I have a 30 gallon tank now, but I don't have any supplies for it. It'll be a while until I can get enough money for gravel!! What should I do?? At least the tank came with a hood and some flourescent lights. It was only $15, the guy just wanted it out of his life. Should I try to search around for some cheap filters, heaters, etc. or should I buy them myself to make sure that they work and that nothing is wrong with them?? Plus, the dimensions are (LxWxH) 36 1/4 x 12 5/8 x 16 3/4. Do you think that it will fit on my Hope Chest?? I haven't measured it yet, but it will hold the length and height, I'm just not sure about the width. It's currently holding my two 10 gallons (soon to be moved to a new dresser), which are 10" wide, and has a little extra space in the front and back. I'm just worried about the tank hanging off a little and causing a leak, but other then that the Hope Chest is level.
30 Gallon Aquired!! Now What??
- Thread starter Kiara1125
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I would keep a look out at your local classifieds for filters and other accessories. As for a heater I would buy them brand new as you never know how the previous owner treated/maintained it. Just stay away from the Marine land Stealth Heater Pro as there have been many cases recently of them exploding.
If your "hope chest" isn't wide enough get a piece of hardboard (particle board) at least 3/4" - 1' thick to put under it and have it cut to fit (the tank) then center the board on the chest. This is if it only hangs over no more than an inch at each side and that should work fine. I am talking about the kind of stuff they use for underlay on floors and counters.
Hello; When fully set up, 30 gallons will be somewhere around 300 pounds with gravel and all.
If the tank is a little too long for the space, you may want to cut a 1/2 thick plywood rectangle for it to sit on. I have been doing this for most of my tanks. I make the plywood an inch or so longer than the tank is long and about the same width. I started doing this with all glass tanks to have a bit sticking out over the edge of a stand that gives something to grab when picking one up. It also protects the glass bottom when sitting one down. The extra length may not work in the tight space you describe, so you may have to cut it close to the true size of the tanks bottom. This will carry the weight of the tank in the event that some of the tank does stick out over the edge. It also will give some protection from being bumped into as you move around it. I do this for my tanks that sit on metal stands. I also paint the wood before placing the tank on it.
You will need a heater in Indiana. Sand is cheaper than fish shop gravel. I sift it thru a screen or colander to get rid of the fine stuff and then rinse it well. It might do for a while.
While not ideal, a filter run by an air pump will do if the tank is not stocked too heavily. Under gravel filters, sponge filters and air powered hang on back filters were all that I had for a lot of years. They do work and one good air pump can run several devices. They used to be much cheaper than the power filters. They also tend to last if handled properly. I still have some functioning survivors in action now. My box of these old filters has come in handy when a new power filter fails. The air pumps can be noisy. I like to hang them if possible and wrap them with something that muffles the vibration.
Make do stuff is likely common practice among most of us at times. When you have money it can be replaced and you can begin to accumulate boxes of aquarium stuff that will follow you around the rest of your life.
Note- The first rule of picking up something heavy is to already have a place to sit it down ready.
If the tank is a little too long for the space, you may want to cut a 1/2 thick plywood rectangle for it to sit on. I have been doing this for most of my tanks. I make the plywood an inch or so longer than the tank is long and about the same width. I started doing this with all glass tanks to have a bit sticking out over the edge of a stand that gives something to grab when picking one up. It also protects the glass bottom when sitting one down. The extra length may not work in the tight space you describe, so you may have to cut it close to the true size of the tanks bottom. This will carry the weight of the tank in the event that some of the tank does stick out over the edge. It also will give some protection from being bumped into as you move around it. I do this for my tanks that sit on metal stands. I also paint the wood before placing the tank on it.
You will need a heater in Indiana. Sand is cheaper than fish shop gravel. I sift it thru a screen or colander to get rid of the fine stuff and then rinse it well. It might do for a while.
While not ideal, a filter run by an air pump will do if the tank is not stocked too heavily. Under gravel filters, sponge filters and air powered hang on back filters were all that I had for a lot of years. They do work and one good air pump can run several devices. They used to be much cheaper than the power filters. They also tend to last if handled properly. I still have some functioning survivors in action now. My box of these old filters has come in handy when a new power filter fails. The air pumps can be noisy. I like to hang them if possible and wrap them with something that muffles the vibration.
