Want to buy new fish tank

[Ripnhammer]

Hi, I want to buy a 50g fish tank and I was wondering the best way/place to go about it.

Should I try and buy a kit or individual parts? I looked for second hand stuff but so hard to find people selling close by.

What would be the price range of a 50g tank with lighting and filter? All the tanks in fish stores seem to vary greaty regarding price.

 

[jclif1995]

i'm a big fan of Oceanic tanks. i'd find a supplier up there and get a tank from the LFS. i'd then go online and buy all the equipment from an internet store. here is a link to my favorite.

http://drsfostersmith.com/

 

[ecotank]

if your buying online it's usually cheaper to research the product there and then buy at big als

www.bigalsonline.com

 

[R0UNDEYEZ]

bigals has some good deals, but they don't really have many bigger tanks.. They have a pretty good selection on decorations though

 

[Purple]

You can get some fairly cheap tanks if it's just the tank - then you'll find the hood and lights cost twice as much as you paid for the tank only. Try and get a complete set-up if you can. Heaters and filter aren't too costly as extras, but most complete kits will come with them - so shop around.

 

[1979camaro]

then again...i like to buy all my components seperately because a lot of the crap they sell with the kits is just that: crap. i think a glass 50g tank without stand, lights, filter, etc is around $100 assuming it isnt set up for an overflow at places like petco, etc. then, of course, they will sell you their kit for like $800 but you get neon green rock and some plastic plants and water conditioner, etc. a lot of stuff you may not want/use.

i believe walmart has a 55g kit for like 299 which comes with filter, heater, thermometer, lights/hood so that might be a good option

what i would do is check out the cost of the kit and check out the cost of buying it all seperately

 

[Ripnhammer]

thx for all the input, ill start shopping around

 

[wayne]

Start with what do you want to keep. Then what do you need to do it. Is the stuff in the kit ok, or will you have to replace it straight away. Having said that I've seen some pretty good kits.

 

[LongTime]

I have to agree with what has already been posted. Get the tank, top & stand from your LFS.

For large tanks I lean toward oceanics, but I have only had one problem with allglass in all the years I've had aquariums.

Take a good long look at everything you can about the types of fish you want to keep because some types of equipment are better for certain types of fish, IMO.

Research everything you can online and even look into shopping at ebay for equipment. I have used Bigalsonline and find it to be, as a whole, cheaper than thatfishplace.com and http://drsfostersmith.com/

Think about the maintenance involved and how you actualy do things. I love canister filters but some find it easier to use HOB because they don't have to worry about hose connections and getting under the tank from time to time.

My father taught me to buy the best I could possibly afford of anything I was planning on having for ore than a couple of years. I tend to get the best heaters and filters I can afford even if I have to wait and save a little and they don't usually come in kits.

I know it is hard, but take your time and plan it out. It will better and cheaper in the long run if you do as much planning up front as you can rather than trying to replace and upgrade later!