Cost Of A 20 Gallon Tank

[honmol]

How Much Is A 20 Gallon Tank?

(Not counting later costs, just to get it up and going, No fish with any special needs, just basic landscaping with driftwood and java moss, no big or expensive fish)

I have time to maintain one, and matinence costs are'nt what I'm worried about now. But how much would it be for:

A 20 Gallon Tank

Pool Filter Sand

Filter

Quarentine Tank (and setup for it)

Heater Ect.

Not Counting Fish, Just Equipment

How Much Does Each Individual Thing Cost?

I've only had smaller tanks or ponds before so I need to find the costs of a very basic setup.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Tank: $30 (at our lfs, but you may be able to find it cheaper or a little more expensive, depends where you shop)
PFS: $6
Filter: Depends on what kind you want. But I'd say $20
QT: around $30
Heater: $15

This does not include the stand, hoods, lights. And it also depends where you shop.

 

[Andos99]

Go do your own research...thats half the fun.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Filter: Marineland Penguin 200B $20.99

Heater: Stealth 100W $15.89

Thats just an option for ya.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

hi again...

Emperor 280 $32.99
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=22135;category_id=1721;pcid1=2885;pcid2=

 

[nitrous]

i got my 20 gallon starter kit from petsmart for 20 bucks i got a heater hood/light filter and tank for 80 bucks

 

[honmol]

ok. I've been looking for prices but they're hard to find online because:

1 I'm not sure where to look

2 I'm still discovering which things are best so I'm trying to find out what I'm looking for

3 I just moved here and am not sure about pricing. The lfs that I used to go to was a little over priced but they had good stuff. Here, I'm not sure where to go.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Most of the time it is cheaper to buy equipment online and the tank and stand at the lfs. The lfs usually marks up equipment pretty high. But it is expensive to ship tanks and stands. Big Al's (www.bigalsonline.com) has great pricing and they will price match minus 5% from any other online store. I always check there for equipment first and normally always purhcase from them unless they don't have what I'm looking for.

Heaters: The best is non-glass, fully submersible, and a reputable brand. The stealth or Won Brothers are great brands with superb quality. You'll look at spending about $30 at the lfs for a heater that you can get at Big Al's for $18.

Filter: If it's a hob, aim for between 7 to 10x turnover rate per hour. So with a 20 gal tank, look for 140 to 200 gph. It should run about $20 for a quality filter.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Where are you located right now?

 

[honmol]

I'm in the seattle area. I just came from southern Calif. I haven't really had time to look yet. Mostly what I've found is petco and petsmart, just the chain stores. That google thing that shows you all of whatever you're looking for in the area had a listing on bainbridge island called paws and fins that I'm going to look at. I'll try to get there this weekend but might not have time. If they have good stuff then it'll save me alot of time. I'll post if I manage to get to it tommorrow.

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Cool, I'm just across the mountains from you in Wenatchee. Let me know how that store is. Here's another you might try.

B & D Aquarium
10402 16th Ave SW
Seattle, WA

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Here's a review I found online...

B&D Aquarium
10402 16th Avenue Southwest, White Center
(206) 767-0511
Review:
This is one of the best fish stores I've ever been to. The people there know so much about what they're talking about, it amazes me. I went there today and the guy helped me decide which heater to get, no pressure, and he understood that I was also looking for lower priced heaters and he recommended I go with the lowest priced one that would work. Their fish are incredibly well taken care of, I've only ever seen one dead fish, and that was a feeder goldfish. The only drawback is that I can't see into the highest aquariums, and I'm not exactly classified as short! They've got tanks and tanks of goldfish, fancy goldfish, Koi, feeders, etc. and they're all large and healthy. I know from experience, they will not sell you a fish unless they've had it for at least 2 weeks and are sure it is healthy. They even gave me free plant food. I could go on and on about this store forever. If you're in the Seattle area, VISIT THIS STORE. Seriously. You won't be sorry- considering the other options are Petcos and Petsmarts.

 

[honmol]

thanks. I'm going to paws and fins on tuesday or thursday. I know that the hermit crabs there are good because a friend of mine got hers there and they're still going after at least a few years (not actually sure about age) but I'm not sure about fish.

 

[RoK]

I'd pick an aquaclear filter over a penguin or emperor filter. http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=22125;category_id=2281

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Cool....

I'm just a big fan of Marineland, I buy only marineland products. I've tried AquaClear and TetraTec, but didn't get the results the Emperor is giving me.

 

[poppab02]

Don't forget to check your local papers. You can pick up nice aquarium set ups for practically nothing sometimes. If you buy new definitely go for tank at lfs and accessories online. Cheapest way to do it.