Tetra 29 g starter kit?

HI all,

Relatively new to fish. Recently purchased National Geographic 23 gallon from petsmart. Not too happy. Light is already broken, internal filter is kind of disappointing. I realize there is a sale at Petco regarding starter kits and dollar per gallon Tetra kits.

Does anyone have any advice on these kits? The 29 gallon Tetra Starter Kit is on sale. Is it a good starter kit?

Thanks!

 

I think it is, yes.

 

I'm not familiar with the model, but I always tend to go for more filtration than what comes stock with many kits.

 

You are not the first member to mention the Nat geo kit. I heard about problems with both the size and strength of current with the filter. I didn't know Petco had a sale on kits I thought just dollar per gallon for empty tanks. I do know petsmart is having a sale on kits.

Seconded to the above - I usually find kit filtration insufficient. Only ever bought one but looked at many.

 

Yes, I was pleased to hear that Tetra starter kits (only 10 and 29 gallons) are half off! A 29 gallon starter kit from tetra is 65$ Sounds like a steal.

The nat geo tank itself is beautiful though. I will certainly probably get a better filter than the one the tetra comes with. I'm just concerned because the tetra tank doesn't feel too well made. Would this be a concern? It sounds like so many people have this tank though without problems.

 

Thanks Adam. Do you have any Tetra tanks? I see you are kind of a pro at this. The tanks don't feel 'solid.' Am I just being to particular?

 

Well, thank you. I'm no pro, though. Just a guy with some fish.

So, I do not have a Tetra tank, no. I'm just basing it on what I know of their reputation, mostly from members here. I would agree with the others that suggested beefing up the filter. You can never have too much filtration, especially when you get into filters that let you customize the media.

 

I didn't know Petco had a sale on kits I thought just dollar per gallon for empty tanks.

The dollar per gallon price does only apply to empty tanks, but they also run a sale on kits at the same time. I assume the reasoning is to draw people in with the lure of $1 per gallon and then upsell to the kit when they realize everything else they'd need to buy.

I have only had smaller (5 and 10 gallon) Tetra tanks but they worked fine for me and I haven't had problems. You might have to upgrade filtration depending on what it comes with. The 29 might come with a HOB which should be fine, but I know their small kits only come with the Whisper internal filters that aren't ideal.

Now that I think of it, I'm pretty sure the tank I set up for my parents was a Tetra 29 kit, and that was 5+ years ago and the tank is still in great condition. They have since had to replace the filter (HOB) but I suspect the problem was from them not cleaning the impeller, rather than faulty equipment. The tank itself has been structurally sound.

 

I've only had my 10 gallon Tetra tank for a month and a half; no problems with it. Like most, I don't care for the filter and will be replacing it with an AquaClear filter. I did replace the light bulbs for ones that are better for plants.

 

Why not just take advantage of the dollar per gallon sale and just get the cheap tank and then customize it with what u want? It may be more money to start but you'll get everythig u want and won't have to settle.

 

Great Advice everyone! I cannot thank you enough!

 

I was wondering if anyone has any experience with the tetra 29 gallon starter kit from petco like is it a good buy or worth the money. Thanks

 

The dollar per gallon sale is going on at Petco right now. I would check to see if buying everything separately will be cheaper.

 

I looked around there today and there would be little to no price differance especially since the starter kit is on sale

 

That may be true but buying everything has its advantages since most of the equipment that come in starter kits are underrated and you'll end up upgrading most of it anyway. Take a look at this thread to get an idea:

 

There are some starter kits that are a good deal and some are a bad deal. What I would do is look at reviews on the items that come in the starter kit and see if people like them. Since you said there wasn't much price difference if everyone hates the tetra products that comes with the kit, then I would buy everything separately. I got a Fluval 29 Wide Starter and everything that came with it is a good product IMO.

 

But then again, Fluval is a great brand to begin with, so I can only imagine all the stuff that comes in their starter kits are decent, compared to say Top Fin, where only the tank is good but the filter/heater is junk.

 

Well , there are 0 reviews on the tank that I can find online

 

Tetra tanks aren't too bad but I would definitely prefer the quality of Aqueon or Marineland. I'd be more worried about the quality of the filter and heater that came with the starter kit tbh.

 

My tetra filter has kept 2 platys alive since last summer...... Me being new to the hobby and lack of knowledge on cycling was a different story. But if anyone has a links to products you recommend it would be appreciated

 

For a 29 gallon, I would recommend an AquaClear 50 or Marineland Emperor 280 for filter. For heater, I would go with the Aqueon Pro 150w.

 

Be wary of the filter / heater in starter kits. You'd have to see what comes with the Tetra - I can speak to the Aqueon 29 gal starter kit: For HOB (hang on back) filters, recommended filtration is 8-10x tank volume an hour. For a 29 gal, that would be approx 230-290 gph. The aqueon 29 gal starter kit comes with an Aqueon 20 filter, which is only 125 gph. It also comes with a 100 watt aqueon heater. In general, you want 5 watts per gallon, so a 150 watt heater is more appropriate for a 29 gal. The filter and heater the starter kit comes with are both quality products, they just aren't cut out to be used with a 29 gal setup. (The aqueon filter and heater that comes with the 29 gal starter kit have worked flawlessly in my 15 gal for several years now). Hope this helps!

 

Exactly my point, JeffK. The company has to make money somehow so they cheap out and give the lower rated equipment.

 

Did you get this situation sorted out?

 

I think I've decided to just get a strayer for now