A good setup?
- Thread starter Kasakato
- Start date
133 CAD is about 105 USD. Seems a little bit overpriced, that may be due to being in Canada. (Import costs?) Petsmart in my area has a 29 gallon kit for about the same price. Try finding the items in the store or online (don't forget shipping) then add the totals. www.bigalsonline.com sells in aqaurium supplies in Canada, no duties! There are most likely many more also.
I cut and pasted the list of included stuff from the link you supplied:
- Light Glo Fluorescent Canopy
- Fluorescent bulb
Plain old fish tank light. Fine for non planted tanks.
- AquaClear 150 Power Filter
I've never used an Aquaclear filter.. someone else comment on quality?
- Radiant Heater
Probably an el-cheapo. Good heaters cost only a little bit more than cheap ones, and work MUCH better. Ebo-Jager and Tronic are two brands I hear recommended most often. Submersible is better, also. Many of the ones included in kits hang on the back of the tank, and can't be completely submerged.
- Thermometer
Probably a stick-on-the-outside type. Mine reads fairly accurately, others report they don't work well. Probably affected by the outside (of the tank) temperature.
- Plastic plants
Cheap, but very good to have. (Silk is better, plastic can be a little sharp) Fish like to have places to hide and feel secure. It's hard to have too many I think.
- Fish Net
I don't use mine very often, but indespensible when you need one.
- Nutrafin Max Fish Food
Never used it. Anyone else? I would suggest getting a few different kinds of food for a varied diet.
- Cycle
Works great at adding 8oz of water to your tank. Other than that it is worthless. (My opinion, and many others. Some like it)
- AquaPlus
Water conditioner? A must if you have treated water.
- Waste Control
Not sure what this is... sounds like something to make you think you don't need to do water changes. If so, most likely not a good thing.
- Basic Aquarium Guide
- Video
Shrug.. probably very basic, might be worthwhile. Worthwhile if it is in depth enough.
You will want to get gravel of some sort, I like the smallish natural colored gravel or a special plant substrate if you want live plants. Fish, of course.. What do you have in mind? The 1 inch of fish per 1 gallon "rule" is bad... Usually results in twice as much fish as could safely be put in the tank, sometimes worse.
I tend to agree with OG, but I don't know how the prices are in your area. Does it include a fish credit? A lot of the "all in one" setups do, figure that into the price also. Read the "Cycle" sticky at the top of the forum, good info there!
I cut and pasted the list of included stuff from the link you supplied:
- Light Glo Fluorescent Canopy
- Fluorescent bulb
Plain old fish tank light. Fine for non planted tanks.
- AquaClear 150 Power Filter
I've never used an Aquaclear filter.. someone else comment on quality?
- Radiant Heater
Probably an el-cheapo. Good heaters cost only a little bit more than cheap ones, and work MUCH better. Ebo-Jager and Tronic are two brands I hear recommended most often. Submersible is better, also. Many of the ones included in kits hang on the back of the tank, and can't be completely submerged.
- Thermometer
Probably a stick-on-the-outside type. Mine reads fairly accurately, others report they don't work well. Probably affected by the outside (of the tank) temperature.
- Plastic plants
Cheap, but very good to have. (Silk is better, plastic can be a little sharp) Fish like to have places to hide and feel secure. It's hard to have too many I think.
- Fish Net
I don't use mine very often, but indespensible when you need one.
- Nutrafin Max Fish Food
Never used it. Anyone else? I would suggest getting a few different kinds of food for a varied diet.
- Cycle
Works great at adding 8oz of water to your tank. Other than that it is worthless. (My opinion, and many others. Some like it)
- AquaPlus
Water conditioner? A must if you have treated water.
- Waste Control
Not sure what this is... sounds like something to make you think you don't need to do water changes. If so, most likely not a good thing.
- Basic Aquarium Guide
- Video
Shrug.. probably very basic, might be worthwhile. Worthwhile if it is in depth enough.
You will want to get gravel of some sort, I like the smallish natural colored gravel or a special plant substrate if you want live plants. Fish, of course.. What do you have in mind? The 1 inch of fish per 1 gallon "rule" is bad... Usually results in twice as much fish as could safely be put in the tank, sometimes worse.
I tend to agree with OG, but I don't know how the prices are in your area. Does it include a fish credit? A lot of the "all in one" setups do, figure that into the price also. Read the "Cycle" sticky at the top of the forum, good info there!
No you have to pay extra for the fish.
I went around town to see how other priecs were. I found that the kit was overpriced $30.
I have now found a kit form Marineland. Is it any good? It sells for $81CAD. The only problem is that a 20g tank is $100 extra. Pictures aree below
I went around town to see how other priecs were. I found that the kit was overpriced $30.
I have now found a kit form Marineland. Is it any good? It sells for $81CAD. The only problem is that a 20g tank is $100 extra. Pictures aree below
Rather than buying the kit, you can get all the individual items much cheaper. The kits also come with the lowest quality stuff they can put into them. I would think it would be cheaper to buy the tank,heater,light,filter, gravel and any decorations you want much cheaper, and what you get is going to generally be a bit better quality. The biggest thing is.....you have a choice of what you get, not just what comes with the kit.
Starter kits usually don't come with the best hardware (sufficient to run the tank, but not the best). You also can't really "customize" your equipment to suit your tanks needs.
You can look in the buy and sell in the newspaper and find a good used tank.
You could get a larger tank (usually includes hood, stand) as well (you'll probably want a bigger tank after a while). Then you could buy your choice of heaters, filters, substrate, etc.etc.
You can look in the buy and sell in the newspaper and find a good used tank.
You could get a larger tank (usually includes hood, stand) as well (you'll probably want a bigger tank after a while). Then you could buy your choice of heaters, filters, substrate, etc.etc.
This tank has to be 20g as it is the only one that will fit. Onw day I might buy a really big on for my living room.
