New Here (need mucho suggestions on setup)
- Thread starter SuBXeRo
- Start date
don't forget to check out craigslist.. they have some super sweet deals on there from time to time..but watch out there too.
I'd go with that beautiful bow front. They're awesome looking tanks. If you are going with an Eheim 2215 you don't need the Whisper. The bubble wall is pure luxury. Put it off for later, and when you do get it run it on a small air pump. They put out a lot of bubbles. Your biggest saving can be made on the gravel. As Jpappy789 said, pool filter sand will work perfectly.
Plants - Aponogeton with fertilizer balls at it's roots, anubias and java fern on driftwood would be very easy to grow and look nice.
Plants - Aponogeton with fertilizer balls at it's roots, anubias and java fern on driftwood would be very easy to grow and look nice.
Bowfronts are overrated and over expensive, especially on a budget. $86 for a 16g is just crazy and it only gets worse from there. If you can find a bowfront kit at walmart for 60-70 I'd do that, but otherwise, I'd save a lot of money and just go with a straight up 20g long or a 29g that has the same footprint. A wrought iron stand to fit either of those is 30-40 bucks.
I'm kind of confused by the hood/light assembly for 52$ followed by the glass canopy. If you are having a regular hood, you don't need a glass canopy unless you plan on only keeping the light strip off the hood and then ditching the rest and putting the strip on top of the canopy. I have done that on a tank of mine, provides better lighting. Perhaps the bowfront choice makes this more expensive.. but following along the lines of my 20-29g suggestion, a standard glass canopy online should only be about 20 bucks and a hood/strip light about 30 bucks.
You'll save a ton buying play sand as your substrate. Play sand at Lowe's is 3-4$ per 50lb bag. You'd only need one bag.
Why the double filtration on the 16g setup? You've got a whisper 60 AND an Eheim canister that works up to 55g... for a 16 I think thats way more than you need. Thats more than you need even on a 20-29. Keep the Eheim and ditch the Whisper. You'll still have adequate filtration.
Ditch the bubble wand unless you are dead set on having it for looks. Its not a necessity for oxygenation, I don't care about your stocking, its still not needed. They are way overpriced and stores like you to believe you need them so they can line their pockets. If you really want bubbles, there are bubble disks and some other shapes that are 10 bucks as opposed to the long wands/walls that are more expensive. Either way, you'll probably find over time that you don't like the look of the wand and suction cups mucking up the look of your natural tanks... they are even less attractive when algae starts growing on them, the suction cups stop holding it down, etc. Plus the extra tubing running up the back... defeats the natural planted tank look inho.
Heaters.. thermometers... conditioners... get on sale online and you'll save more. Drs Foster Smith is having a 25th year anniversary sale right now on many many things and check Big Al's as was also suggested...
All of that being said - the single best piece of advice given - watch Craigslist every day in the general section. People get rid of tank setups ALL the time, perfectly good, with the full kit n kaboodle you'd need... instead of spending 700$ you could save that for textbooks and everything else you need and get your entire setup for 75$.
I'm kind of confused by the hood/light assembly for 52$ followed by the glass canopy. If you are having a regular hood, you don't need a glass canopy unless you plan on only keeping the light strip off the hood and then ditching the rest and putting the strip on top of the canopy. I have done that on a tank of mine, provides better lighting. Perhaps the bowfront choice makes this more expensive.. but following along the lines of my 20-29g suggestion, a standard glass canopy online should only be about 20 bucks and a hood/strip light about 30 bucks.
You'll save a ton buying play sand as your substrate. Play sand at Lowe's is 3-4$ per 50lb bag. You'd only need one bag.
Why the double filtration on the 16g setup? You've got a whisper 60 AND an Eheim canister that works up to 55g... for a 16 I think thats way more than you need. Thats more than you need even on a 20-29. Keep the Eheim and ditch the Whisper. You'll still have adequate filtration.
Ditch the bubble wand unless you are dead set on having it for looks. Its not a necessity for oxygenation, I don't care about your stocking, its still not needed. They are way overpriced and stores like you to believe you need them so they can line their pockets. If you really want bubbles, there are bubble disks and some other shapes that are 10 bucks as opposed to the long wands/walls that are more expensive. Either way, you'll probably find over time that you don't like the look of the wand and suction cups mucking up the look of your natural tanks... they are even less attractive when algae starts growing on them, the suction cups stop holding it down, etc. Plus the extra tubing running up the back... defeats the natural planted tank look inho.
Heaters.. thermometers... conditioners... get on sale online and you'll save more. Drs Foster Smith is having a 25th year anniversary sale right now on many many things and check Big Al's as was also suggested...
All of that being said - the single best piece of advice given - watch Craigslist every day in the general section. People get rid of tank setups ALL the time, perfectly good, with the full kit n kaboodle you'd need... instead of spending 700$ you could save that for textbooks and everything else you need and get your entire setup for 75$.
