. Most people who kept fish usually have an old tank in the garage or basement they want to get rid of. You can usually buy a full set up for 1/5 the cost of a new one. Don't be afraid of leaky tanks. Most of them just required some new silicone.
2. Order your supplys from online stores and buy them in bulk. There is a great number of stores to buy equipment and food. Most LFS make a 2x or 3x profit. Even with shipping you are saving a substantial amount of money.
3. Plan ahead. I had an outbreak of hexamite. I must of spent $50 in meds alone at the LFS. Now I have bought a bulk of metro. It only cost me $12.00 and a received 2x the amount. I also have an extra heater around in case one goes down. I paid 18.00 compared to $39.00 the store is charging.
4. Setup a medical tank. You can save on the amount of meds you use because the volume is significantly smaller. I am only treating 10 gallons versus 55 gallons.
5. Culture and prepare you own food. We all want to provide variety to our fish. You can save alot of money by making your own food. Grab one of the receipe from Simply and make a bulk of food. I figured you save about 5x+ it would cost you to buy it. Start a culture. This will not by any means be a regular feeding but it will add some variety to your fishes diet.
6. I am a little conflicted in this one but......The fish is all about supply and demand. Some strains of fish are more expensive than others. It does not necessarily mean they are better. You can order strains that are not the "hot trend". I did this back in january because I figured if I was going to make mistake then it mind as well not be something I payed a ton for. I can also see saving your money and getting something you really want.
7. Make one big order or order locally. When I say order locally I don't mean at the LFS. If you can find a breeder locally you can save on shipping cost. It cost about 50-100 for shipping and you can add the extra money to 1 or 2 more fish. Also if you can wait and make one big order you can save on shipping. Most airline charges by the package and a set weight. So no matter if you order 2 fish or 4 fish you still end up paying $50-100. Why not wait and put 2 orders together to save on shipping.
Water....This is just a thought not sure if it will work. It also only applies to those who are on city water. The majority of your water bill in not in the water itself but the sewage. This is why you get charge for a different rate if you have a seperate meter for an automatic sprinkler system. If you can get a seperate meter set up for your fish water changes then you could save on the water bill. Of course this assumes that your changing more than 200 gallons a day. Otherwise the saving is very minimal.
Electricity. If anyone has a good idea on this one I would love to hear it. Short of moving out of the cold northeast to warmer climates I am just going to have to pay for the heating.
Finally one of the best thing you could do is do all the research you can. Read through all the post on Simply and other forums. Ask questions. Know what your getting into. This way you can save yourself some heartache and some dead fish.