Help for a Beginner

[Kassidy]

Hi there everyone,

I posted here once a while ago about my three fish; a weather loach and two goldfish, for those of you who can remember me. Anyways, some members here gave me some advice regarding tank size, and recommended that I get a 55 gallon at least for the fish I have, as that is the ideal size for them.

Well, I'm pretty much a total beginner in the fish and aquarium world, so I'm here for some help. I'm thinking of taking that advice and getting a 55 gallon aquarium, but I need some help and advice on the best kind to purchase, and more on a good way to transfer my fish into it and to set it up for them.

Right now, I have my eye on this 55 gallon tank that someone is selling locally, so I'd just like some of your opinions on it. Here is a description of the ad:

[ They have a 55 gallon aquarium that includes a canopy, heater and lights. There are two filters also available if wanted. It is a 4-foot long tank, and they are selling it for $150. ]

So, what do you think? I'm not set on getting this one, but I checked what the regular prices at pet stores for kits like this are, and the one I saw cost $299.88. I'm not sure what I should go for at this point. I'm waiting on a reply from the seller for more information and possibly pictures of the tank though.

If anyone has any opinions or advice, I'd appreciate it if you posted it here. Thanks in advance!

-Kass

 

[Aces11]

For $150 it sounds like a great deal. I would just go and check in out to make sure nothing is cracked or broken before you buy anything.

 

[jcolon]

The deal doesn't sound bad. Does it include a stand? I'm assuming not since it's not listed, but if by chance it does, and the everything is in good working condition, then I'd say go for it.

 

[jlk]

Im glad your doing what is best for your fish!! In respect to setting up a new tank, you may want to consider doing a fishless cycle with some of your gravel and/or media from your established tank to speed the process along. It will save you from having to do crazy pwcs to keep the ammonia & nitrites under control (doing a fishin cycle). Research your options (fishless or fishin cycling) and decide what is going to work the best for you. And keep asking questions!

 

[Kassidy]

@Aces11: Thanks for the reminder. In one of their email replies, they said that it wasn't cracked or leaking, they are just selling because they need room for the bigger tanks that they plan on upgrading to. I'll be sure to check first if I go to buy it though, always better sure than sorry.

@jcolon: I'm not sure if it includes a stand, but I'll be sure to ask. Thanks for posting.

@jlk: Thanks for the support! It's funny you should say that, I was just reading some of those articles on fishless and traditional cycling, and I also agree that it would probably be better to do it the fishless way. It sounds better.

To be honest, I never really knew about all of this stuff, not even testing the water! (Which I now realize is pretty awful, but I'm quickly learning!) The guide to fishless cycling was especially helpful because it gave me a lot of information on the topic that I never knew.

I'm so glad I joined here, it's already helping! Thanks everyone, keep the replies coming!

- Kass

 

[librarygirl]

I think it sounds like a good deal also if the everything is in good condition. Bigger tanks allow for more fish options.

 

[jlk]

Good luck with the new tank and if you need help, just ask!

 

[jsoong]

That is not a bad price, assuming everything works & the tank is not all scratched up. However, for goldfish, a deeper (front to back) tank is better (ie a 40 or 50 gal breeder would be better than the 55). However, 55 is much more popular than the breeder tanks for tropicals, so you are likely to get those for better price.

As for cycling - you have a working tank right now. If you transfer everything over (substrate, filter, etc), you should not need to do fishless cycling. <Or any cycling .... as the tank should maintain its existing cycle with proper transfer. Just monitor things for a few days afterwards in case of a mini spike.> Fishless cycling is an option if you want new substrate or totally different aquascape in the new tank. In that case, I would definitely do a major transfer of the biofilter (say 1/2 of the filter media from the old tank) to seed the new setup so the cycle can be sped up. <From weeks to days.>

 

[Kassidy]

@librarygirl: Thanks for posting your opinion!

@jlk: Okay, thanks!

@jsoong: Alright, thanks for the informative post. I'll definitely keep all that in mind.

- Kass