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by Rosemary Amey
March 10, 2005
Petstores would like you to think that fish like bettas and goldfish are cheap and easy to care for. Here's a look at the real costs involved.
Setting Up
Please note that I've chosen the cheapest items I could find from the selection at BigAlsOnline.ca (CanadianTire.ca for the bucket and measuring cup). Obviously costs will vary depending on where you shop; and you can spend a lot more if you want to really pamper your fish (or if you just want to make your aquarium look pretty). All prices are in Canadian dollars.
| Item |
Betta |
Goldfish |
| Tank | At least 5 gallons (often 10 gallon starter kits are cheaper). Please note that every tank on the market which is labelled as being for bettas is too small! Bettas are tropical fish who need a heated tank, and it is impossible to safely heat a tank smaller than 5 gallons. Make sure the tank is covered; bettas can jump out to their deaths. |
$59.99 (includes filter) |
That cute little baby goldfish will grow to be up to a foot long! Goldfish need 10-20 gallons each, and since they are schooling fish you should have a group of them. Don't even think about using any of the "goldfish bowls" on the market, which are too small and usually not even filtered. |
$250 (an estimate of the cost of a 40 gallon starter kit including hood and filter (for 3 goldies); can't find a Canadian site that sells aquariums this large online.) |
| Filter |
Every aquatic pet needs a filter to maintain adequate water quality. |
Contrary to myth, goldfish need filters too. In fact, they generate more waste than other commonly kept fish, simply because they are so big. |
| Heater |
Unless you have a special fish room heated to 80°F, 24 hours a day, you need a heater. |
$31.99 (25 Watt heater) |
You can probably get away without a heater for goldfish, unless your home is really cold. |
$23.98 (two 100-Watt heaters) (optional) |
| Stand |
For a 5 or 10 gallon tank, you probably don't need a specialized stand. |
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You will definitely need a stand for an aquarium this size. (Also, check to make sure that your floor is strong enough to handle the weight of the aquarium and contents.) |
$129.99 (for 40 gallon) |
| Thermometer |
Check the temperature every day to make sure your heater is working! (One of my heaters started overheating after only a few months; luckily I caught it in time before my betta was killed.) |
$2.69 |
Keep an eye on the temperature every day, and buy a heater if necessary. |
$2.69 |
| Gravel |
Gravel provides a place for friendly bacteria to grow, important for maintaining water quality. Use only a thin layer, say 1/4". |
$5.99 |
Gravel provides a place for friendly bacteria to grow, important for maintaining water quality. Use only a thin layer, say 1/4". Goldfish will pick among the gravel looking for food, so choose a rounded gravel. |
$19.99 |
| Decorations |
Decorations provide bettas places to hide and explore. I personally feel that bettas like a densely planted tank. The prices I've given include a few fabric plants and the cheapest resin hidey-hole at BigAl's. Obviously you can spend a lot more than this (I sure did). If you're getting fake plants, get cloth, not plastic which can tear a betta's delicate fins. Live plants are best and help maintain water quality, but are also more expensive and require specialized knowledge. |
$16.99
$2.49
$2.99
$3.99
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Decorations provide places to hide and explore. Plastic plants are probably adequate, unless you have fancy goldfish with flowing fins, bubble eyes, etc. which might be injured by plastic plants, in which case you should stick with silk. The price I've given includes 4 plastic plants; you will probably want to spend a lot more. Live plants are best and help maintain water quality, but are also more expensive and require specialized knowledge. Check Goldfish Paradise for information on which plants will survive goldfish—goldies like to eat many varieties. |
$15.99 |
| Net |
To safely capture your fish with a minimum of stress (for example, when you need to take the fish to the vet.) |
$1.29 |
To safely capture your fish with a minimum of stress (for example, when you need to take the fish to the vet.) (The net I've listed is large enough for adult goldies; you might get a smaller net for the short term if your fish are young.) |
$14.99 |
| Water changing equipment |
You will need a gravel vacuum, a bucket (which is used only for your fish; don't use the same one you use to wash the floor, the chemicals will kill your fish), measuring cup, measuring spoon (again, both used only for your fish). |
$6.99
$5.99
$6.49
$1.00 (measuring spoons)
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For a tank this large, I would probably splurge on the kind of gravel vac which attaches to your tap to spare you the aggravation of carting around heavy buckets of water. You will also need a measuring spoon to measure your water conditioner (used only for your fish, not the one you use for cooking which may have traces of dangerous detergent on it). |
$39.99
$1.00 (measuring spoons)
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| Algae scrubber | You may not have algae now, but you will soon! | $5.99 | You may not have algae now, but you will soon! | $5.99 |
| Totals | For that cute, cheap little betta... | $154.87 | For 3 goldfish, and yes, this includes those 11 cent "feeder" goldfish that look like such a bargain... | $480.63 |
Ongoing Expenses
| Item |
Betta |
Goldfish |
| Food |
I've given the price for Hikari Betta Bio Gold, which is most often recommended for pet bettas. |
$10.99 |
Get a sinking food, or make the food sink by putting it below the water's surface. Leaving the food floating on the surface increases the risk of swim bladder disorder. |
$14.99 |
| Water conditioners |
Every time you add new water to your aquarium, it must be treated with water conditioners to remove chlorine and (in Toronto) ammonia and nitrite. I use Amquel+ and Novaqua (both by Kordon). |
$17.99
$9.99
