So I got a 75 gallon aquarium for $40 from a yard sale

[Queasy]

Probably just asking for trouble but what are some good resources for setting up a new fish tank. I need everything right now...filter, rocks, decorative items, fish, etc. Not even sure if we want to go fresh or saltwater right now.

Yeah, yeah, I could 'google it' but I'm asking for 'good resources' not just the first thing that pops up on Google. I haven't done fish since my early teen years so I've pretty much forgot everything.

 

[Pocatello]

Have fun. I only have a 10 gal tank with 3 small gold fish. Cleaning the tank, changing the water, feeding the fish...at least they say gold fish are low maintenance .

 

[Wuffsunie]

Well, first exactly what do you already have? You have the tank you said. Do you have a stand that goes with it? Do you have a canopy? I assumed this is not one with a dilled bottom. What kind of budget are we looking at here?

All that will determine what kind of recourses we can point you to. On average, you can do a very nice fresh water tank for roughly 1/10th the cost of a reef tank. So, what kind of direction are you wanting to go in?

 

[cKGunslinger]

Get a snake instead.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Wuffsunie
Well, first exactly what do you already have? You have the tank you said. Do you have a stand that goes with it? Do you have a canopy? I assumed this is not one with a dilled bottom. What kind of budget are we looking at here?

All that will determine what kind of recourses we can point you to. On average, you can do a very nice fresh water tank for roughly 1/10th the cost of a reef tank. So, what kind of direction are you wanting to go in?

We have a large table we are going to set it on. I need to look for a stand as well though because the decorative table is actually useful for something else right now. We have the canopy with the lights. The previous owner was using it for an Iguana so there's nothing in it right now. Completely empty tank.

The budget is another thing I'm not sure about. Obviously it will cost a bit of money...filters go for around $75+, fish can be as cheap as a dollar or as expensive as a couple of hundred, tank decoration prices vary wildly. So, I'm really just wanting to read around about setting up fresh and salt water tanks to get a sense of what direction I want to go in and how much I want to spend.

 

[RU482]

turtle head poppin out

 

[Wuffsunie]

Well, at least you got the canopy. If it was a lizard tank, lights are likely florescent. A live-planted fresh water tank or coral reef tank will necessitate new lights. Pics wouldn't be bad so we can see what you're dealing with exactly.

A straight-up fresh water fish tank would be the best bet, IMO. Least expensive, easiest to work with for novice fish keepers, and would not necessitate a lot of equipment and supplies. You could do a wicked planted tank with some discus fish and a ton of little ones, but you're looking at light and possibly CO2 system costs there. An all-fish salt tank is also doable, though if you think filter prices are expensive, you don't want to see what a good skimmer for a 75gal tank runs.

Resources for new fish tank owners can be found at aquariacentral.com and aquariumsecrets.com. I made extensive use of plantgeek.net when I was into planted tanks. For reef tanks, you can't beat reefcental.com. And for the motherload of really everything fish-keeping, go to wetwebmedia.com

 

[Howard]

A table? Figure out if it can hold the weight of a full tank before you actually fill it.

 

[Wuffsunie]

Originally posted by: Howard
A table? Figure out if it can hold the weight of a full tank before you actually fill it.

Oh, yeah, forgot to mention weight considerations. No matter how heavy that tank was when you were carrying it, it'll go up by about 8lbs a gallon, or somewhere close to 600lbs once you've got it filled and stocked. Make VERY sure that when you get a stand that it sits on the floor LEVEL, preferably on a surface that's not going to settle. Shims may be necessary. Hard wood or tile is great. Otherwise the tank could settle, warp, and crack. I had a 30 gallon tank on carpet (granted, the sides were too thin on that particular model) that warped and was threatening to crack.

 

[Lyfer]

Get a donkey.

 

[biggestmuff]

Breed lobsters.

 

[MrPickins]

Originally posted by: biggestmuff
Breed lobsters.

Crabs are easier. :Q

 

[Leros]

A proper planted tank of that size can be expensive. A reef of that size will be extremely expensive. Just keep that in mind.

