I am trying to expand my setup and try my first aquascape. It is very expensive to even begin the process and have easily spent 1k just on a fluval 3.0, c02 art regulater, 5 lb c02 tank, biomaster filter, and aquasoil. It makes it almost question dumping all this money into a tank I will likely end up killing, but yet I am continuously spending to get it set up. I haven't even looked into buying plants yet, but thats easily 100 on a 55 gallon tank.
@@jordanbeals9132 bruv. you dont start your hobby with that expensive things. if you’re just starting out then try doing smaller to medium size tanks . you can use internal filters or of you want more filteration, you could go for hang on back canisters. they are way cheaper and work perfectly fine for any planted setups. as for co2 you can make it diy as well . mj has a video on that too! hope this helps
@@TheOgKharel I have watched his video, but diy doesn't seem very effective past 25 gallon. It is a one time investment and even if I fail, I will try again. I agree I could of gotten by cheaper, but sometimes ease of use gets me lol.
@@jordanbeals9132 haha then go for it man. you got it. might seem like a hassle rn but after you’ve built it, it’ll be the thing to keep you happy on your low days.
Do the yeast in a pressure spray bottle, it's designed for it, has a line out already, chemical resistant and you can pump more oxygen into the vessel without losing all the co2.
The biggest tip is get ur stuff from non aquarium or aquascaping stores. Lava rock, filter media, lights, co2, sometimes soil(depends) and some other stuff. All of these things have a increase cost just because they have a label that says they are meant for aquascaping or an aquarium. Don't cheap out on ur filter tho its the most important part of ur tank since u are dealing with live animals.
This is true. A couple of weeks ago I picked up a lot of stones out of a construction site for free. If I were to buy it from an aquarium store I could've easily paid 100~200 USD.
I did your DYI co2 system 4 months ago, but i use the water bottle in the middle. I made 3 holes in the cap instead of 2. So one from the 1.5 liter, 1 for the difuser but one going out into the air. I use a clamp that i move between the "air out" tube and the difuser so its not on 24/7. Works like a charm! :D
Something I did a year ago was decide I wanted to set up a little pond outside with ricefish, but struggled to purchase the fish which are rare here in the USA. I decided on youkihi, which are generally easy to breed and don't need much culling. I got a minimum number and they propagated well for me over the summer. I sold some fish, made back what I had paid for the originals, and did it again this year. Turns out there are a fair amount of people in my area who also have become interested in ricefish and have a similar hard time finding them for sale. I just sold/traded ricefish to my LFS in exchange for fish to stock a new tank in my living room.
Although I love your tanks and your videos, I am into low tech planted tanks and so far I am having good success. As I don’t have the fancy tanks, mine have covers to them, which is not as pretty but it definitely helps to keep the heat in the tank (we keep our house at lower temperatures than my tanks). At night I also cover them with a blanket in the winter months, once again to reduce the cost of heating them and it makes environmental sense too.
I love how mindful you are of the reality of the hobby- getting going has been so confusing because there's so many fish YTbers saying "Oh you definitely have to use this! Get at least one of those! This product is a must!" and it's really intimidating cos you feel like it's all so complicated, and if you're not forking out loads of money for everything they say, then you'll be doing it wrong and you're going to massacre a crap tonne of innocent fish! It's so reassuring to hear you talk about things in such an approachable way, thank you :)
Hello I am new to this hobby. I have owned a fish tank but as an armature. I never considered live plants. I have been watching a lot of your videos and I’m pumped. You have made everything sound achievable and dumbed it down for me. 😁
Definitely slowing down helps. So instead of setting a tank up day one of getting it I've started mixing substrates taking weeks to let the fun of a new project dwell instead of being stoked for a couple of hours I get those couple of hours of the course of a week or two
3:00 I wanted to say I can get Optiwhite cheaper from the LFS which makes their own Optiwhite (SGG Diamant) tanks, but not really. It turns out the cost is about the same, but Optiwhite tanks are made bigger. 74l Optiwhite aquarium from the LFS costs some 76 Euro, while Dennerle 60l cube sells for about 71 Euro. Also I agree there's cosmetic difference between Float and low-iron glass. It's great if the water is crystal clear, which means Purigen or similar filtration medium and 0 tannin content in the water. Otherwise the only difference are cyan edges vs. olive green edges. Speaking about tannins, other way to cut some expensive is doing Black water habitat. In pure form it means very little to no plants except floating or emersed plants. Neons, Ramirezi cichlids, Discus and many other fish look great in Black water. Good filtration costs less than all the lights for a heavily planted aquarium. Same goes to any fish-oriented aquarium. Akin to that would be strict low-tech planted aquarium. Less Watts, less ferts, less maintenance. Also similar to tip #5: Java moss can grow in a bucket with very little light, so there's that to consider too. In the past aquarium lights were on only in the evening during "long winter nights". As the CO_2 system goes, I have to disagree, but might be different in other countries. The most expensive components last for years and it costs about 10 Euro to refill the bottle every 2-3 months, plus the cost of traffic. No need to spend half an hour in the kitchen every 2-3 months just on bio CO_2. One other tip: Quality LED lights save the money. LED strips are often similar to high-efficient fluorescent tubes, but there are better options. Either DIY Cree LED fixture if you like tinkering with LED chips or a manufactured quality set. They cost extra money, but they return with the lower consumption. Esp. with big tanks like 714 l or 720 l where it's either some 450 W 8 h a day vs. 150 W 8 h a day. With 32 W filtration (not counting heaters) that's 1.6 MW vs. 0.72 MW a year. Everything else in my flat "eats" about 2 MW a year (incl. all the smaller tanks), which is going to be important once my current tariff expires.
