First Aquarium

[Justin68106]

I want to start my first aquarium. I've been looking at tanks on Craigslist and have seen some for reasonable looking prices, assuming they're not in bad shape or anything, none seem to have pictures. I am aiming to get about a 25 gallon tank.

I've already read about cycling the tank before putting fish in and was planning on doing this. My real questions were more what type of fish would be best for a first timer and how many (I remember reading to add ~2 at a time with ~2 weeks between adding new fish) ?

[ZeroSystem]

Welcome to FTF Justin!

Finding used tanks off of sites like craigslist is a great way to save some cash. Pictures certainly would be helpful, but I know not many people take the time to upload them there. I would at least request the seller to have the tank filled with water when you go over to check it out and decide if you want to purchase it or not. At least this way you will know it probably isn't going to leak.

Cycling a tank is a very important first step, so it's good you've already read up on this. We have some really good video tutorials that also describe this process very well, which you can find here: http://www.fishtankforums.com/16-sit...tutorials.html

If you utilize the 'fishless cycling' method described in the video tutorials it is possible to add all of the fish you want to keep at once! Very cool. However knowing how many fish to add will depend on the types of fish you plan on keeping and how big of a tank you end up getting. Some good fish for beginners are Danio's, Platies, and most commonly available Tetra's, just to name a few! Search around and get back to us with any types of fish you may be curious about.

[Justin68106]

Well I was looking around at retailer sites and saw this from Petsmart, it's a 20 gal starter kit, is it a good deal?

[ZeroSystem]

The box kits from most of the large chain stores are fairly decent price wise. The overall quality of the individual equipment may be a little lack luster but it will certainly be fine to get you started.

[Justin68106]

The quality of the equipment was my main concern, because most of the stuff I am seeing on craigslist seem to be either huge tanks (75+) or only the tanks and no other equipment so it would cost nearly the same or more.

[swtp07]

Hi there Justin,

I have also recently started up a fish and went for a box set with all in one.it's not a bad buy with my 30 liter tank I got gravel , one fake plant,
filter and a pump all you need to do is just go get a few more plants and fish and you can up grade your tank as you go it is cheaper to buy a set rather than loose equipment.If I can give advice then it would be go for a big tank as large as you can go .It is addictive and not a cheap hobby make sure that you have the right equipment.

Also when you do set up the tank buy the tank first fill it with water let the water settle get it tested at the pet shop check if its right temp and all that jaz before releasing your fish,mostly make sure you have a heater and have it set up before releasing your fish.

I have been keeping fish on and off for bout 7 years of my life I just thought I should shed some light on your topic .

Good luck with your journey enjoy your fish let me know what you got ,
sjoe defanately go for the set up .
I'm on the forum to my user name swtp07

have a great one

[Nova]

I purchased my aquarium off of Craigslist. The main thing with purchasing a tank this way is patience but I had the opposite problem. I really wanted to wait a while before I purchased one but I could not pass up the deal. My Pro Clear 150 Wet/Dry that came with the 125 gal tank, stand, extra pumps, and accessories retailed for almost as much as I paid for everything. Now I just need to focus on Calculus until after my test. I am ready to get things setup but furniture has to be moved to accommodate the new addition. We will be replacing the flooring next summer so everything will have to be removed and re-setup.

I have found this site to be very informative and much more entertaining than Calculus.

Good luck,

[Justin68106]

Yeah, I've seen some good deals on larger tanks, but I don't have room for a 55+ gallon tank at the moment (still living at home while I'm in school; will be moving next year, for law school).

And what isn't more entertaining than Calculus?

Edit: So I went and got the aquarium today, have it all set up and the filter and bubbler running. All the equipment, including the tank, has a lifetime guarantee from PetSmart too, so if anything breaks I just take it in and get a new one! Forgot to grab a test kit, so I guess I'll have to do that tomorrow after class. Also need to pick up some fake plants, because I felt like I was already spending enough for one day I didn't grab any.

The guy at Petco was pretty confused, also rather against it, when I mentioned fish-less cycling. I don't really plan to take his advice and put fish in the tank in a week, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Now I need to figure out what fish I'll be getting...

I'll get pictures up when I have more than just the gravel in the tank!

[ZeroSystem]

You're doing the right thing by ignoring the advice from the petco employee. Most of them do not know much about fish, and even less about fishless cycling.

[Justin68106]

Took a pic of the tank finally since it was cloudy for 4 or 5 days and finally cleared up the other day. Can't wait for it to finish cycling though.

Will probably move the fake plants a little but I don't think I'll be adding much more to it, for the time being at least.