Guppysnail Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 (edited) I’m always looking for ways to save money in this hobby. Please share your unique money savers. Mine is on prime. Seachem prime 500ml treats 5000 gallons. Average cost $20. Seachem safe is the dry formula of prime. It’s just missing the added water. A small 250 g bottle treats 60,000 gallons average cost $12-13. Please share your money saving tips. Inflation is up we could all use a few extra bucks in our pockets 😁 Prime SAFE Edited February 25, 2022 by Guppysnail 4 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katherine Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 How on earth would you dose that for a 10g though? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenman Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 On 2/25/2022 at 8:17 AM, Katherine said: How on earth would you dose that for a 10g though? Yeah. One gram treats 240 gallons (250 grams treats 60,000 gallons) so one gram would treat 240 gallons and one gram isn't a lot. There are 250 one-gram doses in that little bottle. You would need something like 0.0416660 grams to treat ten gallons. That's a pretty small amount to measure out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sairving Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 On 2/25/2022 at 7:17 AM, Katherine said: How on earth would you dose that for a 10g though? If your treating a larger tank or multiple tank, seachem safe would be a good buy. Like you though, I have a 10 gallon. My small bottle of prime is half gone after almost 2 years. We have well water. I don't always use a full dose. Money saving tip. If you have a planted tank look into buying dry fertilizer and mixing your own. Yes, it may be more expensive up front but 5 pounds of fertilizer is going to last you a long time. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted February 25, 2022 Author Share Posted February 25, 2022 (edited) @gardenman @KatherineIf I was only treating 10 gallons I would/sometimes still do use prime. I was just offering one of my money saving methods in hopes others would share their money saving tips 😁 You could predilute and add the liquid but I’m to lazy to do those calculations Edited February 25, 2022 by Guppysnail 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted February 25, 2022 Author Share Posted February 25, 2022 On 2/25/2022 at 8:55 AM, sairving said: If your treating a larger tank or multiple tank, seachem safe would be a good buy. Like you though, I have a 10 gallon. My small bottle of prime is half gone after almost 2 years. We have well water. I don't always use a full dose. Money saving tip. If you have a planted tank look into buying dry fertilizer and mixing your own. Yes, it may be more expensive up front but 5 pounds of fertilizer is going to last you a long time. ORD 😍. I just bought dry nutrients. The up front cost was much less. I was told by a forum member these little jars may last 2 years 😲 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettsPapa Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 On 2/25/2022 at 7:55 AM, sairving said: If your treating a larger tank or multiple tank, seachem safe would be a good buy. Like you though, I have a 10 gallon. My small bottle of prime is half gone after almost 2 years. We have well water. I don't always use a full dose. Money saving tip. If you have a planted tank look into buying dry fertilizer and mixing your own. Yes, it may be more expensive up front but 5 pounds of fertilizer is going to last you a long time. I also have well water, and don't use any Prime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lefty o Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 im a stresscoat user, and it is quite a bit cheaper to buy it by the gallon vs. the small bottles normally sold. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odd Duck Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 Safe isn’t really intended for small, solo tanks. It’s aimed at people with multiple tanks or large tanks or those doing very large water changes. I’ll be using it when I mix up batches of water in a barrel (my typical on water change day). My barrel holds roughly 25 gallons and the scoop that comes in the bottle holds 200 mg which is enough for 50 gallons. So 1/2 scoop for me for my pre-mix barrel. Very easy. I’m still using up my liquid dechlorinator I bought in bulk. I will probably still keep some liquid on hand for mixing very small batches of water which I sometimes do. If you have multiple small tanks you could mix up a half scoop, for instance, into a small amount of water, say 1.25 cups, and use 1/4 cup of this mixture for each 5 gallons of water for your water change. Same as a full scoop into 1.25 cups of water, then use 1/4 cup of your solution per 10 gallons of water. Supposedly, Safe isn’t meant to be stored once mixed in small batches (some people advocate mixing to a concentrated liquid, essentially make your own Prime), but if you used it the same day, you’d be fine. It’s also cheap enough to dump out the unused portion with minimal guilt. I can’t remember why it shouldn’t be stored, maybe that’s just another SeaChem claim. