Choosing Tanks

[amphibianboy528]

I saw a tank at my LFS it was a 200 dollar corner shaped tank.Then I saw at wal-mart a 55 gallon for 120 dollars.I don't know which one to choose.I can get ten dollars off at the LFS but that is still too much.But the price at wal-mart will stay the same and it is also a kit with mostly everything.But the one I saw at the LFS only comes with a filter.What to do??

 

[gheitman]

I received a 29 gallon kit from Wal-Mart as a Christmas present 3 years ago. This was my first aquarium as an adult and having everything I needed come with the kit was helpful. I bought some plastic plants and blue gravel and was ready to go.

Since then I have torn down the tank and replaced the blue gravel with peat and regular gravel, added a bio-wheel to the filter, replaced the analog hang on top heater with two more reliable digital submersible heaters and planted the tank with plants requiring low light levels. The only thing that hasn't changed from the original kit is the aquarium itself and the light hood.

If you are going to put live plants in the 55 gal tank then the lighting isn't going to be sufficient unless you get plants that grow at low light levels or you get a new light hood. Some plants require lighting levels of 2 to 3 watts per gallon which means you are looking at a fixture with 100 - 150W. If you are going to be putting large cichlids or goldfish or other messy eaters in the tank then you will probably need to replace the filter that comes with the kit (or add another filter).

If you could give a better idea of what you want to do with this tank (i.e. fish, decorations, etc) it would help people give you better suggestions and may help you determine if the kit is really going to save you all that much or if you should just get a 55 gal or the corner shaped tank from the LFS.

 

[TankGirl]

I agree that the kit from Walmart most likely will prove inadequate in terms of lighting and filtration, heating, ect. It will be cheaper in the long run to buy each component separately, depending on what you plan to do, as Gene suggested.

PetsMart usually has a 55gal (tank and crummy lighting only) for $99. Don't forget a very sturdy stand. If you have a corner that would be perfect for a corner tank, then go with that.

 

[oscarbreeder]

Superpetz has 55 gallon tanks on sale for $79(tank only).

 

[Melody]

From my expierence, THe corner tanks are very cool, it does depend on what type of fish you want. Because its a tall tank, if you want alot of activity, you have to find fish that swim up and down alot. Some fish like the room to swim across a tank. It also limits you on the size of fish you want. My tank is 44 gal, but have a pretty small foot print, so a very large fish wouldnt work. If I was to get a 55 gal long, it would open the doors to a much larger fish. that 11 gallons is not much, but making so much more swimming area.
My 44 gal is also hard to clean. I have to practically climb in the tank to do my vaccuums.
Also, look at how your home is set up. If you have small rooms that have alot of open corners, the corner tank would work fine. But if you have larger rooms, sometimes a long tank can be more impressive. It gives the room a focal point.

Im my home we have alot of windows, and large doorways and a very open floor plan. I am very limited on where I could put my corner tank. but a long tank would have worked much better in my home. It would just take up alot of space. Think about what kind of fish you like, then go from there. HTH

 

[FishLover14]

Walmart doesnt sell qaultiy products at all go with the one from your lfs.


Dan

 

[Rocket2001]

I agree with fishlover14.."you get what you pay for" may i suggest if you have a Petco near you that you check out their 55gal it is from ALL-GLASS i belive the price is $99... i sure most members here would agree that All-Glass is a quality product.
*(I do not work for Pecto or All-Glass)

 

[Menagerie]

amphibianboy528 look in a Bargain Finder or Penny Saver paper. There's always someone getting rid of a tank. I bought a 25 gal with 100 watt ebo and a AC 150 (maybe larger) for 100 CAD. He also threw in an automatic feeder (I didn't need it, but what ever!).

 

[amphibianboy528]

I yeah,menagerie I saw alot on sale on penny saver,And there was a house that was selling a huge tank in their yard sale it was selling for 60 dollars and from what I saw it was at least 65 gallons.

 

[TankGirl]

I've gotten some incredible deals from the classifieds - lots of people get so frustrated with things that they have extreme memory loss when it comes to how much they paid.

 

[amphibianboy528]

ok

 

[Meredith]

I got my tank from walmart, yea the heather and the filter could be better. If I had it to do over, I would buy every thing sperate. But so far everything I have is doing the job. I hopefully will be upgrading soon!!!

 

[amphibianboy528]

Well,today I bought a 37 gallon lond tank for 30 dollars at a LFS that was closing.What equipment would you reccomend with this new tank(the cheapest most efficient one please)TIA

 

[gheitman]

I would suggest getting a Penguin BIO-Wheel 330 power filter. These are easy to maintain, provide plenty of filtration and you can find them online for little more than $20. I would also recommend a 200W Tronic submersible heater. I have found them to be very reliable and they sell online for about $18.

 

[fearlessfisch]

also try craigslist.com and go to the sale page for your local area. i can't tell you how many times i've seen ads for huge tanks for about $40. Tankgirl is right...people just get fed up with them and want to get rid of them.

 

[workfortheman]

I agree - the best deal is to be patient and keep your eyes open for a used tank with used accessories. . . Easily the best buy for your money, and also reliable ( to a certain degree)