Advice on aquarium, First aquarium
Good Afternoon
I know from posting a previous aqaurium deal on here people on here are knowledgable on this subject, I want to buy my first aquarium.
I want to be sure im clued up on the subject before adding to the mortality rate of the in-experienced and bad advised.
I am very interested in the Orca MT-50 which i know has been on here a few times but is currently outside of my budget.
I have been reading up on www.fishforums.net mainly.
I like the following aquariums:-
Interpet Fish Pod Glass Aquarium - Fish Pod 48 Litre
(http://www.amazon.co.uk/Interpet-Fish-Pod-Glass-Aquarium/dp/B003XLBW0K/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1331645051&sr=8-3)
I`ve also been looking on ebay and the classifeds for some bargains sorting by distance nearest hoping I could pick one up by the limitations on postage, I live within WF17 and would greatly appreciate any advice.
Am i best to keep saving and go for the Orca? I know mamboboy is a big fan on this aquarium
All Comments (128)
Jump to unread Post a Commenthttp://www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/catalog/superfish-aqua-black-aquarium-p-5856.html
Is it on HUKD as i cant find it?
I have a Fluval Edge in my kitchen, one of the few contemporary options on the market, in fact one of the few tanks that actually looks nice.
OP what fish would you like to keep? I have Neon Tetra's and Guppies in my Edge (23Litre) tank along with an Otto. Neon Tetra's are a good tropical fish to start with as they are quite hardy. Guppies are said to be hardy fish but I wouldn't say the are,
You will learn as you go along, like anything else. It is important to cycle your tank before adding fish, add maybe five Tetra's, let them have the run of the tank for maybe a week or more before adding some guppies, male only if you don't want baby guppies everywhere. Plus male Guppies are far more attractive that the females.
The Otto eats brown algae and he won't grow very large, so one of those little guys is ideal to clean your tank, they seem to be happy alone also.
My kid's love the guppies because of their colours, I was never a fan of fish tanks to be honest, but I like the Edge and I like my little collection of fish, will post up some pic's later
I have a Fluval Edge in my kitchen, one of the few contemporary options on the market, in fact one of the few tanks that actually looks nice.
OP what fish would you like to keep? I have Neon Tetra's and Guppies in my Edge (23Litre) tank along with an Otto. Neon Tetra's are a good tropical fish to start with as they are quite hardy. Guppies are said to be hardy fish but I wouldn't say the are,
You will learn as you go along, like anything else. It is important to cycle your tank before adding fish, add maybe five Tetra's, let them have the run of the tank for maybe a week or more before adding some guppies, male only if you don't want baby guppies everywhere. Plus male Guppies are far more attractive that the females.
The Otto eats brown algae and he won't grow very large, so one of those little guys is ideal to clean your tank, they seem to be happy alone also.
My kid's love the guppies because of their colours, I was never a fan of fish tanks to be honest, but I like the Edge and I like my little collection of fish, will post up some pic's later
Thanks to you both for taking time to post, Unfortunately he has_152 asking price is beyond my budget. Plus im not sure 23L would be big enough for me? Id like to have the ability to have a mixture of fish, snails, shrimps or crabs in the future? (although ive read fish and crabs at the same time isnt a good idea!)
I would like to go down the tropical route and probably make a start similiar to yours to get going and get the jist of care and maintenance.
I just like how everything is housed in the back, plus you can easily put the heater down there as well so it's all fully enclosed. I rinse 2 of the 3 filters every month or so in the bucket of recently emptied water, and replace two buckets in total in the whole maintenance routine.
One thing I've changed is the light and that's simply because I wanted one that's more suited to plants as the one included is white and blue if I remember rightly and I need daylight ones.
My only concern is if the tank gets discontinued it may become hard to find replacement pumps. The light isn't a concern though as any 24w 4-pin compact will fit.
Going the second hand route might be a decent idea too. You can find some right crackers on eBay... I've seen 200 litre tanks with cabinets included go on there for next to nothing but if you're a starter that's probably a little big. I wouldn't go for anything under 60l though personally as you'll find you'll be wanting to upgrade it sooner than later...
This is mine now... currently have the same angelfish, two peppered cory's, one panda cory and a butterfly hillstream loach...
