Need Aquarium advice....

[penguinz]

Looking to get an aquarium for the kids. Somewhere in the 10-20 Gallon range.

Went to Petco last night and a 10 Gallon starter kit was $80. Is this the normal rate or is there somewhere else I should be looking?

[rambleonthruthefog]

you could probably get a cheaper set up at walmart or online. my daugher loves her aquarium. shes has had it it for most of her life and it is something that we take joy in together.

[Katipan]

Every city I've ever lived in had some sort of paper version of a craigs list. In Los Angeles it was the Recycler, in Waterloo it's the Swap Sheet. You've gotta have something similar.

They always have people begging people to take their aquariums for free.

[chief husker]

Check garage sales for the main tank. They can be in good shape. Most of the components will probably be in bad shape and you might need to buy a new light hood, gravel, undergravel filter (Which is a must), etc. No frogs, they will eat all your fish.

[DaKCMan AP]

Get fish that can survive on antifreeze.

[Toadkiller]

I got one for my kids last year, an eclipse. All in one system, easy to maintain. Petco often has coupons so they are cheaper. I got the 12 or 15 gallon can't remember, 10 ended up being so small.

http://www.aquariumguys.com/eclipse.html

[Skyy God]

In a former life, I was a bit of a fish junkie. I had 4 aquariums ranging from 29 to 75 gallons, plus assorted smaller ones.

I'd stay away from the kits, as the quality of the filters and heaters tends to be pretty poor. You've got a couple options I'd consider. The first is an acrylic 12G from Marineland. You'd have to buy a heater, and they will scratch if you're not careful, but they're good overall.

http://www.amazon.com/Marineland-PFES12-Seamless-Integrated-Aquarium/dp/B0002APZWQ

The second is to buy an aquarium separately and add a hood/light/filter combo like this.

http://www.amazon.com/Marineland-Eclipse-Filtration-Illumination-System/dp/B0002APZU8

Or check out ebay, aquabid, and craigslist for used tanks in your area. I've sold (or tried to sell) on all 3. The other thing I'd recommend is to go with a size larger than 10G, as it's not substantially more expensive and gives more options for fish.

[Toadkiller]

I see people saying stay away from kits. I thought the same thing as well having owned fish all my life but for a kids tank I think a kit is perfect. My kids have used crayons on it, opened it and dumped stuff into it etc. The kits are nice, comes with everything and not that expensive. Really I wouldnt be bummed if I had to throw it out after a few years of really good use.

They are also very easy to maintain/clean and to get filter replacements for. Again I got the Eclipse and really recommend them for use around kids.

[kepp]

We got our daughter a starter aquarium a while back. The fish died...er...went on vacation. She still asks about them from time to time - "fish sure take long vacations."

[Katipan]

We got our daughter a starter aquarium a while back. The fish died...er...went on vacation. She still asks about them from time to time - "fish sure take long vacations."

My daughter's hamster is out playing with his friends.

[LaChapelle]

Getting your kids into sardine farming?

[Delano]

Don't buy a kit.

I would not suggest an undergravel filter.

When I had aquariums running, I bought all of my supplies from Big Al's Aquarium Supplies (http://www.bigalsonline.com/). They were very good then, and I'd give them a try if I were you.

[Buehler445]

I bought a kit. Worked out fine. The filter pump wasn't good so I bought a different one. It was from walmart. I don't remember the orice but it was cheaper than 80. Unfortunately I just gave it to my sister for her kids.

I didn't have any problems. Just don't pack 15 fish in a 10 gallon tank. And get a placosthumus (sp).
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[Joe Seahawk]

Do you like fishsticks?

[DJ's left nut]

A little steep and a lot small.

Smaller aquariums are significantly harder to mantain. You get spikes in your water levels (PH and Ammonia) that do serious damage to your fish (i.e. kills them dead). The more water there is, the more gradual that spike sets in until it becomes more of a dull wave that your fish can adapt to, to a point. Additionally, you have to go with a much smaller pump which will in turn do a poorer job of turning the tank over and building up a biological filter within the tank. The biological filter, the bacteria that builds up in your gravel, is incredibly important in that it breaks the ammonia down into nitrates which are significantly less harmful for your fish (or maybe it's nitrites...whatever, it breaks the poo down).

I'd go no smaller than a 20 if only for the ease of use. My 90 gallon setup gets cleaned every 4 months or so at best. A 20 gallon can probably fit an emperor 280 on the back and that will do an incredible job keeping your tank in working order. It's a phenominal workhorse pump. My big tank has an emperor 400 and a Magnum 350 canister setup that cost twice as much but doesn't do as well as the 400.

Additionally, at 10 gallons you're incredibly limited on what you can put in there. We're talking some tetras and maybe a molly or two, that's it. Once you start going to fish stores, you'll see all kinds of cool stuff that you'll want but can't have.