I am considering upsizing, just one more aquarium haha. Anyway bought recently lava stones from a garden center. Usually in aquarium shops you can get lava stone for 4-5€ per kg and in garden center I paid for it 0.4€ per kg. I got 30kgs so thats a considerable saving. I guess that "cheaper" lava stone comes from a "cheaper" volcano. Cheers MJ
I would love to see you make a video on a DIY canister filter. Should be a good cost saver as well. If you would look at filtration what do you think in general brings the best value without considering ecstatic? Inline, sponge, hang on the back, canister, etc?
Good one. Since the giveaway I am looking for a small canister filter for a maby 30/40l tank. How cool would it be cool if you cam make one you're self! Goeie tips zo als altijd!
If you look at the latest video with the fancy filter. It seems the principle of a canister filter is pretty straightforward. With some cheap PVC pipes and an aquarium pump at the top you should be able to get a long way. I would love to see Mj give it a go, mainly because I am afraid it would leak and my wife would kill me 😂
I think the best tip you gave to buy things second hand; as you mentioned there is a quick turnover from hobbyists and theres a lot of equipment available at any point on the marketplace. Ive saved thousands on filters and tanks heaters, etc just by shopping classified ads locally.
My #1 tip isn't to go small, it's to go simple and invest in one large tank over multiple small ones. This way you only run one heater, one filter, one set of lights etc. Yes it costs more up front but if you buy smaller tanks odds are you'll end up buying more then one and pay more overall because you need multiple lights and filters, lose the economy of scale and want to upgrade to something bigger later. By going big early you can start with the bare minimum and run a low tech tank, low cost tank with the flexibility to have more options in terms of fish, lighting and aquascaping.
A lot of people have their heaters set to 24 or 25 degrees. For most fishes 22 to 23 degrees is fine. Also look for fish who live longer. Some fish species live only for 2 or 3 years, but there are species who will live for over 10 years if taken care of properly.
Another tip- if you live somewhere where night energy is cheaper than day, get a power bank (pretty easy to find mid size second hand) and charge it at night to run the aquarium during the day.This also means if there are blackouts (cough-cough UK) this winter, your aquarium will be fine.
When it comes to supplementing money, breeding neocaradina seems to be the worst kept secret in the aquarium hobby. All of the fish stores in a 70 mile radius around me have very little to no shrimp and are all willing to buy from private sellers for a premium price. It's very tempting to try getting some extra cash from all the shrimplets you can produce with a single breeder tank
Oh yes this hobby can get expensive, and as you said the bigger you go the more expensive it gets, lately with the current state of things the economic factor is becoming more important and something to really pay attention to, in my case I had 4 planted tanks, but I decided to reduce the number to just two, I feel like I am enjoying the hobby more, because I can now better take care of the tanks that I decided to keep. 👍
If you’re willing to wait: aliexpress: I bought two glass lily pipes (inlet and outlet) 10mm diameter (sooo hard to find here) for a total of 23€ !! The only ones I found on the European market were a minimum of 70€ per pipe or I should have been working with diameter adapter etc etc. I bought a set for 14€ but one of the two arrived broken, I got 7 refunded and just ordered the inlet again for 16€ from a different seller. A total wait of 4 weeks but I got amazing glass lily pipes for a fraction of the price 😊
Just got a new tank on Ebay for £20, 1 meter in width, very pleased with it. It's worth keeping an eye out for because I've had some real success with secondhand kit.
Am in Mexico and most equipment is pretty expensive so I go low tech I use low light plants I have a normal led strip n it works so I buy my plants little by little also my fish and am always looking for cheap solutions and so far it works and makes the hobby more fun and cheap for years to come ,,love your channel keep doing what you do
I just got started and I am doing everything I can to save money. I only have a 10 gallon at the moment and am starting a 29 gallon to bring my pond fish inside. Both tanks are second hand and the only things I am buying new are filters and lights.
in Indonesia, you really make this thing very very cheap. basically, people here really love to make DIY things like canister filters, lighting, co2 kit, etc. here local products so very affordable like soil, plants, and many things
I would add another advise for beginners: do not use aquasoil, it is not necessary and your plants would be OK without it. Mainstream UA-camrs tells you it is a must, but it is not.
I love this video 😊 thank you for being so honest and real about the prices. I've spent so much the past couple weeks on 2 tanks but I can only imagine how much you've spent on your setups 😭.
I'm lucky bc there's a guy in my area that has an aquarium store on offer up, it's like Craigslist. 8$ for 5 lbs of substrate. 2$ for 5 lbs of lava rock. Huge manzanita wood pieces dried and sand blasted for 10$ I definitely couldn't afford it without him
Great video, I have held back from joining the hobby due to high set up costs!! It’s at least £250 to get going!! And now with the potential running cost!!
Hey MJ! Big fan of your channel and you made me setup a 60liter aquascape after years of big Tanganyika tanks. You have tested a lot of co2 systems...but could you make a video about setting them up, which diffuser is best and how to setup the right amount of bubbles?
Very good material as usual I have only one question for you Mark How long can you use the Dennerle rounded aquarium so that the silicone does not peel off and the water does not spill ? This is very important for me In general I would like you to make a video how long silicone in aquariums lasts nowadays .It used to last 10 years without any problem .Mine were used for 15 years
Hello MJ, I am from India and regularly watch your videos. Very informative videos and straight to the point. I started with low tech planted aquarium and am gradually upgrading it. Regarding one of your tips regarding buying plants from local hobbiest, I bought few. But my tank is now fully infested with pest snails. May be I was careless. I need to buy assassin snails and do extra work to get my planted tank back to where it was.... Anyways thanks for all your tips and very much appreciate your videos.
