Starter Kit Or Start From Scratch

[juelz]

is it cheaper to buy one of those starter kit aquariums or to buy the tank, canopy, filters, etc. seperately?

 

[Wanda hornsey]

I would say look 2nd hand and ebay there are some great deals...on ebay beware of shipping they can charge a load

 

[Neon_Momma]

I'd second ebay / second hand, you can save so much money by buying one someone has gotten fed up of (after spending all their money on it )

I've just got a nice 3 foot tank with the basic set up on ebay for £21, local too so we picked it up in the car.

You can search with distance being your preference on ebay

 

[Inchworm]

Hi juelz

Starter kits are often a good buy, especially for the smaller tanks. If you are considering buying one, I suggest that you look it over carefully to be sure the filter and heater will be adequate for the fish you plan to keep in it. If it includes many items that you will have no need for (such as gravel when you plan to use sand, or food that your fish won't eat) it might not be as good a value as it seems.

 

[dwarfgourami]

I did some calculations on the 60 and 70 ltrs I set up with and found the Juwel set was better value for what I wanted. But then I happened to want what the kit did: basic filtration for small community, nothing fancy. And I've been very pleased with my Juwel tanks. When I was buying my hospital tank I thought I'd save money by buying the bare bits, but the cost for buying new and putting bits together was horrendous, so I ended up buying the kiddies tropical starter kit from Pets@home. Horrible tank, stupid shape and mirror at the back, but it does the job.
Ebay might have been better but not having any transport we're a bit limited to what can be done on taxi fares.

 

[SPLiSH]

IMO it's better to buy seperately, you can hand pick what you want and as Wanda and Neon Momma said, you can get crazy good deals from eBay or your local newspaper classifieds.

 

[cujoho78]

Hi. I bought all my stuff separately because i found i could get better equipment for the same price as the kits. I bought the aquarium with the hoods/ lights together, then got a filter and heater separate. I didn't feel the kits i saw had as much power as i wanted for my set up.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

i like to choose what equipment im buying. kits usually have a very crappy heater, so you pay for something you will never use. around my area, starter kits are about the same price as what i spend on buying everything separately

 

[Marcos]

Also if you 'pick your own' you can go for a bigger filter than you really need (as long as it fits in the tank or is external) so when you decide you want a bigger tank (and you will!) you don't have to fork out for a bigger filter. I personally went for an Eheim 2210, when I move up to a bigger tank I can just add another cartridge to the bottom of it. No need for a new filter or cycling a new tank!

 

[keesh121]

Also if you 'pick your own' you can go for a bigger filter than you really need (as long as it fits in the tank or is external) so when you decide you want a bigger tank (and you will!) you don't have to fork out for a bigger filter. I personally went for an Eheim 2210, when I move up to a bigger tank I can just add another cartridge to the bottom of it. No need for a new filter or cycling a new tank!

put an ad in your local ad trader for tanks equipment etc i will garuntee you get loads of offers most will be free and you will get most of your kit

 

[Durbkat]

I would buy the tank new unless you get to see the tank in person and do a water leak test before buying or you could end up with a tank that has scratches all over it and has leaks. Also I like the buy everything seperatly because most kits either give you really crappy stuff or filter and heater is to small for the tank. Like with my 55g it came with the right size filter (it is so big that it over filters the tank) but it came with a 200 watt heater and its only made for 20-40g tanks but it works (for now) and keeps it at 76F when the heater is set on 80F.