Total newbie dorm room tank?

Dorm aquaria is my specialty!

I'm a college student myself and last year I had a 12 gallon Eclipse, a 5.5 gallon, a 2.5 gallon mini-bow, and a 1 gallon el-cheapo ($10) plastic number (but not all at the same time!!!). Right now I'm down to two 1 gallon betta bowls (long story, grrrrr...).

Each tank had its strengths and weaknesses, and while I do understand why everyone else is saying larger is better, if I could do it all over again (and save myself lots of money, lol) I would go with a 5 or 6 gallon Eclipse system ($50 or so?).

First of all, I would stick with acrylic. Glass is cheap, true, but it is also heavier and tougher to move. If you are anything like me, your car is really packed with stuff when you drive home, and you don't really want to have to worry about packing the glass aquarium extra carefully so it doesn't break. Along the same lines, a smaller tank is physically easier to move and won't take up as much space in your car (or in your probably cramped dorm room). I go home several times a year by myself, so this is a pretty big deal.

Another reason that size was a big deal is because my school is natural-disaster-prone. Last year we were hit hard by Isabelle, and school shut down for over a week (without power). If I had owned my 12 gallon at that point, things would have been much more complicated because we had to evacuate quickly and I wouldn't have had time to prepare the tank and take it home. (Also my car was crammed with stuff so I could live at various people's houses instead of driving all the way home). Luckily I had a smaller tank and was able to grab it and leave.

Sorry for being so wordy :rolleyes: . One final piece of advice: even though it's really hard I definite recommend that you UNDERSTOCK your tank, whatever size you choose. If something does go wrong and the power goes out for an extended period of time, your fish will be able to live comfortably for a longer period of time. You'll also be able to take extended absences (spring break) without having to worry so much.

Finally, if you're anything like me, people will start giving you their fish because they get "bored" with them or whatever (immature people shouldn't own pets! :rant: ) and it's nice to be able to have room to save the poor orphans from being flushed.
 
You can get a 10 gallon "starter kit" from wal-mart for around $29. It comes with tank, heater, filter, hood (incandescent). Or you can buy the pieces seperately for a bit more money and get a flourescent fixture to give you enough light to grow some low light plants as well. Check the home lighting section for cheap lighting solutions and just get a glass canopy instead of a full hood for your aquarium. You might also check around on eBay to see what some of the nano cube setups are going for these days. The nano cubes are a more expensive option, but I didn't see you mention how much of a factor money was on this setup so thought I'd mention it.

I also highly recommend fishless cycling. It's a little more boring because the tank is basically empty for 4-6 weeks during the cycle, but it's so much easier and better in the long run. You don't have to worry about your fish or ammonia/nitrite spikes, you don't have to do water changes daily (or more) to keep toxic levels of ammonia/nitrite down and you can fully stock the tank as soon as it's finished cycling instead of doing it a little at a time. It also gives you a month or more to do a bit of research and asking to figure out exactly what you want to stock the tank with.

BTW, you should use dechlorinator on the water during a fishless cycle. The chlorine can also kill your good bacteria.
 
If you get an incandescent hood (which is cheaper usually) then just buy some 13-15 watt screw in flourescent bulbs. You get them at Walmart or any Hardware store. They look like spirals, don't cost too much and provide plenty of light for low light plants to grow under. I use them in my 10 gallon.
 
Okay so I ran down to petco to check out the tanks and I found this package, tell me what you think please. Oh and sorry about the crappy quality, I used my phone to take the pics.

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Seems alright.. The only thing i have a specific question about is the filter. Noise is an issue and I need the filter to be as quiet as possible.
 
It's not a bad set-up for a newbie, but if you buy each item separately you can get much better quality items. While some people seem to like Whisper filters, I personally don't. I owned two before I found AquaClears (joy!). My Whispers wouldn't restart after a losing power and didn't feature the removable media basket that the AC had. Contrary to the name, I don't find Whispers to be whisper-quiet. They should be called Gurglers (at least compared to my AC mini).

Let's break down the costs to purchase the same (or better) items individually...

10 gallon aquarium... $10
10 gallon aquarium hood... about $26
AquaClear Mini... $15
50 watt VisiTherm... $17

(I find it suspicious that they don't give you a heater brand name on the box... at any rate, VisiTherm is a trusted brand with an impossible-to-mistake temperature control knob)

A lasting supply of food, a lasting supply of water dechlorinator, an INTERNAL thermometer, and a net... about $8-9

Total price for a *quality* set-up... $77ish dollars.

However, if the budget is really a problem, you can usually find barely used equipment on the cheap in the classified ads. Fish keeping is a high-turnover hobby, lol. I've seen 55 gallon set-ups with all necessary equipment selling for $60 before.
 
That looks like a hexagon shaped tank too which is probably taller than a rectangular 10-gallon which will screw you a bit on stocking room (fish need more "area" not height usually).
 
I've got a 12 gallon nano cube on my desk by the computer. It comes complete ( minus heater, that you don't need) for $100. Its got great lighting for plants, get real slow growers or you'll be overun. The only problem is the heat. Because of the lighting and filtering system. This tank stays close to 80. So cool water fish are a definate no no. Its a very quiet tank and small enough to sit on the desk. The filtering system is in the back of the tank,so visually what you have is a one piece with 2 cords..plug & go.
 
How's the noise from the filter on the Nano cube?
 
As long as the water level doesn't get low, I don't hear anything from the cube. The filter is run by a submersible pump. If it does make noise, my computer is drowning it out. When the level gets low the current bubbles a little bit. Someone on ebay is selling them for bid $85. Didn't catch the shipping tho.
 
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