[finsNhooves]

Does anybody have this? http://m.petsmart.com/mt/www.petsma...sp?productId=11459462&f=PAD/psNotAvailInUS/No

What are your opinons on it? Thanks

 

[jayr232]

Other than its lighting i think its a pretty good starter kit

 

[finsNhooves]

Yeah somebody else (can't remember username. It was kyle something) on here had that same kit and suggested buying some light bulbs from lowes or home depot so that i could live plants.

 

[Ilikebutterflies]

Just replace the incandescent bulbs with 65ook mini CFL's. A box of 3 is $6 at Wal-Mart. I'd start out with 9 watt bulbs and go up or down from there depending on if you have live plants or not. Wal-Mart also sells an aquarium CFL and LED that screws in. Those cost a little more. Internal filters like that work really well especially if you add polishing media-they are called polishing pads. SUPER crystal clear water. It is a fair price because the light hood alone cost $20, the tank is $14 and the filter is $8 or so.

 

[sandybottom]

if you are going to keep low light plants, there is an aquaeon 13 gallon on sale for black friday at petco. includes led light, filter and heater. 50% off. google petco black friday. think it is on page 2. petsmart is going to have a marineland biowheel led light 10 gallon for $45.00 for black fri.

 

[finsNhooves]

Thanks sandybottom! I will have to check that out. Maybe i can convince one of my parents to take me

 

[sparketta]

That's what I have! I had one problem with it though: The filter is way too strong for the fish, even baffled. I ended up having to get a sponge filter.

 

[PetMania]

I have that tank and i have had it for a year now. It is a good tank for starters. You can have a small community tank, a divided betta tank, etc.

i recommend it for anyone starting out in the fish hobby; although you may need a softer filter as the current is strong. Or you can get some duckweed which is pulled in by the current and dulls it a bit.

 

[finsNhooves]

Ok thanks. I plan on baffling it anyways

 

[kyle89]

i wouldnt go with leds. i had a led hood and it didnt grow much. thats why we got the 10 gallon tank was for better growing. my lfs told me good leds are usualy expensive and what the kits come with will grow low light plants some medium light

 

[kyle89]

i was actually looking at the 13 gallon set up afew weeks ago and didnt know it was a led hood. also i know the aqueon 10 filters are also nonadjustable. (plus im not one for waiting in line for a item they only have 4 of lol)

 

[sandybottom]

the flier says led anyway. i am guessing that they are getting a large shipment in for the sale.

 

[kyle89]

black friday sales are a gimick to get you into the store. the petco i was in didnt even have 4 it only had 1. and 4 is probably a exaggeration but still i dont expect them to have many in stores. aqueon dosnt even have the 13 gallon on there web site or any other website. downfall with a tank like that is its a "special size" hood which makes it almost imposable to replace

 

[sandybottom]

i wonder what it measures.you can always get around the hood size with diy.i found out that i could make a versa top of my own a lot cheaper than they sell then for. they sell the plastic hinges,back plastic covering and plastic opener for next to nothing.so they are charging you a lot for the glass,packaging and shipping costs.i saved around $25 just ordering these pieces from a wholesale pet supply, and buying the glass locally.i do not like the black plastic tops of most kit tanks. i prefer open top tanks with stylish leds,and i am happy to pay a little more for that aesthetic.

 

[kyle89]

i do like the look of the led bars over a glass top but leds are overpriced and im sure having glass cut for a bow front wouldnt be too cheap

 

[sandybottom]

led price is something you have to look at subjectively. you pay a one time price for the lifetime of the fixture.you are saving on your energy bill and not buying new t5s bulbs etc. every 6-9 months. those bulb prices add up.gas or shipping costs to buy new ones or dispose of the old ones. plus there is the environmental impact of those bulbs.mercury is a good enough reason for me to not have them. i also do not have to worry about temperature fluctuations from my leds.even if my light only lasts 5 years i am coming out ahead.i believe leds are going to become standard fare in the coming years, they are getting better and better all the time. i recently saw one that had nighttime, sunrise,cloudy cover and lightening storm features on it, along with custom colors.keeping my eye out for reviews on that one.

 

[kyle89]

leds are nice but too pricey at one shot for the average hobbiest. the downfall with leds is there are "cheap" led set ups that are great for low light plants and people new to the hobby buy it for the led purposes but it dosnt have the right kalvins or watts to grow plants like a good led or hood would

 

[sandybottom]

that is a valid point. i found i had to research for quite a while before i found my leds. mine are 7000k and have a par value that is good for low to medium light plant species. the same company (finnex) makes a high light version. i always encourage the "research everything before you buy" outlook, along with the "build your tank over a time to save money" standpoint. i waited for the $1/gallon sale, then i waited for my filters to go on sale etc. building my tank and saving a bunch of dough in the process is really exciting for me. i know i'm kinda lame, but i love a good deal. the cheapos are fine in their own right, for silk plants etc. and work just fine for a good number of people.