Here in Australia the most expensive part are the plants I'd suggest keeping one tank just to grow plants then just take trimmings from that to setup new tanks.
This is a great video to share.. 👏👏 I definitely have used second hand and bough and sold to other hobiests. It's a great comunity we should utilise it more.
i have 400l open discus tank, 2x300W heater.. i put plastic lid on the top (you can use glass) and consumption went down by 30% and temperature by 0.6C up had to increase brightness on my Chihiros light by approx 20% because of light diffusion caused by evaporated water on the lid, but still a great savings there (i also do not need to top up water at all and the humidity level in my living room is better now)
Smaller aquariums, slower growth and growing your own plants are the most effective options. If you’re thinking of quitting or not starting the hobby at least keep a small layout or some wabi kusas.
You can make your own led lights as well, if you have a little technical know how you can build up from components. If I covered a 6500K (about 90CRI) down light hanging above the tank for next to nothing. As long as the light is above 90 CRI and that its daylight temperature - you are okay. I had a grow light above at one point but hated the colour temperature. I am worried about the power outages coming in though.
@@Yo_Hahn nice - mine is: Philips MasterLED High Output LED GU10 Lamps 6.2W - 575 lumens. Costs about £6 - then you need an adapter from gu10 -> your standard. then its all housing and wiring!
Very educational video. One question th though. I have 2 established small no filter tanks set up and running since spring and suddently i´m getting algae without obvious reason. Would it be possible that due to lower temp, my plants are in a kind of rest modus allowing more opportunity for algae to grow?
Am,considering closing my 450l aquarium. Running two filters, fluval fx6 and 307. The fx6 is 45W. Have 3 30W lights and a 300W heater. Way to expensive to run. Thinking sell the large and go for.two smaller tanks. Some.really good advise in you video. Thank you. 😊
I really want to try and make a nice aqua scape so I’m collecting things a bit at a time, whilst growing lots of plants and re-planting the trimmings. I think I’m almost there, but I need some wood, and that’s really expensive. Do you think I could use fallen tree branches? Presumably I’d need to treat them somehow to be certain there’s no parasites etc.
My friends and I play a drinking game while watching your videos. Every time you say "SUPER" we take a shot of whiskey. We can get "SUPER" drunk if we are not careful...
I just started my first 20L shrimp tank and I guessed I would probably have to spend 250 euros or something. I'm already almost at 400 and I haven't even put in the shrimp yet. Oops🥺. Worth it for me though!
Also, your heater isn't running all the time because it takes quite a while for fish tanks to warm up and cool down, meaning that the heater only turns on for a little to warm the water, then turns off after a while
I think the main drain on electricity is the heater. My electricity bill doubles in winter and I don't use heating to heat the house (live in Australia so doesn't get cold enough). Ambient temperature in summer averages about 25C so heaters dont kick in all that much during the summer period.
Yup I have afew 10-15gl scaped tanks all eco systems n low budget, costing about 2-$300 each so I'm in it pretty deep too hehe it adds up lol. Great vid though n great tips.
I was in the hobby like 8 years ago, and now I'm trying to get back with a planted aquarium, I'm a bit worried about the cost of CO2, do you think I can get a good result with low C02 consuming aquatic plants without a tank? Cheers from mexico
Ik heb uitgerekend dat mijn aquarium van 160L, een pomp van 15w, verwarming 150w en 2x Led 18 en 21W totaal plm 300 euro per jaar kost, los vd CO2 flessen en voer etc. De electriciteitskosten zijn plm 60ct/Kwh. Ik doe m lekker weg. Wat ook leuk is voor een nieuw onderwerp: is het erg dat t gros van de vissen wildvang is ? Of juist goed ? (ik denk het niet, al zou t wel kunnen als t beheer goed is, en dat is er niet vrees ik)
Hey MJ, I coincidentally noticed that you only talked about 9 tips. After tip no. 7 (DIY CO2) you immediately jumped to tip no. 9 (DIY fertilizers) :) What is the secret 8th tip?? I want to know
Thanks for pointing that out! I made a mistake with the text... tip number 7 was buying plants from local hobbyists, 8 was diy CO2, 9, was ferts and 10 was make some money. No secret tips sorry 😅
@@dreambigservicesdreambig8372 Look up Neo Co2 DIY kit - that is essentially what you are setting up. Single bottle is the reaction chamber, the fuel is solidified so the yeast eat from top to bottom in a controlled manner. If you create your own kit, you would be best off looking up other people's recipes and testing to see what works for you. Biggest downside to the single reaction vessel system like this is if there is any overflow from the vessel itself (overfilled, got shaken up, whatever) that overflow will go directly into the tubing, through the diffuser and into the aquarium.
Hoi MJ, ik las ooit dat als je tweedehands planten koopt ze een nacht in spa rood moet zetten tegen de slakken? Heb jij hiervan gehoord en zou het helpen?
if photoperiod is going to be adjusted or changed, how do we change the "bioclock" of the plants? when plants sleep the dont utilize the light and co2 does making the tank prone to algae issues..
