I'm thinking about starting out with a small tank for goldfish, like 60L minimum. But I'd like to know before I get into it: between the electricity for the filter and lights, regular water changes, products for water quality... how much does it cost per month in your opinion? I'm worried it might end up costing me more than I expect.
Don't make the mistake of thinking it's free just because you don't have heating to pay for like with tropical aquariums. I've seen plenty of people jump in without doing the math, and then they regret it. In reality, for a 60L tank with goldfish, you're gonna spend maybe 15-25€ per month roughly, depending on your region and your choices. The filter is what costs the most in electricity, especially if you leave it running 24/7. Add to that the partial water changes you need to do regularly (like 25-30% every week or two), so you're gonna use quite a bit of tap water. Treatment products, honestly, if you just do proper water changes, you won't need them very often. It's more just basic maintenance.
The really important thing is being realistic about the filter. A lot of people buy something heavy-duty that uses a ton of power, when a decent filter for 60L won't break the bank on electricity. You might pay like 5-8€ per month on electricity, tap water is basically nothing if you count it separately, and then there's the filter cartridge, occasional chemical tests, that adds a few euros. The real expense is mostly at the start with the equipment. Once you've got your stuff, it's pretty stable as a monthly budget, and honestly it's manageable for most people.
It's true that the filter and lights will eat up some electricity, but honestly for a 60L tank it's not that bad - you're looking at just a few euros a month in power costs, really not breaking the bank.
The thing that'll cost more is mainly the regular water changes (tap water's free but your time isn't) and then all those little things you forget about, like water quality tests, bacteria for the filter when you restart it, changing the filter media... I'd say overall you're looking at maybe 15-30 bucks a month max if you're not being crazy about it with fancy products, it's really not comparable to heated aquariums.
The real trap is starting without planning for a decent filter and decent lighting from the beginning, because then you have to replace them and yeah, that hits your wallet all at once.
People often forget about the cost of regular water changes, especially if you've got tap water that's too chlorinated or hard for your goldfish!
You need conditioning products, and if you have to buy distilled water or install a more advanced filtration system, it adds up quick.
Not to mention the filter itself doesn't last forever and those replacement cartridges pile up! Honestly, budget more like 30-40 euros a month if you're really doing things right, not just the 5-10 they tell you at the start.
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