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sairving Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 (edited) On 2/25/2022 at 8:22 AM, Guppysnail said: ORD 😍. I just bought dry nutrients. The up front cost was much less. I was told by a forum member these little jars may last 2 years 😲 I bought the PPS pro kit and so far, haven't had to mix another batch of micro and macros yet. I really like the fact that you can tweak things when nutrient deficiencies happen. Pretty sure my current stash is going to last 2-3 years. Edited February 26, 2022 by sairving 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isaly Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 Right now I have one 55 gallon tank so buying anything in bulk doesn't make a lot of sense. I've been through one 4 oz bottle of API tap water conditioner and half a 4 oz bottle of stress coat since September 2021. I plan on getting a few more tanks over the next few years as life permits but, unless I come into money, I'll be keeping it small. Any savings for me will likely come from DIY stuff and general economizing. I run the risk of food going stale if I buy too much. I have one small jar of TetraMin flakes which I've used three fourths of but it's lost it characteristic pungency and I'm guessing it's gone. fortunately it's cheap. I have a small jar of Aqueon sinking shrimp pellets which still smell horrible — I grind 'em up with a mortar and pestle for the tetras' little mouths. I also have a small jar of Omega One veggie pellets which float and I also grind for my little ones. I want to give 'em a variety but don't want to buy too much as it'll just go to waste. Anyone with any economical food suggestions is welcome to chime in. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted February 25, 2022 Author Share Posted February 25, 2022 On 2/25/2022 at 2:26 PM, isaly said: Right now I have one 55 gallon tank so buying anything in bulk doesn't make a lot of sense. I've been through one 4 oz bottle of API tap water conditioner and half a 4 oz bottle of stress coat since September 2021. I plan on getting a few more tanks over the next few years as life permits but, unless I come into money, I'll be keeping it small. Any savings for me will likely come from DIY stuff and general economizing. I run the risk of food going stale if I buy too much. I have one small jar of TetraMin flakes which I've used three fourths of but it's lost it characteristic pungency and I'm guessing it's gone. fortunately it's cheap. I have a small jar of Aqueon sinking shrimp pellets which still smell horrible — I grind 'em up with a mortar and pestle for the tetras' little mouths. I also have a small jar of Omega One veggie pellets which float and I also grind for my little ones. I want to give 'em a variety but don't want to buy too much as it'll just go to waste. Anyone with any economical food suggestions is welcome to chime in. I’m very interested in diy money savers. Anything money saving really. I’m retired to just looking to make my money go farther 😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 I just try and shop around for the best deals on hardware so I can put more of my budget towards plants and fish at the LFS. Some budget items I like: -Co-op sponge filters and usb pumps -Diy or inexpensive LED lighting -Pool filter sand and Black diamond blasting media for substrate -Foraged stone and driftwood -“1/2 off sale” on basic tanks 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT_ Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 If you have more time and only chlorine just throw an airstone in your tap water over night and skip the prime/safe. I also only use half the water and half the drops for the API liquid test kit. (eg 2.5ml and 4 drops each of the ammonia test) 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 Oh I forgot duck weed! It’s buy one portion and by the time you get home it’s three portions! 😁 On 2/25/2022 at 12:08 PM, CT_ said: I also only use half the water and half the drops for the API liquid test kit. (eg 2.5ml and 4 drops each of the ammonia test) Good one! And also cut the strips in half down the middle 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT_ Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 On 2/25/2022 at 12:07 PM, Patrick_G said: Diy or inexpensive LED lighting Those adhesive backed white LED strips from amazon make great tank lights. I just string enough until I get about 1000-1500 lumens on my phone app at the same distance as the substrate. That is roughly the top end of "low light" by my crude estimation. You can get RGB ones too if you want to supplement the white with some other colors specifically. There's also ebay automotive light strips that work great (see my thread below). And for my shrimp tank I wanted to try out a spot light effect so I soldered wires directly to a 12v "halogen" (LED actually) bulb attached to a diy dimmer. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JettsPapa Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 On 2/25/2022 at 2:08 PM, CT_ said: If you have more time and only chlorine just throw an airstone in your tap water over night and skip the prime/safe. While that works for chlorine, it's my understanding that many municipalities and water systems are using chloramine, and it doesn't gas off like chlorine does. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer V Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 On 2/25/2022 at 1:08 PM, Patrick_G said: Oh I forgot duck weed! It’s buy one portion and by the time you get home it’s three portions! 