Keep or Ditch?

if you have craigslist check it out for fish stuff.

I have seen complete 55 gallon set ups go for $125 with a stand.

I picked up a 20 with hood,light,heater,filter and she threw in a sponge filter..for $30

I also picked up a 75 with custom stand,hood, wet/dry, skimmer, fake plants,rocks heaters..etc..etc..etc for $400.
the only thing i had to add was the gravel,water etc
I have discus and angels in this tank.
If you haven't already gotten that set up..decide what you think you would like and base the size of the tank on that.

otherwise start with a 20 -30 a half dozen danios if you want to do a fishy cycle
 
Jeeze, where do you find those prices? I checked the local classifieds and such; I've seen tanks alone that are smaller cost more than those prices.
 
Already did :p

Sorry if I asked something contained therein. I'm still trying to grasp everything. What about commerically available aquarium startup kits? I saw some ammonia tablets in a kit, anyone have any experience with those?
 
Check with your local fish store.If you do cycle with the danios and do not want to keep them after they have done thier job,some pet stores will let you trade them in for a store credit. Then, you can get the fish you want.

Be happy!

Marinemom
 
Great! Just a suggestion, wasn't sure if you were aware of them.

The hood and filter combination you mentioned...was it an Eclipse brand?
 
I have a 29 gal with an Eclipse III hood/filter. The flat blue filter pad clogs to quickly, and I do not over feed, so I took it out and just let the water run to the bio-wheel. I did put some bio-media in that compartment for the water to run over. The lights seem to be a bigger issue, often one or the other going out when you lift the hood or close it. It does give a slim neat appearance. I have since left the RUGF I installed and put one of my Mag 350 canister filters on it. I'm now happy, until I switch out the hood to a different lighting set up. :dance2:

As for the test kits, I think most will recommend the liquid style as more accurate than test strips and quicker than the tablet style that you have to shake and dissolve.
 
Alright, well I think I'll just go with the seperate part setup based on that and the huge price difference. I'm sure if I replace my current light it could look fairly decent.

Any advice on brand names for heaters? I don't want to end up paying out the wazoo, but I don't want one to shatter; cracking my tank and ruining everything else in the process. I see some for $5 and I see some for $65. The average being about 45, which is where you can select a temperature and it keeps it there. That sounds pretty convenient and it said it was made out of shatter resistant materials.
 
I prefer the higher end of the market when it comes to heaters. I prefer Stealth or the titanium ones, but I keep some pretty aggressive fish who like to move things around. On the larger tanks, the heaters have been moved outside to canisters or wet/dry sumps, giving better viewing of the fishies. I think there is a current thread or two going on right now about glass heaters and heaters in general.
 
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