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Aquarium Start Up

Bu4ISU

Bu4ISU

Well-Known Member
Sep 2, 2012
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Seattle
Calling all fish enthusiasts



I'm thinking about getting a fish tank to put in my library, from what I've seen a size around the 50g-75g is how big I'd like to see. Just asking for any advice, for start up I will most likely be getting a freshwater tank.

What can I expect as far as start up costs? I have a budget of around 750

What fish look best in a freshwater tank?

Any local sellers that are best to buy fish / start up equipment from? If not where do you buy from?

How much time should I expect to spend on the tank a day?



Thanks Guys!
 
Just make sure you get your snails from the very bottom.


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Bu4ISU said:
Calling all fish enthusiasts



I'm thinking about getting a fish tank to put in my library, from what I've seen a size around the 50g-75g is how big I'd like to see. Just asking for any advice, for start up I will most likely be getting a freshwater tank.

What can I expect as far as start up costs? I have a budget of around 750

What fish look best in a freshwater tank?

Any local sellers that are best to buy fish / start up equipment from? If not where do you buy from?

How much time should I expect to spend on the tank a day?



Thanks Guys!
Click to expand...

When I looked into this, it was an insane amount of work and I just didn't feel up to the task. You need a big *** filter to do a 50g tank. Also once you are getting near that size you have to make sure you aren't too heavy for your floors. I don't know which frat you're in but some of them could take it, some of them couldn't.

$750 should get you started with plenty of fish. I recommend looking up ones that don't eat each other. I also recommend getting plants that help clean the tank, I don't remember the ones off the top of my head. Also slugs will help with the cleaning. You're gonna spend 20-30min a day on the tank and that doesn't include the heavy cleaning day.
 
When I was in Ames I did a lot of business with the Ark. My business was mostly buying mice for my pet snake at the time, but my brother has bought a lot of fish from that place with good luck. My brother has a 75 gallon freshwater aquarium. The owner of The Ark is a pretty nice guy.


As far as equipment goes, I'm not much help. I just have a 2 gallon aquarium for one beta. It is as maintenance-free as you can get for aquariums.


I don't know if there are exotic pet shows in the Ames/Des Moines area or not, but those are usually where you can get the best deals if you plan on spending a lot of money on equipment.
 
Is the Ark still up and running? I bought a black ghost knife from there. A lot of weird fish there. IF it is still there... It is typically best if you order fish and they will give you a call once that part of the order comes in. Pickings from the tank are sometimes a toss up but they do buy back fish that die within the first month. There are a few other fish that can thrive with a black ghost knife. That fish will be your focal point though. Also I think I spent $40 on it but it lived for a long while.
 
Cyclonetrombone said:
Is the Ark still up and running? I bought a black ghost knife from there. A lot of weird fish there. IF it is still there... It is typically best if you order fish and they will give you a call once that part of the order comes in. Pickings from the tank are sometimes a toss up but they do buy back fish that die within the first month. There are a few other fish that can thrive with a black ghost knife. That fish will be your focal point though. Also I think I spent $40 on it but it lived for a long while.
Click to expand...

The Ark was still around back in June of 2013, the last time I was in Ames. It's moved to where the old lumber yard used to be across the street from West HyVee
 
ISUCyclones2015 said:
When I looked into this, it was an insane amount of work and I just didn't feel up to the task. You need a big *** filter to do a 50g tank. Also once you are getting near that size you have to make sure you aren't too heavy for your floors. I don't know which frat you're in but some of them could take it, some of them couldn't.

$750 should get you started with plenty of fish. I recommend looking up ones that don't eat each other. I also recommend getting plants that help clean the tank, I don't remember the ones off the top of my head. Also slugs will help with the cleaning. You're gonna spend 20-30min a day on the tank and that doesn't include the heavy cleaning day.
Click to expand...
We're plenty fine on the weight of the tank
 
I've got a 55g at my place with a Grass Pickerel, a softshell turtle, and a couple plecostamus(? those sucker fish) in it. About as maintenance-free as it gets actually. I probably spent $300-$400 total on the tank, stand, filter, a few live plants, etc. Don't skimp on the filter, it will save you a ton of maintenance time. I buy a dozen goldfish every week or two for the pike, and the turtle eats frozen bloodworms that you can buy in little cubes at about any pet store. Goldfish also eat the blodworms that the turtle doesn't, no special food for them. Drop one of those in every 2 days.

As for tank maintenance, I vaccuum the gravel once every 2 weeks or so, and I clean out the filter once a month. Not a hassle at all. As far as weight, water is 8 lb per gallon, so you're talking about a max of 600 pounds spread out over 3-4 sq feet. I can't imagine a house where that would be a problem, you would actually have to worry about standing too close to people in your house if that was the case.
 
I've had both freshwater and marine aquariums. Can't say I've looked a lot at the market lately, but it seems like you can buy sets that include tank, stand, filter, plus additional equipment at the size and price you are looking for. Honestly 55 and 70 are pretty big for freshwater tanks. Unless you are looking at freshwater fish that need that much space, I would look at something smaller like a 30 gallon high. You could cram a lot of freshwater fish in one of those and it would save you some space and money.

Marine is a total different story. They are much less tolerant and generally need more space. The general rule of thumb is 1" of fish per 1 gallon for freshwater and 1" of fish per 5 gallons for marine. Obviously how much maintenance you are willing to do will determine how many fish you will want. I would definitely talk to the folks at the Ark. They will help steer you in the right direction.
 
50 gallons of water is 420lbs, 75 gallons is 630lbs. Add maybe another 50 - 100lbs for the weight of the tank, gravel, rocks, equipment, stand, etc. The floor should be plenty strong to hold it, but you don't want the floor to bow and turn into a trampoline.
 
This I can help with
I used to breed Central American cichlids and had 2 125g aquariums, 2 75s, 2 55s and about 5 smaller tanks for fry(babies) and a hospital tank.
There is a lot to ask before you decide which route to go. You said freshwater which is the easiest and cheapest route.
1st
What fish were you thinking about going with, it's important to match the temperaments of them or you could be in a work of regret.
2nd
How many fish were you thinking? The Amount and size have a huge effect on what size filter(s) and frequency of water changes.
Once we establish this, we can go further.
 
Don't forget to try Craigslist too. If you can find someone with a nice setup that's getting out of it, that would be a cheap way to acquire everything.
 
And don't let people scare you. Once up and going, periodic water changes every week-2 weeks of about 20-50% is all that's needed to maintain
 
State43 said:
This I can help with
I used to breed Central American cichlids and had 2 125g aquariums, 2 75s, 2 55s and about 5 smaller tanks for fry(babies) and a hospital tank.
There is a lot to ask before you decide which route to go. You said freshwater which is the easiest and cheapest route.
1st
What fish were you thinking about going with, it's important to match the temperaments of them or you could be in a work of regret.
2nd
How many fish were you thinking? The Amount and size have a huge effect on what size filter(s) and frequency of water changes.
Once we establish this, we can go further.
Click to expand...
I'm looking at any options currently, haven't decided with what to go with and am open to suggestions. Would enjoy a more active tank that catches the eye. Also a bright tank would be nice but I'm sure thats all up to the lighting system you get.
 
colbycheese said:
Don't forget to try Craigslist too. If you can find someone with a nice setup that's getting out of it, that would be a cheap way to acquire everything.
Click to expand...
Yeah I've found a bunch of tanks that around 200-300 which is fairly cheap I pressume, if they have a stand underneath them is it possible to take those off the stands and just have the tank alone?
 
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