If you are new to aquascaping, it can start to feel overwhelming and seem like it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg just to get started, but I have good news.
Aquascaping can be done with a limited budget. The great thing about aquascaping is you have full control of how much this hobby costs. And you can even get started with just a few hundred dollars, especially if you have some patience and start with a small aquascape.
And if you really needed to. You can probably do an entire aquascape for under $100. I’ll be honest (it is difficult, but it can be done with patience and a little creativity). You probably won’t be creating a contest-winning or breathtaking aquascape at that price point.
It’ll most likely be a simple design, but what matters is it’s the start of your hobby…
You’ll be able to learn the basics like how to care for aquatic plants, how to stock your tank, properly cycle your tank, water change your aquarium, and maintain healthy water parameters.
This will give you experience for your next aquascape and allow you to start experimenting with more difficult plants and livestock to keep.
Now, let’s get to the meat and potatoes of this post and talk about how to do this hobby on a budget!
How To Aquascape On A Budget
Below are tips you can use to start aquascaping on a budget. Yes, this hobby can get expensive if you want it to…
But that’s the keyword “if you want to”
It’s totally up to you how much or how little you want to spend. And the great part is once you purchase your equipment, it’s very low-cost to maintain.
If you follow the tips I list below, I am sure you can pull off an entire aquascape that won’t break the bank in terms of cost.
Size Of Your Tank Matters
The first thing you want to consider is the size of the tank you want to aquascape. This will impact the rest of your budget completely.
A bigger tank means a bigger light, a bigger filter, more aqua soil or substrate you’ll need to buy, more hardscape you’ll need to get, and more plants you’ll need to purchase as well…
A good budget-sized tank, I’d say, is around 10-15 gallons…
You can get these tanks fairly cheap at your local PetSmart or Petco. This size tank is big enough to keep a few fish if you want, or you could do a shrimp tank, too.
And it won’t cost too much to fill with aqua soil, hardscape, and plants.
You can also get away with just using a sponge filter (which is probably the most affordable type of filter), and you can get a nice light from Amazon.
You can also go with a smaller tank, but it’ll limit the room you have for an aquascape, and you’ll probably only be able to keep snails or invertebrates in your tank. (or possibly 1 betta if you go 5 gallons or more)
And again, if you want to go bigger. Then, keep in mind that the cost associated will tend to go up as well. But it gives you more room to design your aquascape and the amount of livestock you can keep.
Purchase Used Or Wait For Sales
A great way to save is waiting for sales on tanks, equipment, livestock, and plants. This is a great way to pick things up for a low or affordable price.
Petco and Petsmart tend to have tank sales throughout the year. And they also have sales for other products as well. You just have to have a little patience when building your aquascape, which can be a hard thing to do…
Another tip is to search Craigslist, Offer Up, Facebook marketplace, etc., for used equipment.
You want to do your due diligence and make sure the equipment you are buying is in good condition. Especially when buying tanks.
You want to make sure it was not cleaned with any chemicals or infested with any diseases that could set you up for failure.
But plenty of people get frustrated with this hobby and will sell off their stuff at a low price, which is something you can take advantage of.
Do A Simple Aquascape
Choose a simple design at first, especially if this is your very first aquascape. The more complex the design, the more plants, rocks, and wood, in general, which ends up costing more.
Keep it simple and possibly go with a minimalistic aquascape at first. Maybe an eye-catching rock with a few plants around.
I know we all want to create a captivating aquascape right off the bat, but I believe going with a simple design at first allows you to learn more about this hobby and will allow you to improve.
And this is great to build up your experience with taking care of aquatic plants…
The last thing you want to do is spend all this money on plants only to have them die on you in a few weeks.
Choose Low Maintenance Plants
Another thing you want to consider is choosing low-maintenance aquatic plants. Plants that can thrive with low light and without CO2 injection are a great starting point.
- Java Fern
- Java moss
- Anubias
These plants are some of the hardiest and beginner-friendly plants. If you decide to go with other plants, make sure you always research them first and learn about all the requirements they need to thrive and grow.
Some plants might require CO2 injection and high lighting, which will be harder to take care of and cost you more money to purchase the right equipment for these plants.
This is why I recommend low-tech plants first for a budget-friendly aquascape.
Find Local Aquascaping Groups And Communities
Last but certainly not least is to find local fishkeeping/aquascaping groups and communities. Facebook groups are a great way to find out if there are any people within your local area who share the same love of aquascaping as you do.
This is a great resource when it comes to troubleshooting your aquarium and finding equipment for good prices.
Also, most of the time, when fish breed or plants are overgrown. These groups will share that information with each other, and it’s a great way to pick up free livestock/plants, or they’ll usually sell them fairly cheaply.
And when your plants start growing/propagating, or your livestock starts breeding, you can usually offer to trade with other people in the hobby. This is a great way to build a collection of other types of plants or livestock for free.
Is Aquascaping An Expensive Hobby
Here’s an in-depth guide: “Is aquascaping an expensive hobby.” There, you can see a real-world example of what a budget aquascape can cost.
But, like I’ve said before…
Aquascaping is what you make of it. It can be an expensive hobby, especially if you want to run state-of-the-art equipment and create massive and impressive aquascapes…
But you can also do it on a budget and get started with a budget-friendly setup.
Final Thoughts On Low-Budget Aquascapes
That concludes my tips on how to aquascape on a budget. I am sure if you follow the tips I’ve shared with you above, create a simple aquascape design, and don’t bite off more than you can chew, you’ll be able to create a low-budget aquascape aquarium without breaking the bank.
Yes, you will be limited to what you can build and create. But a budget aquascape is a great way to learn the basics and successfully maintain a planted aquascape.
This will give you the priceless experience you’ll need to create even bigger and better designs in the future!