Fish Keeping the Thrifty Way

March 18th, 2007 |

Author: Fish // Pets, Livestock, and Wildlife // ArticlePros.com

For many people keeping an aquarium is an expensive hobby. With the wealth of information freely available on the internet it does not have to be this way any longer. Starting with the aquarium itself is the best place to cut costs. Cheap aquariums can be obtained from a range of sources. Second hand tanks are plentiful in a number of size. When it comes to gravel, many aquarium substrates at your local pet shop will also be sold from landscape suppliers at a fraction of the cost. River gravel is especially suitable because of it’s rounded edges and low solubility. The place to buy aquarium products these days is certainly online. Most fish keepers will be amazed at the price difference between the online retailers and traditional fish shops. When setting up the aquarium it is best not to pay for additives to help spawn biological filtration. These bacterial starter cultures are not mandatory for a successful fish tank. Follow a water cycling process using small quantities of hardy fish. Alternately you can add tiny amounts of ammonia to the water as a replacement for fish waste. The aquarium ornaments you use do not have to be straight off the shelf. A little imagination costs nothing. Any dinnerware safe ceramic piece is suitable as decoration. Hardwood driftwood that you can collect is always impressive. A few scattered rocks and broken terracotta pots are just what makes a lot of cichlids feel at home. These are just a few ideas to explore but there are a range of other money saving ideas available for your aquarium.

Andrew Fuller writes for e-Aquarium on topics such as buying a<a href="http://www.e-aquarium.com.au/discount_aquariums.htm"> <span style="text-decoration: none">cheap fish tank</span></a> and the many <a href="http://www.e-aquarium.com.au/aquarium-designs.htm"> <span style="text-decoration: none">aquarium designs</span></a> you can choose from.