is this a good price?

[kcormier]

Hey all.

I have the opportunity to get a 35 gallon tank with wrought iron stand, hood, and a penguin 300 filter for $125. I'll be getting an aerator, new bulbs for the lamp (to grow plants), and stone for the bottom. Then I'll be adding my beta and an adf or two once the tank is cycled. From there, I'll be assembling a list of other fish to add.

I'm not tied to this tank yet so I want to know, what do you guys think? Is it worth it?

-Kevin

 

[scottlocks]

it is sorta worth it. i got my 15G for $200 USD brand new, with all the things it needs. such as gravel, heater, Penquin 200 filter, air bubble wall, tubeing, check valve, air pump and the thiny that makes one outlet in to 6. i know "petsmart" has a sale on bow front kits for like $100 with out the gravel, and ordaments, but its like 16 gallons.

 

[midmichman80]

If you look at the stores for a tank that size, you would never find one for that price, however I bought a 30g with stand, filters, a couple powerheads and air pums, pretty much everything but lights for $25 last week. Do you know the dimensions of the tank? I haven't heard of a 35 standard tank, is it a hex?

 

[Whiskers]

i guess the big question is, is it worth it to you. do you want the tank now or are you willing to keep looking. hahaha its kinda like whats behind door #1, door #2 or door #3. i shopped around for awhile and found a used 180gal with glass lids, stand, a few powerheads and a couple more extras for $250. before i found that tank, i bought a used 180gal with glass lids and stand for $450. ultimatly the decision is up to you.

 

[kcormier]

I think i'm going to go with it. It's a rectangular tank and I'm in a little bit of a rush to get a tank. Once I get this tank established and I get comfortable with what I'm doing I'd like to look for a larger tank like you guys are talking about for a salt water tank but that one would be less of a rush. As it stands I have a 2.5 gallon tank with a betta in it and I really want to expand in the near future. Given that I have a week break I'd really like to use this free time to get a tank set up.

Thanks for all the help guys. I'm off to the lfs to get a heater, substrate, filter inserts, and some stuff to pretreat the water and jump start the cycle.

-Kevin

 

[midmichman80]

A suggestion if you are buying 2nd hand, get dimensions before you drive to pick it up. I was looking to buy a 75g and when I asked for the dimensions I was given the dims of a standard 55g tank. How dissapointed I would've been had I driven 2 hrs to find my 75g tank was really a 55g, which I already own two of. You can find an online aquarium calculator for fish tanks by doing a google search and just input LxWxH and they will give you the volume in gallons. Second I would make sure it holds water before paying for anything. What good is an aquarium if it doesn't hold water.

What type of cycle jump start product are you looking for? The most effective way to get a good jump start on your beneficial bacteria is to get a filter pad from an established tank and either squeeze it into the treated water in the tank or hang it in mesh bag in your tank to release those beneficial bacteria. I used this method to cycle my 90g from my 55g and 29g tanks and was completely cycled within a week. I now have several filter pads in each tank to seed other tanks with. You can either ask a LFS for some filter media, assuming their tanks are in good condition, or if you know anyone who has a tank already set up you could "borrow" some filter media from them.

Best of luck to you on your new tank!!

 

[kcormier]

I don't particularly trust my lfs so I'm expecting to go through a full cycle. Not exactly sure what I plan to get. I planned on looking around once I got there. I'll probably go get some clear ammonia from the store and run the cycle that way. My first tank I cycled with my poor betta in it. I don't want to quite do it that way again. I'll probably grab some of the gravel out of my 2.5 gallon and put it in a mesh bag in my new tank. I know it's not ideal, but it'll work.

The tank in question was taken apart yesterday when the owner upgraded to a 50 or 55 gallon tank. Thanks for the advice on the dimensions. I didn't think of that but the drive isn't too bad so i'm not too concerned. Good idea for future reference though. I'm kind of anticipating mts in my case.

It's going to be a fw planted tank, anyone have any advice on substrate?