People get 10 gallon tanks because they think it'll be easier to mantain and there's nothing further from the truth. a 150 gallon saltwater tank will be 1/10th as difficult to mantain as a 10 gallon freshwater. Get as much tank as you can fit in the space you have and overfilter it. Your fish will lasts longer and you won't have to do nearly as much work with it. Buy the tank at a garage sale and go to Drsfostersmith.com for the equipment and you'll save a ton of money and end up with a much better setup for it.

[kepp]

My daughter's hamster is out playing with his friends.

How old is she? I'm wondering when I should tell my daughter the truth about it. I guess I could photoshop some pics of a goldfish visiting exotic locations around the world.

[DaKCMan AP]

Do you like fishsticks?

Do you like putting fishdicks in your mouth?

[alnorth]

My only advice is that bigger is always better. A lot of people make the mistake of "oh I dont really know what I'm doing, so I'll start small". The opposite is actually true, if you dont really know what your doing with maintaining water and taking care of fish, you need as big a tank as you can afford and deal with. (So 20 gallon over 10 gallon).

If you have a bigger tank, water quality issues take longer to be harmful, giving you more time to notice and correct problems. Having more water gives you a much bigger "buffer" on screw-ups. In a small 5 or 10 gallon tank, problems become serious a lot more quickly.

This should not be confused with the issue of overcrowding, an overcrowded tank will have problems no matter how big it is, but all things being equal, its just easier to keep fish alive and healthy in bigger tanks.

[googlegoogle]

Looking to get an aquarium for the kids. Somewhere in the 10-20 Gallon range.

Went to Petco last night and a 10 Gallon starter kit was $80. Is this the normal rate or is there somewhere else I should be looking?

Search Craigslist in KC. They have some free ones out there once in a while.

[DJ's left nut]

Search Craigslist in KC. They have some free ones out there once in a whilte

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/zip/1191223284.html

this one is a biggie, think it's free.

If by free you mean a couple thousand dollars, you're right.

Jesus you're an idiot.

[googlegoogle]

If by free you mean a couple thousand dollars, you're right.

Jesus you're an idiot.

Look at what category it's under you cockwhore.

I didn't read the whole ad. I said there are some free aquariums available in the free section.

Seems like your just a loose wire ready to attack anyone. Beaten up as a boy?

Whoever did it congrats to them. You need another asskicking.:clap:

[penguinz]

Look at what category it's under you cockwhore.

I didn't read the whole ad. I said there are some free aquariums available in the free section.

Seems like your just a loose wire ready to attack anyone. Beaten up as a boy?

Whoever did it congrats to them. You need another asskicking.:clap:Either way your and idiot.

[googlegoogle]

Either way your and idiot.

You're an idiot.

[googlegoogle]

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/zip/1194025056.html

I don't know if this is what you need but it just popped up.

[Rain Man]

I want to get an aquarium. How many hours per month would it take to maintain a 20-gallon aquarium?

[salame]

I want to get an aquarium. How many hours per month would it take to maintain a 20-gallon aquarium?

maybe 2 and 1/2
you should clean it every three weeks if you have a really nice filter
more often if you don't

[Buehler445]

I want to get an aquarium. How many hours per month would it take to maintain a 20-gallon aquarium?

Not damn many.

[googlegoogle]

remember cleaning them was crap. Have to use some tube siphon.

Maybe it's automated now.

[Rain Man]

I bet I could do 2.5 hours per month.

[Rain Man]

I read some article many years ago about enormous aquariums owned by celebrities. I think Burt Reynolds had some enormous one that arched over the top of his bed. (And yes, I'm talking aquariums, not Loni Andersons.)

[cdcox]

I want to get an aquarium. How many hours per month would it take to maintain a 20-gallon aquarium?

I researched this a couple years ago. I'd go for a 75+ gallon salt water tank. Salt water fish are much cooler.

[kstater]

http://kansascity.craigslist.org/zip/1194025056.html

I don't know if this is what you need but it just popped up.

Man everything you post is fail.

[Rain Man]

I researched this a couple years ago. I'd go for a 75+ gallon salt water tank. Salt water fish are much cooler.


Could I build a little coral reef? That'd be awesome.

[cdcox]

Could I build a little coral reef? That'd be awesome.

Live rock.

http://z.about.com/d/saltaquarium/1/0/h/e/jgebhardt18greef_400.JPG

http://www.riverwonders.com/images/Tonga_Live_Rock.jpg

[alnorth]

I want to get an aquarium. How many hours per month would it take to maintain a 20-gallon aquarium?

In the beginning youll be doing a bit more work as you "cycle" the water and gradually introduce fish until the helpful bacteria colonies needed to eliminate waste are established. You can probably google different ways of cycling the water in a new aquarium, it is by far the most stressful and dangerous time for fish, and where bigger tanks really help. Everyone knows about dechlorinating their water, but not about cycling.

