33g or 55g..

[YaYgoldFish]

Ok so i went to petland today, for the first time( well since im in the hobby anyways..) and I just wish it was closer to my house.. They Had a bunch of tanks, well for me lol. They had about 25. Plus 2 saltwater, but i didn't care about the saltwater anyways lol. They even had this awesome little 15g with a WATERFALL with about 5 inches of water and the rest was the huge rock acting as the out take of the waterfall. They had 1 albino res and another turtle with a firebelly toad(first time i saw the turtles and toad). I was super amazed at what i found. I couldn't get anything since i was in a hurry but I noticed these 2 tanks:

33g - 75 bucks, 250 - ish with the stand.( came with gravel)

55g- 300 bucks( with or without stand, cant remember) It came with LOADS of stuff.

So i was wondering, for the fish in my signature, should i get the 33g or just throw in the extra (about)100?

OR should i keep waiting to find a cheap, 55g+ tank?

[crackatinny]

I would go the biggest you can afford and accomadate, may save you saying I wish I had, in the future.

[nanaglen2001]

Take the bigger one right now. Everything else you will regret after 4 weeks.

You will be bying the bigger one sooner or later anyway (so why not now right away?), and then I bet it will be either more expensive, or when you want it, it wont be there anymore.

Believe me, I made those mistakes myself, and regretted it deeply.

[Lady Hobbs]

If you can't afford the stand for now, set it up on blocks and lay some 2x4's across the top. Three rows with 2x4's on top. But I would definately go with the 55.

Check out your Walmarts there. In the US, their 55 gallons are $158 with net, heater, filter.
The filter is only so-so and needs another added to the other end.

[Spyder]

Tinfoil Barbs, um... I'd go for the 180. Oh, that wasn't an option. Get the largest tank you can afford, those Tinfoils get huge, 12"+ and need lot's of swimming space.

[YaYgoldFish]

Yeah but I'm giving them away once they get bigger then the cuddas..

@ hobbs:L The 55g kits at walmart here are 300$ :(

[RobbieG]

I would definitely go with the 55 a hundred bucks is nothing for the amount of extra volume you get.

You will probably need to get an additional filter - the combos tend to include weaker filters than you would probably want to use.

[YaYgoldFish]

Im thinking fluval 205 with a Fluval 2 plus with another fluval 105? Or just the 2 fluvals..not sure yet. I only have 600$ in TOTAL. ( small summer job) For me thats alot but if i get it i have to hear my dad telling me his " i told you so" speach about spending all my money -.-

[hungryhound]

I too would go with the larger one. But if you decide to go with a package. Ask yourself this. How much of the stuff in the package to you even need or will use. Most of those packages contain a filter that is not really adequate for the job. So keep this in mind when you are looking at package deals on aquariums. It may look like a lot of stuff but you do not get much useful in return.


300 dollars for a 55 gallon seems a bit expensive for a 55 gallon. I am pretty sure that I have seen them in petsmart for 125 or so last time I was in there.

Well say 150 to be more accurate. With the remaining 150 you could get a nice canister filter and, if the tank is not planted a stock light and glass top for that price. And you would most likely be much happier with the items you picked out yourself.

[YaYgoldFish]

Yeah i know. fish stuff here is super expensive. But what i meant by alot of "stuff" was filter,light,hood,heater,gravel, ornaments and plants. And once i set up a new tank its for sure guna be planted. Im looking for lighting on my 25g and all i find are 18 watts, 20 watts, and one 60 watt fluorescent bulb..urgh.

[hungryhound]

If you are going with a planted tank then I would shy away from a package deal. You will most likely need to replace the light that it comes with and the filters in those packages are HOB. While okay, IN my expereince they cause a lot of CO2 to escape. Other people have had success with them, but not me.

[nanaglen2001]

There is something nice on the [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]. its called Eeeeh-Baaay...

Maybe you just take a look if there is a nice filter just waiting for you to buy it.

I know lots of people here in Germany who buy their technical equipement exactly there. And safe loads of money:thumb:

ahem, I looked for one minute, and found a nice filter for you ;)

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

or this one:

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Tilmo2180]

Bigger is always better IMO. Also, you should call that store and let them know that you should not house turtles and toads in the same place. Fire belly toads release toxins and that could hurt the turtle. The turtle will eat the toad eventually too. I personally would not risk it, thats all...especially with an albino res, they are pricey.

[Tilmo2180]

Ever considered Craigslist? I found a pretty nice tank in Montreal, i think thats close to Quebec, maybe?

[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

Either way, check it out you can find great deals on Craigslist.

[Lady Hobbs]

$300? Yikes.

[Kuli_Loach]

Wow, that is a lot, here the kit at walmart with everything is like 250$. I got mine with a lot better supplies at the LFS for like 250, just no stand. Get the biggest tank possible meaning you have more choices of fish.

[YaYgoldFish]

Ok Well first off: Thanks loads Andrea and Tilmo for the sites. The problem is that I don't really trust ebay, plus my dad has been scammed by something like that so i doubt he would try it again. The 70g from tilmo sounds nice, i could try to get my mom/dad to do the 1 hour drive. So far im getting the 55g and building a stand with my dad tho. I thought it would be super easy to buy a new tank and just persuade him by telling will build something, he just LOVES woodwork and other stuff. Hes actually thinking of making a stand to hold the 25g PLUS another 25g! But yeah I told him about my freind maybe selling me a 75g for 100 bucks and he said that it was maybe TOO big? "What's the use of getting a tank that big?". I could give it a shot, if not, ill go for the 55g. Ill most probably also try to get him to try getting the filter off ebay( the fluval 304)

Thanks guys!

[Tilmo2180]

I have a fluval 304 its a pretty good filter, very quiet. You might look at bigalsonline.com they have a Rena Filstar XP3 for 89.99 (US)
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
Thats a great filter and would be way more than you need, which is a good thing. The people on my turtle fourm rave about them, and turtles need more filtration than fish do. They are pretty cheap too! Just a thought...

[hungryhound]

I have a fluval 304 its a pretty good filter, very quiet. You might look at bigalsonline.com they have a Rena Filstar XP3 for 89.99 (US)
[Only Registered Users Can See Links.]
Thats a great filter and would be way more than you need, which is a good thing. The people on my turtle fourm rave about them, and turtles need more filtration than fish do. They are pretty cheap too! Just a thought...

i can vouch for the filter. It is a good filter and I have had no complaints with mine. If you have any questions about the XP3 feel free to ask me.

[Rue]

...I'd go with the 55g...more room to play with...more options...a nice size...

...my next choice would be the 75 g...