I really like to make a plan for a new aquarium in advance. So i can get all the accessories in advance and buy them with a discount ( Black Friday for example)
If you like to save some money here is even more advice: do not be tempted to go high tech! Do not buy high light or a heater, don't even invest in CO2 equipment (plants will grow in slow motion without, you can opt for Mark's cheap DIY system of course) and do not buy demanding plants. You will end up growing less algae also if you keep things simple though you must know what you are doing. I promise you will have lots of fun as well if you go the simple route. Best example is Mark's barber shop tank which would have developed equally well if it was run with cheaper lighting also. Just buy yourself lots of easy to grow plants such as Rotalas, Ludwigia palustris, Limnophila sessiliflora, Anubias, Buces, Christmas moss, Java ferns, Crypts, Riccardia, Staurogyne repens, Hygrophila araguaia, may be Marsilea crenata for carpeting and Blyxa japonica are doing great without CO2 also. The variety of less demanding plants is huge.
Maybe some high tech elitist will hate me saying this but, can always go for walstad way or MD Since it's way cheaper and still can enjoy the wet hobby
I hate to buy things second hand. A lot of delusional sellers here in Finland try to sell entire tank with fish in it and only want you to retrieve it, not posting (even empty tanks) by mail, they also don’t mention that fact when they post an ad. Sure if you have a car it is not impossible and live nearby. I am happy I got my new tank delivered to my home straight from Germany within just a couple of days, it was still relatively cheap and brand new, no leaks, scratches and dirt. Although postal fee was 50 euros.
1. Go Smaller 2. Float glass instead of optic white 3. Buy things second hand 4. Check the power consumption 5. Shorten your photo period 6. Only use a heater if you have to 7. Buy your plants from lock hobbyists 8. Give DIY CO2 a try 9. Make your own fertilizers 10. Make some money with your hobby
1st tip just do one tank stop doing 20+ tanks lol 😆 I only got 2 cubes tanks 14gal n 6gal that's good enough..got no room anyways.. your tetras don't need water temp of 70s? I guess I still use small Heater for 5gal tanks
My aquarium is a nature aquarium. It is heavily over stocked with live bearers, heavily planted with good filtration. I hardly use any chemicals, no fertiliser or CO2 and my water parameters are just fine. Furthermore, I bring nature into my tank. I don’t follow rules and just put rocks and wood in without cleaning it. A nature aquarium also produces its own food so I save a lot on fish food. I cultivate live food for next to nothing and the fish goes crazy for it. Go natural with good filtration. Don’t buy from aquarium shops since they are over priced.
Hahaha no.... I have aquariums purchased and stored away because I have to find more room in my house.... I have 6 display tanks and 17 breeding/fry grow out tanks. I don't see me getting out anytime in the next decade lol MJ did you spray your pants on again today?
Sry MJ but none of these tips actually work unless you're the kind of person that can just settle for less. My advice would actually be the other way around, spend the 1000+ euros from the start and you'll end up with a gorgeous tank because the float glass, cheap light, no CO2 will just leave most ppl unsatisfied and will end up spending the money anyway :)) or tip no. 11 become a successful youtuber lol
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #30 ДВА В ОДНОМ [Один человек]• Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nrXy15orKhY/mqdefault.jpg)
Are you considering downsizing or quitting the hobby? Or are you not bothered by the increased costs? Let me know!
I am trying to expand my setup and try my first aquascape. It is very expensive to even begin the process and have easily spent 1k just on a fluval 3.0, c02 art regulater, 5 lb c02 tank, biomaster filter, and aquasoil. It makes it almost question dumping all this money into a tank I will likely end up killing, but yet I am continuously spending to get it set up. I haven't even looked into buying plants yet, but thats easily 100 on a 55 gallon tank.
@@jordanbeals9132 bruv. you dont start your hobby with that expensive things. if you’re just starting out then try doing smaller to medium size tanks . you can use internal filters or of you want more filteration, you could go for hang on back canisters. they are way cheaper and work perfectly fine for any planted setups. as for co2 you can make it diy as well . mj has a video on that too! hope this helps
@@TheOgKharel I have watched his video, but diy doesn't seem very effective past 25 gallon. It is a one time investment and even if I fail, I will try again. I agree I could of gotten by cheaper, but sometimes ease of use gets me lol.
@@jordanbeals9132 haha then go for it man. you got it. might seem like a hassle rn but after you’ve built it, it’ll be the thing to keep you happy on your low days.
Do the yeast in a pressure spray bottle, it's designed for it, has a line out already, chemical resistant and you can pump more oxygen into the vessel without losing all the co2.
The biggest tip is get ur stuff from non aquarium or aquascaping stores. Lava rock, filter media, lights, co2, sometimes soil(depends) and some other stuff. All of these things have a increase cost just because they have a label that says they are meant for aquascaping or an aquarium. Don't cheap out on ur filter tho its the most important part of ur tank since u are dealing with live animals.
Here in holland, some stones costs like 3 to 5 euros. I've bought them from a stone fence specialist... Costed like 13ct/ kg
@@DeweyFence12 Ja inderdaad en ze zien er gewoon hetzelfde uit.
True 👌🏻
I can relate with,
Sand
Light
Glue
Biomedia
Driftwood
Stones
😊
True
This is true. A couple of weeks ago I picked up a lot of stones out of a construction site for free. If I were to buy it from an aquarium store I could've easily paid 100~200 USD.
I did your DYI co2 system 4 months ago, but i use the water bottle in the middle. I made 3 holes in the cap instead of 2. So one from the 1.5 liter, 1 for the difuser but one going out into the air. I use a clamp that i move between the "air out" tube and the difuser so its not on 24/7. Works like a charm! :D
Some pretty good tips there MJ! 👍
Thanks guys!
Something I did a year ago was decide I wanted to set up a little pond outside with ricefish, but struggled to purchase the fish which are rare here in the USA. I decided on youkihi, which are generally easy to breed and don't need much culling. I got a minimum number and they propagated well for me over the summer. I sold some fish, made back what I had paid for the originals, and did it again this year. Turns out there are a fair amount of people in my area who also have become interested in ricefish and have a similar hard time finding them for sale. I just sold/traded ricefish to my LFS in exchange for fish to stock a new tank in my living room.
Although I love your tanks and your videos, I am into low tech planted tanks and so far I am having good success. As I don’t have the fancy tanks, mine have covers to them, which is not as pretty but it definitely helps to keep the heat in the tank (we keep our house at lower temperatures than my tanks). At night I also cover them with a blanket in the winter months, once again to reduce the cost of heating them and it makes environmental sense too.
I love how mindful you are of the reality of the hobby- getting going has been so confusing because there's so many fish YTbers saying "Oh you definitely have to use this! Get at least one of those! This product is a must!" and it's really intimidating cos you feel like it's all so complicated, and if you're not forking out loads of money for everything they say, then you'll be doing it wrong and you're going to massacre a crap tonne of innocent fish! It's so reassuring to hear you talk about things in such an approachable way, thank you :)
Hello I am new to this hobby. I have owned a fish tank but as an armature. I never considered live plants. I have been watching a lot of your videos and I’m pumped. You have made everything sound achievable and dumbed it down for me. 😁
Definitely slowing down helps. So instead of setting a tank up day one of getting it I've started mixing substrates taking weeks to let the fun of a new project dwell instead of being stoked for a couple of hours I get those couple of hours of the course of a week or two
3:00 I wanted to say I can get Optiwhite cheaper from the LFS which makes their own Optiwhite (SGG Diamant) tanks, but not really. It turns out the cost is about the same, but Optiwhite tanks are made bigger. 74l Optiwhite aquarium from the LFS costs some 76 Euro, while Dennerle 60l cube sells for about 71 Euro. Also I agree there's cosmetic difference between Float and low-iron glass.
It's great if the water is crystal clear, which means Purigen or similar filtration medium and 0 tannin content in the water. Otherwise the only difference are cyan edges vs. olive green edges.
Speaking about tannins, other way to cut some expensive is doing Black water habitat. In pure form it means very little to no plants except floating or emersed plants. Neons, Ramirezi cichlids, Discus and many other fish look great in Black water. Good filtration costs less than all the lights for a heavily planted aquarium. Same goes to any fish-oriented aquarium.
Akin to that would be strict low-tech planted aquarium. Less Watts, less ferts, less maintenance. Also similar to tip #5: Java moss can grow in a bucket with very little light, so there's that to consider too. In the past aquarium lights were on only in the evening during "long winter nights".
As the CO_2 system goes, I have to disagree, but might be different in other countries. The most expensive components last for years and it costs about 10 Euro to refill the bottle every 2-3 months, plus the cost of traffic. No need to spend half an hour in the kitchen every 2-3 months just on bio CO_2.
One other tip: Quality LED lights save the money. LED strips are often similar to high-efficient fluorescent tubes, but there are better options. Either DIY Cree LED fixture if you like tinkering with LED chips or a manufactured quality set. They cost extra money, but they return with the lower consumption. Esp. with big tanks like 714 l or 720 l where it's either some 450 W 8 h a day vs. 150 W 8 h a day. With 32 W filtration (not counting heaters) that's 1.6 MW vs. 0.72 MW a year. Everything else in my flat "eats" about 2 MW a year (incl. all the smaller tanks), which is going to be important once my current tariff expires.
I am considering upsizing, just one more aquarium haha. Anyway bought recently lava stones from a garden center. Usually in aquarium shops you can get lava stone for 4-5€ per kg and in garden center I paid for it 0.4€ per kg. I got 30kgs so thats a considerable saving. I guess that "cheaper" lava stone comes from a "cheaper" volcano. Cheers MJ
🤣😅🤣
I would love to see you make a video on a DIY canister filter. Should be a good cost saver as well.
If you would look at filtration what do you think in general brings the best value without considering ecstatic? Inline, sponge, hang on the back, canister, etc?
Good one. Since the giveaway I am looking for a small canister filter for a maby 30/40l tank. How cool would it be cool if you cam make one you're self! Goeie tips zo als altijd!
If you look at the latest video with the fancy filter. It seems the principle of a canister filter is pretty straightforward. With some cheap PVC pipes and an aquarium pump at the top you should be able to get a long way.
I would love to see Mj give it a go, mainly because I am afraid it would leak and my wife would kill me 😂
Your videos are very peaceful and relaxing.
I think the best tip you gave to buy things second hand; as you mentioned there is a quick turnover from hobbyists and theres a lot of equipment available at any point on the marketplace. Ive saved thousands on filters and tanks heaters, etc just by shopping classified ads locally.
My #1 tip isn't to go small, it's to go simple and invest in one large tank over multiple small ones. This way you only run one heater, one filter, one set of lights etc. Yes it costs more up front but if you buy smaller tanks odds are you'll end up buying more then one and pay more overall because you need multiple lights and filters, lose the economy of scale and want to upgrade to something bigger later. By going big early you can start with the bare minimum and run a low tech tank, low cost tank with the flexibility to have more options in terms of fish, lighting and aquascaping.
if it is me, then I'll end up with multiple large tanks 😅
A lot of people have their heaters set to 24 or 25 degrees. For most fishes 22 to 23 degrees is fine.
