Trying to Buy An Aquarium Kit

I bought the half-moon, for a betta. I had the same thoughts about it being attractive and looking good on my desk. In laymen's terms, the thing sucked.

Hard to clean. Noisy. No actual room for the fish once the filter is in place. Good in theory, but useless in practical application. I dont think you will be happy with it.

If money is tight, please take some other members' suggestions. A good bare tank kit can be purchased at Walmart by you and the gravel/plants and decorations (the only things not included in the kits) can be suggestions for others to purchase for her for her birthday. Hint to Grandma/Grandpa that they could get her a castle to go in the tank or her favorite color gravel.


Also remember one of the really cool things about tanks is that they are almost always a work in progress. Even if you start out with a bare tank, things can always be purchased along the way.
 
I just looked at petco.....


they have an Aqueon 10gal kit on sale for $29.99 good through Feb 19.

they have an Aqueon 29gal kit on sale for $69.99 also good til Feb 19.
 
The 10i is a decent filter for what it does. I ran a 3i on my son's 5.5 gallon tank for a year with no media changes. Yes, I do know what I'm doing.
Five different species of plants thriving on fish poop will eat up the nutrients nicely.
The one drawback is the intake can get clogged and is harder to clean than most other styles of filter. I used standard big box store colored gravel in his tank, so none of it could get caught in the intake grill.

Petsmart rotates through sales. If time is more available than cash, ask to speak to the manager and ask them when they might have 10 gallon kits on sale again. In my area the kits usually have a tank, heater, hang on back filter, and incandescent hood (which is good) for $25.00 - $30.00. They might cut you a deal and let you have one early or tell you to come back in a couple of weeks.

These days, incandescent hoods are better than cheap fluorescent hoods as you can put two 23 watt "now smaller than ever" daylight spiral fluorescent bulbs in and have very good lighting on a ten gallon tank.

All that said, of the two kits you mentioned, I'd go for the $80 Marineland with the 10i and the LED light. Come back and one of us will tell you how to make your own replacement cartridges for the filter. The LED light will work great for the fish, pretty well for bushy plants and won't need replacement bulbs. Possibly ever.
Yes, a larger tank is easier to deal with and stock, but this is a decent kit.

After you get it setup and cycled so it's ready for fish, you might mention where you live. One of us may be able to point you towards some fish.

I expect someone might do a RAOK (Random Act Of Kindness) and send you a small box of plants, weather permitting.
If you happen to be in the mid-Michigan area, send me a private message.
 
just be sure that whatever kit you get DOESN'T have the marina 'slim' filter with it. those filters are absolute junk, have piddly little cartridges, and can't be modified to use a sponge instead. trust me, i tried! lol.
 
Thanks so much to everyone for the helpful insights. I'm going to go ahead and just give her the kit I already bought, but then tell her what I've found out....let her read your input, and let her decide which way she wants to go. Seeing that she's going from a 1-1/2 gallon tank....I think the 10 gallon...even if it is the half-moon style will be a step up for her, plus since it's taller than it is wide, it will leave room on her desk for her to actually USE her desk for schoolwork. However, I know that fish swim horizontally, not vertically, so the rectangular would be better overall. I'll let her decide. We live in Parker, Colorado, if anyone has suggestions for the best places to buy fish. We were just thinking about PetSmart, but I'm sure there are better places. Thanks again!
 
I need to move where you guys are at, aqueon 10g kits are 60 bucks here....

your best bet would be the 14g aqueon kit at Petco. The 14 gallons can be hard to find, but offer up more space than a 10, and it comes with a reliable heater, filter, and a hood too. I've never had a problem with aqueon products, and the set is only $40.
 
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