Sitting here at 11pm on a Tuesday, trimming Monte Carlo in my main tank while Netflix plays in the background, I got to thinking about something that comes up pretty regularly in the forums – can you actually make money from this hobby? I mean, we all joke about our “expensive underwater gardens” and how we’ve probably spent enough on CO2 canisters to fund a small vacation. But seriously, after six years of obsessing over planted tanks, can aquascaping pay for itself, or even turn into something more?
The short answer is… maybe. The longer answer is complicated, and honestly depends on what you mean by “making money” and how much you’re willing to turn your relaxing hobby into actual work.
When I first started, I was definitely not thinking about profit. I was just trying to keep plants alive and figure out why my water kept turning green despite following every YouTube tutorial I could find. But as my tanks improved and I started posting photos online, people began asking questions. Could I help set up their tank? Did I have plant trimmings to sell? Would I design an aquascape for their office?
That’s when I realized there might be some opportunities here, though probably not the get-rich-quick scheme some people imagine.
The most obvious way people try to monetize aquascaping is through plant sales. I’ll be honest – this one actually works, sort of. Once your tanks are established and growing well, you end up with tons of trimmings. I used to just throw them away or compost them, which felt wasteful. Now I sell them on local Facebook groups, eBay, and through aquarium forums.
It’s not huge money, but it’s something. I probably make $200-300 a month selling plant clippings, mostly stem plants like Rotala, Ludwigia, and various Cryptocoryne offsets. The key is having plants that grow fast and propagate easily. Nobody’s getting rich selling slow-growing Anubias, but if you’ve got a tank full of Pearl Weed or Hornwort taking over everything, there’s definitely a market.
The annoying part is packaging and shipping. Spent last Saturday morning wrapping individual plant portions in damp paper towels, sealing them in bags, adding heat packs because it’s winter in Ohio… it’s tedious work. Plus dealing with buyers who complain that their plants melted during shipping (which happens, even with perfect packaging) or want refunds because the plants look different in their tank than in my photos.
Some people have gotten into breeding fish or shrimp, which can be more profitable than plants but requires way more expertise. I tried breeding Cherry Shrimp once and ended up with a population explosion that took over my 20-gallon. Sold probably $150 worth of shrimp over a few months, but the time investment was huge. You’re basically running a tiny livestock operation at that point.
The more interesting opportunities are in services rather than products. I’ve done maybe a dozen aquascape setups for people over the past two years – everything from basic planted community tanks to elaborate hardscape layouts for offices and restaurants. This pays better per hour than selling plants, usually $50-100 depending on complexity, plus the cost of materials.
But here’s what I learned about custom aquascaping work: most people have no idea what they actually want, and their expectations don’t match their budgets. They see competition aquascapes online with perfect lighting, expensive hardscape materials, rare plants, and CO2 injection systems, then want something similar for $200 total including fish. When you explain that just the good substrate and lighting costs more than their entire budget, suddenly they’re less interested.
I had one guy who wanted a “natural looking jungle tank” but insisted on keeping goldfish, which destroy plants. Another wanted an elaborate iwagumi layout but refused to spend money on proper aquascaping stones, insisting I use rocks from his backyard. These projects taught me that custom work requires managing expectations as much as creating aquascapes.
The maintenance side can be steady income though. I maintain four tanks for local businesses – two medical offices, a dentist, and a small restaurant. It’s $40-60 per visit depending on tank size, and I visit each location monthly. The work is pretty straightforward: water changes, plant trimming, algae cleaning, checking equipment. Takes maybe an hour per tank.
Business clients are actually ideal because they care more about the tank looking consistently good than about the specific plants or layout details. They’re not going to email you at midnight asking why their Glosso isn’t carpeting properly. They just want a nice-looking tank that doesn’t smell or have dead fish floating in it.
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The online content route is something I’ve dabbled in but never fully committed to. Started a YouTube channel documenting my tank builds and maintenance routines, posted fairly regularly for about eight months. Got maybe 500 subscribers and earned approximately $12 in ad revenue, which doesn’t even cover the cost of the lighting equipment I bought to film properly.
Some people make decent money through aquascaping content – tutorials, product reviews, affiliate marketing for aquarium equipment. But the successful channels I follow have thousands of subscribers and post multiple videos per week. It’s basically a full-time job at that point, and honestly the market is pretty saturated with aquascaping content already.
Teaching workshops or classes could work in larger markets. I’m in Columbus, which has a decent aquarium hobby community, but probably not enough to support regular paid aquascaping classes. Bigger cities with established aquarium clubs might have better opportunities for educational programs.
The reality check is that most aquascaping “income” barely covers hobby expenses, let alone generates real profit. My monthly plant sales might pay for fertilizers and replacement equipment, but they don’t come close to covering what I spend on new plants, hardscape materials, tank upgrades, or the occasional expensive piece of driftwood that I absolutely had to have.
And turning any hobby into a side business changes how you relate to it. I find myself looking at my tanks differently now – calculating potential profit from plant growth, thinking about which species have better resale value, planning layouts partly based on what will photograph well for online sales. It’s not necessarily bad, but it definitely shifts the experience away from pure enjoyment.
The time investment is significant too. Packaging plants for shipment, responding to buyer questions, coordinating maintenance visits, driving to client locations – it adds up quickly. I probably spend 6-8 hours per week on the “business” side of aquascaping, which at my current income levels works out to maybe $15 per hour. That’s not terrible, but it’s not exactly lucrative either.
If you’re thinking about monetizing your aquascaping hobby, I’d suggest starting small and seeing what feels sustainable. Sell some plant trimmings locally before investing in shipping materials and online sales platforms. Offer to help a friend or neighbor set up their first tank before advertising custom aquascaping services. Test whether you actually enjoy the business aspects before committing significant time or money.
The people who seem to make real money in this space are either running full aquarium maintenance businesses (which is way beyond hobby level), selling equipment or supplies (requires significant capital investment), or have built substantial online followings over many years of consistent content creation.
For most of us though, aquascaping remains what it started as – an expensive hobby that occasionally pays for itself. Which honestly is fine by me. I’d rather keep this as something I do for relaxation and creativity, with a little side income to justify buying that new CO2 diffuser I’ve been eyeing. Sometimes the best hobbies are the ones that stay hobbies.
After leaving corporate sales, Marcus discovered aquascaping and never looked back. His tanks turned into therapy—art, science, and patience rolled together. He writes about real mistakes, small wins, and the calm that comes from tending tiny underwater worlds instead of business meetings.
