Newbie Needs Reality Check - Buying First Tank (Acrylic)

[67chevelle]

Looks like bottom feeders are going to be the tough ones to win my wife's heart.

Get some panda corydora.Great bottom feeders and they are cute.

Not sure if you made your final decision on the substrate,but if you want natural gravel,go to a home improvement store and get a bag or 2 of pea gravel.It's the same thing as the stuff in any pet store,and cost about $5 for 25 pounds.You just need to rinse it A LOT before putting it in your tank.

BTW,I'm not sure if anyone else will admit it,but I had a blue gravel 30 gallon for a couple years and loved it.I recently changed it to black gravel and am thinking of switching back. I bet most of us have had blue gravel at one time

 

[Michwol42795]

Get some panda corydora.Great bottom feeders and they are cute.

Not sure if you made your final decision on the substrate,but if you want natural gravel,go to a home improvement store and get a bag or 2 of pea gravel.It's the same thing as the stuff in any pet store,and cost about $5 for 25 pounds.You just need to rinse it A LOT before putting it in your tank.

BTW,I'm not sure if anyone else will admit it,but I had a blue gravel 30 gallon for a couple years and loved it.I recently changed it to black gravel and am thinking of switching back. I bet most of us have had blue gravel at one time

Believe it or not I've never had blue gravel, but substrate depends on personal preference .

 

[Naught]

We googled panda corydora, and my wife liked how they looked.

 

[Naught]

My new stand arrived today! This one assembled perfectly with no gaps. The top also seems level. For the old stand, if I put a marble on it, it would roll right off, no matter how the stand was oriented on the floor. For the new stand, the marble does not roll, or hardly rolls. I give Marineland and Dr F&S 100 percent each on customer service.

They never asked for the old stand back, so think I have a nice matching house plant holder now. It looks nice, but I will never allow it to hold an aquarium.

So now, I just need to get my tank. No news on shipment date yet... it should have arrived by now.

I did take a trip to Petco and my LFS. Those panda cory that people recommended really are cute in person.

OK, brace yourself... After looking at about 50+ tanks, I decided I am going to stick with the "blue jean" gravel. The white gravel with black background looks the best, but with the blue background like mine will be i do like the blue jean gravel.

 

[BubbleE1]

my 29g is on carpet and its just fine.

 

[USMC2171]

Ive had a 25, 30, 55, 60 hex, 75, 90, and a 110 on carpet and never had a problem. My kids are 12, 2.5, and 6 mo., old never had any worries of pulling over or pushing them. The rug and foam will compress, and not ever really come back so make sure you place it in a good spot. Good luck

 

[Naught]

Thanks. I think the carpet will be fine.. it's not plush. I am making sure the stand does not sit where there is a seam in the padding, and level right now (but no tank yet).

*** *** ***

I was at PETCO last night, and it was a very slow night because of the weather. The manager and I had a 30 minute chat. One thing he brought up as a possibility are Red Wag Platies... I think they looked nice and he said they are good for beginners. He suggested they breed easily, and eventually the tank will start to stock itself. Anyone ever have those?

 

[Michwol42795]

Red Wag Platies are nice, they'd be a cool aquarium addition. If you want the fry to survive you need a lot of hiding places though, but fish are really a preference. If you like them then they'd be good.

 

[Naught]

Red Wag Platies are nice, they'd be a cool aquarium addition. If you want the fry to survive you need a lot of hiding places though, but fish are really a preference. If you like them then they'd be good.

I like how they look. Guppies also caught my eye... Guppies seem very similar from what I have been reading (livebearers, males hound the females for sex so need more females, hardy, a bit high on waste producing side).

I observed guppies at the PETCO... they REALLY liked to just go to the top and swim against the filter current.

The family is going to a LFS tonight that is a bit further away but has more types of fish... just to see what everyone likes.

 

[Naught]

Just an update...

No aquarium yet or any news at all on delivery date, 25 days after ordering. PETCO.COM has miserable customer service.... ignored 3 e-mails and did not follow-up on a phone call as promised. I just called again. They blamed the manufacturer.

The kids refuse to go to fish stores to look at fish anymore, considering we have nothing to put them in.

The local PETCO store is great... the on-line store, not so much.