how much does it cost to get a fish tank and fish?

[MrDingleDangle]

I want to set up a decent, nothing extravagant, fish tank for someone and was wondering how much it normally costs...

 

[notfred]

How big? Salt water or fresh? What kind of fish?

 

[Lady In Red]

It depends on tank size and what type of fish you want.

If you do a salt water tank it will cost a lot. If you go tropical fish it will be cheaper.

If you get anything under a 55 gal tank it will require frequent cleaning.

Fish seems to get disease more often in a smaller tank.

It's a lot of hard work and time consuming.

As far as cost - well that depends on what you want.

Rocks - heater(s) - filtering system(s) - lights - ornamentation etc. can run up in the money.

 

[MrDingleDangle]

basically its for someone who never had pets and they want a pet, so i want to start them off with fish, but i dont want it to be goldfish, i'd like to make it kinda nice...

also is it better to go to a big pet shop or a small local one for fish...

 

[thedarkwolf]

Look in the local trade papers for the tank setup. You can find 40-55 gallon tanks complete with the stand, filter, everything for $50-$150 depeding on how tired the owner is of dealing with it. Its A LOT cheaper than buying all the crap new.

 

Last year I bought a tank starter kit from WallFart, 30 gallon tank, supplies and fish for $75.

 

[kherman]

I suggest a 20-30 gallon tank. New costs maybe $200. You can probably find it cheaper on sale somewhere. Or find a used one.

As for fish, start with a male Betta to start cycling hte tank.
Add two varieties of tetras later on. Maybe 6 2 weeks after the Betta and 6 more 2 weeks after that.

Also get a Pleco to help keep the house "clean"

The last thing to add (maybe in 2-3 months) is an Oto Catfish. They stay relatively small but eat the lagae. Don't get Cinese ALgae Eaters. They are semi-aggresive. Oto Cats are moer docile.

I also tossed some glass shrimp (AKA: ghost shrimp) in my tank to help control the algae.

Also, toss in soe potted plants and a piece of driftwood.

Buy the filter and filter stuff online. Get the waterfall style. Always get the biggest one that yourtnk canacomodate. More filtering is always better and there is no such thing as too much. Also, buy the decorations and stuff online. It is muchcheaper! Food too. Buy it all in one shot then you get free shipping! Dr Foster's and Smith is a good place to buy stuff.

 

[kherman]

Originally posted by: MrDingleDangle
basically its for someone who never had pets and they want a pet, so i want to start them off with fish, but i dont want it to be goldfish, i'd like to make it kinda nice...

also is it better to go to a big pet shop or a small local one for fish...

The big stores sell things like heaters and filters cheaper. Go there.

For fish, always go to the LFS (local fish store ... mom' n' pop shop)). They take better care of the fish and water conditions. Big stores tend to have more sick fish. Always check for things like fin rot and ick when buying fish, regardless of where you buy from.

 

[kherman]

Expect to pay $100-$200 for fish, plants, filter, substrate(gravel), decorations. The tank is only half of the cost The other half is what you fill it with!