How Much Do Fish Cost at PetSmart? 2025 Price Guide

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 species 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 caring for fish, we’ve split their costs into Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.

This section only covers the fish, not the supplies you’ll need to care for them properly. 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 the cheaper options in this section.

A more expensive fish for beginners is the Fancy Goldfish, which is 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 several 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, the Koi and Blood-Red Parrot Cichlid, depending on the size you choose, cost $24.99 and $27.99, respectively.

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 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’ll 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 products, 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 price 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, like the 18-gallon Cobalt Aquatics, can go for about $250.

Fish Food Cost

Fish food can vary depending on the brand you choose and the type of fish you keep. 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. A larger supply will last longer but will also be more expensive when you need to restock.

Fish Tank Maintenance Costs

Part of keeping your fish healthy involves regularly cleaning their tank. There are several ways of keeping your aquarium clean. Here’s a quick rundown of 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 your fish and friends entertained with various decorative accents to make your tank more colorful 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 glow.

Final Thoughts

Live fish from stores like PetSmart are relatively cheap compared to adopting or buying dogs and cats. Their costs go beyond purchasing the fish themselves,. 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.

Before starting an aquarium, it’s important to consider all the costs, including recurring ones like food, involved in owning fish.

• See also: 10 Popular Types of Cory Catfish (With Pictures)

Featured Image Credit: Raysonho, Wikimedia Commons CC 1.0