 

[FoBoT]

be CAREFUL with the stand/table you put it on, 75 gal tank will weigh around 650-700 pounds with gravel and stuff. you don't want the stand/table to break

sweet deal, that is where you can get a nice deal

find a local shop to get gravel. don't get anything flashy, dark gravel shows the fishes colors off better. you don't need more than one inch unless you are doing an undergravel filter, which i don't recommend for beginners

get a hang on external filter, they are the easiest. http://thatfishplace.com is where i buy my fish stuff online
you can order plastic plants and tank stuff from them too and food. basically everything but tanks and gravel and fish, which due to size/weight/shipping issues are best to get from a local fish shop

definetly go fresh water, salt water is best for experienced antiquarians and for a 2nd/3rd/4th tank etc

 

[Queasy]

Front of the tank.

Top of the tank.

I was leaning towards buying a stand anyways. Weight is definitely a factor though on top of the fact that I like the table that we were going to put it on where it is anyways. I'll invest in a good'un.

My wife is the one actually leaning towards a salt-water tank. She thinks salt-water fish are prettier. I'm more practical since I'm going to be taking care of the tank and leaning fresh-water.

I was looking at the hang-on filters already but unsure of what brand.

 

[AgaBoogaBoo]

Unless you've done this before, a salt water tank will probably be a bit overwhelming, IMO. It will require some modifications to the tank as well probably.

I'd go fresh water, and try to design it around ease of cleaning and maintenance.

 

[Wuffsunie]

Originally posted by: Queasy
I was looking at the hang-on filters already but unsure of what brand.

The Emperor Bio-Wheel Power Filters by Marineland tend to be amongst the best rated and reviewed. When I was doing my fresh water tank, I went with a canister-style by Rena instead, so I can't say with absolute confidence how well they work, by from friends who have used them, they didn't have problems.

Yeah, I'd keep the wife out of the salt water fish unless she wants to pony up some of the big bucks that might very well be required. Yes, they can be gorgeous but are quite the investment. Look into some of the sites already recommended at what can be done with a fresh water tank. Some of the fish there can be almost as pretty, and there are few things cooler than a very large school of tetras.

 

[Raduque]

Marineland Pengiun and Emperor HOBs(Hang on Back) are great filters. I pretty much run them exclusively. I have a 150 on my 20g, a 170 and 200 on my 55 and I'm going to buy another 150 to put on my 10 gallon (never too much filtration). For canister filters, the HOT (Hang On Tank) Magnum is a canister beloved by many, I use a Hydor 160gph canister, but can filters are kind of a pain to clean. HOBs are much better in that respect, you simply open the lid and replace the cartridge.

As for fresh vs salt, you're going to need lots more gear for salt then you do for fresh. Your filtration in a saltwater tank is usually gonna be live rock, which is anywhere between $5-10/lb and you usually need 10lb/g or more. Then you need powerheads to direct the flow over the rock, skimmers, additional bio filtration (optional) provided by HOBs or canisters with bio materials. To top it off, saltwater fish are expensive. A friend of mine is into saltwater, and he bought some fish that was like $90. My most expensive fish was like $10.

Check here for pics of my tanks.

 

[mooglemania85]

Originally posted by: MrPickins

Originally posted by: biggestmuff
Breed lobsters.

Crabs are easier. :Q

Michael Scott: A guy goes to a $5 lady of the night, and he gets crabs. So the next day he goes back to complain and the woman says, "Hey, it was only $5, what did you expect... lobster?"

 

[jagec]

Originally posted by: Queasy
Topic Summary: haven't done fish in over 15 years

"Hi, I'm Troy McClure..."

 

[flxnimprtmscl]

1. You want to go freshwater. A saltwater setup that size will cost you uber $ and you'll either kill everything in the tank or spend so much time on it that it will be overwhelming

2. Make sure that it's actually an aquarium. There are differences in glass thickness between aquariums and terrariums. Without knowing your dimensions I'm going to guess
that your glass should be somewhere in the 3/8-1/2" thickness range. Measure it to be sure.

3. Filtration is important. Filter effectiveness ranks as follows Sump/Wet Dry > Canister > Hang on back. HOB filters pretty much suck imo but if you want a decent inexpensive HOB check out aquaclear. Also, filters ratings should never be taken at face value. Generally you can cut a filters rated capacity in half if you want to be accurate and really keep your tank clean.

4. Don't just fill the tank up and go dump some fish in the same day. You'll kill/harm your fish. Read up on properly cycling a tank

5. You'll need a water test kit. Don't get test strips as they suck. Go with the API master test kit for freshwater. If you have a petsmart around they have the best deals as they will pricematch to their own web prices which are considerablly cheaper than in store prices.

