How do you do it?

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DeLgAdO

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 1, 2005
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Chula Vista, CA (San Diego)
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How do you people manage to have so many tanks and so many big fish, Electric bill must be killing you for all that equipment, and supplie cost must be a fortune, to feed and maintain these behemoths, how do you manage? or am i missing some important tips? :feedback: :feedback:
 
AH! Now here is a good thread.

As for the water and electric bill, there isn't much you can do except do pay attention to the amount of energy your pumps, heaters and lighting use.

As for feeding, there are many ways you can save on food. Which usually costs the most. One way is. GET YOUR FISH EATING PELLETS!!!! Although not all fish will, but the more that will the merrier. I usually buy my MONSTER size pellets from the feed store. Great for stuffing my Monsters and it only costs me about $35 for a 50lb bag.

Another great way to save money on food. GO FISHING!!!!!!!! That's right go fishing and aim just for sunfish and other small fish you can find. Stock up during the summer and slow feedings down during the winter to last you through to next fishing season.

Another way to save is to recycle your dead fish. If you have a fish that just died and it’s still fresh, cut it up and feed it to the tank mates. I don't do this method but it works great if you're on a REALLY tight budget.

Hope these help :)

 
Oh I forgot to mention. With all the big fish we keep, our filters need to keep up with the Bioload. You can save on the Bio media. Ceramic rings are expensive, so head over to the hardware store and get yourself some lavarocks. I got a 50lb bag for $5. Works great!
 
As far as the bills go I agree with trust.

However when it comes to food its very easy to save money. Pellets should make up the majority of most of your fishes diet. Pellets can be purchased in bulk from Jehmco they also sell frozen bulk food at very reasonable prices. Like trust said whenever you go fishing save your bait as food for your fish. For example do you live in florida? Well hit the flats. There are schools of baitfish all over floridas costal waters (especially in the bottom half of the state) with just a couple throws of a net you can catch thousands of herring and shad. Take them home a freeze them for later. Also the saltwater bait shops around here sell huge amounts of squid,fish and shrimp at dirt cheap prices. Invest in a deep freezer and stock up. Also dont buy frozen food from your LFS they are all over priced. The frozen section at walmart is cheaper.
 
I forgot to mention. If you dont want to order pellets online you can still save money by getting your fish food at walmart and not at your LFS. Buy your filters online as well places like petwarehouse are 40 to 50 percent cheaper when it comes to filters and equipment than your LFS.

Remember your LFS is for buying fish only. All equipment and food can purchased much cheaper at walmart or online.
 
What do you do when you live in the most expensive place on the planet. :cry: :D LOL
 
ashdavid said:
What do you do when you live in the most expensive place on the planet. :cry: :D LOL
Click to expand...


Rob the hikari factory! LOL!
 
I buy flake food by the 5gal bin to save $. Also, I buy commercial feed pellets for catfish and salmon. They're higher in protein than most LFS brands and run about $17 for 50lbs from a feed and grain store. For herbivores, I never buy fish food, I buy rabbit pellets at $15 for a 50lb bag. Rabbit pellets are higher in veg protein than fish pellets and 1/20th the cost.
For carnivores, well...I raise crayfish for the most part. I also buy bait fish and catch other fish to feed live and/or cut up. With over 100 tanks my utility bill is about $100/month. I have 2 solar panels (no storage batteries) running and am putting money aside to get another. I also run most of my tanks off of 1 blower to commercial-size sponge filters (good to 400gal @ .25cfm). I dropped a grand on attic and wall insulation and 4 grand on replacement double-insulated windows. Now, a small furnace/heat pump keeps the temp level at 80F in my 7500+ sq/ft fish building.
There are other methods to save money but, gotta go feed the fish now.
 
to aford my fish i work 2 full time jobs and whore myself out on my spaire time. just kidding :hitting: like the rest of they guys say its in the food.
 
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