Noobie

[SJojo3377]

Hey everyone!
So my husband and I are complete noobie's to the saltwater aquarium hobby. We are very excited about it. But of course we are researching stuff before we get 1 thing. We definitely want to buy a hospital/quarantine aquarium first. We actually saw a really good deal at PetSmart. I'm going to list everything it had on the box and I was wondering if you guys could tell me if this is a good, smart deal and if we should buy it as our 1st step towards our actual saltwater aquarium. :question:

This is a 10 gallon aquarium made by Marineland. All for $69.99

• Penguin 100 BioWheel power filter provides superior biological filtration to 100 gal. of water per hour for clean, clear aquarium water
• LED lighting system produces shimmering light to mimic the underwater effect of sunlight
• Submersible aquarium heater maintains water temperatures crucial to tropical fish
• Thermometer adheres to the outside of the tank for easy reading
• Power: Low-voltage AC adapter
• Includes a Rite-Size™ A filter cartridge, TetraMin® Tropical Flake Food Sample, AquaSafe® Water Conditioner Sample and an aquarium set-up guide (of course won't be using a lot of this stuff)
• Warranty: 1 year aquarium, hood and light; 3 years filter

Thx guys!

 

[chuck78]

Sounds good to me, but I always check craigslist before I buy most things brand new.

 

[Smitty]

+1 Chuck..you'd be better off checking craigslist for some deals.

 

[little_fish]

Hello and Welcome!

I would just buy a 10 gal tank, a heater, a small powerhead and get a few pieces of large PVC piping for them to hide in for your QT tank. That is all you need in a QT tank and the simpler the better IMO

Most of that stuff the tank comes with is more suitable for a freshwater tank and wont be much help in a saltwater tank.

Be sure to check out the articles section, there is lots of good info in there

 

[wontonflip]

+1 everyone...the biowheel, especially, is really useless in a saltwater tank unless you really keep up with the maintenance with it...it will be more trouble than its worth later on down the line.

 

[SJojo3377]

Thank you all. I guess we won't be getting that package. That is why I'm here, to find out all the info that I possibly can and make the best decisions with ya'lls help. Now with a couple of questions: What kind of heater, filter, powerhead, and lighting should we look into for the hospital/quarantine tank? We know not to put any sand in there. Instead to put a little rock rubble and some small pvc piping for hidy holes. Any imput is greatly appreciated and again thank u. :D

 

[little_fish]

Personally, i wouldnt even put any rock rubble in there. You need to treat the tank while you QT otherwise they can just continue to carry the different disease, like they normally would. I would also go with larger PVC stuff so they can actually go in them and hide.

For filter you are just going to be doing water changes, so you will need to have water on hand and do your test daily and see if any of your levels are rising.

Any cheaper powerhead will do, i think the maxi jets would be great for a QT tank. They are kinda ugly, but they are cheap. More flow will keep the water more oxygenated which is good for your fish. Make sure the surface of the tank is rippling.

You dont need any lighting, personally i would just get a clip on CFL lamp. Might be a bit ugly, but then you save money to get good lighting for your tank which will be important.

Im not quite sure what are the best heaters out there, but i do know they break more than anything else in this hobby so its good to have a spare. Then you have one to heat up your water when you do a water change too.

Remember, you will need to QT and treat every fish you put in your tank, otherwise the whole thing is pointless. Done correctly, it will never need to be a hospital tank.

Also, most of us dont QT our fish. We just keep our fish in low stress, properly feed, correctly sized tanks and we dont have an issue with disease. Disease is almost always a direct results of the fish being stressed, just like we get colds when we are stress. Avoid the stress, and your fish do very well.

 

[sandman]

I just set up a 10 gal quarantine tank for $25 - Craigslist

 

[SJojo3377]

Nice!!!! Still doing my research.:sfish: