Keeping The Cost Down On Tropical Aquariums
A typical aquarium can cost as much as $571.50 once all of the supplies have been factored in - and the fish, of course. This price tag can be a bit daunting for newcomers looking to support a few tropical fish, whether it be for hobby, companionship, or home decor. You can always try downloading a simple monthly budget template that can help you map out a year's worth of expenses. Aside from that, there's plenty of ways to make tropical aquariums more affordable for the average owner.
Reduce and Downsize
The near-$600 price tag comes from the assumption that one will be buying a standard fish tank, but there's no reason to limit one's self to that option. Any fish owner could purchase a smaller aquarium, from smaller gallonage to being a simple classic fish bowl. Many outlets suggest allocating nearly $100 towards the purchase of the fish themselves, but there's no rule that dictates that at all! The easiest way to reduce the cost is fewer fish and less water, reducing upkeep and up-front purchases simultaneously.
Go Manual
Much of the price of a fish tank is automated filters and fresh cleaning. These prices can account for as much as a third of the cost, if not more! While it's considerably more work, an easy way to keep the price down is to skip out on the automation aspect and clean the tank manually. Additionally, one may consider finding additional ways to fund purchases for the tank to help stagger out the cost to make the higher-priced equipment more affordable.
Hold the Fish
Certainly what most of us may think of with a fish tank is, well, fish. Still, there's plenty of designs for tropical tanks that focus more on plantlife, mollusks, and other low-maintenance organisms. With less care, supplies and maintenance costs also drop, allowing a tank owner to stretch the funds they've allocated further.
This can also help a new fish owner to acclimate themselves to the amount of responsibility and care a fish tank can be. While plantlife and marine animals such as snails and mussels take less care and attention than fragile minnows and beta fish, they still take quite a bit of effort, even if just to keep the tank clean. Caring for these relatively low-maintenance tanks is an excellent way to train one's self to care for even the most extensive fish tank.
Aquariums are an extremely rewarding purchase all around. While some may use them to tie a room together in a theme of decor, others can find themselves raising long-term companions. While the purchase of any pet can be daunting, the ways to keep the cost down on aquariums are numerous enough that anyone could find themselves an aquarium caretaker.