by Ben Walker

Created on: October 16, 2009   Last Updated: October 17, 2009

There are many steps you can take to start a great aquarium on a not-so-great budget. I'll list some steps you can take to plan your aquarium and manage your money as you go through the aquarium set-up process.

First things first, buying the aquarium. No matter where you live, websites like Craigslist.com, eBay.com, and Aquabid.com, will have local listings in your area for many different sized aquariums. I'd check those after you look at yard sales and ask around for used aquariums.

After you buy the aquarium, guessing that you're setting up a freshwater aquarium, (you really can't set-up a saltwater aquarium on a budget) you will need supplies like fish nets, buckets, a siphon hose, air line, fresh food, (never go with the food you may get with the aquarium as you don't know how old it is) etc. You can get these cheap on the Internet too, or you could get an aquarium kit which contains all the supplies and the aquarium itself, sometimes these packages are on a discount. If the supplies that you find on the Internet do not fit your budget, ask around. I'm sure you'll find a relative that has old aquarium stuff in their garage or attic gathering dust.

Third, you'll want to buy some substrate. Are you planning on going with live plants? Buy some fluorite substrate off the internet (usually around $24 per 10-12lbs, a good rule of thumb is 1-1.5lbs of substrate per gallon.) Not going with live plants? Don't waste the extra money and get some cheap gravel aquarium substrate from a chain store like Petco, or Petsmart. You can find other decorations in your backyard, like rocks, twigs, even leaves work well and this is a great way to get your kids involved, just make sure you run the vinegar test on anything you plan on putting in your aquarium. Don't know about the vinegar test? I'll explain. The vinegar test is to test if anything harmful is on or in the objects you plan on putting into your aquarium. Put one drop of vinegar (no more, as it could hurt your livestock) on the object and see if it bubbles. If it bubbles, you shouldn't put the object in your aquarium, if it doesn't bubble, it's safe to use in your aquarium. Do this for rocks, twigs, leaves, etc. Always research what you put into your aquarium as you may find some shocking facts that make you thank God you didn't put that in your aquarium.

Fourth, put your substrate (make sure to thoroughly rinse it before putting it in your aquarium) in your clean aquarium and fill it to the top with treated/conditioned

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