Help selecting a tank

[debbersannie]

Hello fishy people. Just posted on the intro page. Just starting the research for this hobby. Looking for some good books to help me along.
Have a tentative plan that I need some opinions on. For my first tank I am thinking of a biube pure (is that a good system?) for some cardinals, maybe a betta and some shrimp or something for the bottom. Keep in mind that I don't know what I'm doing but that doesn't look too complicated. Have read about the fishless cycling so don't plan on fish right away. After I save my money I am thinking of a 48x24 extra high 150 gallon tank-had the floor reinforced when we built the house 5 years ago- how's that for thinking ahead?-maybe a monterey super system from Foster and Smith? Is that a good system? Want to get a good one so don't have to keep upgrading. Any better ideas? Last but not least a few years at least down the road I'd like to delve into a saltwater nano cube. I live about 55 miles from the Foster and Smith retail store-it's really little-but they also have a lot of information and cool looking tanks with frags in them. Always stop and look but realize I'm too ignorant at present. Here's the plan. Feel free to let me know what you think. Hope it's not too wordy.
deb

 

[BigJim]

Those all-in-one kits have several drawbacks, particularly the BioOrb series that Biube Pure tank is from. You'd be better off spending the money on a rectangular glass tank and buy all your equipment separately. The kits usually contain substandard stuff. Save the money to blow on stuff to fill the tank.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

+1. That's a 35 litre (9.2 gallon) tank. Looks nice but that's about all really! If you are just starting out I wouldn't recommend anything that small. Contrary to what you may think when starting out, the smaller the tank, the more difficult it is to look after (up to a point of course!).

For that money you could get a standard square 10 gallon tank with a normal hang on back filter etc, it may not look quite as pleasing, but you soon learn that you want to look at the fish, not the box they're in! Then you can put the money you save towards saving for the 150 gallon tank!

 

[Saltair]

+1 on the kits. I bought a starter kit and replaced the heater right away, and will be changing the filter when the tank cycles and I can figure out how to do it without crashing the tank. Also dont have the lights I need. I would have been way further ahead go buy it all a piece at a time. Of course I didn't REALLY know what I wanted until I got started.

 

[debbersannie]

Thanks to everyone for their replies. OK understand the problem with kits. Need a lot of upgrades for a good tank. Is there a fish consumer's digest/report that tells the best filter, heater, tank etc.? Seems like the more I read the more confused I get. One person's equipment love seems to be another person's hate. What to get? Where to begin? That's why I was looking at kits. It just seemed easier. For my eventual 150 tank I want a really good setup.
Also would like the name of a good beginner book.
deb

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Thanks to everyone for their replies. OK understand the problem with kits. Need a lot of upgrades for a good tank. Is there a fish consumer's digest/report that tells the best filter, heater, tank etc.? Seems like the more I read the more confused I get. One person's equipment love seems to be another person's hate. What to get? Where to begin? That's why I was looking at kits. It just seemed easier. For my eventual 150 tank I want a really good setup.
Also would like the name of a good beginner book.
deb

I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with kits per-se, just that the particular one you are looking at is overpriced and under specced.

You can rarely get an objective view as to which models of particular things are best as you will generally find people buy one make / model and if they have success with that they continue buying it, so you can find out if a particular make is good, but not in comparison to everything else!

I'd recommend either going for the large tank first, or paying a visit to the LFS and seeing what else they have on offer, for the price of the BiUrb you'll likely find quite a bit on offer which has a bigger water capacity and is cheaper too!

 

[marchmaxima]

Hello! Welcome to the fishy-world.

The best thing you can do for yourself is not spend any money on books yet and read read read research research research using the InterWeb. All the information you can ever want is actually free. Start with the articles section on this forum. Much of the beginner info has been written here by people who have been there and done that.

I also concur that larger tanks are much easier for beginners. The more water you have the better chance you can keep your tank stable and that is the first hurdle you will need to learn.

Ask ask ask ask questions. Don't be afraid to do so. While it's not *hard* per say I wouldn't call fish the easiest pet on the planet to keep and there's a lot to it. However you are well rewarded for the effort you put in.

You may see some contradictory opinions but that is because re-creating an environment that took billions of years for Mother Nature to build is never a matter of black and white. But if you seek advice, listen to all of it and make an informed choice. Not everything works the same way for everyone, even in similar tank setups.

And enjoy the process! It is a bucket load of fun.

 

[summit]

Thanks to everyone for their replies. OK understand the problem with kits. Need a lot of upgrades for a good tank. Is there a fish consumer's digest/report that tells the best filter, heater, tank etc.? Seems like the more I read the more confused I get. One person's equipment love seems to be another person's hate. What to get? Where to begin? That's why I was looking at kits. It just seemed easier. For my eventual 150 tank I want a really good setup.
Also would like the name of a good beginner book.
deb

Its pretty overwhelming to get into the fish hobby, I find it helps to take things one step at a time.

Most importantly you need to know what you want to put in the tank, this you already have a pretty good idea for with some cardinals, betta and shrimp. One word of caution is the shrimp will only thrive with a very few species of fish, its a good possibility they will be eaten by the betta, and any babies they may have will almost surely be eaten by the cardinals and betta. Its easiest to pick your favorite fish and build a tank around them I find, researching their needs and others that match up with those needs, as well as the equipment/space necessary to keep them happy.

Secondly is will these tanks be planted or non planted? This will make a difference on lighting and substrate, most kits are only sufficient for the lowest light plants.

Third is filtration, you have a few options, canister filters, hang on back filters, undergravel filters, sponge filters and internal filters. I would do some research into the different types, how they work, and see which one fits your budget the best, they all have pros and cons. In my opinion you want about 2x the filtration they recommend (for 20 gallon tank I would get a 40 gallon filter ect) If I was to recommend some, I would say my favorite are aquaclears for hang on back type, and the eheim for canisters, I don't use undergravel, sponge or internal filters personally.