Welcome from another NJ native!
While bowfronts are nice, im with others on this one. Go with a regular tank if price is really an issue. You can get so much more tank for your money and can still get all the equipment you need with a regular tank and then shop around on craigslist for exactly what you are looking for. If you are patient, you will find amazing deals. This way you will have money to spend on fish and other things while at school. I'm on a college budget too, so I feel ya! Plus, building a stand for a regular tank is a PITA and I imagine building one for a bowfront to be 100x more. What kind of fish were you looking at keeping? That will play a big factor into the size tank you need. If its just a betta another 10 gallon would be plenty.
While bowfronts are nice, im with others on this one. Go with a regular tank if price is really an issue. You can get so much more tank for your money and can still get all the equipment you need with a regular tank and then shop around on craigslist for exactly what you are looking for. If you are patient, you will find amazing deals. This way you will have money to spend on fish and other things while at school. I'm on a college budget too, so I feel ya! Plus, building a stand for a regular tank is a PITA and I imagine building one for a bowfront to be 100x more. What kind of fish were you looking at keeping? That will play a big factor into the size tank you need. If its just a betta another 10 gallon would be plenty.
I think he wants to do his betta in a community tank. In which case, a 20-29 would probably be best. With that size, he could have tetras, his betta Zip (cute name), and some corys or other fish for the bottom. =)
Good luck and let us know how you progress.
Good luck and let us know how you progress.
I can see how i can save alot on doing a non-bowfront tank, but my interest lies in keeping my budget as small as possible with a bowfront. I am the kind of person who gets what i want (i dont mean this in a spoiled way). I would rather not do it and get a small 10 gal tank again if i cant get a bow front. I just like the look so much more, i like the aesthetics of it, i think its very pleasent to look at. I just have a very set idea in my head that i want, i just need to find where i can skimp and withy our guys help so far, i have received great alternatives and suggestions for cheaper prices. The full price is alot to absorb all at one time, but it is a long term investment for me, i just need to get the quality stuff first and i can always add the non-essentials later.
I still think i may build a stand. I build two tables in my basement 4x8 with doubled up 2x4's. These tables could easily hold anything. Im quite the mechanical person. I was going to brinf my cut list to home depot and have them make all the cuts for me so i can just assemble when i get home. I have a dewalt power drill etc to get done what i need to get done. I do alot of car work so tool shortage isnt a problem
. Irs just a matter of getting it done asap. Zip can stay in a temp fish bowl for a week anyways and be fine.
im not a real sand fan to be honest, atleast not in a FW setup. Not a theme that id like to go with. I do have about 5 bags of gravel in my tank here at home. I am going to try and bring that along with me as well as his little castle.
Any thoughts on the eheim 2213 canister filter? I really dont like the HOB i have now and alot of the filters seem to have bypass issues. I wanted a canister filter that had an input and output on opposite sides of the canister IE top and bottom so the water actually goes through the media.
The tank is meant to be community style with zip being the only solo and center peice of my tank. I was planning to get some neon or x-ray tetras, some mickey mouse platies, posssibly some cory cats, maybe rasboras. So if i did that setup i would need atleast a 36 gallon tank. I dont plan on adding them all yet either. I want to cycle the tank a bit before adding them so that the nitrogen cycle isnt too harsh on them. Zip seems to be pretty rezilant and i hate putting him through another cycle soo soon. Any suggestions on what to do? You think that everyone could handle it?
The bubble bars i was actually planning on hiding under the gravel to give a kool effect. As stated by others i will heed the suggestion and dump the air setup for now and invest in it later.
Hahah thanx, i think zip is a good name too btw,my sis named him as i always say he is zooming all around his tank.
I still think i may build a stand. I build two tables in my basement 4x8 with doubled up 2x4's. These tables could easily hold anything. Im quite the mechanical person. I was going to brinf my cut list to home depot and have them make all the cuts for me so i can just assemble when i get home. I have a dewalt power drill etc to get done what i need to get done. I do alot of car work so tool shortage isnt a problem
. Irs just a matter of getting it done asap. Zip can stay in a temp fish bowl for a week anyways and be fine.im not a real sand fan to be honest, atleast not in a FW setup. Not a theme that id like to go with. I do have about 5 bags of gravel in my tank here at home. I am going to try and bring that along with me as well as his little castle.
Any thoughts on the eheim 2213 canister filter? I really dont like the HOB i have now and alot of the filters seem to have bypass issues. I wanted a canister filter that had an input and output on opposite sides of the canister IE top and bottom so the water actually goes through the media.
The tank is meant to be community style with zip being the only solo and center peice of my tank. I was planning to get some neon or x-ray tetras, some mickey mouse platies, posssibly some cory cats, maybe rasboras. So if i did that setup i would need atleast a 36 gallon tank. I dont plan on adding them all yet either. I want to cycle the tank a bit before adding them so that the nitrogen cycle isnt too harsh on them. Zip seems to be pretty rezilant and i hate putting him through another cycle soo soon. Any suggestions on what to do? You think that everyone could handle it?