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Every time you add new water to your aquarium, it must be treated with water conditioners to remove chlorine and (in Toronto) ammonia and nitrite. I use Amquel+ and Novaqua (both by Kordon). |
$17.99
$9.99
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| Test kits |
You should test pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate every 2 weeks. If you are having problems you may need other test kits as well. |
$7.99
$19.99
$9.99
$11.99
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You should test pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate every 2 weeks. If you are having problems you may need other test kits as well. |
$7.99
$19.99
$9.99
$11.99
|
| Filter media |
Filter media need to be replaced periodically—every month, according to some manufacturers; less often according to many aquarists. Many aquarists recommend leaving out the charcoal unless you need to remove medication from the water. |
$17.99 |
Filter media need to be replaced periodically—every month, according to some manufacturers; less often according to many aquarists. Many aquarists recommend leaving out the charcoal unless you need to remove medication from the water. |
$35.99 |
| Lighting |
Light bulbs will need to be replaced regularly; if you have live plants, you will need fluorescent bulbs (which are more expensive) and you will need to replace them every 6 months (even if they haven't burnt out) to meet your plants' needs. The price I've given is for an incandescent bulb. |
$2.49 |
Light bulbs will need to be replaced regularly; if you have live plants, you will need fluorescent bulbs (which are more expensive) and you will need to replace them every 6 months (even if they haven't burnt out) to meet your plants' needs. |
$16.99 |
| Medication |
Fish get sick too (especially if you try to save money by using a small tank, inadequate filtration, no heater, cheap food, etc.) Fish medication is about as expensive as medication for other animals. It is not uncommon for fish keepers to have to try several different medications before finding one that works. Check with the manufacturers of the medication and your water conditioner(s) to make sure they are compatible. |
$4.99 to $34.99 |
Fish get sick too (especially if you try to save money by using a small tank, inadequate filtration, cheap food, etc.) Fish medication is about as expensive as medication for other animals. It is not uncommon for fish keepers to have to try several different medications before finding one that works. |
$4.99 to $34.99 |
| Veterinary Care |
Veterinary care for fish is at least as expensive as for other pets. If you can't afford to provide it (or if you are unwilling to), please do not get a fish. |
$100 and up! |
Veterinary care for fish is at least as expensive as for other pets. If you can't afford to provide it (or if you are unwilling to), please do not get a fish. |
$100 and up! |
| Totals |
... will depend on how much your fish eat, how frequently you change the water, how often your fish get sick—but you can see from the prices that it's probably more than you would have guessed! |
The Actual Work Involved
How much work is it to actually look after a fish? Here's what is typically involved. You can see that looking after a fish is not a task a child can assume full responsibility for.
Feeding
Frequency: several times a day. Everyone loves feeding fish, it's one of the few chances we get to interact with them, and they seem to really enjoy their food. However, please note that overfeeding is very dangerous—it pollutes the water, causing stress, sickness, and even death! So don't turn your young child loose with the fish food—this is a job that needs the supervision of a mature person.
Observing the fish
Frequency: every day. Watch to make sure that the fish are behaving normally, not dashing, rubbing against objects in the tank, gasping at the top, lying on the bottom, clamping their fins (holding fins close to the body) etc. Again, a mature and knowledgeable person is needed for this—don't put the tank in the 3 year old's bedroom and hope that the kid will tell you if there's a problem—she or he may not know how to tell. Also watch for signs of illness like sores, weird patches, torn or rotting fins, bulging eyes, etc.
Figuring out what's wrong with the fish
Frequency: hopefully not that often. Researching fish illnesses (there are loads of great sites online), finding a qualified veterinarian, etc.
Partial water changes
There are different opinions on how often water needs to be changed. I change 25% every week. Partial water changes involve removing some water and debris using a gravel vacuum, lugging the water to the sink and dumping it (unless you have one of the nifty but expensive gravel vacs that attaches directly to your tap), measuring clean water of the same temperature and mixing it with the correct amount of water conditioner before adding it to the tank. Often you will want to scrub off the algae before doing the gravel vac. I like to rinse the filter media in the old tank water ("clean" tap water will kill the friendly bacteria in the filter). Unless you have the gravel vac that attaches to the tap, heavy lifting is involved even for a small (5 gallon) tank.
Changing the filter media
Not difficult, but someone has to keep track of when it has to be done and actually do it.
Testing the water
Frequency: every 2 weeks. This is a job for adults; the chemicals involved are dangerous and must be kept away from children.
Summary
As you can see, caring for a fish is more expensive, complicated, and time consuming than most non-fish keepers assume. Before you take on a fish, please make sure that you are willing and able to do it properly. And for heaven's sake, please do not give a fish as a gift—and especially don't give out fish as party favours in baggies to people you hardly know, and expect them to be willing and able to provide the hundreds of dollars of equipment involved! Looking after any animal is an awesome responsibility—literally a matter of life and death. If you think it's not worth the trouble and expense because it's "only a fish", fine, but please don't get a fish! Try playing Insaniquarium instead for the entertainment of having an aquarium without the responsibility.
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