Also look for fish who live longer. Some fish species live only for 2 or 3 years, but there are species who will live for over 10 years if taken care of properly.
Another tip- if you live somewhere where night energy is cheaper than day, get a power bank (pretty easy to find mid size second hand) and charge it at night to run the aquarium during the day.This also means if there are blackouts (cough-cough UK) this winter, your aquarium will be fine.
man i would have quitted this hobby long ago if i didnt found out your algae guide , now there is no way quitting
When it comes to supplementing money, breeding neocaradina seems to be the worst kept secret in the aquarium hobby. All of the fish stores in a 70 mile radius around me have very little to no shrimp and are all willing to buy from private sellers for a premium price. It's very tempting to try getting some extra cash from all the shrimplets you can produce with a single breeder tank
The best advice for the aquarium/aquascaping hobby
Oh yes this hobby can get expensive, and as you said the bigger you go the more expensive it gets, lately with the current state of things the economic factor is becoming more important and something to really pay attention to, in my case I had 4 planted tanks, but I decided to reduce the number to just two, I feel like I am enjoying the hobby more, because I can now better take care of the tanks that I decided to keep. 👍
If you’re willing to wait: aliexpress: I bought two glass lily pipes (inlet and outlet) 10mm diameter (sooo hard to find here) for a total of 23€ !! The only ones I found on the European market were a minimum of 70€ per pipe or I should have been working with diameter adapter etc etc. I bought a set for 14€ but one of the two arrived broken, I got 7 refunded and just ordered the inlet again for 16€ from a different seller. A total wait of 4 weeks but I got amazing glass lily pipes for a fraction of the price 😊
Great video. Also foraging in nature for hardscapes, helps bring the costs down
I'm doing terrible slept in Italian pastry and coffee for breakfast now watching UA-cam:)
Just got a new tank on Ebay for £20, 1 meter in width, very pleased with it. It's worth keeping an eye out for because I've had some real success with secondhand kit.
Thanks for your thoughts and good ideas!
Am in Mexico and most equipment is pretty expensive so I go low tech I use low light plants I have a normal led strip n it works so I buy my plants little by little also my fish and am always looking for cheap solutions and so far it works and makes the hobby more fun and cheap for years to come ,,love your channel keep doing what you do
I just got started and I am doing everything I can to save money. I only have a 10 gallon at the moment and am starting a 29 gallon to bring my pond fish inside. Both tanks are second hand and the only things I am buying new are filters and lights.
in Indonesia, you really make this thing very very cheap. basically, people here really love to make DIY things like canister filters, lighting, co2 kit, etc. here local products so very affordable like soil, plants, and many things
Maybe make some videos so I can see!! ☺️
@@MCJMFP search on youtube; nickzaquascape, aquarealistic, yulia aquascape and many more creators from Indonesia
@@firmanega thanks so much!
Thanks for the video, it is really helping
Great tips. Very eloquently said. I am going to look into second hand items 👍🏼👍🏼
Thanks MJ as always
Crazy useful video, MJ, thanks for the summarised code of practice!
I would add another advise for beginners: do not use aquasoil, it is not necessary and your plants would be OK without it. Mainstream UA-camrs tells you it is a must, but it is not.
Твоя велика баночка-це чудове творіння,але інші теж дуже гарні.У тебе цікавий канал.Бажаю успіхів та розвитку на каналі.Цей ролик цікавий.
I love this video 😊 thank you for being so honest and real about the prices. I've spent so much the past couple weeks on 2 tanks but I can only imagine how much you've spent on your setups 😭.
I'm lucky bc there's a guy in my area that has an aquarium store on offer up, it's like Craigslist. 8$ for 5 lbs of substrate. 2$ for 5 lbs of lava rock. Huge manzanita wood pieces dried and sand blasted for 10$ I definitely couldn't afford it without him
Great video, I have held back from joining the hobby due to high set up costs!! It’s at least £250 to get going!! And now with the potential running cost!!
Hey MJ! Big fan of your channel and you made me setup a 60liter aquascape after years of big Tanganyika tanks.
You have tested a lot of co2 systems...but could you make a video about setting them up, which diffuser is best and how to setup the right amount of bubbles?
Great tips, thank you MJ!
Very good material as usual
I have only one question for you Mark
How long can you use the Dennerle rounded aquarium so that the silicone does not peel off and the water does not spill ? This is very important for me
In general I would like you to make a video how long silicone in aquariums lasts nowadays .It used to last 10 years without any problem .Mine were used for 15 years
Hello MJ,
I am from India and regularly watch your videos. Very informative videos and straight to the point. I started with low tech planted aquarium and am gradually upgrading it.
Regarding one of your tips regarding buying plants from local hobbiest, I bought few. But my tank is now fully infested with pest snails. May be I was careless.
I need to buy assassin snails and do extra work to get my planted tank back to where it was....
Anyways thanks for all your tips and very much appreciate your videos.
Great content on your channel for people with a small budget!😀👍
Here in Australia the most expensive part are the plants I'd suggest keeping one tank just to grow plants then just take trimmings from that to setup new tanks.
Hi Keith, yer that's what I do as well keep a few guppies in there and some snails and grow out plants in it.
This is a great video to share.. 👏👏 I definitely have used second hand and bough and sold to other hobiests. It's a great comunity we should utilise it more.
