Fish Tank 20 gal or bigger

[cubstobearsfan]

Hey There,

             Looking  to buy a fish tank for my young ones bedroom,(7 & 8 ) 20 gal or so, just for a starters, goldfish, or guppies.  I am finally giving in.  They want either fish or birds I figure fish make less noise!  

[MRS. NORTHSIDER]

I was at Petco a few weeks ago and they have some nice starter fish tanks that are pretty reasonably priced.  Smart choice of fish over birds.  About 7 years ago my husband brought home a huge cage with two adult cockatiels that someone gave him.  I should have known they were trouble since someone was giving them away because they're not cheap birds.  All they did was squawk until I thought I would lose my mind and they were mean on top it - if you tried to take them out of the cage they would bite.  My mom had a very sweet cockatiel at one time but these were not.  We finally gave them away to someone else and I will never have another bird.

[Bonster]

Find me a deal on a 20-35 gallon hexagon (or pentagon?) and I'll give you my entire 29 gal setup.

[Guy_on_Clinton]

whats your price limit?

[cubstobearsfan]

I really do not have a price limit in mind, since this will be a starter ( experiment) and I will probably be the one tending it. Probably around $50.00? Is that unreasonable?  I will have to go and read how to take care of one, it has been many a moon since I had a fish tank, and even back then, yes way back then , my daddy took care of it for me !  Let me beat you to the punch, Yes, they did have fish tanks back then. lol

[Bonster]

I'm sure you've seen lots of ads for used ones; complete setups for cheap.  Just ensure they don't leak first (if glass).  There are some good deals out there on new setups at times, particularly for 20H.

Good, basic filtration will make it easy to care for.  An undergravel filter will help break down the debris on the bottom (less siphoning the crap off the top), and a good hanging filter will keep the water clear.  Though it's fun to watch them eat, don't overfeed them; the water will stay clean and the fish healthier.

[cubstobearsfan]

Thanks for the information, I will keep my eye open. Also, those ads were in Kijiji Chicago, forgot to mention it.  And I have to agree with an earlier post, about birds, too much noise, and too much mess!  Although I would have probably taken those birds back to the person that gave them to me and ... played ding dong ditch!!

[Diona]

When you go for a filter try to get 1 that takes care of a bigger gallon tank than the 1 you are looking for or at least 1 that is good for 20 gallon.

We got a 10 gallon starter kit from a friend of ours, the tank is great, but the filter they gave us was for a 5-10 gallon tank.  It did not do a good job at all in helping to keep the tank clean, we had to do a 1/2 change of water to almost down to the bottom like each week until we got a bigger filter.  Now we have 1 for a 20-30 gallon tank & the filter works great, plus it keeps the water much cleaner/clearer.

PetCo does have a good deal on fish tanks, but I wouldn't reccomend getting the fish at the N. Riverside store.  We had some very bad luck with diseased fish there, out of 5 fish we bought there, only 1 lived & we still have her today.  The latest fish we bought was a betta & we only bought it there because they have them all in separate little containers. 

[Bonster]

PetCo does have a good deal on fish tanks, but I wouldn't reccomend getting the fish at the N. Riverside store.  We had some very bad luck with diseased fish there, out of 5 fish we bought there, only 1 lived & we still have her today. 

Agreed.  PetCo is good for big box discounts on items, but if you want fish go elsewhere.  Perhaps Suburban Pet City on Roosevelt?  Or Scotts on Wolf Rd.  (Cermak to Wolf, go south the next light).

[Vic0218]

Well, if anyone wants a painted turtle, we are looking to find a good home for one. My husband rescued two baby painted turtles from being tossed into a local pond. We've nurtured them back to health and they are now big enough and healthy enough to be re-homed.

The two we have will eventually get too big for a single tank so we'd love to find a home for one of them. They are more complicated to care for than fish, but not as hard as I thought it would be. Similar equipement needed as fish (good filters) but an ultraviolet light (bulb) is a must.

If anyone is interested, please PM me.

Thanks.

[Boris]

Well, if anyone wants a painted turtle, we are looking to find a good home for one. My husband rescued two baby painted turtles from being tossed into a local pond. We've nurtured them back to health and they are now big enough and healthy enough to be re-homed.

The two we have will eventually get too big for a single tank so we'd love to find a home for one of them. They are more complicated to care for than fish, but not as hard as I thought it would be. Similar equipement needed as fish (good filters) but an ultraviolet light (bulb) is a must.

If anyone is interested, please PM me.

Thanks.

Painted Turtles are native animals...go ahead and release them into a pond in the forest preserve.

[Vic0218]

Seriously?

I have this vision of going to release them and getting cuffed and dragged off to jail by forest preserve cops for disturbing the balance of nature.

[Boris]

Seriously?

I have this vision of going to release them and getting cuffed and dragged off to jail by forest preserve cops for disturbing the balance of nature.

...do it discreetly.

[buzz]

Seriously?

I have this vision of going to release them and getting cuffed and dragged off to jail by forest preserve cops for disturbing the balance of nature.

...do it discreetly.

Do it in springtime to increase their chance of survival.