Tank Advice

[Linway]

Hey all,
this is my first post as me and my girlfriend have decided to look into getting a tropical tank setup.
 
Basically we're extremely new to this and are just trying to decide on a tank to start with and therefore would like advice on the ones we are looking at or any pointers towards other ones around the same price.
 
The two we're looking at right now are:
 
http/www.swelluk.com/aquarium/fish-tanks-404/41cm-79cm-aquariums-1870/aquael-classic-50-bow-aquarium-kit-333212.html
 
http/www.petsathome.com/shop/marina-style-60-tropical-aquarium-set-(available-in-store-only)-78659
 
Regards to our budget we're looking at about £200 total for everything and figured around £120-130 for tank (including stand, which is why the Marina one appeals a lot) and then £70 for decorations/fish (as stated this is just a starting budget to try and get our first tank up and running.
 
So yeah hope you guys can help, I'm sorry about asking for advice as I can imagine there is a post like this every other day lol
 
Thanks

 

[Wills]

Hi welcome to the forum really glad you have sat down and properly researched this and joined a forum (the fact its this one is great but the online fish community is generally fantastic)
 
My first tip is get as big a tank as you can afford - I would normally recommend getting something in the 100 - 125 liter area if you can, something like a Roma 125 is a great tank - it gives you good breadth to look at a great variety of fish but it does mean looking toward the upper end of your budget if you were to get a brand new tank from a store. Though make sure you check out your local aquatic retailers as the chains are not always the cheapest... so its worth looking around. You could also look at going second hand, there are some pretty much as new tanks out there for a fraction of the cost on places like ebay, gumtree or there are some facebook groups out there that are quite localised with and just for aquariums - might be worth a look. The other good place is Aquarist Classified which is a UK listings site just for fish stuff. And also dont forget to check out the classified section on this site (down at the bottom of the home page).
 
Once you have the tank the next step is to start your cycle and this is where the forum will save you a fortune
 
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/277264-beginners-resource-center/
 
That link is our beginners resource centre - have a read of the fishless cycle article and the nitrogen cycle article. Both really important and essential to the tank. So make sure you understand whats what and what you need to do next. And if you have any questions just ask away on here
 
Then the next step is to plan out what fish you want to have and where your going to get them from Where abouts in the UK are you from maybe someone can point you in the direction of the best shops in the area?
 
Hope that has helped
Wills

 

[Ch4rlie]

 
Wills above has pretty much said all that need to be said for a beginner.
 
Always try to get the biggest sized tank you can get. For me, there are 2 main reasons for this, the bigger the tank, the more water there is and therefore the easier it is to keep the water nice and stable for the fish. 2nd reason is simple, you can have more fish!!
 
And pretty much everyone on this forum highly recommends doing Fishless Cycles. Why? Much easier and if you make mistakes, you won't harm any fish in the process. 

 
By the way, don't always trust what your local fish store (LFS) says or advises, always do your homework first and ask on this forum first. These guys here on this forum always willing to help out.
 
Good luck 

 

[Linway]

Hey Willis
Thanks for the big reply, much appreciated.
I'm just gunna to through in steps to reply to your post.

I looked at the Roma 125 tank in particular, it is beyond what we can afford. It looks like a great tank and all but it would pretty much take all of the budget before any decor or fish lol.

With regards to the size of the tank, we live in a 1 bed apartment so size is an issue, the place where we want to store the tank would look out of place with anything larger than a 60-70L. I know I could get a tall tank but I don't like how they look lol

You also said about looking else where other than chain stores. I don't drive so the main benefit of chain stores is that they deliver . In reply to second hand, with it being our first tank we both want a new one (don't mean that to sound snobby but we aren't allowed pets in our apartment complex so we decided on fish (although I've always had goldfish eg until I moved here)).

I live in Cardiff so yeah any local knowledge would be fantastic. My issue with searching google for local stores is just that I have absolutely no idea with regards to the reliability or quality of the store. I'm not saying PetsAtHome is good or anything (quite frankly it's extremely overpriced) but with it being a massive chain I have a guaranteed warranty should anything go wrong.

I'll take a Look at the guide you mentioned
We are hoping to have purchased everything and have it all setup within 2-3 weeks so will hope to post some pictures when it's ready!

Ch4rlie, what's a fish cycle? Lol sorry about the noobs questions

Thanks again for the reply and thanks to anyone else who decides to chip in any information.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Well, I bought my first tank a couple of weeks ago, a Fluval Roma 90 litre tank with cabinet stand from Pets at Home for £200, I think it's not bad for the money and yes you get a 2 year warranty/guarantee with that for peace of mind. As well as heater and Fluval U2 filter, tap safe dechlorinater included. So you would just need the decor and gravel/sand and you're ready to go!!

