Talks of less than 10 gallons... are they any good?

[filmguy]

Hi. I am considering starting in this hobby. My local pet store offers 10 gallon tanks as their smallest, but I saw some acrylic tanks on the web which hold around 5 or 6 gallons. Since I live in an apartment, and I am just a beginner without much money, I am only thinking of keeping a little school of neon tetras or other such small fish, and a plant. But before buying anything, I would like to hear your advice. Thanks from a total newbie... Fernando.

[fishfreek]

Welcome,

Small tanks are very attractive to new commers because of their size. There is a commin missperception that smaller tanks equil less work. That truth is the larger the tank the less work it takes to maintain. The reason is that the smaller the body of water you have the faster things can go wrong.

I always avocate going with the largest tank you can afford. Obviously you dont want to break the bank but if you can eaisly afford a 10 gal then you should do a 10. If you can afford a 15 or a 20 and you have space then you should do that.

[d9hp]

I just bought a 7 gallon minibow. Frankly, I am disgusted at how easily the SG changes. Because of this I am doing a 10 gallon fuge. This will give me 17 gallons of water. A fuge is just another tank below the main tank, and I wont go into too much detail. Aaron is totally right though. Listen to what he says. I love my tank, but it will be tough to keep healthy.

[loganj]

Originally Posted by fishfreek

I always avocate going with the largest tank you can afford.

I agree 100%. You'd be way better off to start with at least a 10g. You really don't save a lot of room by going down to a 7 or 5 gal tank. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the nitrogen cycle before starting the tank if you're not already.
Logan J

[filmguy]

Thanks so much. Your answers have been very illuminating. It was one of those minibows which looked so nice to me on the web. However, I will try to check my finances and to save a little if I need to in order to buy something that will work better and be somewhat easier to maintain. Meanwhile, I'll keep reading...

[fishfreek]

I have found those small bowfront tanks are acutally more expensive than a 10 gal by a significant amount.

SOmetimes you can find 10 gals on sale for $9 or so. I wish all tanks where sold at the level of $1 per gal.

[loganj]

10g tank, Penguin Bio Wheel Mini filter, Visi Therm 50w heater, whatever light comes with the tank (fluorescent), iron stand, a bag of gravel, and water...all you need. Should ring up under $100 easily. You'll also need test kits for pH,ammonia, and nitrite...the Aquarium Pharmaceutical kits are fine...less than $25. Don't let anyone sucker you into buying a bunch of chemicals...you don't need them. If you are on city/county water, you'll need some tap water conditioner to remove the chlorine and chloramine, but that's all. You will need to find out what the pH of your water is before you decide on what kind of fish you will keep. Yes, you can change it, but when you're starting out, it's a lot easier to keep something that will live in the water you have. JMHO.
Logan J

[filmguy]

Logan, and others, I found online a 12 gallon tank, with a BIO-wheel wet/dry filtration system and "full spectrum fluorescent lighting". It is built by Marineland and it sells for about $90. Does any of you have experience with this kind of tank? It is called "Marineland Eclipse System 12." Thank you again! F.

[loganj]

That's an acrylic tank and it will scratch easily. You'll have to use special cleaning pads when you clean inside the tank to keep from scratching it. Other than that, they are OK. All the filtration is in the hood so you can put it close to the wall. You'll still need a heater (50-75w) and the test kits. I'd go price a glass 10g before I bought anything.
Logan J

[hisc1ay]

Originally Posted by filmguy

Meanwhile, I'll keep reading...

Seriously, that's probably the smartest thing you can do. It's tough to research first because you get the urge and you just want a tank yesterday. But take some time here, get to know some people, read posts, and learn. And then buy a tank.

-j

[ConanTheLibraia]

I agree with those guys ^

[tyler]

3 of my tanks are under 10 gallons. i really don't have any problems with them, but i don't put a very heavy bioload in them.