55 gal

Petland Discounts (by me, anyway) had the tank for 80 bucks after tax. The stand was 76 from Walmart. The heater cost me 30 and I'm sure you can get it for less on-line. If you want a high quality filter, you can get an Eheim 2215 from jcaquatics.com for 87 before tax and shipping and it has all the media you need for a while. These go for about 150 in most stores and, from what I've read here, they seem t be looked at as "top of the line". You can get 2 24" All Glass Aquarium brand hoods for about 40 a pop. I believe that's cheaper than trying to get a full size hood for a 55. You'll need between 10 and 12 bags of gravel, a thermometer for like 5 bucks, test kits for pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. I got 2 kits; one tests for ammonia, nitrites and pH. That was like 30. The other one was for nitrates and was 20. You'll also need tap water conditioner to remove chlorine. That's like 5 bucks.

So, you're looking at about 430 for a decent set up without gravel or decorations. Gravel runs about 5 bucks per bag so you can add another 50 bucks. You're probably going to spend around 500 before you even get to put fish in the tank.

Not to make it sound like it's some kind of elite privelage to own a larger tank (and 55 isn't all that big) but, you might want to consider going with a smaller size to start off. Maybe a 20-40 gallon? You can always upgrade later when you don't have to work your butt off for the sole purpose of owning a fish tank.
 
First off, 55g just the tank would be anywheres from $100-$130 in my area and I'm in VA. Second, in my opinion the best way for the cycle is to just let it happen on its own. If the ammonia levels get to high then do a parital water change, it might slow the cycle process down, but your fish won't be in grave danger. FISH ARE MOST IMPORTANT! Which is why you choose hearty fish (ones that can handle heavy toxin levels). Are you mechanically inclined and have a sense of construction? You could build one, www.garf.org . Might be a lil cheaper, word of mouth is buck for buck it is cheaper to buy a smaller tank and build a larger tank!

On Garf.com you could build a stand as well, for pennies on the dollar comared to what it would cost to purchase one, again back to the sense of construction. Hope my beginner info can help.

J
 
I'm not defending the Walmart brand by any means but, the one they make for the 55 gallon tanks is sturdy as hell (not even their brand). My friend has had one for like 2 years, has moved a bunch of times and recommends it highly. My only complaint about it is that it needs to be a little bit taller. It's only 23 inches high. That brings the tank up to a level where you can only really look at comfortably at sitting level. But, after looking around a bit and almost spending the money on a more expensive stand, I found they're all about the same height, maybe only a few inches taller.

Anyway, the stand that Walmart sells for the 55, in my opinion and in my friend's experience, does the job well.
 
I found my tank in my local "craigslist.com". I definitely would not buy something so fragile on Ebay.

My terms for sale were that the guy fill it up for me before I left his house to check for leaks. While not a fool-proof measure, I think it could help. He had over 20 other setups in his house so I was apt to trust him a bit more than some newbie who fished an old tank out of grandma's garage to sell.
 
Ghost is corrrect.

Maybe you should aim a little lower.

Wally World sells a 29 gal kit...tank, hood, heater, net, filter, etc. for under 100 dollars.

The gravel is like 3 bucks for 5lb bags ( will need about 10-15) ABOUT 40 bucks in gravel.

Will need some decorations about 30-50 bucks to get some decent stuff.

I put my 29 gal on an older computer desk I had only needs to support about 250 lbs.

This could get you started and you could save up some cash while the tank is cycling to buy the test kits.

A LFS around here has each test for 8 bucks. Ammonia, Nitrites, Nitrates, PH.
(32 bucks)

Good luck
 
well i live a very away place on a big mountain takes about an hour to get to anywhere from here
 
Depending on what your going to end up with in the tank is the way you need to decorate it. like if your going heavy cichlids (small at maturity) then dont waste money on plants that you wont need til its cycled. As well as rocks i would go to your local landscaping co. You will savet bucks on your decor there. I believe I was told before to look for keyhole limestone rock, is the best, do some research on it. Also be aware that anything you put in your tank can alter the chemistry like drift wood and waht not which lowers your pH. Always have in mind what yourgoing to end up with in the tank for the loing run sinse your on a tight budget.
 
When you're getting rocks, ask before you buy. Not sure limestone is such a good idea. I believe that's one of the ones that can mess with your pH. Petrified wood is generally safe, shale, anything that's made of quartz, volcanic glass....these are the ones that I know of that won't mess with your pH. Most driftwood you have to soak in a seperate bucket for about 2 weeks or boil for several hours to remove the excess tanins from it. The tanins will discolor your water and lower your pH.

This is a lot of information to absorb at once. I'm looking at some at some of the stuff that's circulating around in this thread and I'm tempted to return my tank.....and I have it set up already! Take your time and do some research on your own while you're trying to save up. If you try to get everything that you need to know in one shot you're just going to get overwhelmed and possibly discouraged. Learn at your own pace. Shop around on the internet and at any stores near you where you might be able to get supplies and you'll be fine. There's no rush. It's not like they're going to stop selling fish tomorrow.
 
if theres a pet supermarket near you they have pretty good deals on 55 gallon setups..you can buy a 55 kit for 160 and that come with tank, hood, lights, heater, and a bio-wheel filter. the stands they sell are around 90 bucks. you can also get just a tank and hood for 90 bucks or so. most pet supermarkets are located in the southeast region of the U.S. though so you might not be able to find one.
 
You might want to try gargage selling... I picked up a 36 gallon corner tank with EVERYTHING for $100.00 today. I had the owner fill it up and let it sit for a few hours to do a mini leak check and all is good.

This is the 3rd tank I have bought this way. I know in my area many people tend to buy nice setups but lack the patience to learn the processes involved in keeping fish. As a result they sell very nice stuff for very little money. If you take your time and shop around you can find some great stuff cheap.

I own one of the walmart 55's also with the stand and have had it for 5 years with no problems at all. I paid 160 ish for the tank and i think 75ish for the stand. The stock filter is pure crap. I am running a filstar XP2
Filstar XP2
I have had it about a month and highly recommend it.

Good luck with getting your new set-up, they are a joy but take some real work.
 
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