New 30 Gal tank and need advice.

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Randa

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
May 10, 2013
Messages
49
Location
Washington
I currently have a 10 gal tank and am upgrading to a 30 gal. I bought one from CL that came with a filter and heater and I am learning that they are piles of garbage. I wasn't sure what they were when I got them and now that I am trying to get my tank set up it's not working out.
First is the heater, its a Tetrafauna and I am learning that this is more for reptiles so I am going to have to get a new one. I have had it plugged in for 24 hours now and the water does not seem to be any warmer. The light comes on but not sure its working as it should.
The next is the filter. It has an AquaTech 30-60 which is sufficient, but I plugged it in and WHOA it is LOUD! And since this is going in our living room its not going to work. I also still need to get a hood and light.

So I am looking for suggestions for all 3 pieces. What do you recommend for a budget conscience beginner, but doesn't want to sacrifice quality?

I don't have any specialty fish shops near me, just a Petsmart, Petco and Walmart nearby, so hopefully something from one of those. OR I could always order online of course.

Thanks in advance. :)
 
The light you could just get one a "perfecto" or whatever brand it is standard T8 strip light that usually come standard with a tank, unless you plan on a planted tank. I have a Tetra ex30 on my 29 gallon aquarium and it is really loud so I wouldnt recommend that. I actually just ordered at eheim 2215 that should be arriving soon, and super quiet.
 
The eheim filters are always great products but can be expensive. I ran an eheim ecco canister filter on my 29 for a long time with great success. One thing about the HOB filters is that they might need to be primed with water when you start running them. Is there water flowing through the output when it is making the loud noise? If not try pouring water into the filter until is starts flowing freely.

With heaters, you really do get what you pay for. The lower end priced ones come plug and play ready without adjustable controls. The cheap adjustable ones have fairly inaccurate and potentially catastrophic issues with temperature control. The mid priced heaters can be a little bit of a pain to get dialed in correctly. Finally the more expensive ones are highly accurate with easily adjustable temperatures. While they all can work I would suggest getting the most expensive one you can reasonably afford. The Jager Tru temp heaters have worked really well for me and are currently on sale at Fish, Reptiles, Dog, Cat, Bird & Other Pet Products & Supplies if you wanted to take a look there.
 
I've always like the Aqueon heaters (Fluval makes pretty good ones too I think although I've never used them). I prefer an adjustable heater so you can adjust it yourself as opposed to the ones that are preset.

For a 30 gal, an aquaclear 70 would be a good choice for a filter.
 
The eheim filters are always great products but can be expensive. I ran an eheim ecco canister filter on my 29 for a long time with great success. One thing about the HOB filters is that they might need to be primed with water when you start running them. Is there water flowing through the output when it is making the loud noise? If not try pouring water into the filter until is starts flowing freely.

With heaters, you really do get what you pay for. The lower end priced ones come plug and play ready without adjustable controls. The cheap adjustable ones have fairly inaccurate and potentially catastrophic issues with temperature control. The mid priced heaters can be a little bit of a pain to get dialed in correctly. Finally the more expensive ones are highly accurate with easily adjustable temperatures. While they all can work I would suggest getting the most expensive one you can reasonably afford. The Jager Tru temp heaters have worked really well for me and are currently on sale at Fish, Reptiles, Dog, Cat, Bird & Other Pet Products & Supplies if you wanted to take a look there.

Thank you for your response. I did prime the filter that I have and it did help some, but was still pretty noisy. I will look around at your suggestions. Thank you.
 
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