Tank Ideas on the Cheap

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Diogenes

Diogenes

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Oct 9, 2008
2,407
21
68
Birmingham, AL
Last night I picked up a free stand for a 29 gallon aquarium from a craigslist ad. It was free. Not sure if the misses is gonna let me setup another tank or not, but I was wondering if MFKers had ideas on super cheap tank setups. It might help me sell the idea to the old lady if I could get it going for like less than 50$. I have been thinking about setting up a breeding colony of archocentrus cichlids. I was thinking marble convicts because I like the way they look, and I could feed the spawn to my piranha.

Where should I look for dirt cheap tanks? The stand is for a 29g so I could do a 20L, a 37, or a 29. I'd be able to do what I want with all of the above so the cheaper the better. Any ideas?

What about lighting and filtration? Any money saving ideas there?
 
For lighting, partial sunlight is pretty useful. So the tank would be next to or across from a window. I'd avoid noon-ish light as it can easily overheat the tank. Try for morning or evening. There are probably more free lights on CL, though.

I can't think of a cheap way to heat. If you live a warm climate and your room temp rarely drops below 70º, you might be fine without a heater. Or Craigslist again!

Filtration is easily done cheaply. Any kind of pump or powerhead with sufficient power can be used to force the water through nylon mesh. One easy way is to tie a big mesh bag full of little mesh bags to the output of a powerhead. Drop it in and turn it on. It is mechanical and biological once your bacteria are established (seed from your existing tank for a rapid cycle). Or you can set a container on a corner of the tank (well-anchored, of course) and fill it with whatever media you want. Then pump water through it from top to bottom and back into the tank. You can make these with materials from dollar stores to minimize costs. Just remember to consider what happens in cases of clogs or motor failure to avoid flooding. A small overflow hole here or there above the media in the container will help with that. Just remember to use your head at every step of the way.
 
knifegill;3043912; said:
For lighting, partial sunlight is pretty useful. So the tank would be next to or across from a window. I'd avoid noon-ish light as it can easily overheat the tank. Try for morning or evening. There are probably more free lights on CL, though.

I can't think of a cheap way to heat. If you live a warm climate and your room temp rarely drops below 70º, you might be fine without a heater. Or Craigslist again!

Filtration is easily done cheaply. Any kind of pump or powerhead with sufficient power can be used to force the water through nylon mesh. One easy way is to tie a big mesh bag full of little mesh bags to the output of a powerhead. Drop it in and turn it on. It is mechanical and biological once your bacteria are established (seed from your existing tank for a rapid cycle). Or you can set a container on a corner of the tank (well-anchored, of course) and fill it with whatever media you want. Then pump water through it from top to bottom and back into the tank. You can make these with materials from dollar stores to minimize costs. Just remember to consider what happens in cases of clogs or motor failure to avoid flooding. A small overflow hole here or there above the media in the container will help with that. Just remember to use your head at every step of the way.
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thanks! :D
 
What I did was put up a want add for a 29 for 50 bucks on craigslist. I had a tank the next day. Its an eclipse one with all the stuff too. One of my favorite tanks I have.
 
50 bucks for a 29 is expensive, in my opinion.
i have one 20 high, two 20 long, two fives.
i paid 10 dollars altogether for all five tanks.
 
Stump;3046450; said:
You live in Cali... prices are crazy cheap there.
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Yeah, it's always cheap there.
gt1009;3046117; said:
What I did was put up a want add for a 29 for 50 bucks on craigslist. I had a tank the next day. Its an eclipse one with all the stuff too. One of my favorite tanks I have.
Click to expand...

Them eclipses are NICE!!!! My GF doesn't really like my fish, says their all ugly(Pfffftt!!! lol). But for some reason though she likes lobsters:nilly:, I told her I would get one of those blue ones which means new tank!!! I'm thinking of getting one of those bowfront eclipses kits. They look pretty nice. Great find.
 
I found that 29g are pretty easy to come by. In fact, I see many of them at garage sales and stuff for 5 or 10 bucks. I've also had really good luck finding them for free from people who just want it out of their garage. Ask around, or ask kids in the area to see if their parents have one. Filter is pretty cheap ($20), heater can be found on sale for $12 or so. The bigger expense I've found is actually the lid and light. Make one out of cheap plexi and put some type of cheap light you can find on top.
 
yeah I've had a marineland eclipse 37 and I enjoy it. Pretty good system for a beginner. I think the hood works better for a 29 than for a 37 but all things being equal its not a bad starter kit.
 
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