Beginnner Tank choice

[wando]

First time aquarium buyer here,

my friend is offering me an eclipse system 12 for $50. Is it better to get the eclipse or should i just buy a 10g glass tank, filter, etc from online and my LFS? and the eclipse is an acrylic tank, how easily does it get scratched?

 

[Hungry Seacow]

I had an eclipse 6 which i basically the same as the 12. Very quiet, but the acrylic did scratch easily.

 

[greenmaji]

Bigger is better for a beginer.. the bigest one you can reasonably get is best..

 

[megladonsharky]

I stared out with a betta in a bowl... I would recommend going to lfs and getting a minimum 20 gallon ..

 

[wando]

my LFS has a 20gallon high for $45 is that a good price? and what kind of filter, heater would be good for a 20g?

 

[lyquidphyre]

Is it just for the tank?

You can get a 29gal kit at wal-mart for $100. Everything works pretty well.. but expect to get a better heater down the line.... and the filter works, you might want to upgrade down the line as well- but it is by far a really good deal for a starter kit. My boyfriend has had his wal-mart starter kit for 2 years now, and the filter still works and we went ahead and replaced the heater from the get-go...

 

[gheitman]

$50 for an Eclipse 12 system sounds like a pretty good deal. I paid over $40 for my Eclipse Hex 5 a couple of years ago. You should definitely get as big a tank as you can because it is easier to maintain and of course there is more room for fish and decorations.

I also like the 29 gallon Wal-Mart kit that sells for around $100. That was my first tank (I got it as a Christmas present). As liquidphyre mentioned you will probably want to replace the heater at some point but it is perfectly good.

 

[wando]

It comes with a glass lid and light hood. There's also another LFS that sells a 20g for 28 withouht a ligth is that a better deal?
The 29 gallon is too big for the space i have to put an aquarium.

 

[lyquidphyre]

$45 for tank and hood
$10-15 for heater
$15-30 for filter

You are looking at around 70-90 for the 20gal

I think you should get the $45 tank because the light hood can cost anywhere from $15-$30.

 

[afishoutofh2o]

Welcome to AA!
Here are two terrific books for the !
The Simple Guide to Fresh Water Aquariums

Aquariums for Dummies

I (also a newbie) am reading The Simple Guide to Fresh Water Aquariums. Boruchowitz suggests that the smallest tank to begin with is a 20 gallon. He recommends larger than that, either a 29 gallon or a 50 gallon. But, he also says if you really want to get into this hobby and your current circumstances don't permit anything larger than a 10 gallon (i.e., tiny apartment, parents won't permit a larger tank, etc.) then go for it.

However, 10 gallon tanks are less forgiving of mistakes than a larger tank. If something goes wrong in a smaller tank it overtakes the whole thing much more quickly than it would in an larger volume.

See what my first experience was like by clicking here. I wish I had done my research first.

 

[gheitman]

I second the recommendation for "The Simple Guide to Freshwater Aquariums" by David Boruchowitz. That was the first book on tropical fish I got and I still refer to it occasionally.