Which Tank?

[CluelessScot]

If you have read my other post u will know i have never kept fish and this will be my first tank. I now have 4 choices and would like to hear your views?

Tank 1
This is the Package tank,

Cost - £110

Size - 3 ft

What i get - 200W heater, Filter (filters 650L per hour and was told that was rather good), lights, Plastic plants (i wont use, i would like real plants), a net, fish flakes, starter stuff (drops, 2 bottles)


Tank 2

Cost - £270

Size - 3ft 6"

What i get - this is a bio filtation thing where the water is drawn up into the hood... im sure u know what i mean. i get the tank, Light, a Stand, the filter and an heater is all built in. This is from my lps and she really need to get rid of it for new stock. it was marked up at £360

Tank 3

This tank is second hand.

Cost - £130

Size - 3ft

What i get - Everything. it comes with heater, filter, gravle, toys (?), Books, a cabinet which the tank fits into.

Age - 7 months old

Tank 4

this is also a Second hand tank.

Cost - £60

Size - 4ft

What i get - The tank and the lid which holds the lighting unit, Also a stand. This is the biggest tank and i actully like this 1. i can built it myself and still cost about the same as some above.



I think i like the 4ft tank... if i was to get the 4ft tank what do i need to get?

all replys welcome

thanks

 

[Annastasia]

Tank 4 sounds the best to me. It's really nice that it comes with a stand, and the more room, the better!

You'd need to get aeration, filter, and a heater, plus gravel or sand, decorations, and whatever else you want to add in to make your tank nice for the fish. That's for the tank, at least. Do you want a list of everything you need for water changes, and cycling, and everything else too?

 

[breezer40]

If you have the room always go for the biggest tank as they are usually eaiser to keep stable and your only going to wish you had when you spot that special fish that you don't have any space left for

To set the tank up you will need a heater, Filter (ideally external but depends on your budget), gravel or sand and plants if you want them. The size of the heater and filter will depend on the amount of water the tank will hold.

Other things you will need are some form of ammonia to start the tank cycling and test kits for Ammonia, Nirite, Nitrate to see how the cycling is doing and determain when the most important ingredient FISH can be added.

 

[rdd1952]

Tank 4 sounds like the better deal to me too depending on the condition. As for equipement, Annastasia covered it pretty well. I would suggest that you use dual filters and heaters on a tank that size (set up on the ends). That will keep the water circulated better and at a more consistent temperature. The general rule of thumb for filtration is that it processes the water at least 5 times per hour so if it's a 75 gallon tank you would need filtration to process 375 gallons minimum. Keep in mind that overfiltration is always good (helps if you overstock the tank) just make sure you aren't creating too much current for the fish.

 

[jfrancho]

I would not purchase a used tank, unless I was privy to the complete history of the tank. Once I was satisfied that all was well, I would only buy on the contingency of a leak test.

 

[Tolak]

Most all of my tanks are used, one of the few new ones I bought for the living room. Haven't had a problem with any used tanks yet.

Tolak

 

[CluelessScot]

Do you want a list of everything you need for water changes, and cycling, and everything else too?

[snapback]914926[/snapback]​

if you could please... any chance you know a rough idea or how much things cost as i want to have all the money for the tank + equipment.

thanks

 

[rdd1952]

I would not purchase a used tank, unless I was privy to the complete history of the tank. Once I was satisfied that all was well, I would only buy on the contingency of a leak test.

[snapback]914982[/snapback]​

Probably good advice. I have heard (emphasis on heard) that any tank that has had copper in it (some medications contain copper) can never have invertibrates as the copper will kill them. Supposedly the copper molecules would be trapped in the silicone where the tank was put together and leach back out into the water later.

 

[Annastasia]

Do you want a list of everything you need for water changes, and cycling, and everything else too?

[snapback]914926[/snapback]​

if you could please... any chance you know a rough idea or how much things cost as i want to have all the money for the tank + equipment.

thanks

[snapback]914996[/snapback]​

Okay...here goes. Anyone else, please add in anything I've missed!

Depending on how you do water changes, you'd either need a syphon, or buckets just for the fish. Dechlorinator for when you put the water back in. Aquarium Salt is always good to have around. And then of course you need the fish food..flakes, are generally a good staple, but you can feed Frozen/Freeze-dried/Live foods a few times a week too. Bloodworms and Brine Shrimp seem to be a favorite with mine.

And breezer basically covered what you need for cycling.

Sorry, I have no idea what it will all cost..it depends where you buy it, and what kinds of filter, heater, aerator etc you get. It's not cheap though...I'll tell you that.

As for the used tank thing, 3 of my tanks are used. I've never had a problem with them, but they were always filled up and running when I saw them, so leaking wasn't a problem. It is a good idea to find out what has been in there, medication and chemical wise though.

 

[CluelessScot]

Exellent ill will ask the guy next time i see him.. is it ok to set the tank up with only 1 heater and filter then add the second filter and heater later on? oh and what an aerator?

 

[JDS]

Definately go for the biggest tank you can ... as posted above, you will only regret it if you dont
Whichever one of those you get, you'll be amazed how easy it is to overstock.

 

[JDS]

I wouldnt see a problem with going for the one filter / heater set up, so long as they are both up to the job.
That will depend on a variety of factors, mainly the exact size of your tank and what you intend to stock.
If you put your dimensions into an aquarium calculator like tank master : -
http/www.lifelineaquarium.com/TankMaster_Demo.htm
You can see what you need as a guideline.

An aerator allows you to pump air into your tank, this will disturb the surface water, which helps get oxygen into it (I think )

 

[trace1]

i,ve gota agree with getting the 4foot. i wanted a 4foter to start with but ended up with a 2 foot within 2weeks i had a 3/1/2 foot & just 2day ago i put deposit on a 4 foot. i only got my first tank in july lol so mts has kicked in quick with me, but do wish i started with the 4 foot tank i originally wanted

 

[Inchworm]

Hi CluelessScot

I too voted for the 4th one.

A lot of my tanks have been used and I can't say I've had any problems with them, but used filters and heaters are not to be trusted. The tank, stand and especially the hood with the lighting are the most expensive parts of the set up and if you can get them at a good price, the rest is secondary. You can shop for the other things online for the best prices. I would NOT get one of those all-in-one tanks.

If you trust the seller that it doesn't leak and the light fixture works go for #4. Then you can have the pleasure of customizing it to be just the way you want it.

As for germs, etc., it's easy to clean it and make it safe. It's just one more thing that sounds worse than it really is.

 

[CluelessScot]

Exellent i think i know which way i think im going... the 4th tank if from a fish place, they do tropical fish and ponds and lots of things. i was looking at the tanks he had but the biggest he had was the 3ft package tank. the guy said its a good tank and that theres nothing wrong with it and if i had any problems he wouldnt mind having a look. There was a man in the shop today when i was in asking if he could leave his koi carp with him while hes on holiday and the owner was cool with it. the owner seems like an ace guy lol
the reason i liked that tank was because it has the stand and its the biggest i could find.

ill see how it goes, thanks