i worked at a carshow this sunday... it was a street show in between two of my favorite petshops... so when everything calmed down, i walked to one but the other was a bit far to walk... so i planned it so we run out of onions and tomatoes so we had to go to the market... the LFS is next to the grocery store... man sunday was a great day... lol...
I believe the $2000 was for 2 months. When I break it down to the cost per hour of entertainment and enjoyment I think it would be considered cheap! That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.
I spent a lot because I started with nothing and have no experience. I'm sure you remember that I just started so I didn't have a thing. Also, I wound up starting a 28 gallon community tank, a Hex 5 for a Betta, a 6.6 gallon for a Betta, and a 3 gallon for an African Dwarf Frog.
There was lots of trial and error until I found equipment and supplies that were right for me and the fish I wanted. And things you don't necessarily plan for such as my preference for densely planted tanks. That many plants at one time is costly. Food -- I had no food and needed several varieties. Supplies of filter pads, charcoal, an extra heater, cleaning supplies, lots of substrate because I like it thick, decor, thermometers, testing kits, various water treatments, timer for the lights, extension cords, nets, 5 gallon buckets and a couple smaller ones, several books and magazines to educate myself, and on and on!
Oh, and then my dog broke my glass 28 gallon so I got a new 37 gallon and bought a 20 gallon Q tank -- and all that brought on expenses. So see...I think I was actually quite frugal!
I got lucky on mine as well. I searched craigslist for the Buffalo, NY area and got real lucky. They wanted $600 to $800 for a 125 gallon aquarium so I posted an ad for item wanted and said 125 gallon aquarium complete setup with stand, lids, lights, filters, gravel, etc. for $200 and someone emailed me and said they had one for $225 and I jumped on it. I had an item that I was selling for $300 already listed with a buyer and basically traded the item and for them to pick up the aquarium and deliver to me so I came out with $75 and bought an AquaClear for $55 so actually I made a $25 profit and gained a complete setup.
.................when you stop at the tank to see if everything is good and you feed the fish ...then go kiss the wife...........................BTW new grooms, I don't suggest doing this for very long...lol ...for some reason more time at the tank means less time between the sheets.................oh why is life so hard to balnce..LMAO
I think your fishy when you spend time answering posts like these. lots of fun and entertainment! No really, this is fun and entertaining.
We are all fishy.
Peter and Sumthin -
I looked at craigslist and considered other places as well, and was tempted. But I'm new and had no idea what many of the advertised items were, how they worked, or if I even needed them. It was more practical to buy new stuff that came with instructions and things that I could return if it wasn't right.
I'm pretty comfortable now buying used but wound up buying my last tank new anyway because I insisted on a glass bow front with black trim, black cover, squeaky clean and perfect condition! People on craigslist (as people do) aren't always objective about their stuff. People who said their tank *matched* my ad description would send a picture and it be rectangle, caked with hard water stains and brown trim...pealing off. After weeks of that the price of a new tank didn't seem so bad.
