30 gallon purchase

[Thager917]

I am looking to get a 30 gallon tank but I am so new at all this stuff that I dont even know where to start. Do I buy everything seperately? Or do I go with a kit? What brand do I go with? I am doing research but it is all so confusing. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[soupcan]

Definately buy everything seperately, unless you are on a tight budget. Everything in those kits are generally garbage. In the end it will all come down to how much you want to spend.

 

[prgmitchell]

I don't think the stuff in kits is "garbage" if you get the right one. Top-fin makes GREAT stuff...you should check this out.
Top Fin® 29 Gallon Starter Kit - Aquariums - Fish - PetSmart

its a 29 gallon kit that comes with the glass aquarium, full hood with lights, a top fin 30 power filter (works great), an adjustable 100w heater, a thermometer, a net, and samples for fish food, water care, and bacteria starter.

things you might want to buy that don't come with it are air pumps, gravel/another substrate, more fish food/conditioner/bacteria starter then the sample provides...but this is great for the price and doesn't contain garbage stuff.

i took another brand back because it sucked and got top fin and it works GREAT with quality products inside.

 

[soupcan]

I don't think the stuff in kits is "garbage" if you get the right one. Top-fin makes GREAT stuff...you should check this out.
Top Fin® 29 Gallon Starter Kit - Aquariums - Fish - PetSmart

its a 29 gallon kit that comes with the glass aquarium, full hood with lights, a top fin 30 power filter (works great), an adjustable 100w heater, a thermometer, a net, and samples for fish food, water care, and bacteria starter.

things you might want to buy that don't come with it are air pumps, gravel/another substrate, more fish food/conditioner/bacteria starter then the sample provides...but this is great for the price and doesn't contain garbage stuff.

i took another brand back because it sucked and got top fin and it works GREAT with quality products inside.

Agreed, i have had good luck with top fin. But stay away from the walmart kits.

 

[Bettafanatic]

I don't think the stuff in kits is "garbage" if you get the right one. Top-fin makes GREAT stuff...you should check this out.
Top Fin® 29 Gallon Starter Kit - Aquariums - Fish - PetSmart

its a 29 gallon kit that comes with the glass aquarium, full hood with lights, a top fin 30 power filter (works great), an adjustable 100w heater, a thermometer, a net, and samples for fish food, water care, and bacteria starter.

things you might want to buy that don't come with it are air pumps, gravel/another substrate, more fish food/conditioner/bacteria starter then the sample provides...but this is great for the price and doesn't contain garbage stuff.

i took another brand back because it sucked and got top fin and it works GREAT with quality products inside.

If you go with this pack, you'll need a different filter. The rule is whatever your tank size is, you have to double it to get proper filtration. So in a thirty gallon tank, you'll need a filter for a sixty gallon tank. Or you can just get two thirty gallon ones. I don't know much about Top Fin so I can't really give you a product review.

 

[prgmitchell]

If you go with this pack, you'll need a different filter. The rule is whatever your tank size is, you have to double it to get proper filtration. So in a thirty gallon tank, you'll need a filter for a sixty gallon tank. Or you can just get two thirty gallon ones. I don't know much about Top Fin so I can't really give you a product review.

it depends on the fish you're getting because some are more messy than others and some can't handle the higher flow rate of more powerful filters. for example the fish i just got would easily get pulled in by a higher powered filter than what i currently have...as he already has a little trouble when around mine.

everything is very variable-dependent.

 

[Bettafanatic]

it depends on the fish you're getting because some are more messy than others and some can't handle the higher flow rate of more powerful filters. for example the fish i just got would easily get pulled in by a higher powered filter than what i currently have...as he already has a little trouble when around mine.

everything is very variable-dependent.

Good point I didn't think of that.

What fish do you plan to get?

 

[Thager917]

Wow already a lot of great info.

I am really wanting 2 angels for sure. Not quite sure what I am going to put with them yet. Still doing a lot of research.

So if I go with a kit look for the top fin and possible an additional filter.

Now, I want to ask, Gravel or Sand in the aquarium? I am so new at this and I just want to make sure I do it right this time around.

 

[Bettafanatic]

Now, I want to ask, Gravel or Sand in the aquarium? I am so new at this and I just want to make sure I do it right this time around.

