im looking to buy a 10 gal tank as a first, any suggestions?

[son2fu]

any suggestions on tank, filter, hood, light, heater, ect.
plz help

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Welcome to AA Son!

You can get a 10 gal tank pretty cheap at your lfs or Wal-Mart, Do not buy the package deal though. For a filter I recommend an AquaClear 20. If you don't plan on having live plants, you can get a cheap hood/light setup for about $15. Any one will work as long as it is the correct size. For the heater, I'd go with a Visi-Therm Stealth 50 Watt heater. The general rule of thumb is 5 watts per gal. You will also need a liquid reagent test kit. Don't let the lfs trick you into using the strips. They are not accurate and cost a good deal of money in the long run. Invest in a Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit. It will last you a long time. You will also need a dechlorinator. I use Prime since it is highly concentrated. The bottle I linked will dechlorinate 250 gal of water. It will last you quite a while. If you have any other questions, do not hesitate to ask.

 

[son2fu]

thanks a lot for the help

is a marineland bio wheel mini any good as a filter
and what is lfs?

 

[rich311k]

LFS is local fish store. I like the ACs better. The marinelands are ok but get the next model up the line from the mini.

 

[son2fu]

thanks, what are the pros and cons of both?

 

[WaterPond]

ok, first of all, is there any chnce of getting a bigger tanks, i think you could get more enjoyment out of that. If not buy a starter kit. They usually come with a HOB filter, some type of heater, and a hood and light.

 

[rich311k]

Get an AC 20 filter, a 50 watt heater visitherm stealths are good, light depends on whether you want to plant or not. Any light that fits will for for just fish. You will need dechlor and a gravel vacuum. get everything online but the tank. It will save you money. The kits are usually less than the best equipment.

 

[rich311k]

Ac is a nice piece of equipment. nice size media basket. you can put what you want in it. The sponges last forever just about. I have several that are 5 plus years old and going strong.

The Marineland uses a proprietary cartridge you will need to replace. I am not a big fan of biowheels. They do the job and many folks use and like them. Will cost more in the long run.

 

[An t-iasg]

Merged the two topics.

 

[Burks]

Trust me you'll love the AquaClear 20. I have experience with both filters and the AC is sooo much nicer. The sponges cost $2 for a box of 3, you can't get any cheaper than that. The filter even comes with ceramic rings, charcoal (I wouldn't use it) and a sponge. Print the price off Petsmart.com and take it to the store to price match.

Some great advice has been given about. A 10g is a good starting point because it isn't a big investment in case you don't like the hobby.

For a light just go with the flourescent fixture. Cheap and works well. I would stay away from the incandescent fixtures. Personal opinion but I don't like the light they put out.

Any more questions just ask. Especially on plants or livestock (fish choice is very important). We'll be glad to help

 

[tropicalfish]

Woah, is it REALLY possible to price match on online petsmart price and a petsmart store price???

 

[Burks]

Woah, is it REALLY possible to price match on online petsmart price and a petsmart store price???

Yup. I've done it three or four times now with zero problems. Just print the page out with the price on it. There may be limitations but I haven't found any yet.

 

[son2fu]

thanks guys, I'll probably go with the setup that fishyfanatic suggested since you guys say that the ac20 is good. I heard some site called i think bigal.com, how fast do they ship?

 

[rich311k]

Its bigalsonline.com They have always done right by me. You can also check out DR. Foster and Smith another good site for dry goods and equipment.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The links that I posted above go directly to Big Al's. I received my light strip this week with a turnaround time of about 4 days from order to receiving. They ship from NY.

 

[son2fu]

has anyone tried drsfostersmith.com? how is the shipping there? is the service good?
I live in California, for reference

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I've heard good things about DrFosterSmith too. I prefer Big Al's because they price match and knock off another 5% of competitors prices. Plus they have VIP points. For each dollar that you spend you get 1 point. After you have so many points you can cash them in towards money off on another purchase. Wednesday is double points day.

 

[son2fu]

oh, how does this price matching work?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

For price matching, it needs to be the exact same model of the product. And I believe you just need to contact them prior to ordering, and they will give it to you for that price minus 5%. Not 100% on the exact procedure, as I've never price matched. bigalsonline has always had the best price for everything I've ordered so far.

I've also ordered several times from Dr's Foster and Smith, and have very good experience with them as well. And they are not only fish, but any other pet needs such as dogs, cats, rodents, birds, etc. You need anything for a pet of any kind, they will more than likely have it.

 

[son2fu]

my dad suggested that I get a 20 gallon tank, should all this equipment be the same except a higher model, for the filter and heater?