miserkris

Hi

I am new here ...I am in Downingtown,PA.

I am about to buy a 55 gallon fish tank for $25 .
The tank is 12inchesdeep,21 inches high,48inches long, it is the glass tank only. there is nothing else with it .


Is it a good deal , can I get lights and dome , heater later?

Thks!!
Kris

bruiser

Welcome to fishlore!

If it holds water I'd say its a pretty good deal..

Your going to need the filter, heater, etc before you add fish.. do you know about the nitrogen cycle?

mmcd

^^ x 2.. When i buy used tanks i set them up in the garage for about a week or so to make sure they hold water so i dont bring them in the house then bust. Just something to think about 55 gallons is alot of water..

aquarist48

Hello Kris and Welcome to Fish Lore.

If the 55g doesn't leak then I think $25 is more than fair. Check for scratches and chips especially on the corners.

Ken

treve

Kris.

Sounds like a good deal make sure you check all the seals and the frame that there are no cracks or even hairline fractures.
I only say this from past experiences when I bought a second hand tank set up and it looked awesome very clean next to new only to go back pick it up drive home carry it in and as I started cleaning it I noticed a hairline fracture on the frame supporting the bottom of the tank.
I wasted alot of time and effort and ended bringing all the way back and buying a new set up.

Best of luck with yours.

harpua2002

Great deal IMO. Be sure to inspect the glass and seals as others have mentioned. Issues with the glass would make me pass it up; issues with the silicone would not (resealing isn't that difficult and can save you a lot of money).

miserkris

Hi All,
Yes the seller said it holds water...will check.

I have had goldfish, angel ,mollies etc before about 20 yrs ago that was without filter system !

I wanna have discus , tetras etc ...in a planted setup. It will be in my basement which is not heated.

Pls advice if I can have it in my cold basement (gets to 55F in winter/now).
What all fish can I have with discuss? Are discus hard to keep?
How often should I change water and can I change 1/5th every 2-3 wks?

My goal is to have the least work/maintenance...so pls advice how I can do that?
Is there a super filter I can buy which can be quiet and efficient so I can go without cleaning for long?!

And where does one get cheap and cute discus? Are mailorders ok?

Thanks!!!
Kris

Amanda

Discus aren't the fish to keep if you don't want maintainence. They usually require water changes daily. They are also very expensive to buy, and difficult to keep alive.
If I were you, I'd start with something a little easier to keep alive first then move on to discus.

flyin-lowe

That's a decent deal but something to think about is the rest of the gear you will need. The tank is self is usually one of the cheapest parts of the game. Around here on CraigsLIst I can usually find 55gallons that are complete with everything for $100.00. So $25 is not bad but it might be better if you are willing to buy used stuff to shop around. I don't typically see a lot of filters,heaters, and other gear sold individually. So you might be saving 20-30 bucks on the tank but if you have to buy everything else new you will likely have several more hundred dollars in a complete setup.

harpua2002

There's always eBay for used equipment. I see quite a bit of equipment on Craigslist, but I'm in the Atlanta area and I realize that a lot of other areas don't have the kind of deals that we do here.

miserkris

Ok, can you guys give me a list of social , very colorful fresh water fish for a tank
with least maintenance ,ie not so frequent water changes?

Thx!!

harpua2002

I change 50% of the water on my FW tanks every week regardless of whether the species I'm keeping are considered easy or difficult.

bruiser

I agree with Harpua 100%! Weekly water changes are a must regardless of tank size and species..

But on the plus side.. With a good gravel vac, and once you've done it a few times, you get into a routine and it all goes fairly quick..

To avoid actually vacuuming the gravel, I've had very good luck with DIY under-gravel jet systems. (You can find more info on them in the DIY section..) But that would cut down your maintenance time a bit..

tetralover77

if water conditions are really good then you could have 4 discus 8 rummy nosed tetra and one plec. but unfortunately you would have to do weekly water changes of about 20-30%.
a good alternative to discus that is a bit hardier is angelfish my personal fave

miserkris

Ok I didnt get that 55G for $25, like you guys mentioned I'd rather wait for a whole pkg deal...is it ok to buy used filter systems too?

What other FW fish are colorful and hardy?

Will a SW FOWLR system be less maintenance (not the initial setup work but water changes)?

I saw a youtube where a FOWLR guy was saying he doesnt change water for long times !

harpua2002

IMO, nothing about SW requires less maintenance than FW. It isn't more difficult IMO, it's just different and less forgiving.

There are a lot of mixed opinions out there when it comes to doing water changes on a FOWLR. I'd still do them weekly. I have 4 SW tanks plus the 5 FW tanks and I do weekly water changes on all of them. A good quality skimmer helps with the frequency of water changes, but I actually like getting into my tanks and doing maintenance so I don't rely just on my equipment.

Fish_Man

I'm not a fan of getting used tanks because of the bad experience I had but luckily I was about to return it to the person with full refund. I find in the long run the used tank will need more repairing with resealing or the cracks here and there....

So I would think its better to buy new.. but thats just my opinion.

Deal wise its a good deal if you don't need to repair anything and if you don't mind scratches or anything with it.

Make sure to test the tank there first to see any leaks and see if you can get a refund if you find any leakage on it when you bring it home....

miserkris

Hi Harpua and others ,

You guys mind checking this CL posting, I went and saw the tank, it is indeed as per the posting ...

What would be a great deal or suggest an amount above which it aint worth getting used!! Shall I ask for $350? He lives like 16 mi from me ....

THANKS!!
kris

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/for/1624399372.html