It's completely your own preference. If you want to go for a natural look, go with sand. You can use pool filter sand or aquarium sand. If you want a more colorful, unnatural look, go for gravel. Personally, I prefer sand.

They both have pros and cons. For gravel, it can provide a colorful look for the aquarium, but looks unnatural and sometimes the color leaks leaving you with whitish gravel. As for sand, it looks great and natural and is easier to clean, but takes longer to prepare, may cloud up the water more at first, and in the beginning might float up and get sucked into the filter.

If you're getting plants (idk if you mentioned it I forget), usually sand is better. But if you get plants, you can get the Eco Complete substrate which is great for plants! If you're getting any cory catfish, sand might be better because some might wear down their barbels on rough substrate. You could try layering sand on top of Eco Complete for cories, but the substrates will eventually mix anyways.

 

[Thager917]

I opt for the easier to clean plus I like the more natural look. I am so happy I found this place because I am learning so much!

I want a planted tank eventually but really scared to jump right into it.

 

[Bettafanatic]

Planted tanks are not as hard to maintain as you might think. Plants are great benefits for aquariums. They provide some natural filtration, provide hiding and spawning places for fish, and is much more rewarding. As soon as you learn about it, you'll realize how simple and fun it can be. But it's your choice. If you don't go planted, I'd recommend using silk plants over plastic plants. Silk plants won't damage delicate fins and look more natural and real.

When getting sand, color is completely your choice, but darker sand will look cleaner than light sand because it hides detritus.

 

[Thager917]

You have been extremely helpful. I am will read up on planted tanks and see what I can manage. Breeding may be fun, I may just stick with angels and see what happens.

 

[Bettafanatic]

Im really glad I could help you!

Breeding is usually reserved for experts only. I'd stick with just maintaining your aquarium. When I was a dumb little girl, I almost bred my bettas. That would have been disastrous O_O Luckily i realized my move was stupid lol. Maybe I'll breed them someday, but not for now.

There are a lot of articles on AA, www.drfostersmith.com and live aquaria that will help you

 

[librarygirl]

Hi and welcome! You might want to give this a read; it should answer some of your questions: https://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/

 

[Bettafanatic]

Hi and welcome! You might want to give this a read; it should answer some of your questions: https://www.aquariumadvice.com/guide-to-starting-a-freshwater-aquarium/

+1 to this that's a great article!

 

[Thager917]

Great! Thanks guys I will look at both of those links

 

[tamtam]

Def check out those articles. Very helpful.

I went with a 20 gal kit and though I don't regret my choice the only reason I did it was because it was a closing out sale and it was 50% off. It's a Marineland 20gal tall with an LED night/day set up.

I love the tank, the lights are ok though if you want plants you will probably need an upgrade, which is a pain because the lights are situated in this little "panel" that attaches to this little window on the top of the hood. I need to replace my whole hood to upgrade my lights.

I also had to upgrade my filtration. It came with a filter rated for 10-20 gallons. While this would be good for some fish it wasn't going to work for my stocking plan. I think for a HOB(hang on back) it's recommended that you have a GPH of about 6-8X the volume of your tank. So for 30 gallons you would want about 180 GPH or more. If you find the current to much for some of your fish there are always simple ways to modify as well to reduce this problem.

For the angels I would only keep 1 in a 30. I think 2 would be far to cramped in that once they are full grown. These get to be about 6 inches at full size. Keeping a single though still gives you a lot of options for a very nice tank.

 

[Thager917]

I was going to actually ask that about angels. I heard they like to be in pairs, is that true? I may be able to convince my husband to agree a 60 might be better.

 

[Bettafanatic]

When it comes to tank size, the bigger the better! But only go as much as you can afford.

 

[tamtam]

I was going to actually ask that about angels. I heard they like to be in pairs, is that true? I may be able to convince my husband to agree a 60 might be better.

I hear a lot of conflicting info on angels. I hear some people say that singles do great in a community tank and if you want a community with angels do not get more than 2 because then you run the risk of them pairing up. Once a mating pair is formed I guess they can be pretty nasty. Then I hear people say that 3 is the idle number so I'm not really sure. lol.

If you can afford a 60 or even a 50 I'd go for that. The bigger the better really! You could manage 2 happily in a 50 gallon with other fish