New Member and New to Aquariums from GA

[ericallenboyd]

I hope everyone is having a good day. I have never had a tank before and looking to do a freshwater tank. I am a researcher and have learned a lot in the last week since I started looking at it.

From what I have read bigger is better for a newbie but don't think that I will get anything over 50g because my wife does not want anything bigger than that in our place or even if i can get that big of one.

Here is a list of supplies that i have so far and let me know if i missed anything or need to get something different as i would rather buy nice stuff the first time:

either a 29g nano tank or 50g long
aquaclear filter, either the 50 or 70
timer for filter
heater
either crush coral or sand for substrate
water conditioner
ammonia for fishless cycling
temperature strips that i can stick to the side
api master test kit
python siphon kit for water changes possibly
plants (java moss, or java fern or both)

I would like to do a community tank but dont think the 29g nano will work for this based on my reading.

At the end of the day I don't want to buy a small tank (10g) and then upgrade later. Plus I dont think that I can put much in a 10g.

 

[reefdiver]

Welcome to AA. I agree with going bigger I did start out with a 20 and now have a 75. I'm under the impression that you have read about cycling your tank this would be your first step. To help you decide better look up some fish just to get an idea of what you would like. Also it will help to ask questions about them.

 

[ericallenboyd]

Yes I have read about the cycling and everything which is very interesting. I would like to go bigger but the wife at this point only wants a 10g and trying to talk her into at least at 20g or a 50g but that is a huge if. She says lets try something small to see if I like it and then upgrade later. Would a 10g be good enough to start with?

I know that if I get a 10g the amount of fish will not be much. I dont even think that I can put 6 tetras in there with that amount of space.

If I were to get a 10g would i just get a kit or is it better to buy something al la carte? Did I miss anything on the list?

 

[reefdiver]

I would say get a kit. I'm not trying to pry but what is your wife's excuse for not wanting a larger tank?

 

[reefdiver]

When you go bigger it's best to buy a la carte. You get better components that the kit has and eventually you will want to upgrade. Do you have any one near that has a tank you could show her.

 

[ericallenboyd]

No worries on the comment. She just does not want to get a big tank because she thinks that is will be too big and too much trouble in the long run. I told her bigger is actually easier to control.

At the end of the day I hope I can talk her into a 50g because that to me would be perfect. I don't know anyone at this point that I can see a 50g tank but that is a good idea.

I would say get a kit. I'm not trying to pry but what is your wife's excuse for not wanting a larger tank?

 

[reefdiver]

If you live in the states you can try craiglist and see what you find. I'm not sure on prices but a 10 kit may run you $20-$30. You could almost find a tank for that price on craigs

 

[ericallenboyd]

On my lunch break I went over to Petco and checked it out again. They have a 10g kit for $50. This would not include the plants I want and a couple of other things. Obviously the fish would come later.

Maybe I will be able to find a tank only on craigslist and then buy eveything else all la carte.

If you live in the states you can try craiglist and see what you find. I'm not sure on prices but a 10 kit may run you $20-$30. You could almost find a tank for that price on craigs

 

[paytertot]

Did you say a timer for your filter? I'm hoping you meant lights lol.
Do you have any specific fish that you really like?

I saw you say you wanted plants. The ones you listed are easy but here's a really thorough article just in case.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/so-you-want-a-planted-aquarium/

 

[ericallenboyd]

Did you say a timer for your filter? I'm hoping you meant lights lol.
Do you have any specific fish that you really like?

I saw you say you wanted plants. The ones you listed are easy but here's a really thorough article just in case.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/so-you-want-a-planted-aquarium/

Thanks for the article and i will check it out. I was thinking timer for the filter initially when i wrote that but i see now i meant lights. Lol is right

 

[Feawen]

If you live in the states you can try craiglist and see what you find. I'm not sure on prices but a 10 kit may run you $20-$30. You could almost find a tank for that price on craigs

This is good advice! Much cheaper and there are a ton of aquariums to choose from in my area at least. It will likely mean some elbow grease to clean it up but to get your 50 gallon it would be a much better deal! Good luck!!

 

[Scott F]

Eric,

You could get a 29-30 gallon which would play the middle of the road. Probably, what everyone has told you, or you've found out yourself, is that if something goes wrong in a small tank it moves quickly. A larger tank will disperse an error better. My son had a 10 gallon and it actually took more work than any of my larger tanks do.

Oh...greetings !!! And good luck.

 

[Beengirl]

Welcome to AA!!! Im assuming your doing SW. Like everyone so far has said, things can go very wrong in small tank very fast. Just not enough water for any leeway in water quality. I set up my first SW tank few months ago and I have a 55 g and I wish I had done a bigger one. There are so many beautiful SW fish, and you're only gonna be able to have 2-3 fish in a 10g- That's it. Look up fish on liveaquaria.com and decide which fish you love and what size tank they need, then decide what size tank to go with. Believe me, you're going to see so many beautiful fish that you won't be able to just want 2 or 3. If you get her involved with looking at fish, she'll find several she loves, trust me. Then you'll get your bigger tank!! good luck.