RE: Newbie for a 30x18x30inches Tank

[huister]

Hi all,
Being a very newbie here, I wish to setup a planted tank, and had went over to a LFS, these are what has been quoted to me so far:-

1) Tank (30x18x30) with Cabinet
2) EM2224 external canister filter with organic etc
3) CO2
4) 12 packs of "Gravel" (not sure what this is for, besides tiny stones where you can plant the plants, apparently I was told it adds as nutrients as well) VERY Expensive!!

Just want to know whether if there are other things which needs to be included but are not given as now? As I need to calculate the total cost of setting up the tank and wont like any nasty surprises Chiller wise you can exclude that for now

Rdgs,

Huister

[Verminator]

1) That tank in inches i take it?
2) Ok
3) CO2 is not nesecary - it depends if you want better plant growth (without it you'll want to trhink a bit more about plants you can keep.
4) What gravel is it If you state what type people will be able to give you opinions. You have to concider what purpose your tank will serve. If you just want a few plants to be healthy and in your tank for fishes to swim about then any standard gravel will suffice. If you want to delve into planted tanks and achieve far better plant growth then nutritious substrates are the way to go (of that there are many too)

Although quite expensive to set-up the overall running cost's are comparitably cheaper. Obviously theres power consumption constantly (which other bro's here can assits on) Providing you don't keep tinkering with your tank, or doing major over-hauls it shouldnt be that expensive.

[meerkat]

Hi huister,

It is wise to ask around a few shops before any decision making.

This is because the prices of stuff like the substrate and external filters may vary quite a lot from shop to shop

Most important is the attitude of the staff. You can tell if they are genuinely giving you proper/sound advice or doing some hardsell by forcing you to buy this and that without actually asking you WHAT you need

You are quite right on the chiller. Unless you are keeping CRS (crystal red shrimps) or cold-water fishes, it is not necessary to install a chiller as the initial cost is quite high and that the monthly utility bill will shoot up.

My two cents...

[smeagol]

Hi huister,

I also started my hobby not too long ago, about 2 months into it. What I can tell you is that it will be good to source for different parts are different places, instead of buying everything from one shop. Reason being some shops / suppliers specialise in that product and you can get value for money goods.

A simple breakdown of what I have spent on my 1 feet tank so far...

1) (30 x 30 x 30) cm custom made tank by weeyang - $25

2) 24W 1 feet Illuminax lights from Mizuworld - $40+ (includes delivery to your doorstep)

3) Dolphin H100 hang-on filter -$12

4) Eden 501 cannister filter - $50 (this was bought as I thought the hang-on is insufficient, I have 50+ tetras in my tank, need better filtration to clear the waste fast. If you don't have alot of fish, the dolphin is enough)

5) Dymax 3w fan - $9

6) Dymax digital therometer - $10

7) Subtrate, plants, wood - $50 (Bought a piece of wood tied with taiwan moss for $25, hairgrass $10 and subtrate for $15)

Timer for lights - $10

9) Fish food, plant fertiliser and flourish excel (liquid carbon as a CO2 substitute since I don't used pressurised CO2) - $20?

This is an estimated breakdown of everything I have spent so far. Slightly over $200, but I am very happy with my set-up. Of course I'll be looking to add more things like maybe a chiller and the CO2, but this kind of thing, as you buy along the way, you'll slowly spend, so you don't feel the pain at one go. If you need any help on where I got my things can always drop me a pm, or the other brothers here can surely help too.

If I am correct, CO2 systems start from as low as $80 (those w/o solenoid) to $180-$200 fully auotmated ones. There are decent second-hand chillers for around $100-$150 but generally for 1 feet tanks they don't really recommend chillers. You'll go along and learn, which is a great experience I enjoyed myself.

Do more homework around in the forums to help yourself make a better choice, and before you spend all that money! haha

[huister]

Hi all, Thanks so much for the replies. They have been very help

In all honesty, these are the prices quoted to me so far:-
1) Tank (2.5 ft x 1.5 ft x 2.5 ft) with Cabinet - $750
2) EM2224 external canister filter with organic etc - $322
3) CO2 - $180
4) 12 packs of "Gravel" (not sure what this is for, besides tiny stones where you can plant the plants, apparently I was told it adds as nutrients as well) VERY Expensive!! 12 x $38 = $456

Have I been over-sold?

Hi Smeagol,

Do you have the contact of you tank maker? The prices looked very reasonable

Concerning substrate, what are the availabe brands and what type should I be using? Are there any available known brands around?

Rdgs,

Huister

[smeagol]

Wow, 2.5 feet tank for $700+ is way overpriced. Unless the glass is of high quality (like ADA or jewel) or the cabinet is really some fanciful wood (which i doubt will be the major consideration of your purchase), its really hard to justify the price.

Other cheaper Eheim alternatives for a smaller tank are definitely available, brand new in the region of S$200. Even the entry-level cannisters like 2213 or 2217 should be $100 odd.

CO2 looks ok, but then again isit the whole package? With solenoid and all the diffusers, etc?

Gravel $400+, it really sounds to me that the person is more interested to make a gold mine out of you. Then again you might have heard things... hahaha

You can contact weeyang at 96672353, you can call him up and if he has existing, ready-collection tanks you can collect it off his office in ang mo kio industrial park.

Subtrate wise i think there are many kinds as well. Soil types are generally known to be easy for you to plant the plants in, but can cause bacteria boom/cloudy water very easily. Disintegrates into mud after a while as well. Cost wise, 2 bags for a one feet tank should cost below $20.

You can also consider lapis sand with the fertiliser, think it may be more expensive but it should last better in the long run? (or so i think, might be wrong) I've also read comments about lapis being more difficult for you to place the plants into it. Can check with the rest here.

Hope that helps!

[luncheonMeat]

4) 12 packs of "Gravel" (not sure what this is for, besides tiny stones where you can plant the plants, apparently I was told it adds as nutrients as well) VERY Expensive!! 12 x $38 = $456

the ADA Soil is usually priced at around 40$ +/- for a 10L bag.
12 packs would fill up a whole 2ft tank.

You should find out excatly what hes selling you. There must be a mistake somewhere.

I know ADA Power sand is around $40 too. this is a base fetelizer. but generally you don need 12 packs for a 2.5 feet tank unless your gravel are all in small packs.

One way to check prices is definetly to go online. Make a comparison with Mizuworld.

http://www.mizuworld.com

Im not saying you must buy here or they are the best price. just checking average price at the convinience of your own home.

[Verminator]

I apologise if this isnt allowed in the forum (i'm unsure). If its not allowed mods can delete post with immediate affect. Can't PM huister yet due to not high enough post count.

From my experience Mizuworld.com is a good bet. Especially if your a newbie to the hobby. They won't mess you around and Ben is very knowledgeable and will tell you what you do and don't need for what you want to achieve. With from what i saw, reasonable prices (unsure on rest of SGP market though being UK resident).

Alternatively Aquaessentials.co.uk is a very reputable retailer here in the UK, which ships anywhere in the world. Being in the UK i know local prices in shops, and this retailer beats them hands down. An example is an Arcadia Luminaire 4x39W T5 HO light set, which at a big uk retailer has cost me £270 ($705 SGD). At a small LFS i could of got that for £225 ($588 SGD). And if i had bought that on Aquaessentials.co.uk i could have got it for £172 ($449 SGD). Comparitavely speaking, i cannot compare to Singapore...but prices are far cheaper in my experience.

If this post is in breach of forum rules/regulations don't hesitate to delete - apologies

[khtee]

Hi all, Thanks so much for the replies. They have been very help

In all honesty, these are the prices quoted to me so far:-
1) Tank (2.5 ft x 1.5 ft x 2.5 ft) with Cabinet - $750
2) EM2224 external canister filter with organic etc - $322
3) CO2 - $180
4) 12 packs of "Gravel" (not sure what this is for, besides tiny stones where you can plant the plants, apparently I was told it adds as nutrients as well) VERY Expensive!! 12 x $38 = $456

Have I been over-sold?

