Fish Tank Brands For A 30 Gallon

Hello Everyone, this is my first post.

I have been researching online for a new larger freshwater fish tank and wanted to get the opinion from experienced fish keepers on the best tank brands out there. I've read a few posts about tanks cracking and leaking and all the fish dying, quite horrid. I'd like to avoid getting a tank with a bad reputation.

I'm hoping to purchase a 30 gallon glass freshwater tank and stand, it will hopefully be planted so I'll need lighting as well. However, there are so many choices its hard to pick, especially for a beginner. They also vary so much in price, that I think the lower end ones will surely leak after a couple years and be worthless. There are also some that are so highly priced the fish would surely need to find jobs to pay for it!

I'm looking for brands that are somewhat average in price and have reputations for quality tanks. Any guidance will be very much appreciated.

-Madeline

 

Marineland® 38 Gallon Aquarium Starter Kit, PetSmart carries this and I have had great experiences with Marineland products. I would upgrade that biowheel over time to a canister filter though.

 

Hello and welcome. Aqueon and Marineland are two that I recommend.
Right now Petco is having a Dollar Per Gallon sale, so you can get a great price for a tank. Also check on Craigslist for good deals as well. You may even find a whole setup for pretty cheap, or just equipment you may need.
As far as lighting, a lot of members that have planted tanks go with Finnex. Just go to the lighting, or plant section, and you should get info there.

 

marineland tanks are good. If you can find it, I'd buy the stand and tank set. And get a medium canister filter. You could buy the starter kit, but IMHO I think any biowheel filter other than the emperor 400 are garbage. and the reoccurring cost of filter pads and stuff is a pain. Ehiem, marineland, aquatop and sun sun have some canisters lower on the price range.

 

Starter kits are ok. But eventually you will upgrade, I always suggest buying in pieces, you get exactly what you want, better equipment, and you may not have to worry about upgrading if you get a bigger tank.

 

The 2 main brands of glass tanks have already been recommended. Here's fruit for thought, how about an acrylic. Any cracks or leaks are extremely rare, and the tank last a long time. I have one that's 38 years old, and still perfect. The cost is MUCH higher, but you get what you pay for!

 

And I thought that was glass and not very old at all fissh ive seen it before, unbelievable and its not aged a day.

 

And I thought that was glass and not very old at all fissh ive seen it before, unbelievable and its not aged a day.

Kinda like me!

 

As other have said Marineland or Aqueon are the 'go to' brands. Personally I would avoid buying a kit, and buy components separately, the components in the kits tend to be cheaply made, make the investment up front!

Fluval, Aquaclear for filters; Aqueon Pro or fluval for heaters; Finnex, Fluval or Current USA for lights, those are the common brands.

 

Marineland® 38 Gallon Aquarium Starter Kit, PetSmart carries this and I have had great experiences with Marineland products. I would upgrade that biowheel over time to a canister filter though.

Thank you Tragic, I will look into marineland sets. Are you suggesting I add a canister filter or replace the filter it comes with? I would like to minimize the appearance of the cables and wires so I'll need to do some research on the canisters as well.

Hello and welcome. Aqueon and Marineland are two that I recommend.
Right now Petco is having a Dollar Per Gallon sale, so you can get a great price for a tank. Also check on Craigslist for good deals as well. You may even find a whole setup for pretty cheap, or just equipment you may need.
As far as lighting, a lot of members that have planted tanks go with Finnex. Just go to the lighting, or plant section, and you should get info there.

Hello Bluman, thanks for the suggestions. As it happens I just left petco not 15 min. ago. I purchased another anubias plant... their selection is quite pitiful, I felt sorry for the plants! I did see the signs about $1/gallon but wasn't sure how that worked and if they had the sale for all their tanks. I'd definitely need to order it online, the store didn't have much in stock at all.

marineland tanks are good. If you can find it, I'd buy the stand and tank set. And get a medium canister filter. You could buy the starter kit, but IMHO I think any biowheel filter other than the emperor 400 are garbage. and the reoccurring cost of filter pads and stuff is a pain. Ehiem, marineland, aquatop and sun sun have some canisters lower on the price range.