But do shop around and get the best your budget and space allows.

 

[Linway]

Yeh I saw that offer on the website too, it looks really nice, it's just with a £200 budget for everything (including fish) it's not really an option >.<
I miss the days where I was happy with a goldfish that my grandad won at a fair ground and a £10 tank lol

 

[Meeresstille]

If you do a fishless cycle you will have lots of time to save up for the fish you want to stock your tank with. A fishless cycle usually takes 4 - 6 weeks, so there is lots of time for planning and saving.
 
Did you look at the fishless cycle option in the resource page Wills had provided? 

 

[Linway]

Yeah I've read them now. I didn't realise it took so long to prepare a tank lol the guys in Pets at Home told me it was like 48 hours

 

[Wills]

Yeah I've read them now. I didn't realise it took so long to prepare a tank lol the guys in Pets at Home told me it was like 48 hours

 
This is the part where I meant that you save a lot of money with the fishless cycle here.... if you add fish after 48 hours its pointless, nothing happens to the filter and then you add fish on their advice, they die, you go back buy some "snake juice" cycling products (not cheap) and more fish - potentially start and repeat this process for 4 or so weeks...
 
The fishless way is so much cheaper - £20ish on the API test kit and about £8 for a bottle of ammonia from Boots or Homebase.
 
Of the tanks you linked go for the biggest one - so that looks like the one from Pets at Home
 
Wills

 

[Ch4rlie]

Yeah I've read them now. I didn't realise it took so long to prepare a tank lol the guys in Pets at Home told me it was like 48 hours

 
This is exactly one of the reasons why I say don't always trust what LFS says or advises. 

 
Ask on this forum first if you are in doubt or unsure of anything. The guys here will keep you on the right path! 

 

[Linway]

Yeah I figured their advice was completely wrong after reading what you guys had linked and just assumed it would be profit driven advice on their behalf in that what you buy dies so you have to buy more.
I had a look last night and there are a bunch of stores in the area so I'm gunna have a walk round them on Tuesday and if I can't find a tank I prefer, will just pick up the PaH one. It might not be 100+L big but I think it will help me feel more comfortable just in case I do mess anything up I would end up killing massive amounts of fish and I can just upgrade in a couple of years and donate the tank to my grandparents (they have a 25L tank with 1 in that I gave them a while back as I went abroad for a year).

Massive thanks for the advice guys! We really appreciate it. And sorry about it being in the wrong section, I noticed last night there was a "starters" section where this should have gone lol
I'll definitely remember to post there when it comes to stocking the tank haha

Thanks again

 

[keastclan]

Hi, just bouncing in here. Have you thought about ordering your tank online?
I live in Gloucestershire, I got mine from www.seapets.co.uk  They had some great deals on and they deliver free too. They are not the only reputable shop out there but it might be worth looking on line before you go local. 
I looked liked the deal on seapets and then asked on a forum if anyone had had dealings with them before and got replies in the positive, so might be worth going down that route.
I find this site invaluable by the way

 

[Linway]

Just wanted to thank you all for the advice!
 
We bought a tank today... Seriously lucked out haha. One of the Pets at Home employees made a bit of a mistake and put out an "offer sign" that expired over a couple of months ago but their store policy says they have to honor the advertised sale because it's their mistake so we go a 95L tank much cheaper than it should have been lol
 
http/www.petsathome.com/shop/marina-style-95-tropical-aquarium-set-(available-in-selected-stores-only)-78663
 
That and the stand for pretty much just the price of the tank
 
Thanks again!

 

[Ch4rlie]

Nice one! 

 
Enjoy! 

 

[paradiddle]

Pet stores will tell you leave it 3 days before adding fish...
It's stupidity, leaving water for 3 days is not going to produce bacteria or a colony for your filter, ammonia is needed!
Fishless is the way to go I did my 250L fishless in 4 weeks dosing household ammonia I bought of eBay (VERY hard to find in the UK shops, in fact you won't find it due to it being a key element to making homemade bombs lol)
Keep a record of each days findings, google a fishless cycle calculator, it will tell you what amount in ml's of ammonia you need to put in the tank.
Get a testing kit! You will AWLAYS need this, it's not wasting money so don't feel it is, it isn't just for the cycle it's for the WHOLE life of your fish keeping, pets at home sell the api master kit for around £30 and it's brilliant for all casual keepers.

Stick to the rules of adding fish with a week or two in between, but with that said if you fishless cycle to 4ppm ammonia once your cycle is done you COULD (not advising it personally) fully stock your tank!

Hope this helps a little!

If you take one thing out of this post I hope it would be BUY A WATER TEST KIT

Adam