Good solid advice thank you for sharing 👀👍🏽✌🏽
i have 400l open discus tank, 2x300W heater.. i put plastic lid on the top (you can use glass) and consumption went down by 30% and temperature by 0.6C up
had to increase brightness on my Chihiros light by approx 20% because of light diffusion caused by evaporated water on the lid, but still a great savings there (i also do not need to top up water at all and the humidity level in my living room is better now)
Maybe put something under one side of the lid to make it incline, so the waterdrops running down.
@@Yo_Hahn good point, let me try that out..
Love the awesome tanks!
Smaller aquariums, slower growth and growing your own plants are the most effective options. If you’re thinking of quitting or not starting the hobby at least keep a small layout or some wabi kusas.
You can make your own led lights as well, if you have a little technical know how you can build up from components. If I covered a 6500K (about 90CRI) down light hanging above the tank for next to nothing. As long as the light is above 90 CRI and that its daylight temperature - you are okay. I had a grow light above at one point but hated the colour temperature.
I am worried about the power outages coming in though.
I use samsung lm301b, they have the best efficience, 200 lumen/W.
@@Yo_Hahn nice - mine is: Philips MasterLED High Output LED GU10 Lamps 6.2W - 575 lumens. Costs about £6 - then you need an adapter from gu10 -> your standard. then its all housing and wiring!
Bro I have been following u!!!! Nice channel!
Can u please answer what pH lever for aquascape and Betta fish pls
Very educational video. One question th though. I have 2 established small no filter tanks set up and running since spring and suddently i´m getting algae without obvious reason. Would it be possible that due to lower temp, my plants are in a kind of rest modus allowing more opportunity for algae to grow?
Am,considering closing my 450l aquarium. Running two filters, fluval fx6 and 307. The fx6 is 45W. Have 3 30W lights and a 300W heater. Way to expensive to run. Thinking sell the large and go for.two smaller tanks.
Some.really good advise in you video. Thank you. 😊
Great video thanks
I really want to try and make a nice aqua scape so I’m collecting things a bit at a time, whilst growing lots of plants and re-planting the trimmings. I think I’m almost there, but I need some wood, and that’s really expensive. Do you think I could use fallen tree branches? Presumably I’d need to treat them somehow to be certain there’s no parasites etc.
My friends and I play a drinking game while watching your videos. Every time you say "SUPER" we take a shot of whiskey. We can get "SUPER" drunk if we are not careful...
I just started my first 20L shrimp tank and I guessed I would probably have to spend 250 euros or something. I'm already almost at 400 and I haven't even put in the shrimp yet. Oops🥺. Worth it for me though!
Always the way! 😂you’ll have a rack full of tanks soon! 😅
Also, your heater isn't running all the time because it takes quite a while for fish tanks to warm up and cool down, meaning that the heater only turns on for a little to warm the water, then turns off after a while
Hi MJ!
What is the thickness of glass required for aquascaping?
Can it be handled with a thickness of 1/4 where stones are included?
I think the main drain on electricity is the heater. My electricity bill doubles in winter and I don't use heating to heat the house (live in Australia so doesn't get cold enough). Ambient temperature in summer averages about 25C so heaters dont kick in all that much during the summer period.
I really wanna know where your shelving unit is from 😍 I’ve been admiring it for ages
www.leenbakker.nl/kasten/boekenkasten/wandmeubel-kyan-zwart-naturel-180x120x40-cm
Thank youuu! I’m definitely adding it to my wish list for when I move house
You are right with oxygen but it can be supplied by gas exchange.Regards
Yup I have afew 10-15gl scaped tanks all eco systems n low budget, costing about 2-$300 each so I'm in it pretty deep too hehe it adds up lol. Great vid though n great tips.
I’m looking at prices of driftwood and man, that can syphon a ton of money, too. I guess it will be just plants or whatever I can find second hand.
I managed to pick up a full CO2 system from C02Art for £50 the other day, there's definitely deals to be found!
Wow that's a good deal
Nice money saving tips 👍🏻
What are best home plants to submerge roots into fish tank?
I was in the hobby like 8 years ago, and now I'm trying to get back with a planted aquarium, I'm a bit worried about the cost of CO2, do you think I can get a good result with low C02 consuming aquatic plants without a tank? Cheers from mexico
Yeah you can! But I would definitely look into DIY CO2!
despite the war, the ability to maintain my cube remains
Ik heb uitgerekend dat mijn aquarium van 160L, een pomp van 15w, verwarming 150w en 2x Led 18 en 21W totaal plm 300 euro per jaar kost, los vd CO2 flessen en voer etc. De electriciteitskosten zijn plm 60ct/Kwh. Ik doe m lekker weg.
Wat ook leuk is voor een nieuw onderwerp: is het erg dat t gros van de vissen wildvang is ? Of juist goed ? (ik denk het niet, al zou t wel kunnen als t beheer goed is, en dat is er niet vrees ik)
Hey MJ, I coincidentally noticed that you only talked about 9 tips. After tip no. 7 (DIY CO2) you immediately jumped to tip no. 9 (DIY fertilizers) :) What is the secret 8th tip?? I want to know
Thanks for pointing that out! I made a mistake with the text... tip number 7 was buying plants from local hobbyists, 8 was diy CO2, 9, was ferts and 10 was make some money.
