55 Gallon Wal-Mart Tank, Good or Bad

[madwack]

I'm looking at buying a 55 Gallon tank, Someone locally is selling a complete setup W/Stand for 150. Inc gravel etc. I found out it is 5 months old and was purchased from Walmart.

Is quality a factor in tanks? What would you get from a Fish Shop 55 gallon setup that cost 4 times the price?

Also, I have a new Fluval 303 kicking around, so if its because of a cheap filter, I wouldn't care.

 

[SixFootDaisy]

I bought my old 10 G setup from walmart, it is a good quality tank, but the items they give you are horrible.

You are much better off using a different filter. I swear by penguin biowheels for my tanks.

 

[tkos]

I would use the filter that came with it and add the Fluval. More filtration is always better as you can keep more fish. But alone it is no where near enough by itself. The tank itself will be fine as long as the brace isn't broken. You might also end up needing a new heater but you will have to see how it goes.

 

[skiltrip]

There is nothing wrong with the tanks sold at Wal-Mart. I believe the tanks in their aquarium kits are made by All-Glass Aquariums. a 10 Gallon i bought there was.

 

[IronDogg]

I have Wal-Mart's 55 gallon tank. It is a good deal for the price, but as everyone has said, the filter that comes with it is very inadequate. The money you save, by buying the tank at Wal-Mart will let you spend more on other accessories though. If you wanted a planted tank, the lights that come with the 55 gallon are also fairly inadequate (except for growing some Anubias' and Java Fern maybe), so you may have to upgrade the lights for any demanding plants... But the tank itself is a great deal...
Oh yeah, tkos has a great tip there... make sure that centre piece isn't broken. Make sure the centre brace on the bottom is good too...

 

[madwack]

Ok, so here is the plan... I'm going to Wal-Mart today and buying their 55 gallon setup. I'm sticking the filter they have in my 30 Gallon long for my wifes Community tank. For filtration I'm going to use 2 Fluval 303's on each side of the tank. Is this a good match? Will this be too much filtration?

 

[rvijay07]

What is the center brace ? I am slightly confused. Is this brace on the stand ?

 

[tkos]

Big tanks have a plastic rim and there is a brace in the center that keeps it from bowing out. Very important as the pressure these larger tanks have is quite a lot.

 

[rvijay07]

This is good to know. I had no idea about this ? But as a standard practise I feel that big tanks must be manufactured failure proof. Does this bracce give way sometimes ? How can one check all this in a tank kit ? Can one open the kit and examine all this in the store ? Thanks.

Vijay

 

[TankGirl]

For filtration I'm going to use 2 Fluval 303's on each side of the tank. Is this a good match? Will this be too much filtration?

I don't think so. What kind of fish do you plan to keep?

 

[tkos]

There can't be too much filtration on any tank, but there can be too much water movement. So check how much water movement your fish like. Tetras love lots of movement (most being river fish). Gouramis and Betta not so much.

------------------------------------------------

To check a brace. Open the box, look at the brace and it will be broken or not. You can also return anything broken to a store. It is mostly important to check if the object has already been returned (ie damaged box is a good indicator). But lack of the center brace won't cause an imediate breakage of your tank. It is mostly there to make sure the excess pressure doesn't have a chance to press ont he walls too much. It is more of an over time sort of thing.

 

[madwack]

This is a Cichlid tank, Mixed Cichlids most are Elec Blue, with a few all red and light blue combo's. Fish are all above 2.5". Additionally I have one Pleco, 6" maybe even bigger. Is duel Fluval 330's a lot of filtration or average for a 55 gallon?

 

[tkos]

A lot of people use an HOB and a canister. So I would say that 2 fluvals are not too much. You have big fish and they need lots of filtration to be healthy. It is either that or lots of water changes. Go the easy route. Plus if one breaks you have a spare!!