Question About Buying Tanks

[Robris]

I just wanted to ask if it is hard for a newb to setup a tank from scratch, by that I mean I went to my lfs and they have a 4ft (lets use this as an example) tank on a timber cabinet (which doesnt have any finish on it). The tank was $400(AUD), which is much less than a juwel tank of the same size for example, the jewels were about $1100 (AUD) and all I could notice is that it comes with a filter and light extra.

So will it be hard for me to add a light setup on a bare tank and timber cabinet? Because it seems much cheaper.

I hope I make sense lol, Cheers Rob


EDIT: Nevermind I just came back from my lfs and I know how to put them on

 

[darkwolf29a]

It depends on what you want, honestly.

For example, when I bought a new tank, as an upgrade from my 5 gallon, I bought a 10 gallon kit, minus the stand...I always make those somehow. It had everything but the heater. That's for my crayfish now.

But, yesterday, my girlfriend wanted to set up a crab tank. So, we bought just the tank, as we'll be using a filter we have plus a powerhead. We did buy a heater for it. She won't need any lighting for it, since it won't house live plants of any type...it would just be a weighted cover for the tank.

I mean....there's a million ways of getting a pretty tank, and anything you can buy, you can build...including the tank if you want. It's all about the price you want to pay and how much work you are will to put into it.

And, honestly, from my point of view...I like diying stuff. My tank is contant motion with new stuff coming in and leaving all the time. So, it's all up to you.

 

[rdd1952]

It's not hard to get started and most places sell starter kits with everything you need except the stand. I don't think I've ever seen a 4' starter set though. I would suggest buying the tank, stand and gravel/sand locally (the shipping is too high to buy online) and get the equipment - filters, heaters, thermometers, upgraded lights if you need them for plants, etc. online as it will be much cheaper. For a 4' tank, I would suggest dual filters and heaters, one on each end, to help with water circulation and temperature control.

 

[Robris]

It's not hard to get started and most places sell starter kits with everything you need except the stand. I don't think I've ever seen a 4' starter set though. I would suggest buying the tank, stand and gravel/sand locally (the shipping is too high to buy online) and get the equipment - filters, heaters, thermometers, upgraded lights if you need them for plants, etc. online as it will be much cheaper. For a 4' tank, I would suggest dual filters and heaters, one on each end, to help with water circulation and temperature control.

I was going to go for one Eheim Classic 2215 or 2217, and as for the heater I am getting a Eheim Jager Heater 200W I think that will be sufficient for a 55gal I heard there good heaters.

A question about the filters, Is it alright to have one Eheim running for a couple months and then add a second one? Will the second one establish itself properly? I just dont want to spend over $400 (AUD) on just filters right away as eheim is a bit expensive.

 

[rdd1952]

Adding the second one later is fine. By then the tank will be cycled and the bacteria will eventually balance between the 2 filters.