# If you had $500 for a new setup . . .



## titan97 (Feb 14, 2005)

Ok, so I'm selling my house in sunny San Diego and moving to Yuma, AZ for a new job. I'm making a huge profit on the sale and my wife has "let me" spend $500 on a new aquarium. That's mighty nice of her, if I may say so. [smilie=k: 

So the question is: What would you buy with the money. I will need to buy EVERYTHING within that limit, except for CO2 (DIY), stand (DIY), and water (duh). I have the following parameters to stay within:

Tank: I prefer rectangular. I have a 35gal hex now and I'm not feeling the distortion. So no bowfronts or circles.
Filter: Gotta be an Eheim. Sized to cycle tank 4 times per hour.
Substrate: Unknown, but I don't mind mixing and matching, or even cutting it with gravel or sand from Home Depot.
Lighting: I'd like somewhere in the range of 2.5 to 3.5/4 wpg. I really like the DIY setups from ahsupply. Don't forget the bulbs.
Plants: I know this is more subjective than the other areas, but feel free to include recommendations here.
Fish: See plants
Inverts: My wife HATES snails, so I'll go with shrimp. We used to have a golden fiddler crab that she loved. We also used to have a saltwater clam she found one day on the beach. She thought it was a nice shell and took it home. When she found out it was alive, she freaked out. After she calmed down, she named it Jamie and put it in with the freshwater setup we have now. Jamie the Clam only "lived" night and we found an empty shell the next morning. As far as recommendations go, see fish and plants, above.

Thanks in advance,

-Dustin


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

Here's one way you could spend less than $500.

*Bare 55 gallon tank - $90 - $100

*AG 110 watt CF - $115 (I know that only brings you to 2 wpg, but if you're doing DIY C02, you may not want to go much higher)

*Via Aqua titanium 200 watt - $14.79 (on sale at www.petsolutions.com this month)

*Eheim 2217 - $135

* Eco-Complete (5 bags) around $100 including shipping


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## titan97 (Feb 14, 2005)

Of course I would overlook something as critical as the heater. Thanks Jan. 
I'm unsure as to where to buy a 50 gallon tank for that price. Everywhere I look online gives me a around $300. Maybe my LFS will have something in the price range of $100. Does the AG light fixture come with bulbs?

-Dustin


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## Botia dude (Feb 4, 2005)

Look for a 40 gallon breeder by All Glass. It runs about 90 bucks and has great dimensions for a planted tank. 36x18x16. You can use the 36" 2x96 watt Coralife fixture and get almost 5 watts a gallon. Of course you'll need CO2 for that but what you could do is have one bulb going all day and the other for only 3-4 hours.

Order a couple bags of Flourite and mix it 50/50 with 2-3mm sized gravel from your local stores. You shouldn't need more than 2-3 bags of Flourite if you do it that way.

Eheim 2217
150-200 watt heater 
You could pick up a used regulator on Ebay for about $35 and a 5-10lb CO2 from your local welding supply for around $55-65. A needle valve goes for $15-20.

For plants definitely check out Arizona Aquatic Gardens. www.azgardens.com
You may even be able to pick up the plants instead of shipping them which of course would save you tons. They also sell algae eating fish and shrimp.

Have fun setting up that new tank 

Cheers,
Anthony


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## turtlehead (Nov 27, 2004)

i would buy a inline heater so you don't show as much equipment.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

titan97 said:


> I'm unsure as to where to buy a 50 gallon tank for that price. Everywhere I look online gives me a around $300. Maybe my LFS will have something in the price range of $100. Does the AG light fixture come with bulbs?
> 
> -Dustin


Yes, A LFS is a much better option when it comes to glass tanks price wise. I usually see the 55 gallon for the $90 - $100 range, and that's All Glass, not an off brand.

I agree, the 40 breeder would be a really nice size too for your price range.

You can also find a nice selection of plants right here in our classifieds, and you usually get more generous portions from our own members as well. 

Oops forgot, yes the AG fixture includes the bulbs.


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## Bert H (Mar 2, 2004)

I just bought a 50 gal all glass , 36x18x18, for $99 at my lfs.


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## Gomer (Feb 2, 2004)

You might want to keep in mind that the higher the light level, the more important CO2 levels are. I wouldn't want a 3-4wpg AHSupply 40g tank with DIY CO2...but that is just me.


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## Raul-7 (Feb 4, 2004)

Tank: 58g(36"x18"x20"). Great size for aquascaping, not too long but great width. Try having one custom-made at www.glasscages.com, really cheap and the shipping is almost free(considering they have a truck shipment coming your way).

Filter: Eheim 2217 ($125) at petsolutions.com

Heater: Ebo-Jager 250w ($19) at Big Al's

Lighting: 2x96w Coralife Fixture ($190) at Big Al's, you can use 1x96w now, but if your planning on upgrading later on you won't need a new fixture.

C02: If your going with the ful 2x9w from the start, I recommend you get a pressurized system.

Plants: Ask other hobbyist's to supply you with cuttings. See what plants suite your taste, and keep in mind what aquascape your trying to create.

Fish/Inverts: Apisto's or Rams for character, Otos/Shrimp for clean-up, surface dwelling fish such as Hatchets or Pencilfish, and a strong-schooling fish.


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## titan97 (Feb 14, 2005)

So far, so good. I like the ideas produced so far. I'm kinda leaning toward the 4x55W AHSupply instead of the 2x96 Coralife because I can fit the popular GE 9325K bulbs in the 4x55. Plus, this will give me more options in my lighting for more or less the same price. I realize the 4x55 will take up more space, but if I can find a tank with the right dimensions, it should work out fine. And yes, I agree about the pressurized CO2. I'm trying to figure out how I can fit all of this under my budget, including the pressurized CO2.

-Dustin


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## MrHarris (Mar 19, 2005)

I just bought an All-Glass 40 Gal Breeder tank 36x18x16 for $100 at Petco. Go there and ask if they can order one for you.


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