Price Of 30 Gallon Fish Tank

[nealmakh95]

Hello people as you probably know i am a new forum member here and this will be my first time (as an adult) buying and caring for fish independently and i have only now just learnt about the importance of the nitrogen cycle and how important it is to add ammonia and let bacteria establish itself before putting fish in the tank! in looking to purchase an aquarium i have done some research and came to the conclusion that i should buy as large as possible as i can afford atm. as i am relatively young i only have a limited budget and wanted to ask you about this standard 30 gallon tank i have had quoted from a pet store- they quoted me the dimensions (inches) of 36x18x15 for 85.00- as i am a newbie i wanted to ask you is this a good price for a standard tank? i am in the uk btw and all currencies are using pound sterling. i know this is a wall of text but hopefully some of you will be able to assist me! many thanks!
 

 

[Maehlice]

My personal non-price-specific recommendation is to not purchase a new aquarium from an LFS.  Instead, buy something used locally.
 
At least where I'm at in Missouri, USA, there is never a shortage of aquariums going up on Craigslist.  I recently purchased a fully-stocked 125g (6ft long) aquarium with stand and supplies for $700.  The same setup would have easily cost three times as much elsewhere or new.
 
(Locally and used for about 10 pounds more, I can get a complete 55 gallon aquarium with everything but fish.)
 
If you really want the largest aquarium for your money, buying used or building it yourself will net you the largest result.  Obviously, the latter should only be done if you trust your engineering and "handyman" skills.
 
 
Back on topic, though ...
 
What does that 85 pounds get you?  A basic setup should include the following (items in blue are typically part of a "kit"):

• Aquarium
• Hood/light
• Heater (if not for goldfish)
• Filter/pump
• Substrate
• Decor (plants, driftwood, boulders, etc)
• Fish

Having kept fish before, I'm sure you know all that, but if you're really spending your entire budget, make sure you got all you need within that budget, eh?
 
I'm not an authority on local prices in the UK, but 85 pounds seems high but reasonable compared to my local store prices here for a similar kit.  If that price includes substrate and decor, I'd be happy with a purchase like that.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Right, aquaurium buying can be a bit of a minefield for some.
 
Just to let you know, I bought my first tank, a Fluval Roma 90 litre tank with a cabinet stand from P@H for £200, that came with standard lighting hood with 2x 28W T8 lights, U2 internal filter, 100w heater and that was it basically.
(there was a bottle of Nutrafin Aquastart included but did not use it as these are rubbish TBH and a tub of fish flake, still not opened actually! lol)
 
Aquariums are of personal tastes, but one piece of advice is common, get as big as you can afford and have room for.
(I actually have a Juwel Trigon 350 in the garage, why is it in the garage, well, its too big you see, it can't fit throughout the door! 

)
 
That did not include any decor, gravel, essential pieces of kit like, nets, dechlorinator, gravel cleaner, buckets, test kit and most importantly no stocking or live plants.
 
So my budget of £250 was basically blown out of the water! lol, in fact spent nearer to £450 for everything. 
But a good learning curve for me and I don't mind the fact I spent way over the budget as I am lucky can afford this overspend but GF was not impressed! lol
 
So when you are budgeting, you are best to make a list of what you want and in order of priority, stuff like nets, gravel cleaners and glass cleaners and that sort of thing can wait, but you do need a decent test kit, and dechlorinator and buckets.
 
Chain store LFS can offer decent whole set up deals while smaller LFS tend to be a bit more expensive I've found. 
As suggested already, you can get great deals online through sites like eBay for second hand tanks set ups with everything. This is a good way to get a good deal.
 
There is a classified section on this forum, so you know pretty much you'll get a decent tank and at a fair price, some are great deals. Worth checking out.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/forum/216-equipment/
 
Although when I first set out to buy my first tank I did not want second hand, I wanted brand new as know this would be safe to use and had warranties and peace of mind etc etc. However, I will get a second hand tank now that I have a better idea of what to look out for. 
 
It how you feel what's best for you for your first tank set up. £85 for a tank is fairly reasonable, does that include a stand, filter and heater? If so then sounds ok to me, if you are happy with the quality and build of that. If its just for the tank only, not so good a deal but not exactly a rip off either.

 

[marcandnic]

Personally I would never buy a new tank because you will only want more and you will never make the money you paid for it. Tanks are a bit like cars!

Look in as many forums as possible, check gumtree, ebay, preloved etc. make sure you haggle for the price because more often than not the aquarium is being sold for a reason and they will want it shifted sooner rather than later. Also you might be lucky and the tank will still be running and you won't need to cycle your tank.

For reference I have just sold my rio 180 (3ft length) 2 external filters and heaters all ready to go for £150.

 

[daizeUK]

I agree, you can generally get a second hand aquarium for one third of the retail price.  The disadvantage of buying second-hand is that when you're new all the bits of equipment can be confusing especially when you might have to replace parts and figure out how to set it up without instruction manuals.
 
I bought my first tank from an LFS (on special offer at half price) and the next three tanks from ebay.  I'm glad I did it this way since a brand new tank was a great way to introduce myself gently to the hobby, then once I knew what I was doing it was much easier to grab second-hand bargains and customise them to my wishes.
 
£85 is a good price for a 3-foot tank but I would question its quality.  What brand is it?  What sort of lid does it have?  What lighting comes with it?  Does it come with a filter and heater appropriate for the size of the tank?  Some of the cheapest tanks are Clearseal and they have flimsy lids that are difficult to install lighting in and no additional equipment - a false economy for a starter tank, in my opinion.

 

[Fishmanic]

in the states,  I found a found a place that has some really reasonable brand new fully equipped tanks up to 55 gallon.      Free shipping.  They also sell supplies and equipments at reasonable prices.
 
here's a link to some of the tanks they offer
http/www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=23554