Huister

Hi Huister,

1. 2.5ft Tank
Definitely too pricey. For that price, I would be happily get Juwel Rio 180 which has a internal filtering system. This would omit you the need to buy an external canister filer.
http://www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/rio.htm

2. do you need 12 packs of "Gravel"? at what size or weight per pack?
For $456, I would rather get the Dennerle crystal quartz gravel at about $60 per 10kg. 3 packs of it will do for 3ft tank. And maybe $110 for extra for DeponitMix Professional. That's only abt $280 the most.
http://www.dennerle.info/EN/HG09UG03.htm

3. CO2
Sound reasonably if it include the solenoid and diffuser and the black cable for CO2.

[luncheonMeat]

Yea, just as Verminator has mentioned, im not sure if we have breached the Forum rules but all we were doing was to ensure that our bros do not get conned! Its important to know this so we can continue our hobbies and not be turned off by LFS that are just trying to rip beginners of their bucks.

Our suggestions were just trying to let you(huister) know that some of the quotes you got were just pretty high. Remember to check with the others here in the forum before paying the money.

Best is let us know what he quoted you for. Example what is the brand of the gravel the LFS recommended you. This way the bros here can tell you if the LFS was trying to rip you off.

Happy Shopping!

[huister]

Hi Huister,

1. 2.5ft Tank
Definitely too pricey. For that price, I would be happily get Juwel Rio 180 which has a internal filtering system. This would omit you the need to buy an external canister filer.
http://www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/rio.htm

2. do you need 12 packs of "Gravel"? at what size or weight per pack?
For $456, I would rather get the Dennerle crystal quartz gravel at about $60 per 10kg. 3 packs of it will do for 3ft tank. And maybe $110 for extra for DeponitMix Professional. That's only abt $280 the most.
http://www.dennerle.info/EN/HG09UG03.htm

3. CO2
Sound reasonably if it include the solenoid and diffuser and the black cable for CO2.

Hi KHTee,

1) Where I can find a LFS which sells Juwel fish tanks?
2) Seriously being a extreme novice, I'm not sure what weight is it, but they are around 30cm in squarish packs, dark pinkish in color though...
3) will do that for the CO2

[Verminator]

Hi Huister,

1. 2.5ft Tank
Definitely too pricey. For that price, I would be happily get Juwel Rio 180 which has a internal filtering system. This would omit you the need to buy an external canister filer.
http://www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/rio.htm

Just want to add. I have a Juwel Rio 180. I bought it as my first tank. Heater, lights and filtration all included. I've been very happy with the tank. As a beginner 3 years ago when i first started, this tank enabled me to acclomplish everything i could have asked. Most good retailers will be able to get in the Juwel range without much hassle. Thats the benefit of going for a good tank manufacturer such as Jewel (readily available from most good retailers around the world!)

[Joseph*]

wah don't think you should go back to that shop anymore.

obviously, that shop is trying to make a big profit out of you.

what kind of gravel is that? gold plated gravel?

[Binks]

Hi Huister,

I agree with everyone here and especially with Joseph! dont go back to the store! (I hate dealers who try and con newbies) You can spend some time on this site and get all your information from the members!

Co2: Go in for a solenoid - pressurised tank set (5+litres size). JBJ is a standard brand and you can get it in shops like Nature Aquarium. See that it has a check valve, 2 dials, solenoid valve, needle valve and a bubble counter. Ask the guy to show you how it works. I just did a price check at NA and the set surprisingly was cheaper than C328!

Tank: you can go with Weeyang or get a Juwel set up if you have the cash. Saves time and energy for a new entrant to this hobby. Cant help you here on where to get Juwel in Singapore.Sorry.

Chiller: Agree no need now for it. Just buy a standard aquarium fan for not more than S$15. Look for an AC fan, less hassles in setting it up.

Substrate: A good standard item which doesn't cloud the water and neither does it degenerate like certain ADA substrates is GEX. Go for the green bag. Its good value for money and I haven't had problems with it. C328 has them when I went there last.

[k3nlim]

Hi Huister,

The price that you listed down for the substrate is rather high in my opinion. My packet of magicsoil which is around 10kg cost me $40 and it does the job of filling up my 2ft planted tank nicely.

Although i'm not sure what type of substrate are been offered to you, would suggest that you check out the others lfs first before making any decision.

If not, you can check out the marketplace here for your purchase. Surely got nice bros that can help you out.
Right guys?

[huister]

Thanks all for the replies once again, will go around shopping from Fridays onwards and come back with to seek your guys' view. I will be back!