New Guy looking for advice...

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FISHIENEWBIE

FISHIENEWBIE

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Aug 9, 2009
Messages
43
Hello,

I'm a college student and have just come across a 10 gallon fish tank. I have no clue waht i need to set it up, but i would like to keep the cost down. I've read the post on the fishless cycle and am thinking about trying this out. I want to go about this the right way to make some happy fishies. Also since I'm a full time student and have a job I'm wondering how much time a week this whole thing will take.

Thanks for any advice to get me started on the right path...
 
what all do you have with it? A good filter is the first thing you need to get... unless you have one already. Make sure that you use some kind of dechlorinator when you put your water in. What kinds of fish are you thinking about putting in? Depending on how well you maintain your aquarium and how you stock it, it could be a matter of minutes a week or hours. I have 6 tanks all together, four 55 gallon, one 30, and one 10... i spend maybe an hour, hour and a half all together in a week. I do a weekly 10-15% water change, and then the rest of the time is just every other day feedings and general maintenance... As long as you dont overstock the tank, you wont have any major time consuming jobs involved... I could give you a much better idea of what you need if you could tell us what all you have, if anything, with the tank
 
Well....i didnt get to the tank in time so i dont have anything now...but after looking around at fish and things i really would like to purcahse one..im thinking like 10-15 gallons ummm if you have any ideas on what to buy it would be helpful
EArlier today i went to the LFS and saw some 10 gallon tank/kit for like $50-60...is this a food deal...and as for fish to put in it im not sure...any suggestions would be helpful...i like the ones that look very colorful...and also i saw these frogs that were a very bright pink and blue maybe an inch big that i would like to have i dont remember what they were called though...
I know im kind of rambling but im not very knowledgeable in this subject but am very excited to learn...I think im hooked and don't even have a tank yet:shocked!:
 
O and also i want to do a freshwater setup...
Thanks in advance for any advice....
 
well, if money is a concern, check craigslist... is size a consideration? a 20-30gal is going to be easier to maintain than a 10... ive found lots of awesome deals on there.. i got all of my tanks from there and the most i paid for any of them were $50 and that included a filter and hoods/lights... one thing you need to remember in this is to take it slow... most "newbies" want to rush in to everything, get incompatable fish, things like that (I DID)... get a nice tank, a good filter (preferrably rated for a bigger tank than yours), some water conditioner,and an air pump and air stone... thats the big things... a gravel vacuum is also a good idea. If you check around before buying, you will save a crap ton of money... Check craigslist, im a faithful "craigslister"... just search "aquarium" and you should get all kinds of good deals. I think the rule of thumb for most people on here is a dollar per gallon or so... but for a complete setup, you should easily get a nice 30gal for around $100 from somebody who got overwhelmed by not doing things correctly or who is doing what im doing and trying to get bigger tanks... its better to start smaller around the 10-30 range though imo
 
oh yeah, forgot that one.. some people call them aquariums, some call them tanks... ones that really want to sell them put both lol... i just found a 90gal with customer stand and canopy with live rock, coral, coraline on the glass and several fish, and a 30gal refugium for $250... im so excited :)
 
mfdrookie516 said:
oh yeah, forgot that one.. some people call them aquariums, some call them tanks... ones that really want to sell them put both lol... i just found a 90gal with customer stand and canopy with live rock, coral, coraline on the glass and several fish, and a 30gal refugium for $250... im so excited :)
Click to expand...

Agrees with MFDRookie....however in Chicago most searches for "aquarium" get me adds for some aquarium bouncer seat. Apparently everyone in Chicago bought one and now wants to sell it lol...I am hoping to get lucky and score on a 55+ gallon myself.:D
 
thanks guys i've been searching craigslist and have found some good deals have emailed and awaiting responses.....im looking more at 20-30 gal. thanks for the list of extras mfdrookie i will keep that in mind and shop around
 
FISHIENEWBIE said:
thanks guys i've been searching craigslist and have found some good deals have emailed and awaiting responses.....im looking more at 20-30 gal. thanks for the list of extras mfdrookie i will keep that in mind and shop around
Click to expand...


one tip you may want to remember... if you dont get a filter with any of your tanks, you may want to consider an aqua-tech 30-60... i run one of those and a canister on my 55's, they are super quiet and do an excellent job, especially considering they are cheap walmart brand... the cartridges are like $10 for 6 of them, which lasts a very long time... ive had mine for 2 months now and only changed the cartridges about a week ago... filtration is where money is well spent...
 
buddha_red said:
sweet!! that will be a nice pick up congrats!
Click to expand...

i keep fidgeting waiting on it... the guy has it set up right now, and ive never kept sw before so im super excited... i just hope he keeps his end of the bargain and carries through with it... ive had people agree to meet me or say yeah come on over and pick it up then get an email back saying they made a better offer, but i didnt try to bargain any, for $250 i couldnt pass it up
 
ok well i know that this is bigger than what i originally wanted but that is a good thing i guess lol..........well anyways i found this on craigslist..55g aquarium w/ stand and Frontosa
i emailed him asking details on the equiptment and fish and things of that nature....im kind of want to choose my own fish eventhough these look amazing and this was his response....I would rather just get rid of it all together fish and all. I dont know how old the frontosa are but they are all between 2"-4" in size. It has a marineland filter, 2 tetra air pumps and I believe that two heaters are tetra brand as well....but anyways tell me waht you think please!
Good deal or bad?
 
wow, the price is somewhat steep, at least for where im at... i would try and talk them down a little, but you still couldnt get all that stuff new for $200... what size filter is it? if you have the money, go for it... i started with a 55, it wont be long before youre thinking about a 125... i do like that stand its on, i will totally envy you if you get it :)
 
Yea i saw that one as well and have already emailed them but they haven't responded....hopefully soon
 
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