Thanks Mike, I guess the next thing I'll need to research is the filter. Not sure how the canister filters work, I've never had one. I've only had experience with HOB filters from 20 years ago or so from my mom. So much has changed since then. I'll jot down those brands and take a look at those, perhaps when I buy the tank they can give me a deal on the canister.

 

Tetra and topfin have some cheap kits that work week enough but if you go with that I'd recommend a different filter

 

I think the stands you see at Petco and Petsmart are not that bad. You need to find a stand that will help you expand your arsenal should you decide to upgrade your equipment later in life, like a canister filter.

 

You could probably get a used aquarium stand

 

The 2 main brands of glass tanks have already been recommended. Here's fruit for thought, how about an acrylic. Any cracks or leaks are extremely rare, and the tank last a long time. I have one that's 38 years old, and still perfect. The cost is MUCH higher, but you get what you pay for!View attachment 344637

Hello Fissh, thanks for the suggestion, however, I'd scratch up the holy **** out of an acrylic tank. I have a 4 gallon acrylic tank atm, and it looks great but when I do water changes you can see all the scratches I've made with the magnetic scrubber. And I've wiped for particles beforehand and even used a soft cloth to buffer the outer piece but no matter how hard I tried not to scratch it.... its scratched. I want to get a glass tank that can withstand the cleanings.

 

Thanks Mike, I guess the next thing I'll need to research is the filter. Not sure how the canister filters work, I've never had one. I've only had experience with HOB filters from 20 years ago or so from my mom. So much has changed since then. I'll jot down those brands and take a look at those, perhaps when I buy the tank they can give me a deal on the canister.

you can find many of those brands for around $50-$150. They're more worth your time and money.

 

As other have said Marineland or Aqueon are the 'go to' brands. Personally I would avoid buying a kit, and buy components separately, the components in the kits tend to be cheaply made, make the investment up front!

Fluval, Aquaclear for filters; Aqueon Pro or fluval for heaters; Finnex, Fluval or Current USA for lights, those are the common brands.

Thanks Fishntips, I've read a bit now about buying everything separately. I've looked into a few of these brands you mentioned. I do like the fluval heater, I wish their products (tanks especially) were better priced, but as you said.. it's an investment. I'll weigh in the prices and pray for a really great coupon!

I think the stands you see at Petco and Petsmart are not that bad. You need to find a stand that will help you expand your arsenal should you decide to upgrade your equipment later in life, like a canister filter.

Fashooga, do you mean with shelves for the canisters and the holes for the tubing? I've seen a few of the fluval stands with this set up but the other stands I see don't really show you what the inside looks like. I went to petco but their selection was dismal. I'll check out another store for their floor models.

thank you!

 

Fashooga, do you mean with shelves for the canisters and the holes for the tubing? I've seen a few of the fluval stands with this set up but the other stands I see don't really show you what the inside looks like. I went to petco but their selection was dismal. I'll check out another store for their floor models.

thank you!

When I started I got a stand from Petsmart but never thought about getting a canister filter. When I did decide to get one the canister filter didn't fit at all. I couldn't hide inside the stand and I didn't want to leave it outside the stand in which my "tax deductions" aka kids, could destroy it.

You can always do a DIY stand which cinderblocks and a table clothe. Or if you know somebody handy they can build you one.

 

I did see the signs about $1/gallon but wasn't sure how that worked and if they had the sale for all their tanks.

Exactly what it means. If you want a 30 gallon, it will be 30$. If you want a 40 gallon, it's 40$. Anything 55 and up is not for 1$ per gallon. The price is just reduced, but still can get it cheaper than you normally would.
Definitely go with a canister filter. Depending on the type of stand you get, it can be hidden. The only thing you will have in your tank are the intake/outtake tubes. They can be somewhat hidden, by the type of background you use.
I have a black background with black tubes, so they really blend in nicely.

I've made with the magnetic scrubber.

Those things are not meant for acrylic tanks. They will scratch the mess out of them.

 

Hello and welcome. Aqueon and Marineland are two that I recommend.
Right now Petco is having a Dollar Per Gallon sale, so you can get a great price for a tank. Also check on Craigslist for good deals as well. You may even find a whole setup for pretty cheap, or just equipment you may need.
As far as lighting, a lot of members that have planted tanks go with Finnex. Just go to the lighting, or plant section, and you should get info there.

