Habitat - Indoor :: New Aquarium

[TexasJagsFan]

I have not posted here in many many years.

My turtle has outgrown her 55 gallon aquarium. As soon as finals week is over I'm planning on upgrading to at least a 100 gallon aquarium.

We only have one pet store here and they are a little on the pricey side. Are there places online now that sell aquariums and stands that I don't know about? And I have of course checked craigslist.

Also, is she ever going to outgrow her need to eat that crappy zoomed dock? One would think I never feed her.

Thanks

[rsour24]

she might never out grow it. try putting other things in the tank to entertain her.

you could try class cages or something. idk how pricey ur store is.

[Linus]

I wish you were in California, I'm trying to get rid of a 120 G. for $50-75.

[TexasJagsFan]

I wish you were in California, I'm trying to get rid of a 120 G. for $50-75.

I wonder how much it would cost to ship? Ha

The store here is about $450 for a 90 gallon, stand and hood. I guess it's not really expensive, but I'm wanting to keep it around $500 with a filter because I still need to get one of those.

I assume the 1 inch per 10 gallon rule still apply. The guy at the pet store told me what I have is already too big for. Like lulz okay. The bigger, the better. I couldn't find that site that use to have the acrylic aquariums. I can always find/build a stand for it.

And in regards to eating the dock, it just does not seem tasty to me. I haven't restocked the aquarium with fish yet because I know it's being taken down. Normally I keep a couple dozen in there until she polishes them off. Are there any basking docks other than the zoomed ones that are decent?

Also what filter would you recommend for this aquarium?

[rsour24]

http://www.glasscages.com/

depends what size tank you get but either rena xp3 or xp4 or fluval 405 of fx5

[TexasJagsFan]

Thanks. Hopefully I can sell my 55 and get some of my money back.

Do you know anyone here that uses a skimmer? A lot of time when she chows down on the dock, there's loose pieces that float around and they can clog the filters' intakes. I try and skim it everyday with a net but I still do not get them all.

[steve]

Hey TexasJagsFan! From my observation, new tanks 55 gallons and under should be priced about $1 per gallon when on sale. Used tanks should be about $1 per gallon from 55-100 gallons (a stand might be included or cost a little extra). Larger than that, the price can vary a lot since they are harder to find. I'm surprised no one has taken Linus's tank - it's such a steal. (Maybe you or someone in your family can donate it and use the tax deduction?)

As for used tanks... craigslist is amazing, but keep an eye out in local papers, supermarket bulletin boards, college dorms, etc.

I tried a surface skimmer before, but my turtle would just nip at it and it just didn't work at all. Maybe you should try a different basking area, what kind are you using now?

[TexasJagsFan]

Hey TexasJagsFan! From my observation, new tanks 55 gallons and under should be priced about $1 per gallon when on sale. Used tanks should be about $1 per gallon from 55-100 gallons (a stand might be included or cost a little extra). Larger than that, the price can vary a lot since they are harder to find. I'm surprised no one has taken Linus's tank - it's such a steal. (Maybe you or someone in your family can donate it and use the tax deduction?)

As for used tanks... craigslist is amazing, but keep an eye out in local papers, supermarket bulletin boards, college dorms, etc.

I tried a surface skimmer before, but my turtle would just nip at it and it just didn't work at all. Maybe you should try a different basking area, what kind are you using now?

I remember I got my current aquarium out of the newspaper for a steal! If I was a little closer to California. Haha

I think it's like $210 for the tank, it's the stand and canopy that cost a little. I'm not cheap, but as a college student, money is definitely an option.

I'm using those zoomed basking docks. The ones that fall apart every 6 months.

[Tucker Allen]

I just bought a 90 gallon tank and stand that is coming in on Tuesday. It was around the same price as yours Texas. 400 dollars or so, and they said it was on sale. I was thinking about making a stand. I was worried about the stand being structurally sound. I've never bought a stand and some of the furniture I have bought for college and stuff is that particle board with laminate covering. They assured me it was pine, and not the particle board. I am kind of surprised, but all three stores close to my house didn't have anything bigger than 55 gallon in the store. Must be common though, not much of a market for anything bigger than that. I would have liked to see what I was getting.

Anyway, I'm a teacher and have had a 4 day weekend because of Easter, and all this time to work on setting up Tucker's new home. It's driving me nuts that the tank is not coming until we go back to school! Guess I'll have to work ahead tomorrow to get all my work done for this week so I can focus on the tank when it comes. I'll post some pictures! You should too Texas!

[TexasJagsFan]

Yeah the stands are real wood and are sturdy.

I wanted to go bigger than a 90. Just seems like going from a 55 to a 90 isn't a huge increase. She's about 6.5" now. I just want something that will get me through college and a couple years until I can build myself a house with a huge built in aquarium and a pond for the summer months. I'm finishing my sophmore year, so plus grad school, internships, etc I'm looking at another 4+ years until I actually graduate.

I'm surprised in a large college town (Tuscaloosa) all we have pretty much have is one pet store.

[simplehiccup]

As for used tanks... craigslist is amazing, but keep an eye out in local papers, supermarket bulletin boards, college dorms, etc.

I read the post about personal safety regarding buying aquariums off Craigslist, but how safe are you, product-wise? Is it always a gamble?
Is it worth the money for the warranty and peace-of-mind to buy something from Glasscages.com? What do you all do?
How can you be sure that the tank/aquarium you are buying second-hand from the Craigslist seller won't leak the minute you bring it home and fill it?
Do you all check the products at the seller's place? Some cracks and leaking spots are not obviously visible to the buyer I imagine.
Thanks for comments!

[Tucker Allen]

I contacted a guy on Craigslist and asked him if I were to come and look at the tank he was selling, would he fill it for me. He agreed. At least that way I would know that it wasn't going to leak short term. Personally, I would think it would be fine to buy it. Have them fill it, look it over carefully and don't settle for anything that you don't like. I told the guy I wasn't interested because there were scratches on the glass and I didn't want to buy something with scratches. You are going to pay good money, so don't be afraid to be too picky. I just got my 90 gallon tank and stand. The tank is great, lifetime warranty and no scratches. The stand however, is horrible. I don't know how they expect it to hold that much weight. I am taking it back today. One of the panels on the side is warped, there are scuffs on the paint and it just looks too flimsy to hold too much weight. This is going in my living room so I am going to be picky. I am in the process of making my own stand. It's halfway done, hopefully I'll finish the frame tonight and finish the outer cover this weekend.

Anyway, just look the tank over, ask a lot of questions, and don't settle for anything you aren't happy with. If there is something you don't like, talk them down in price. It's all negotiable. Good luck!

[sflemin2]

I got a GREAT deal on Craigslist. 150 gal with two heavy duty filters (and a ton of other stuff) for $375. Tank was very dirty but only a year old. He was getting rid of it because he couldnt keep his fish alive (probably because he didnt clean the tank...). We emailed back and forth and I had him send me pics before I went to go see it. Trust your gut!

[steve]

Tucker Allen is correct. If they won't left you check or examine what you want to buy, then don't bother. Most people won't try anything because you have to go to their home to get the tank anyway. Glass cracks should be obvious to see and resealing a tank should not be a problem. This is always some inherent risk and I'm not sure what glasscages polices are.

My used tank did have a few scratches, but it didn't bother me too much. It came with a metal stand that I repainted.

[ErikP]

As far as finding things on craigslist goes, it helps to be pro-active. Don't just wait for someone to list their aquarium, post a wanted ad. I have had great success in getting responses to ads stating that I was looking to buy used aquariums in good condition. When pricing aquariums at pet stores, I don't even look at the ones with hoods.