Quality Aquarium

[JknowWhat]

What's a good name brand aquarium? I'm still in the dorms so nothing huge (10 gallons or less). Is acylic better or glass? I saw some at Petsmart that were acrylic and the lid housed the lighting, filter, and the pump. I think it was an Eclipse Aquarium. Has anyone ever used these before and are they any good? What other brands are there to consider? What else should I look for in an aquarium?

Oh yeah...feel free to suggest ideas/preferences for fish/decor/lighting/case fans hehehe

 

[littleprince]

I point you to www.aquariacentral.com
hit the forums and start your research process
most any other info you get here will be useless...

 

[notfred]

the actual tank itself doesn't matter that much as long as it doesn't leak. The fish could care less if it's glass or acrylic. You want to make sure you have a decent filter and a heater that keeps the tank at a constant temperature. If you're getting a 10 gallon tank, you're probably going to be keeping small tropical freshwater fish like tetras and things. Pretty much any 10 gallon "starter set" that you buy at PetPals or a similar store should be fine for a tank like that.

 

[brian_riendeau]

"most any other info you get here will be useless..."

Some people here actually have more fish tanks than computers

All aquariums are not created equal. Acrylic is nice to start with, but really has a tendancy to scratch over time. Once they scratch, it is not coming out easily. Just using a soft sponge to clean a tank can cause a scratch if any dirt is on the side walls of the tank. Acrylic is good if you have kids or anything that might actually whack the tank though. Glass shatters very easily compared to acrylic. Also, spending a few extra $ for a brand name tank is a good idea. No fish tanks SHOULD leak, but some end up leaking over time at which point that $10 you saved on a generic tank will cause you untold misery. I would reccomend any All-Glass manufactured tank.

The Eclipse setups are nice, but pricey. I personally think you would be better off with a glass 10g tank, glass top + flourescent hood, and a power filter like a Millenium 1000, Penguin 125, or Aquaclear Mini. If you want to get started on the cheap, Wal Mart sells a $50 kit with a 10g glass tank, standard hood (w/flourescent light), and a decent power filter.

When you end up buying fish for the tank, be sure not to go overboard. It is extremely easy to overload a 10g tank. A general rule is that you can have 1 inch of fish per gallon of water. And that is full grown size, so you can not get 10 one inch fish that grow to 3 inches each or anything.

Also, read up on the "Nitrogen Cycle", or buy some Bio-Spira (google search for more info).

Let me know if you need anything else, or go check out www.aquariumadvice.com where I post a lot.

 

[edro]

Don't get the Acrylic ones, they scratch easy and look like crap.

Get an Eclipse system... they are expensive, but it's all together...

 

[freebee]

Eclipse is good for starter sets. I sometimes shop at petco online when then have the sales (20-25%) and/or free shipping. Big Als is good for lots of stuff as well. The markups on aquarium stuff is sometimes 100% or more, so its good to shop around. Those packages are ok if you don't want to worry about selecting components.

All-glass, obviously makes glass aquariums. Very popular at retail stores. For a dorm I'd probably get acrylic...due to less chance of breakage and weight reasons. 10 gallons gets you at best 4-5 small fish, neons, danios, platys, etc. Or 1 goldfish.

 

[trmiv]

I think for aquariums under 40 gallons, espcecially if you are limited by space, the Eclipse systems are great. I like the all-in-one design, it looks clean. I've never owned one personally, but I'd consider one. I think they are really nice for a good display setup in a livingroom, because of their clean design.

I've been out of the serious fish keeping game for a few years now (well since I moved from my parents house. my 100 gallon african cichlid tank still lives there full of fish though). I'm now considering getting back into it, starting with a 20 gallon micro-reef system. I've kept 10 and 100 gallon fish only saltwater setups, but this will be my first reef setup.

 

[brian_riendeau]

"Don't get the Acrylic ones, they scratch easy and look like crap.

Get an Eclipse system... they are expensive, but it's all together..."

The Eclipse "system" is an Eclipse hood AND and acrylic tank. There are not Eclipse hood sold with glass tanks in the same box. They also sell just the hoods, which are sold as Eclipse Hoods and fix on standard 20, 24, and 30 inch tanks. Just the 20 inch hood is usually $70... I think you lose a lot of flexibility with the hood, and you are pretty much screwed if you ever decide to change the filtration for some reason. They Eclipse tops do look nice though

 

[Tab]

Wow, we actually have some people interested in Aquariums. I strong disagree with buying any so called "Starter Kits", try to see if you know the general Ph of your water. Any specific aquarium should work, acrylic doesnt distorst the image so much as glass. You DO NOT NEED any extra chemicals expect Declorinator, I would use SeaChem Prime above all. Try to shop at a Aquarium Specific Store. DO NOT use a undergravel filter, use a Aquaclear 150 with all sponges. Oh, the rule about "X Amount of amount sized fish per inch" is absolute crap. Would you put 1 12" Fish in 12" Aquarium? No.

 

[brian_riendeau]

"Oh, the rule about "X Amount of amount sized fish per inch" is absolute crap. Would you put 1 12" Fish in 12" Aquarium? No."

Its a rule of thumb man. It is easier than trying to explain to people why the fish store telling them to buy 10 two inch fish for a 10g tank is a bad idea. Sticking with the one inch per gallon makes getting started easier. If ANY pet store sold someone a 10 inch fish (or one that will grow to be that big) for a 10g tank, they would need to be kicked in the head and then have their fish taken away. Common sense and research is paramount in fishkeeping

 

[prvteye2003]

I like glass myself. I used to have a 55gal saltwater that was glass. Kinda wish I still had it.