Keeping cold water fish costs?

Question

i am wanting fish soon but wondering how much keeping them will cost. it would be great if cold water (or tropical fish owners if it doesn't make a difference) could let me know the costs of keeping cold water fish, it would be best if it could roughly include:

electric costs, (if any small rise in electric bill after keeping filter and light on)

feeding them (how often more food is needed and prices)

and any other things that may cost alittle more after buying fish and tank

thank you! :)

oh and could prices be for the uk thanks ;)

Answer 1

Right a newbie, Don't worry, the world of fish seems pretty daunting at first but you'll soon get used to it :D .Well I won't bore you with anything that you'll be able to find on other internet sites like how and when to feed, and how to do partial water changes and stuff because you'll all ready know that =]

So... your electricity costs will Hadley go up at all after you buy your filter / light as these tend to be quite efficient so maybe a slight rise of about £1 a month!

As for the prices.. well a tank will probably cost around £40-80 for a decent size / quality, without a stand or other fittings.

A filter for a 10 Gallon (45 litre) tank will cost about £25 from your pet store but if you look on ebay then you'll find some good deals.

A light, well you can get blue / red / green / white lights by marina from your local pet stores for around £10.

For food, well I always throw out my flakes and pellets after six months, but this probably isn't necessary, I'm just being care full. (flake foods start at around £2.00

Gravel comes at arround £5.00 a bag (you ll need about two for a 45 litre set up) live plants are around £0.25 a strand or plastic / silk are around £5 for a decent sized plant.

Aquarium ornaments vary in price, from tiny ones costing £2.50 and big action ones costing up to £40!

And if you want the best for your fish an aeraotor / air stone is probably worth an investment but isn't always essential, you can pick up an air pump for arround £10 if you look in the right places and an air stone for about £3.

So, in total aquariums can become pretty pricey, but are deffinately worth it, if you went out and bought everything i've suggested on this then you'd be set back around £160 - £240 for a 10 gallon tank!

Good luck in the hobby and if you need any other help feel free to e-mail me!

=]

As suggested bellow you'll alsoneed a testing kit (thanks for the reminder, I totally blanked that out!) but don't go for the strips, these are really unacurate as as soon as they're exposed to air they're in-valid, invest in the liquid kits, you can get a master  test kit for amonia, nitrate, nitrite, and pH with test tubes and pipettes for arround £35.

so that bumps the total up to arround...

£280!

Answer 2

And you will need a good testing kit, so you can test for ammonia, nitrite and nitrates, as well as the ph level. This is essential, in order to look after your fish properly. You can buy a full testing kit, the liquid ones with test tubes cost around £20. These will last you quite a while.

Make sure you purchase a tank will allow your fish to grow as they will get quite big. So bigger is better. And do your research before you purchase any fish, for example cycling tanks, stocking levels etc.