You’ve decided you want a pet but don’t have the space required for an energetic puppy or a cat with its abundant napping spots. Keeping fish allows you to wow your friends while making sure you still have plenty of space to keep your new pet happy.
PetSmart is one of the many places you can buy everything you need for your new, or existing, fish. A beginner-friendly fish can cost as little as $2 at PetSmart. They have a wide variety of fishy friends to choose from, so we’ve put together this price guide to help you decide which aquatic creatures fit your budget the best.
How Much Do Fish Cost at PetSmart?
Overall, PetSmart’s live fish are relatively cheap with a few higher-end options available. Depending on how familiar you are with taking care of fish, we’ve split their costs into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
This section only covers the fish themselves, not the supplies you’ll need to properly care for them. We’ll get to that later.
Beginner Fish Price
For fish owners who are just starting, PetSmart has a range of beginner fish available. Many of them range from $1.99–$10. The Ghost Shrimp and Lamp Eye Tetra are both the cheaper options in this section.
A more expensive option for beginners is the Fancy Goldfish, which are sold for $26.99.
Intermediate Fish Price
If you feel like you’ve outgrown your beginner fish and want to venture into some other, more difficult breeds, PetSmart has a bunch of cool intermediate-range fish for you to consider. They’re slightly more expensive than the beginner fish with the cheapest option being the Cory Catfish.
On the higher end of this price range, both the Koi and Blood-Red Parrot Cichlid cost $24.99 and $27.99 respectively, depending on the size you choose.
Advanced Fish Price
Compared to the Beginner and Intermediate fish available at PetSmart, they don’t have many breeds for the Advanced fish owner. The ones they have are generally more expensive than either of the two previous levels, but there aren’t any particularly high-end, expensive breeds you can splurge on.
The African Cichlid is both the cheapest and most expensive option here depending on the size you choose.
How Much Do Fish Accessories Cost?
Now you know how much you’ll need to spend on your new fish, you need somewhere to keep them. Even if you already have the accessories you need, this section will help if you’re restocking food or if you ever need to replace or upgrade your equipment.
Some of these, like food, are recurring costs that should be considered before starting a new fish-keeping venture.
Fish Tanks Price
A good tank is one of the most important pieces of equipment for your fish. The pricing depends on the size and any extra features like built-in filtration systems. Smaller tanks, like the 10-gallon Aqueon Aquarium, cost about $36. A larger tank with extra features can go for about $250 like the 18-gallon Cobalt Aquatics.
Fish Food Cost
Depending on the brand you choose and the type of fish you keep, fish food can vary. Unlike the aquarium, which is a one-time purchase, buying food is a recurring cost and can get a little pricey depending on how quickly you go through food or what type of fish you have. While you can buy a small jar of Goldfish food for just under $4—the TetraFin Goldfish Flakes Fish Food for example—you can spend almost $9 on food for your Cichlids, even if the jar is a similar size—like the Tetra Cichlid Crisps Fish Food.
The price also depends on the size of the jar, bucket, or bag you buy too. A larger supply will last longer but will also be more of an outlay when you do need to restock.
Fish Tank Maintenance Costs
Part of keeping your fish healthy means regularly cleaning their tank. There are several ways of keeping your aquarium clean. Here’s a quick rundown on the most important products to consider for your maintenance costs:
Fish Tank Décor Costs
Decorating your aquarium is one of the best things about owning fish. You can keep both your fish and friends entertained with a range of decorative accents to make your tank homely and interesting. The options range from this cute ghost statue for $3.83 to color-changing LED lights for $18.53 to supply an ambient, homely glow.
Final Thoughts
Live fish from stores like PetSmart might be relatively cheap compared to adopting or buying dogs and cats. Their costs go beyond purchasing the fish themselves though. While a beginner-friendly fish can cost as little as $2, the tank, food, décor, and maintenance supplies can set you back a few hundred dollars.
It’s important to consider all the costs, including recurring ones like food, that are involved in owning fish before starting your aquarium.
Featured Image Credit: Raysonho, Wikimedia Commons CC 1.0
