Small aquarium set-up

18"(w) x 10"(d) x 12"(h) tank, rescued from a skip. It came with an electrically powered filter and the hood which has a light fitted, everything, when cleaned and tested worked perfectly.

Now, as many of you know, when setting up a tank, you'll visit a few shops and the will ALWAYS try to sell you various water testing kits at anything from £5 to £15 each.

Why? Simple answer is this: There isn't much profit in selling someone a few fish. They need to make some money out of you, so sell you these kits and tell you things like " use this additive or you fish will die" or "it's very important to test for every know chemical, yes, it's expensive...blah, blah blah!"

I set up the tank, filled it with tap water, switched on the heater and filter and let it run for around two weeks, tweaking the layout until I was happy with it.

Ten minutes before the fish were actually released into their new home, I did add some Aquasafe. Twelve days later, no dead fish.

All of the fish have settled perfectly well, none are showing any signs of distress, illness or any adverse effects from the lack of testing.

In summery, keeping a small tropical aquarium can be done on a tight budget. It can bring hours of fun, relaxation and interest to anyone's life, as long as you're into keeping fish in the first place.

In my tank, there are eleven Neon Tetra (I only paid for ten...and didn't realise for the first week!) Three corydora catfish and a small Plec. Total cost of the fish was approx. £24 (neons were £1.49 each, corydora were 3 for £4 and the plec was £5)

That's all I'll be keeping in this tank as it's not very big. The plec might have to be re-homed into another tank if it grows too big, but by then, I might be ready to upgrade to a 100 litre tank anyway...

I'm using 'King British' flake and catfish pellet foods at the moment and can't really see much reason to change as all the fish are feeding well.

Another tip for anyone looking at setting up a budget tank, or making an existing tank a little better for your fairground goldfish - Have a look on eBay for plastic plants. The average price I found in local shops was between £2.49 to £4.99 each. eBay - 99p each with free shipping direct from China.

I also bought a small air pump from china for £3.80 DELIVERED...
100W heater was approx. £8 and the air powered filter at the back of the tank was approx. £5

One last point - and it's very important...if you are on a 'key meter' for your electric supply, make sure you ALWAYS have enough credit on your meter to keep the air pump, heater and filter running. In total they will use a very, very small amount of electric each day - maybe as little as 10 - 20pence per day, but you fish will suffer or even die if you're away for a few days with no power supplied to your tank. Food, they can manage without for a few days, or you could get one of those 'holiday feeding blocks' that slowly release food into the tank...

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The information above is in no way intended to be taken as 'gospel'... I'm an amateur fish keeper who has found that like anything these days, much of the cost is un-necessary. I do it this way, you don't have to. If you watch other aquarium based videos, other people will tell you something completely different. I'm just showing what can be done on a tight budget.

Please don't hold me responsible if you try and set up a tank like I did, the water quality in your area might be completely different, as might the water treatment and quality.

This is just a guide. Treat it as such.

If you know somebody who has a mature set-up and they are willing to help you - take their advice and any offers of second hand equipment, it'll save you a fortune. (once you have your tank set up, ask them if you can have a bucket of water and a few fish to help 'cycle' your new set-up, it'll mean your filter is working prior to adding your chosen fish - and don't over stock your tank, it might look great to you, but it won't from the fishes point of view...)