There are two main ways of cycling, the first is to first use a few fish known to be hardy creatures that can take the punishment of slight ammonia poisoning in a new tank, then slowly bring in the fish you really wanted when its ready. It can take weeks to cycle a new tank. The second way is to buy packages of the bacteria you need to jump-start the tank and get it ready quicker. It all sort of becomes a weird game where your mission is to not kill the fish.

Once the tank is cycled, all you have to do is keep it clean, replace the filter every so often (use a pump, not under gravel), replace a few gallons of water every so often, and feed the fish. They become very easy to care for when the month-long ordeal of setup is done.

If you are thinking about a salt water tank though, it gets messy and the time required to care for the fish goes up exponentially. Salt water fish may look cool, but the thing that really impresses me about a good salt water tank is the skill and patience of the owner to keep the damn things alive. I personally stick with fresh water, its easier.

[Rain Man]

Dang. That means no salt water aquarium. I don't have the patience I'd need.

Maybe a freshwater coral reef. Like an old tire.

[Skyy God]

Dang. That means no salt water aquarium. I don't have the patience I'd need.

Maybe a freshwater coral reef. Like an old tire.

I'm a little biased, but I'd go with African Cichlids if you want saltwater-esque color without the hassle.

[Skyy God]

There are two main ways of cycling, the first is to first use a few fish known to be hardy creatures that can take the punishment of slight ammonia poisoning in a new tank, then slowly bring in the fish you really wanted when its ready. It can take weeks to cycle a new tank. The second way is to buy packages of the bacteria you need to jump-start the tank and get it ready quicker. It all sort of becomes a weird game where your mission is to not kill the fish.

I had a nighmare move during grad school with 3 tanks 29G and up. The worst was losing essentially a whole tank due to fumes from the hardwood floor polish. I lost 3 wild ones of this cool little catfish.

I kept the fish from my other tanks in the basement for a few days after. Only the fish on the right couldn't handle it.

[alnorth]

For a kid's tank that has to be small, I might lean more towards using the hardiest kinds of fish. There's a few kinds of fish that I think of as "brick fish". You can still kill them if you screw up for a while, but some of them are about as strong as bricks, and will keep kicking in some pretty deadly water long after most fish have been flushed. These fish include many types of Gouramis, danios, barbs, mollies, swordtails, and almost any type of cichlid except angelfish. (these fish dont all go together!)

If you ask a fish geek about the best fish for cycling, the standard answer is the zebra danio. They arent the prettiest fish in the store, but they are usually thought of as the absolute champs of surviving in a new tank. Those little guys are hard to kill.

[rambleonthruthefog]

maybe 2 and 1/2
you should clean it every three weeks if you have a really nice filter
more often if you don't

i only clean mine like once every 3 month, and rarely have any problems.

[DJ's left nut]

For a kid's tank that has to be small, I might lean more towards using the hardiest kinds of fish. There's a few kinds of fish that I think of as "brick fish". You can still kill them if you screw up for a while, but some of them are about as strong as bricks, and will keep kicking in some pretty deadly water long after most fish have been flushed. These fish include many types of Gouramis, danios, barbs, mollies, swordtails, and almost any type of cichlid except angelfish. (these fish dont all go together!)

If you ask a fish geek about the best fish for cycling, the standard answer is the zebra danio. They arent the prettiest fish in the store, but they are usually thought of as the absolute champs of surviving in a new tank. Those little guys are hard to kill.


Cory cats are virtually impossible to knock off as well.

Another way to cycle your tank is to go to your local pet store and ask if you can borrow some gravel. Partition a small section and put the pet-store gravel there, the bacteria from there will quickly spread throughout the tank and your biological filter will take hold in a hurry.

And if you get more involved with it, cichilds are the only way to go with freshwater fish. If you get them they are extremely territorial so you have to overpopulate and overfilter. If you overpopulate they don't have a single fish to pick on and they tend to divide their hostility amongst a bunch of different fish. As a consequence you have constant activity within the tank and outside of a few 'dogpiles' where they all pick one out and pretty much make a mission out of offing it, you'll have healthy fish as well.

[googlegoogle]

Man everything you post is fail.

Hope that's not Kstate education speaking there?

http://images.google.com/images?q=fishtank&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi

Fishtank photo for your god damn stupid ass. Sit down.

[penguinz]

Found a used 29 gallon in great condition with hood for only $35.00! Now I have to figure out what to set it on and then get all the accessories.

Looking at the Emperor Power Filter 280 for the filtration.

[Fish]

Another good way to cycle a tank and get a nice bacterial base is to drop in an uncooked cocktail shrimp or two(for a larger tank, 55+gal) and let it rot in the water. It's a bit nasty to think about, but it works rather well...