I just had a chat with Petco, their $1/gallon sale is only in stores and only for tanks 10-29 gallons. Anything larger than 29 gallons is 50% off, but only for tanks in stock at the local store. lol I guess I'll need to visit a lot of stores and get lucky.

Those things are not meant for acrylic tanks. They will scratch the mess out of them.

The one I purchased was the little green BiOrb rounded scraper, I have a BiOrb tank atm... Little did I know it would still scratch. Se la vie. You can't see the scratches when the tank is full of water but when you're doing the water changes I can see them... makes me cringe.

 

Thanks Fishntips, I've read a bit now about buying everything separately. I've looked into a few of these brands you mentioned. I do like the fluval heater, I wish their products (tanks especially) were better priced, but as you said.. it's an investment. I'll weigh in the prices and pray for a really great coupon!

No worries, no need to pay the extra for the fluval, The Aqueon Pro's are much cheaper and are a reliable heater IMHO, Of course Amazon is always cheaper for the most part, so save them to your cart, and buy when Amazon tells you that that item in your cart has reduced in price!! That's assuming you don't need it right away. Good Luck!

 

Madeline Infante I would buy a SunSun Canister filter off amazon, they are inexpensive and work well. I always like to have backups just in case that is why I recommend the set, you get some good starter things, like nets etc... which Marineland usually hooks up on their end. The bio-wheel it comes with you could use as a backup, order your sunsun and you'd be set. It's better to have extras in this hobby.

 

When I started I got a stand from Petsmart but never thought about getting a canister filter. When I did decide to get one the canister filter didn't fit at all. I couldn't hide inside the stand and I didn't want to leave it outside the stand in which my "tax deductions" aka kids, could destroy it.

You can always do a DIY stand which cinderblocks and a table clothe. Or if you know somebody handy they can build you one.

I have a tax deduction myself, so I will not be building it in a DIY method. lol I'll purchase the stand with the tank so I know it will hold up, and now will definitely get one with room for a canister!

Thank you!

Madeline Infante I would buy a SunSun Canister filter off amazon, they are inexpensive and work well. I always like to have backups just in case that is why I recommend the set, you get some good starter things, like nets etc... which Marineland usually hooks up on their end. The bio-wheel it comes with you could use as a backup, order your sunsun and you'd be set. It's better to have extras in this hobby.

Should I be concerned with the hood accommodating the canister tubes? Or are they all standard sized tubes and should be OK to take the place of the HOB opening?

Madeline Infante I would buy a SunSun Canister filter off amazon, they are inexpensive and work well. I always like to have backups just in case that is why I recommend the set, you get some good starter things, like nets etc... which Marineland usually hooks up on their end. The bio-wheel it comes with you could use as a backup, order your sunsun and you'd be set. It's better to have extras in this hobby.

Gotta love that Amazon Prime I think I have wish lists for everything under the sun. lol

Tetra and topfin have some cheap kits that work week enough but if you go with that I'd recommend a different filter

You recommend a canister as well?

 

Should I be concerned with the hood accommodating the canister tubes?

I suggest glass tops. They give the tank a cleaner look. On the back of the tops there is a plastic piece that can be cut to fit canister and inline tubes.

 

Madeline Infante Amazon Prime is the bomb.com... But yeah, the hoses will fit just fine, most hoods have the knock out pieces to place equipment. You could go glass tops as BluMan1914 suggested. I only recommend the kits because of the extra equipment incase something fails... But if you wanted to just buy a tank, hood, canister, heater, and run with it... that would be ok too. Just depends on your budget and time.

 

I suggest glass tops. They give the tank a cleaner look. On the back of the tops there is a plastic piece that can be cut to fit canister and inline tubes.

Oh I agree with you there. The glass on top would be great, not sure how the lighting in the hood would work though. The marineland 38 gal that Tragic recommended has a glass top, looks very nice, the photo doesn't show any lighting tho.

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Seems they have a flash sale going.... I must .... not... look....

 

I honestly almost bought before getting my 75 gallon Saltwater tank.

EDIT: I was looking at the 55gal though.

 

+1 for Marineland. Mine has served me well!

 

+1 for Marineland. Mine has served me well!

Great! Thank you. They have a very large selection.