6. Search for and read up on anything you're confused about at www.aquaricentral.com

7. Make sure to do your research before hand. What types of fish will live together. Do you want plants, if so what do you want to spend on lighting, fertilizers, co2 injection, etc.. Trust me, you'll save yourself a ton of headache and a ton of money if you do your homework first.

Hope some of this is helpful to you. Good luck.

Edit: One more thing I should mention is if you want to go heavily planted you should pretty much look exclusively at canister filters. Both HOB and Wet/Dry filters will gas of CO2 which is essential to plant growth. I've got a wet/dry on my 125 gal and while it's great in terms of filtration it sucks for my planted tank.

Live plants are good btw. Your fish will produce waste in the form of ammonia and nitrites which are very harmful to fish in even small amounts. The bacteria in your water (see cycling) will turn those waste products into nitrates which are less harmful in small concentration. Plants eat nitrates as a from of food which will help keep the concentration of nitrates in your tank low and keep your fish healthier.

 

[Raduque]

Originally posted by: flxnimprtmscl
1. You want to go freshwater. A saltwater setup that size will cost you uber $ and you'll either kill everything in the tank or spend so much time on it that it will be overwhelming

2. Make sure that it's actually an aquarium. There are differences in glass thickness between aquariums and terrariums. Without knowing your dimensions I'm going to guess
that your glass should be somewhere in the 3/8-1/2" thickness range. Measure it to be sure.

3. Filtration is important. Filter effectiveness ranks as follows Sump/Wet Dry > Canister > Hang on back. HOB filters pretty much suck imo but if you want a decent inexpensive HOB check out aquaclear. Also, filters ratings should never be taken at face value. Generally you can cut a filters rated capacity in half if you want to be accurate and really keep your tank clean.

4. Don't just fill the tank up and go dump some fish in the same day. You'll kill/harm your fish. Read up on properly cycling a tank

5. You'll need a water test kit. Don't get test strips as they suck. Go with the API master test kit for freshwater. If you have a petsmart around they have the best deals as they will pricematch to their own web prices which are considerablly cheaper than in store prices.

6. Search for and read up on anything you're confused about at www.aquaricentral.com

7. Make sure to do your research before hand. What types of fish will live together. Do you want plants, if so what do you want to spend on lighting, fertilizers, co2 injection, etc.. Trust me, you'll save yourself a ton of headache and a ton of money if you do your homework first.

Hope some of this is helpful to you. Good luck.

Edit: One more thing I should mention is if you want to go heavily planted you should pretty much look exclusively at canister filters. Both HOB and Wet/Dry filters will gas of CO2 which is essential to plant growth. I've got a wet/dry on my 125 gal and while it's great in terms of filtration it sucks for my planted tank.

Live plants are good btw. Your fish will produce waste in the form of ammonia and nitrites which are very harmful to fish in even small amounts. The bacteria in your water (see cycling) will turn those waste products into nitrates which are less harmful in small concentration. Plants eat nitrates as a from of food which will help keep the concentration of nitrates in your tank low and keep your fish healthier.

:thumbsup:
This guy's pretty much said everything to you need to know about the basics of starting a tank. The only thing I don't agree with is HOBs suck, IMO, the only ones that don't are the Marineland BioWheels, they're essential for biological filtration.

 

[ProfJohn]

I have a 55 and looked at doing salt, but it would have easily hit $500 to do it the right way.

Go with fresh water and then get TONS of tetra and other small community fish.
I have perhaps 40 fish in my 55 plus some plants.

IMO lots of little fish make the tank seem more alive than a few big fish.

Go to the store and tell them you want 60 neons

BTW I have an under gravel filter with two power heads and an over the side filter, the tank is amazingly healthy. I have been doing this for 20 years and have never seen fish as colorful or vibrant as the ones I have now.

 

[Queasy]

Thanks for info. I was looking at the Marineland and Empreror HOB Filters but was unsure. I've definitely got a lot of reading to do.

My son, being the impatient 5-year old that he is, is expecting us to already have fish in the tank. Boy does he have some patience to learn.

 

[Shame]

If this tank has been dry for a while, fill it up outside first, let it sit for a couple of days, and see if it leaks.