Fish Tanks

Funsterdelux

Hey, where would one purchase for a reasonable rate a decent fish tank with a pump/filter and all?

Its for our fish, Tom

cdb

Have you had a look in the general section in adverts?

There are usually a couple of new and used aquariums for sale that should cost a whole lot less than buying new from a store/online. In addition many will come with useful extras and will be well established in terms of the biological filter. Worth a look anyway.

Funsterdelux

Ah adverts of course, thanks.

Wheres my head these days

txt_mess

Definitly buy secondhand off adverts or the buy and sell type magazines as the price drops considerably and loads of people get fish tanks and the whole setup then when the fish die they decide they don't want it anymore and try and get rid of them.

zyggy32

I bought a Fish tank for EUR 200 with the heater and light bulbs included. The filter is built into the tank its a Juwel 110 Litre tank.

Just be prepared to spend a fair bit on the original outlay. The ornaments can cost about EUR 30 to EUR 50 each bog wood to reduce the PH is a fiver and then there is gravel about EUR 24. I paid about EUR 8 each for the fake plants. The Air pump was about EUR 55. THen there are 4 types of sponges for the filter about EUR 8 each.

Just ask lots of questions about how to start off the fish tank as you will need to cycle the water for about 8 weeks to get it right.

Most stockists will give you good advice. I bought mine in The Orchard Garden Centre in Celbridge. Petstop in Blanchardstown Shopping centre is good also.

If you are just getting Goldfish then they can go in straight away.
You can also buy a smaller tank but be warned once you start putting fish in you see nicer ones and need more space.

I do agree it is a hobby that people give up on very quick so you may get a second hand one for cheaper.

Try this website for any advice I found it good http://www.tropicalfishcentre.co.uk/

ValerieR

Hi - Welcome to the fish keeping hobby! It's great, but beware, very addictive

First of all, and if you haven't done it already, you need to determine the space you have available for the tank. This space should not get any direct sunlight as it would cause algae to grow in your tank, making it hard to keep clean.
Also, you should try and get as large a tank as you can afford money and space wise. The larger the volume, the easier it is to keep the water parameters stable.

Then, you need, as posted previously to cycle your tank. It takes a little while and should be done for any type of fish, including goldfish.

While this happens, you can decide on the type of fish you want (watch out for compatibilities and adult sizes compared to the size of your tank).

As far as the ornaments and tank decoration ... it's all down to you. Terracota pots (not enamelled ones though) are very inexpensive, they are suitable for fish keeping and some posts quite be somewhat ornate.

Whether you plant your tank or not really depends on the type of fish you decide upon. Cichlids for example would destroy them.

There is plenty of advice on the www.irishfishkeepers.com website. It's an Irish based discussion forum and even if you don't find your answers, please do feel free to ask. Someone will be able to help. There is also a "For Sale" section, you might find what you are looking for !

Hope this helps.
ValerieR

Funsterdelux

Tanks (Pardon the pun) ValerieR, loads of good info.

Nozebleed

definately buy a tank second hand...people tend to sell them for little or nothing on adverts. to be honest they're way over priced in the shops!

Funsterdelux

Just got on off adverts

wohoo!

aboutimeilogin!

Nozebleed wrote: »

definately buy a tank second hand...people tend to sell them for little or nothing on adverts. to be honest they're way over priced in the shops!

you will save money this way but may run into trouble not knowing how the tank was previously cleaned, bleech, dettol etc.
it's often worth buying a secondhand tank if you can see it up and running
to be sure it's not "cleaned"
keep us posted on the tank