😁 So true! I had some die off when I first put in in my tank but all it took was a couple tiny leaves and now it's everywhere. Hooray for Nerm glitter! ✨ 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasaltemelosguy Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 (edited) On 2/25/2022 at 12:20 PM, JettsPapa said: While that works for chlorine, it's my understanding that many municipalities and water systems are using chloramine, and it doesn't gas off like chlorine does. That's 100% correct. You can also degass the chloramine if you have a UV light though. It takes a few hours, but it'll break down the chloramine completely with enough time. Bad Gas Edited February 25, 2022 by dasaltemelosguy Wrong Link 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted February 25, 2022 Share Posted February 25, 2022 Nothing has really come to mind that's a mind blower, but I do have a particular philosophy with material items. BUY THE VERY BEST YOU CAN AFFORD. This sounds counter intuitive on the surface but it really isn't. For example, you go to a store known for cheap products and buy a cheap sauce pan. For the sake of argument lets make that pan $20. This pan is guaranteed not to perform very well for very long, it might at first- but quickly the cost to benefit ratio will become very apparent. After a year maybe 2 at best you buy another 20 or maybe 40 dollar pan. Ok, now you've spent 60 dollars on pans. That one lasts 5 years. Ok maybe you say, I'll get me a 60 dollar pan that lasts 10 years. If you can see where I'm going with this- you can spend 150-200 dollars on a pan THE FIRST TIME that will last your lifetime- could be vintage (I love old cast iron) or maybe brand new- but you'll never have to worry about buying another one- so you won't have the frustration of having to replace said pan, not contribute to our throw-away culture, and bonus- in the long run you end up spending far less money, less frustration (when the item begins to fail and break), time etc on low quality product. (this is not to say people who are just starting out and who are on a very tight budget need to break their banks- hence the best YOU can afford- the used market is great for stuff like this- lots of people here get great stuff for their aquariums with very little money or free even- or maybe you eventually upgrade your entry level products- this is what I had to do) I feel like there are some things like the above scenario in the aquarium world. Of course we have a lot of peripheral stuff like tubing, air pumps, sponges that will need replacement no matter what we do- but we all also know some tricks to keep even those things from being frequently replaced (like cleaning air tubes and sponges- not putting limiters on air pumps-instead putting them above an aquarium for better flow etc). Quality product plays a part of this though- buying cheap doesn't always mean saving money. 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted February 25, 2022 Author Share Posted February 25, 2022 On 2/25/2022 at 4:44 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said: BUY THE VERY BEST YOU CAN AFFORD. I could not agree more. Every time I have chosen a less quality item to be frugal I have ended up replacing it with what I should have gotten. I’m by no means in any financial difficulties I was just looking for ideas to offset some inflation that is cutting into the aquarium budget and figured others may benefit from ideas we could all share. Thank you for such a well thought out response as there are a few things on my want list I’ve been going back and forth dropping to a lesser quality than I want to offset the rising cost. I NEEDED this reminder 🤗 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CT_ Posted February 26, 2022 Share Posted February 26, 2022 I'm a big fan of build it yourself for twice the price and half the quality! 😅 I probably need help of some kind. 1 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted February 26, 2022 Author Share Posted February 26, 2022 On 2/25/2022 at 7:01 PM, CT_ said: I'm a big fan of build it yourself for twice the price and half the quality! 😅 I probably need help of some kind. I would be a DIY queen if I had any skills to do it 🤣🤣🤣 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted February 26, 2022 Share Posted February 26, 2022 I actually like Fritz ACCR as my powder dechlorinator. Per gallon it's cheap and easy to figure out with smaller or larger tanks. I like the linkable shop lights from Costco, lots of lumens, grow plants well and not that awful to look at. Breeding and QT - use a sterilite tub, it's cheap and when you break them down they can store all the equipment in them. Rather than buying more plants think about getting a bag of leica, a cheap grow bulb and use a sterilite container to grow your own plants. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guppysnail Posted February 26, 2022 Author Share Posted February 26, 2022 On 2/25/2022 at 8:04 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: Rather than buying more plants think about getting a bag of leica, a cheap grow bulb and use a sterilite container to grow your own This is such a fantastic idea. What is leica? I have hydroponics as well. I never thought to grow my own aquarium plants 🙄. I also did not know fritz made powder. I’ve read folks saying accr but thought they were speaking of the liquid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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