I'm thinking about setting up a 20-liter aquarium in my living room, like those ones I see on TikTok and Instagram. I wanted to know how much it costs to set one up with plants, good substrate and everything. Has anyone set one up recently?
Everyone's right about expensive aquasoil, but the biggest hassle nobody's really mentioning is that a small planted tank actually needs way more constant maintenance than it looks like - like, you're gonna have to keep an eye on green water algae, nutrient deficiency in the plants, that white mold on driftwood.
Then the basic setup runs you like 400 to 600 reals (tank + filter + lighting + substrate + some plants) but you end up spending more after buying fertilizer, cool driftwood pieces, more plants because some of them die... I thought at first it was just set it up once and you're done, but it really does eat up your time.
Oh, but you're missing some important info there - have you checked the prices on these items recently? Because quality aquasoil is getting way too expensive right now, like 200+ easy, so if you want decent LED lighting (like 50-100 reais) and plants that are actually worth it (another 100-150) you end up spending close to 600-800 reais yeah, depending on how fancy you wanna get.
My advice is to check the Aquaflora website, Trópica and that stuff to see what the real prices are now, because they vary a lot from store to store, and don't fall for that trap of buying generic substrate thinking it'll work just like aquasoil - I did that once and wasted money on it.
Those guys are right that aquasoil does get expensive, but here's the thing that changes everything: you don't necessarily need premium aquasoil to start. I tested it with simpler substrate (like sand plus good-quality soil underneath) and it worked fine, saving some cash. The real culprit is decent lighting, which really isn't cheap, but between you and me, a lot of people just put it on a shelf near a window for a few months and see that plants grow naturally without spending as much - it's not the prettiest solution visually, but it totally satisfies the curiosity without breaking the bank. Overall, you can get started spending something between 300 and 600 reais depending on what you prioritize.
Log into answer.