EDIT: Just read you're interested in putting crabs in. Don't bother, they are one of the worst pets I've ever had.. and I've had eels that would leep one foot out of the water, hah. We're talking cannibalism (while still alive), and then fasting from food they are supposed to eat once they've killed their tankmates. They are very territorial so need to be kept in huge tanks...
Edited By: mamboboy on Mar 13, 2012 18:49: g
I just like how everything is housed in the back, plus you can easily put the heater down as well there so it's all fully enclosed.
One thing I've changed is the light and that's simply because I wanted one that's more suited to plants as the one included is white and blue if I remember rightly and I need daylight ones.
My only concern is if the tank gets discontinued it may become hard to find replacement pumps. The light isn't a concern though as any 24w 4-pin compact will fit.
Going the second hand route might be a decent idea too. You can find some right crackers on eBay... I've seen 200 litre tanks with cabinets included go on there for next to nothing but if you're a starter that's probably a little big. I wouldn't go for anything under 60l though personally as you'll find you'll be wanting to upgrade it sooner than later...
This is mine now...
EDIT: Just read you're interested in putting crabs in. Don't bother, they are one of the worst pets I've ever had.. and I've had eels that would leep one foot out of the water, hah. We're talking cannibalism (while still alive), and then fasting from food they are supposed to it. They are very territorial so need to be kept in huge tanks...
Hey mamboboy thanks for taking time to post, Thanks for the advice on the crabs! I was just thinking getting a larger tank than the 23L would give me more ability to add/change in the future if needed.
The MT50 looks fantastic I think I will go ahead with this and add some more to the budget to ensure I get a good unit, Thanks for the warning in regards to pumps! I may order an extra pump for what they cost to know IF it does I have one ready.
Not finding much on ebay that are suitable either WAY too big or biorb which i know to stay well clear of!
Thanks again
Yep, the pump isn't overly expensive right now to be honest so it may not be a bad idea to invest in an extra spare for the future: http://www.charterhouse-aquatics.co.uk/catalog/orca-mt50-spare-water-pump-p-1583.html
But as I said, mines 2+ years old now and is still as quiet as the first day I had it.
I have a 60 litre BiOrb and to be honest I think a lot of people buy them and expect to use it like they would a little tiny goldfish bowl. Or at least that seems to be the case looking at the state of the ones I see on eBay!
I will admit though they are a real pain to maintain, just really awkward to get around and I wish I'd never got one if I'm being honest... but I just can't part with my dwarf puffers :D
Edited By: mamboboy on Mar 13, 2012 19:25: d
I have a Fluval Edge in my kitchen, one of the few contemporary options on the market, in fact one of the few tanks that actually looks nice.
OP what fish would you like to keep? I have Neon Tetra's and Guppies in my Edge (23Litre) tank along with an Otto. Neon Tetra's are a good tropical fish to start with as they are quite hardy. Guppies are said to be hardy fish but I wouldn't say the are,
You will learn as you go along, like anything else. It is important to cycle your tank before adding fish, add maybe five Tetra's, let them have the run of the tank for maybe a week or more before adding some guppies, male only if you don't want baby guppies everywhere. Plus male Guppies are far more attractive that the females.
The Otto eats brown algae and he won't grow very large, so one of those little guys is ideal to clean your tank, they seem to be happy alone also.
My kid's love the guppies because of their colours, I was never a fan of fish tanks to be honest, but I like the Edge and I like my little collection of fish, will post up some pic's later
Could never keep guppies for more than a month, they look great, just not very hardy
Im between cold water and tropical but leaning more toward tropical? Any recommendations on heater if i do for the MT50?
Is that the 46litre variant? It does look fantastic!!
Small plants and fish ;)
Small plants and fish ;)
Thats what i was thinking looks massive for a 23L tank, You`ve made my decision alot harder! What do you in there at the moment?
Thanks for the info, I see the Fluval Edge is available for £70 and the new LED model for £80 hmmm! :)
Im between cold water and tropical but leaning more toward tropical? Any recommendations on heater if i do for the MT50?
75w should be fine. I got mine from eBay, this brand one I believe: 370479341129
Remember, The Edge tanks are hard to clean/catch fish, worse than the BiOrb. I do agree though they do look nice but you'll be very limited in your choice (and amount) of fish. I'd seriously read the reviews on it first!
Edited By: mamboboy on Mar 13, 2012 20:34