Shopping List - Aquarium Stuff

Salty&Onion

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I am making this thread so I don't forget about the stuff I really want for my tank and to upgrade lighting and air pump for better filtration too.

Gravel vacuum:


Sand:

Already in thread

Plants:






Heater:
(125w)


+


Lid:
( Thank you @seangee )


(Broken into two weeks wating after first piece)

Backgrounds:



At some point:


 
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Wow, you are buying expensive brands.
I bought all the local or China brands that are cheaper like Dophin, Ocean Free and Classica, etc.
They are many times cheaper than the European or American brands.

However, some European or American brands products are really very good and useful especially for canister filters.

But for common stuff that dont require high technology like air pump, sponge pads, lightings, etc, cheap China or Taiwanese brands are good enough.
 
Cabomba is a very beautiful plant...

By the way, you might want to research on the type of Moss that you want to buy.
According to the internet, Java moss grows faster than the Christmas moss. And I think Christmas moss need more light than Java moss.

You can also read about Flame moss.
They are interesting as they grow into a shape of a tree. (like a Christmas tree).
 
The expensive stuff is the good one right?

For some items, its worth to buy good brand like the canister filters, some hang on filters and especially the heaters.
But for some items, even a cheap brand is good enough.
In fact for hang on filters, some China brands are equally good as well. In fact, they are cheap, have big compartment and powerful.

The Japanese GEX brand is also very good. I like especially their slim hang on filter where the impeller and motor is inside the tank rather than outside.
When the impeller is inside the tank, it makes it more powerful and the water can be sucked up easily even without water(I think). And your water level doesnt have to be very high as compare to those with impeller outside the tank.
 
Right. I'm still taking the fluval siphon lol

What is the diameter of the suction part/head and hose?
If its small, you will have to take a long time to siphon out the water unless your tank is very small.(<5 gallons)

Usually, I prefer bigger siphon (China brand) which can suck faster. Bigger siphon has bigger diameter for the suction head and the hose.

But for most people with bigger tank (30 gallons or more), they will use just a long hose to suck out and refill the water in the tank. This can be a DIY hose with some tap connectors. You can DIY the hose easily.
Or some will buy a Python water changer.
But for a small tank, you dont need this.
 
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The expensive stuff is the good one right?

Usually expensive stuff is good but for some stuff, you may not really need it.

Take for example, the Fluval hang on filter which has up to 5 stages of filtrations.
I guess this is not really require and the replacement parts (filter pads) will be expensive.
So, for this case, I wont buy it and its more expensive than most hang on filters.
Most hang on filters can do the same job and I can change to my own sponge pads instead of buying only the filter pads from Fluval.

 
What is the diameter of the suction part/head and hose?
If its small, you will have to take a long time to siphon out the water unless your tank is very small.(<5 gallons)

Usually, I prefer bigger siphon (China brand) which can suck faster. Bigger siphon has bigger diameter for the suction head and the hose.

But for most people with bigger tank (30 gallons or more), they will use just a long hose to suck out and refill the water in the tank. This can be a DIY hose with some tap connectors. You can DIY the hose easily.
Or some will buy a Python water changer.
But for a small tank, you dont need this.
The hose is about 38.1cm in lenght and it also comes with another 38.1cm hose, but I'm unsure. I've really set my eyes on it and already bought it yesterday.
 
Have you decided on the type of Moss?

Recently, I saw the Flame moss in the shape of a tree...so beautiful.
I might get it soon but need to watch for any snails or unwanted worms.
I put them in a QT for 1-2 weeks to observe before putting them into my tank.
I also used Coppersafe to soak them for a short while to kill off any snails or parasites.
Then I will rinse it many times before putting it in the QT.
 

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