No secret tips sorry 😅
Hi MJ thanks for your tips , please explain how to do DIY co2 in one bottle? Thank you
@@dreambigservicesdreambig8372 Look up Neo Co2 DIY kit - that is essentially what you are setting up. Single bottle is the reaction chamber, the fuel is solidified so the yeast eat from top to bottom in a controlled manner. If you create your own kit, you would be best off looking up other people's recipes and testing to see what works for you. Biggest downside to the single reaction vessel system like this is if there is any overflow from the vessel itself (overfilled, got shaken up, whatever) that overflow will go directly into the tubing, through the diffuser and into the aquarium.
@@endoroboto thank you
@@endoroboto thank you
I'd say connections would be the cheapest, I'm trying to build a community to do something like that in the bay area
Hoi MJ, ik las ooit dat als je tweedehands planten koopt ze een nacht in spa rood moet zetten tegen de slakken? Heb jij hiervan gehoord en zou het helpen?
Nooit van gehoord, maar dat zou best goed kunnen inderdaad!
if photoperiod is going to be adjusted or changed, how do we change the "bioclock" of the plants? when plants sleep the dont utilize the light and co2 does making the tank prone to algae issues..
The plants will adjust to the new light schedule after a day or two 😊
I really like to make a plan for a new aquarium in advance. So i can get all the accessories in advance and buy them
with a discount ( Black Friday for example)
If you like to save some money here is even more advice: do not be tempted to go high tech! Do not buy high light or a heater, don't even invest in CO2 equipment (plants will grow in slow motion without, you can opt for Mark's cheap DIY system of course) and do not buy demanding plants. You will end up growing less algae also if you keep things simple though you must know what you are doing. I promise you will have lots of fun as well if you go the simple route. Best example is Mark's barber shop tank which would have developed equally well if it was run with cheaper lighting also. Just buy yourself lots of easy to grow plants such as Rotalas, Ludwigia palustris, Limnophila sessiliflora, Anubias, Buces, Christmas moss, Java ferns, Crypts, Riccardia, Staurogyne repens, Hygrophila araguaia, may be Marsilea crenata for carpeting and Blyxa japonica are doing great without CO2 also. The variety of less demanding plants is huge.
ahaha. Hello from Russia) the room is 28 degrees🥵 and many are launching new aquariums. now I'm launching for $3000 🤭😁😁😁😁
Maybe some high tech elitist will hate me saying this but, can always go for walstad way or MD
Since it's way cheaper and still can enjoy the wet hobby
I hate to buy things second hand. A lot of delusional sellers here in Finland try to sell entire tank with fish in it and only want you to retrieve it, not posting (even empty tanks) by mail, they also don’t mention that fact when they post an ad. Sure if you have a car it is not impossible and live nearby.
I am happy I got my new tank delivered to my home straight from Germany within just a couple of days, it was still relatively cheap and brand new, no leaks, scratches and dirt. Although postal fee was 50 euros.
1. Go Smaller
2. Float glass instead of optic white
3. Buy things second hand
4. Check the power consumption
5. Shorten your photo period
6. Only use a heater if you have to
7. Buy your plants from lock hobbyists
8. Give DIY CO2 a try
9. Make your own fertilizers
10. Make some money with your hobby
The most discouraging part of the hobby is inexplicably losing fish. Those are the times I feel like giving up and all the expense isn't worth it.
get guppies
Sub to this channel. This man has a gift.
1st tip just do one tank stop doing 20+ tanks lol 😆 I only got 2 cubes tanks 14gal n 6gal that's good enough..got no room anyways.. your tetras don't need water temp of 70s? I guess I still use small Heater for 5gal tanks
I currently have a brand new 40 gallon breeder sitting empty in my closet because I can't afford to set it up. 😒
Hi! Good Evening, loved your content kee it up!
My aquarium is a nature aquarium. It is heavily over stocked with live bearers, heavily planted with good filtration. I hardly use any chemicals, no fertiliser or CO2 and my water parameters are just fine. Furthermore, I bring nature into my tank. I don’t follow rules and just put rocks and wood in without cleaning it. A nature aquarium also produces its own food so I save a lot on fish food. I cultivate live food for next to nothing and the fish goes crazy for it. Go natural with good filtration. Don’t buy from aquarium shops since they are over priced.
Sooo expensive. $500 and Counting and I haven't even bought the fish.
Ik heb een aquarium gekocht van 1,8 bij 80 met alle techniek. Voor 250 euro
Hahaha no.... I have aquariums purchased and stored away because I have to find more room in my house.... I have 6 display tanks and 17 breeding/fry grow out tanks. I don't see me getting out anytime in the next decade lol
MJ did you spray your pants on again today?
😬😂
You forgot to mention getting 80k UA-cam followers and sponsors. That's got to help make the hobby a more affordable, too!
True story hahaha!
Buy cheap solar buy a battery and let it run on it? All my aquarium run from solar panel from 2020. I setup everythinf under 300 euros
But if you turn off lights your cats can't see the fish 🤣
👍👍👋🇫🇷
All pets are expensive my friend take her cats to a vet for a check up easy thousand dollars
Sry MJ but none of these tips actually work unless you're the kind of person that can just settle for less. My advice would actually be the other way around, spend the 1000+ euros from the start and you'll end up with a gorgeous tank because the float glass, cheap light, no CO2 will just leave most ppl unsatisfied and will end up spending the money anyway :)) or tip no. 11 become a successful youtuber lol
Tip #11 DONT FALL IN LOVE WITH BUCEPHALANDRA! My wallet is weeping rn
I don't see your cats 😉
first
My suggestion is don't get into this hobby if you don't have enough money to waste like any other expensive hobby!
I bought everything second hand, there is alot aquaristikstuff cheap, if you have patience.