Make do stuff is likely common practice among most of us at times. When you have money it can be replaced and you can begin to accumulate boxes of aquarium stuff that will follow you around the rest of your life.
Note- The first rule of picking up something heavy is to already have a place to sit it down ready.
Thanks guys!! The tips are great!! Truthfully though, I got scared when you talked about the Stealth Heater Pro. I was eyeballing that and was debating on getting it. Thanks for the advice everyone!! I'll keep an eye out for filters and heaters, but craigslist isn't doing much for me right now. I think I might just get sand though, skjl. Although there is this real pretty black gravel with rainbow bits in it that I like. I think I might tranform one of my 10 gallons into a male Betta tank and put that gravel in there, so I only have to buy 2 bags rather then 6!!
If you can fit the long end of a standard sheet of paper with an inch or two to spare on your hope chest then its deep enough for your tank. A sheet of paper is 8x11 inches. Your new tank is 1 5/8 inches bigger than that.
If your house is temperature controlled and your other tanks don't fluxuate more than a degree or two between 75-82 in a day you can wait on the heater. The ambient temperature will keep your water at a stable level. If you drop the temp at night you'll definitely need one though.
A 30 gallon filter isn't that expensive either.
Right now Petsmart is selling their Marineland Bio-Wheels at a discount. If you can find one in the store a 150 model (rated for 30 gal) is going for 24 bucks. They're currently on back order online. If you don't have another filter, you would probably want to overfilter a bit anyway, so the 200 model (rated for 50 gal) would be the better deal at 29 bucks. (I'm overfiltering all my tanks.)
Edit: The black gravel you're talking about is called "party". A lot of people go to Lowes or Home Depot and pick up a bag of play sand for cheap. It needs about the same amount of cleaning and seems to look more natural to many people. I'm showing a 50 lb bag of "paver sand" at Lowes for $3.38. Pea Gravel is similarly priced.
If your house is temperature controlled and your other tanks don't fluxuate more than a degree or two between 75-82 in a day you can wait on the heater. The ambient temperature will keep your water at a stable level. If you drop the temp at night you'll definitely need one though.
A 30 gallon filter isn't that expensive either.
Right now Petsmart is selling their Marineland Bio-Wheels at a discount. If you can find one in the store a 150 model (rated for 30 gal) is going for 24 bucks. They're currently on back order online. If you don't have another filter, you would probably want to overfilter a bit anyway, so the 200 model (rated for 50 gal) would be the better deal at 29 bucks. (I'm overfiltering all my tanks.)
Edit: The black gravel you're talking about is called "party". A lot of people go to Lowes or Home Depot and pick up a bag of play sand for cheap. It needs about the same amount of cleaning and seems to look more natural to many people. I'm showing a 50 lb bag of "paver sand" at Lowes for $3.38. Pea Gravel is similarly priced.
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The black gravel I'm talking about is Starry Night. It's made only for Petsmart. Here's the link.
Top Fin® Starry Night Aquarium Gravel - Gravel & Sand - Fish - PetSmart
I want to use this so it will bring out more colors in my fish. Plus, what type of Aquarium Sand is cheap and comes in bulk. If I get sand, I need at least 45-50 lbs. And as for overfiltering, I'm currently doing that to. I was thinking about going fo this filter by Aqueon.
Aqueon® Power Filter QuietFlow 50 - Power Filters - Filters - PetSmart
Top Fin® Starry Night Aquarium Gravel - Gravel & Sand - Fish - PetSmart
I want to use this so it will bring out more colors in my fish. Plus, what type of Aquarium Sand is cheap and comes in bulk. If I get sand, I need at least 45-50 lbs. And as for overfiltering, I'm currently doing that to. I was thinking about going fo this filter by Aqueon.
Aqueon® Power Filter QuietFlow 50 - Power Filters - Filters - PetSmart
I like the Aqueon Filters, although I don't have a 50 -- I have two 30's and a 10. One of the 30s is on my 30 g tank and does a great job, the other two are on smaller tanks. They are certainly easy to care for and the nice thing is they automatically restart if the power goes off - which it does all too frequently here. The company has been very responsive to some questions I had early on.
I have the 20 gal aqueon. It works good, and is self-priming. The bio-wheel does need primed if there's no water in it. The aqueon also has a pre-tank dispersion attachment that more or less diffuses the water before it hits the tank, aerating it as much as possible. Either one are good choices IMO.