The bubble bars i was actually planning on hiding under the gravel to give a kool effect. As stated by others i will heed the suggestion and dump the air setup for now and invest in it later.
Hahah thanx, i think zip is a good name too btw,my sis named him as i always say he is zooming all around his tank.
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If you can keep the filter media wet from your existing tank it should make it through the move. Just place it in the new filter and no need for any cycle.
HAHAHAHA yeah right, i would never ever take the filter media and HOB that i have now. That lil tetra whisper is ok, if i was staying here and had to keep this 10 gal tank, i am pretty sure a canister filter would be in my future. None the less, a canister filter is in my future with whatever tank i get.
I talk to a guy in a place called a reef encounter in my area and he said he uses an eheim classis canister along with a HOB. He says that the canister is really good for purifying and cleaning while the HOB helps to further clean up the clarity of the water and keep it crystal clear. Any thoughts on this
I talk to a guy in a place called a reef encounter in my area and he said he uses an eheim classis canister along with a HOB. He says that the canister is really good for purifying and cleaning while the HOB helps to further clean up the clarity of the water and keep it crystal clear. Any thoughts on this
Only that your tank will be clear without it =)
The Eheim is a good one to get or you could go with a Rena. Someone posted a link on here in another thread the other day for a place, Ken's Fish I think, an online store that had very good prices on canisters.
As I said on the bowfront, only get one if you are set on it for the aesthetics and think they are worth the cost. Everyone thinks you should get whatever tank will make you happiest, including getting the biggest one you are able to afford at the time because it you don't, you'll end up wishing you had gone bigger later. We're not bowfront haters, thats just the suggestion that comes up most because its the biggest place to save money, which was what you asked for.
As far as substrate goes - don't like sand, don't use it. I hear that 3M Colorquartz is a pretty cheap substitution - probably cheaper than lots of bags of aquarium gravel. Do you like the color of your gravel thats in Zip's tank now? You could just take that with you and fill it out with some new bags to be enough for the larger tank. You'd need to buy less of it anyway.
As far as taking the filter media - unless your tank has something wrong with it that you don't want to contaminate your new tank with, you certainly should keep the media out of the filter. Its full of the beneficial bacteria (as is the gravel which you should also keep at least some of) so that Zip isn't going through another full cycle.
You're worried about getting him over there on a plane, right? What I would suggest is having your local fish shop there ship him to you the day after you arrive. A good lfs is experienced in shipping fish. In another bag in the same box, they could ship you also a few handfuls of your gravel and your filter cartridge so you can seed the new tank. Shipping will cost you a few bucks - but its much safer that risking some craziness at the airport. I think they have a rule about liquids. Wonder how many fish they get through security?
I have cardinal neons in my betta's setup. They look very good together and he doesn't bother them at all. So they get my vote for the tetras.. =) But I think the true rummynose are awesome looking as well. Your tank sounds like it will be very pretty.
The Eheim is a good one to get or you could go with a Rena. Someone posted a link on here in another thread the other day for a place, Ken's Fish I think, an online store that had very good prices on canisters.
As I said on the bowfront, only get one if you are set on it for the aesthetics and think they are worth the cost. Everyone thinks you should get whatever tank will make you happiest, including getting the biggest one you are able to afford at the time because it you don't, you'll end up wishing you had gone bigger later. We're not bowfront haters, thats just the suggestion that comes up most because its the biggest place to save money, which was what you asked for.
As far as substrate goes - don't like sand, don't use it. I hear that 3M Colorquartz is a pretty cheap substitution - probably cheaper than lots of bags of aquarium gravel. Do you like the color of your gravel thats in Zip's tank now? You could just take that with you and fill it out with some new bags to be enough for the larger tank. You'd need to buy less of it anyway.
As far as taking the filter media - unless your tank has something wrong with it that you don't want to contaminate your new tank with, you certainly should keep the media out of the filter. Its full of the beneficial bacteria (as is the gravel which you should also keep at least some of) so that Zip isn't going through another full cycle.
You're worried about getting him over there on a plane, right? What I would suggest is having your local fish shop there ship him to you the day after you arrive. A good lfs is experienced in shipping fish. In another bag in the same box, they could ship you also a few handfuls of your gravel and your filter cartridge so you can seed the new tank. Shipping will cost you a few bucks - but its much safer that risking some craziness at the airport. I think they have a rule about liquids. Wonder how many fish they get through security?
I have cardinal neons in my betta's setup. They look very good together and he doesn't bother them at all. So they get my vote for the tetras.. =) But I think the true rummynose are awesome looking as well. Your tank sounds like it will be very pretty.
