Breeding Set Up

[Tocs1001]

I want to breed fancy guppies and maybe eventually enter them in one of the shows but first I need the right equiptment and i researched breeding set ups and found at minimun I should have 3 tanks
2 10g's and 1 20g Now im 14 and thats quite an expensive tab to pay for me! Judging by wat I saw a 20 starter kit with light, lid, and filter costs 130 bucks plus Id need a quality heater which would be about 30 bucks and then some gravel which would be 3 bucks a bag and about 6 bags or so if I want live plants which I probably will have which adds 18 bucks for the gravel and then about 15 for plants and maybe 20 for a nice thing for them to hide behind which totals to 213 dollars next I would need another 10g tank which causts 50 bucks for the starter with tank light filter and lid. then a heater 30 bucks. Next three bags of gravel 9 bucks and then live plants for 10 and an orniment for 15 which totals to another 114 bucks that and the 20g would be 327 dollars plus fish and brine shrimp eggs and pump but I can get that in time after all I would need to cycle those tanks. But I only get 10bucks a week that would take me 33weeks to save up for minus the 70dollars ive got which would make it 26 weeks to save up unless kroger gives me a job. 26 weeks plus 4 weeks making it 30 weeks to get the tanks and cycle them before i can get to starting my project! Is it nessicary to get that size of tanks I was going to get some 2.5g but I now relize those are 2 small is there a way to make this cheaper? Hopefully the kroger will give me a job after my track season is done and if I work all summer I might be able to afford it looks like ill have my danios longer then I expected.

[ron v]

A 14 year old wanting to get into the hobby. That's great Tots, are you from Atlanta??? I have a couple of 10's and a 20 that you can have, if I can figure out how to get it to you. I might can even find a heater or two.

[Tocs1001]

thx for the offer ****unfortunately i live in cincinnati ohio

although yes I want to get into the hobby

today after track practise I bought the stuff for a brine shrimp hatchery Its up and running im going to try it out as a test to see if it works

I forgot to mention I already have a 10g

[Niki2105]

Maybe you can look in your local paper or at yard sales to see if you can get a second hand tank (thats what im trying to do so i can get a bigger tank for my goldfish) you might have to buy a few things new but it might be cheaper. Or would your parents pay so much on them for you then you could pay them back in time so you can get started a little faster.

[Vivid-Dawn]

Yeah, fishy stuff is quite expensive. I got $200 for Christmas, and figured I'd spend about half of it getting a 10 gallon set-up (not a kit, though). I ended up spending all of it LOL
Then recently, I got the idea to do saltwater fish... though I may cut that out, since after research, it's gonna cost at least $1,500 (or more - I spent $750 on a 210 gal tank last week), not to mention SW stuff is way more delicate than fresh water... I don't mind the work, but maybe I ought to wait until I'm really sure I can handle always keeping such a perfect balance of stuff.

I'm setting up my own breeding "farm" right now. I got a 70 gallon divided tank from PetSmart when they were remodeling... I think it cost me about $50 dollars or so. Anyhoo... so now I'll have to get filters, heaters, aerators, etc. to fit this bigger tank. It may take me longer than the end of the month *sigh*
I was hoping to have everything cycled and ready to go by the end of May. But even with a job that pays $1,000+ a month, all my bills are eating up funds, and my hobby is starving!

[Tocs1001]

My dad helped pay for some things so I might be able to get another 20 -30 bucks from him but thats kinda cruel lol speak of the devil the neigbor hood garage sale thing is coming up its where every1 sells their stuff at the same time I migh be able to find one. or 2 who knows but I usally go with my friends and we walk the whole neighbor hood looking for stuff

I also hope to get to petsmart today because I forgot to get a brine shrimp net and Ive got eggs going and who knows when they hatch so I will look at prices.

[Z Man]

Get in touch with http://home.neo.rr.com/ohaquariumclubs/gcas.html (Greater Cinncinnati Aquarium Society) and they will surely be able to give you a hand. They might even be able to tell you where to get some nice used tanks. I have 80 tanks here and about 65 were purchased used at a real low price.

[Damon]

I live in Dayton, Ohio and cincinnati ALWAYS has free 10 gallon tanks in the paper and on local baords. You will have to pick them up. One of the best areas in Ohio for fish (the Cleveland area has more cichlids). Check the GCAS as someone there will be more than willing to help you. I got my first shellies from Cincinnati. They are also big into killies and livebearers.

[Ownager2004]

If i remember right i saw a 10gallon kit at walmart with the everything including the heater for $30. And i think they sell 20 gallon setups too, and im sure they would be much cheaper than 130. Also with all the culling you'll be doing i think you may be able to get away with a 5 gallon or something for fry. not sure about that though.

[Guppy123]

I think you could prolly find this stuff alot cheaper then listed. At my local walmart they have 10g setup(filter,light,heater,ect) for $50, 20g setups for $80, and 30g for $100, and 55g for $150. All these come with heaters and nessary goods to get you started. instead of getting petsmart decor, you could really cheap plant pots to get you started. Or make a large online order of odds and ends for cheap. or look at garage sales or classified for cheap thanks. You just have to improvise a bit and you'll be spending a lot less.

[Jonno]

If you want to breed guppys for show, u prop want to find a local breeder as well because most guppies in a lfs are mostly interbreed and there young will only make gd feeder guppies!!

- Jonno

[judya]

Thanks Z Man and Simpte, I couldn't have said it better myself! about Aquarium Clubs and specifically the Greater Cincinnati Aquarium Society - These are an excellent place to buy cheap stuff, get good advice, buy quality fish from local breeders, and hook up with people who speak your language.
Here is the web link for all the clubs in Ohio http://home.neo.rr.com/ohaquariumclubs/ just go to the calendar link and the Cincinnati meeting is Sunday July 31st. They are really nice people there, and meetings are free and are open to everyone.

[fishyshawn]

I dont know how old this post is but you should Try http://www.aquabid.com/ its like Ebay for fish. i dont think it would be the best place to buy your fish but at least they have tanks and live plants they might be cheaper, for that stuff but i havent looked at there stuff latley