Beginner: Small Tank/ Help.

[ChadThyJuggla]

Why hello everyone, I'm new here.
I recently aquired a very very small One gallon aquarium kit with light and undergravel filter. My wife and I set it up the tank with the de-chloro for the water and everything and went to the pet store the next day.

We now own one light yellow Glofish and he has been alright for about a week now. I really want to get a larger tank on account of how small this one is.

First, should our Glofish be alright for awhile? I doubt another fish would be able to thrive in that small of a tank with him. But Im not too sure... Should we get one more or no?

And second, whats a good size aquarium to invest in that isn't too expensive. I was looking into a regular rectangle tank with light top and filter. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks to everyone that can help me out.

 

[Corleone]

As long as he's alone and the water quality is good, he should survive, he just won't be happy without swimming space - glofish are zebra danios, which are very active fish. I wouldn't add another, even though they are a schooling fish.

 

[ChadThyJuggla]

So what about getting a new tank? What would be an affordable tank setup thats large enough to hold quite a few fish?

 

[Ficious]

i petsmarts and wal-marts have great deals on 10 gallon starter kits. kit includes filter/light/hood/food/start right....it goes for around $60 usd

 

[doresy]

For good looks, great range and affordable prices try the AQUA ONE range CLIK HERE

 

[ChadThyJuggla]

The AquaOne tanks look beautiful. Im very interested in a BowFront. Ive done some searching but still not too sure about which size or type to get... I want something affordable that can hold enough small tropical fish. I think something bigger than a 10G but not too big. Any good deals?

I like the AquaOne AquaStart tanks. The Aqua Start 320 looks to be ideal for me... Any thoughts on it? And where can I buy from?

 

[Corleone]

A 20 gallon long tank (usually don't come in starter kits, at least not in the US) is a great tank to start out with. It has room for a reasonable collection of fish. A 29 gallon (which do come in starter kits, but IME the filters are usually woefully underpowered) is also pretty good. That was my first tank. The extra height makes them suitable (though generally considered the minimum) for angelfish, as well.

 

[doresy]

The AquaOne tanks look beautiful. Im very interested in a BowFront. Ive done some searching but still not too sure about which size or type to get... I want something affordable that can hold enough small tropical fish. I think something bigger than a 10G but not too big. Any good deals?

I like the AquaOne AquaStart tanks. The Aqua Start 320 looks to be ideal for me... Any thoughts on it? And where can I buy from?

Hi, glad you like them.....I am the local AquaOne nut!

Forget the 320, it's too small. Better is the 380 which is 34lt (7.5 UK Galls) has a trickle filter in the hood so with the addition of a 50w heater you are ready to go. Comes with or without cabinet (cabinet is worth getting) depends on your budget

You are still only looking at 4-6 small fish though. Best to go as big as your budget allows first time around as it works out cheaper than having to upgrade later when the bug gets you

One last thing, don't think that a smaller tank is easier to keep In actual fact the opposite is true. The more water you have the more forgiving it will be when it comes to water quality, although it's to be remembered....there is no subtitute for perfect water

 

[waterdrop]

I think you are getting good advice there Chad from dorsey, he is indeed the resident AquaOne expert and gave me some good encouragement during my fishless cycle!

I have a bowfront and would like to make a comment. I was very psyched up to get a bowfront, somehow thinking this would bring me deeper into the world of the fish I would be enjoying. I still think they are pretty cool and overall I guess the jury is out for me. The thing I didn't realize was that once you put the water in, the bowfront glass plus water becomes an optical lens of sorts and magnifies your view to the back of the tank. I've been disappointed to find that this causes the entire aquascape to look considerably more shallow than it really is and you lose a good deal of the 3-dimensional quality of your front-to-back dimension.

Part of the enjoyment of the scene, especially with aquariums, is the sense of depth, of the fish swimming back into dark and hidden places sometimes - this enhances the sense of being underwater for the viewer. I just was surprised that, thinking a bowfront would enhance this, in fact it turned out to be the opposite, that it detracts from this a bit. So, just to say, don't underestimate the potential beauty of the simple flat rectangle - in fact, if you don't want angels, there is a lot to be said for the simple rectangular ~6G, 10G or 20G (US gallons).

Not sure if the AquaOne 380 has a flat front or just slightly curved front - if it is curved it doesn't look as if it is curved nearly as much as a typical bowfront.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[doresy]

Not sure if the AquaOne 380 has a flat front or just slightly curved front - if it is curved it doesn't look as if it is curved nearly as much as a typical bowfront.

~~waterdrop~~

The 380 has seamless corners but is flat fronted (ie, not bowfronted) Great starter tank or as in my case an excellent Betta tank with a few mods

 

[eb2]

A 20 gallon long tank (usually don't come in starter kits, at least not in the US) is a great tank to start out with. It has room for a reasonable collection of fish. A 29 gallon (which do come in starter kits, but IME the filters are usually woefully underpowered) is also pretty good. That was my first tank. The extra height makes them suitable (though generally considered the minimum) for angelfish, as well.

I'm planning a 20 long for my next tank, 1 of my tanks is currently a 30 long, and I'm a big fan of the longer footprint!
you're right, not available in a kit, my LFS keeps the unusual sizes in stock and it seems to me the tank priced out mid-30$'s, separate hood and lighting are what make it spendy but you don't actually need those right away for a fishless cycle(ie. you could add them next payday if you need to)
when selecting a filter you look a gallons per hour, and the water current, for the kind of fish you want. I keep an AC30 on my 10 gal tank
and an AC70 on that 30(with 2 Goldfish in it, they require more filtration then other fish)
I also have extra sponge bubble filters on both, for the water movement, oxygenation, entertainment and extra bacteria

I you can, plan your fish, substrate, filter, heater, plants etc .. all ahead of time.. I like to include bottom fish like Cory's or Otto's as they help keep the tank extra clean which supports your filtration ... you also want to consider adding the fish in groups, and quarantining each group before you add them to the main tank ...