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goldfish are a great way to learn, also just asking questions like you did either here in a saab forum (LOL), fish forum or even your local store! I would try to stay away from the big chain stores & try to go with the small independant shops. LOTS more knowledge
Due to 1, 2, 3 & 4.... the little guys didn't have a chance :( But you will get it right this time!
A great way to get into a larger tank is to look for something used. Many times people either want out of the hobby or realized their tank isn't big enough so they sell what they have. You should be able to find a nice 75 or 90g tank (48x18x24/26 tall) for a few hundred used including everything you need to get it running.
When you go with a bigger tank you need to consider what you will be putting in there & due to that the type of filtration.
The cheap filtery is a bubble stick which pulls water through a sponge. This is GREAT for a sick tank which is what many people do in the saltwater part of the hobby. But a normally stocked tank it just doesn't work well.
Next you have the many types of filters which stick on the back of the tank & pull the water up & through filter media & back into the tank.
These work ok but they are usually to small to safely run a tank.
Then you have the undergravel filter. These works a LOT better then the ones above due to using the entire gravel bed as the filter. There are lift tubes powered by a air pump or small powerhead which pulls the water down into the gravel & up the lift tube. This give 1000x's more area for the bacteria to live vs the above stuff. THe bad is it's a little more maintenance oriented because you have to clean the gravel when you do you 25% h20 change, but it's not hard to do :)
Finally you have a wet/dry filter which is a sump that sits under your tank & has bio balls that the water falls onto. This is what I use for my saltwater tanks & it's pretty much bulletproof.
If you buy stuff new I would guess $600-800 would be pretty easy to reach.
75/90g tank & stand $400
undergravel filter $35
air pump/power heads $75
gravel $30
heater $24 NEVER buy a cheap heater!!!!!
decorations $100
I now I am missing things... $150 :)
or find one used in the classifieds conplete for $300 or so
remember, bigger the better!! It's actually easier to take care of a large tank then a small one due to less of a chance for temp changes, disease spreading etc. However as you know you need a bigger filter for the bigger tanks..... thus more $$$$ With bigger tanks you can also add tap water directly into the tank & just squirt some dechlor into the tank as well to remove the chemicals. With a 75 or 90g you can do this w/o causing problems :)
FWIW I am suppose to head down to Cumberland Lake in a few weeks to help a friend install 3 aquariums at their visitors center. 700, 900 & 1800 gallons are the sizes of the 3 tanks we are suppose to set up. I cannot wait!!!!
posted by 70.61.172...
, Tue, 23 May 2006 20:09:22
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