More ways to save money with your aquarium

Fishkeeping is an awesome hobby but anyone who really gets into it will be the first to tell you – it’s not a cheap hobby! In fact, things can pile up from time to time and let’s be honest – we’re always looking for ways to save a little here and there. 

Every few months around here we like to drop a blog like this, so that you can learn how to make your money go a little bit further when it comes to your fishkeeping hobby. So today, we’re going to share some cost-saving tips that can help you put your money to better use elsewhere or somewhere else in your fish tank, itself. Let’s jump right in!

Hardscaping the easy way

There are all sorts of hard scape options out there – from dragon stone to seiryu stone – and truth be told you won’t really go wrong choosing any of them – but if you’re looking to save a few bucks, we 100% recommend looking at some alternatives.

If you go down to your local landscaping store – you’ll likely be able to find landscaping rocks for outdoor spaces in abundance – and instead of paying $60 for hardscape materials – you could be paying more in the 10 cents-20 cents range per pound. Not bad! Just be sure if you decide to go this route that you wash off the rocks thoroughly once you get them home so you can move all the dirt and debris. Once that’s done though – you’re good to go! 

Two foods for the price of one

Gel food – learn about it, learn to love it. So when you normally buy fish food – you get some food that floats so top dwellers can eat – and then there’s food that sinks – and that’s for bottom dwellers. Gel food quite literally allows you to switch things up depending on what species you keep. It both floats and descends and often ends up coating plants and the surfaces at the bottom of your tank and makes it easier for bottom dwellers to reach it. It also makes it so that you don’t have to do as many feedings – as the fish can graze on it during the day. It’s also a lot cleaner than other forms of food as well – meaning your water won’t look gross after a week or two. 

Stick to easy species

While we all have a flair for the exotic, beginner friendly plants and fish don’t cost and arm and a leg to maintain. And less maintenance means more money in your pocket. Check out a few of our past blogs if you’re looking for a few species of fish that might fit this description. 

DIY equipment and accessories

So many of the things we buy to maintain tanks are just us paying extra for the manufacturer, wholesaler and seller so they make a profit – and these are all things we can do ourselves and pay next to nothing for. You can literally cut the bottom of a soda bottle off and attach a hose to it and make a gravel hoover. You can purchase all purpose sponges to help clean algae (just make sure they’re not full of detergent). You can even use old credit cards as glass scrapers. There are literally so many things you pay $20 for that you could make or buy for $2 – that it’s hard to know where to start – so get a little creative. There’s some awesome youtube channels out there with some really basic, yet creative hacks – definitely be on the lookout for it. 

Like we said – with a little creativity – you can save yourself a pretty penny – which in this hobby is always helpful. And as always – if you’re looking for filtration media and bulkhead fittings, give us a call today and we’ll be happy to point you in the right direction. Until then – good luck!