What ways do you save money with fishkeeping?

[muffywrx]

Hi all. I know there are many ways to save money with fishkeeping, so let's compile a list. I am quite interested in this topic as this means I can buy more shoes and such ^_^

Anyway....

I only use my aquarium lights when I am home. I also look for sales.

Thus far, I am not very savvy at saving money, and hope you all have some good ones

 

[EmilyMarie85]

1. Buy tanks off CL
2. Purchase food in bulk
3. Order supplies online

 

[Morledzep]

i'm with Emily.. i also buy meat in bulk, mostly for wolf chow, but now my bulk meat purchases include 51- 60 and 31-40 shrimp, tilapia fillet, sardines, and other interesting fish when they come available.

and if ya think i buy this stuff only for the fish and the dogs, you may be mistaken. bulk meat is people food too.

 

[fishmamma]

I don't.

 

[Eupterus]

Auctions are good, but getting to them usually means gas money due to distances so only economical if you buy a lot or have a local fish club.

 

[Kaosu]

Polly fill for filters....or dolor store scrubies.
a 4$ bag can last me almost a year(not monster tanks but about 140 gallons in all)

make your own food if you cant buy it in bulk.

I also buy pond (seachem) dechlorinator.. I measure enough out to do how many gallons my Prime bottle does (normal med bottle) and fill the bottle up so i can dose like normal..lasts for ever!

 

[SkidMark]

i buy quilt batting from walmart for filtration material in my wet dry. all you have to do is cut it to size and slide it in the trays

 

[isde02]

i buy quilt batting from walmart for filtration material in my wet dry. all you have to do is cut it to size and slide it in the trays

Now thats pretty smart Im gonna have to borrow this idea.

 

[muffywrx]

Polly fill for filters....or dolor store scrubies.
a 4$ bag can last me almost a year(not monster tanks but about 140 gallons in all)

make your own food if you cant buy it in bulk.

I also buy pond (seachem) dechlorinator.. I measure enough out to do how many gallons my Prime bottle does (normal med bottle) and fill the bottle up so i can dose like normal..lasts for ever!

I thought you have to use the same amount because ponds have more surface area and the two were exactly the same?


EDIT:

Pond prime and Prime are the exactly the same thing, its just says that you need less of it since its for a pond which has more surface area for evaporation of chemicals.

Prime Safe is the best bang for your buck if you have lots of aquariums, its just prime in dry form and cheaper.

As previously mentioned, pond prime and prime are the exact same formula and the exact same concentrations. Pond prime treats more water per dose because there is a larger surface area to volume ratio in ponds.

If you use pond prime in an aquarium, you need to use the regular prime dose (5mL/50gallons).

As found at : http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=407820
I also order a lot of chemicals online and foods for much cheaper, forgot to mention that.

 

[brich999]

swapping to LED is a big one, since i went from 96w to 20w on just a 55g tank, nevermind if i were trying to light my 500g with flourescent