How do you afford so many tanks?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
First and foremost you need a good job, if you are paying all your bills on minimum wage at the local fast food place you won't be adding a large tank to the mix. I am a chemical engineer and my wife is a biomedical engineer, we do well, and are still young (<30 for a few more months!!!)

Second like others said, you prioritize. My wife and I rarely eat out, and I haven't ordered alcohol at a restaurant (except on vacation) in years. We have a cheap townhouse and paid off cars. We only really splurge on traveling (about $40k last year).

Third, you need a spouse that tolerates it. I am confident I have the time, resources, and knowledge for my ~600 gallon saltwater catshark / moray eel / lionfish tank, but am hitting lots of opposition. I'm patient though, as soon as the right moment hits I'll be ready!!


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Having a spouse that equally enjoys or at least tolerates helps. My wife has took up feeding to help me when I forget. Water changes have always been mine to do. :) We have different tastes in fish though. So... my daughter has a 29 neon tank, I get to work with the 125 until I'm done planning the diy, and my wife will have her colorful, dreamy saltwater tank when I'm done saving to start it. The whole family enjoys fish and has individual tastes.

Just like the previous user, I was posting on craigslist for used aquariums. But, to get a good deal, I posted for broken ones and bought them at 10 or 20 cents a gallon. I used the good panes to build new aquariums and made money that way. I kept having people waste my time letting me come to buy it and then wouldn't take less than a dollar a gallon for something with two broken panes... Really?!

Also, acrylic helps with climate control. Less money spent on heat.
 
Educated guess fishroom costs me about $200-300 per month electricity
Frozen sea food and feeders for the young preds who aren't on pellets yet fbw breeding guppies for feeders would help but don't do well in my well water ,collecting earth worms would help so stock can effect monthly costs I try not to eat out much keep it to once a week only smoke the odd cigar on a warm summer night and don't buy alcohol and drive used vehicles and don't over do it on the house payment as others have suggested


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Ill chime in too here.. Since ur still at home, be patient school is a way to go but pick your major smarter, say go to 4 year college, get say psychology or sociology major, those are not sellable degree after 4 years, say nursing will get u decent job after 4 years.. You get my point.
Stay at home and save, thats what im doing now, I pay rent but fraction.
Get your basic classes at community colleges before going to 4 years, there are also 2 year degrees that will make.more than 4 year degrees. Just choose smart.

How I wish I was 19 again and could do some better choices.

I own 3 tanks totalling close to 400 gals

Good luck.

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Start small, barter or sell off the smaller tank when u find a deal ( usually Craigslist) sell off a few fish here and there and pay for a larger tank. As everyone else has stated; wait for the right deal. I have a 4x2 120 that I paid 100 for on cl complete, and a 300 6x3x2.5 that I purchased brand new with stand and glass tops for 1800. I sold off most of my fish to buy the 300 gallon but it helped that I had a shoal of 37 large clown loaches; they pretty much covered my tank.


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Hard work and patients its taken me over 3 years to compile the 5 tanks that I have im sure I have somewhere in the neighborhood of $10, 000 + into my tanks and fish..........word of advise, get a good education so you dont have to bust your hump to accomplish your goals

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right now i go to a community college and will only be going for two years, after that i plan on being a police officer and in philadelphia, they make a little more than the national average. i always look on craigslist under free stuff and so far have found 3 fish tanks, the largest beingva 75 gallon and two pool tables. what i would do to be able to go and pick them up. even a used pool table will bring in a large profit. unfortunately i was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
 
fishnatics said:
Look for deals and having a spouse that tolerates your hobby.
Click to expand...

Yes, make sure you have a spouse that tolerates the hobby.. Before you give her the ring, ask her if she likes fish.
Mine said that she did.
Of course, years later, she started to complain, but I remind her that we discussed this before marriage, and she said she wouldn't mind fish keeping lol.
 
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