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Looking for some ideas

1K views 10 replies 10 participants last post by  eds 
#1 ·
I live in NJ. I am interested in purchasing a 55 gallon tank,wooden stand,hood,and filter.This tank is going to be a freshwater set up. Can anyone give me a ballpark figure on how much this would cost? Does anyone know of any shops in NJ where I might be able to go? Thanks for the info.
 
#4 ·
Agreed on the 55 moving to 75, or if you want to go the other direction...

A 30 "breeder" would also work out nicely.
A 30g breeder is 36x18x12

As for where to get one near edison...it depends on your thoughts for supporting local merchants vs. mail order/bulk purchasing.

Animals and Things in Woodbridge for dry goods selection is nearest. (Route 1 Northbound, just a litle past the woodbridge mall.)

But, if you want a little more personal attention, come up my direction a bit - Pet Shanty on Rt. 22 West in Scotch Plains (take parkway north to 135 drive through clark and head for 22) or I think shark aqaurium has a large stock of all-glass tanks, which is also on 22 west, but down in Hillside (near union).

Either of them can order anything you don't see, and I know Pet Shanty can have it there within 2-3 days most of the time.

And cost depends on what you get, but I would but aside at least $500 for a nice setup, and that can escalate quickly. Assuming you want plants in it being on this board, so a co2 setup in this area is gonna get you for about $100 for just the tank+fill. The regulator you'd order form somewhere and check valve and some method of diffusing.

I don't want to scare you from the purchase, but if you add it all up, I would say the average price of a planted tank running with most of the bells and whistles will set you back around $800.
 
#6 ·
I am a newbi, but decided to go with a oceanic 58 for reasons discussed above. My tank is still a work in process, but I liked the 58 because I liked the dementions (21x18x36 from memory)/depth and was only 36 wide.

I had been Jone'sing for a metal halide for several years so I basically started with the light, and worked down. I was fealing that I could comfortably get a decent spread of light over 36" with a single hqi pendent. That limited my tank choices to a tub or cube. The 58 oceanic did not have a center reinforcement (not sure if 50 breeders), this was also a factor because of my choice of lights. Ultamately I decided on the tub, because I thought it provided a better veiwing for the location it was going in.

Cost adds up quick. My tank and diy stand (have several years of carpentry experiance, can make decent furniture) was cheep enough (about $180) and used cheep substrate (that will probably bite me later on). Ashamed to post how much that pendent cost (and I did it fairly cheeply, all things considered). Probably a hundred or two on livestock and plants so far. It adds up.
 
#8 ·
I heartily second jhoetzl's recommendation of Pet Shanty! :proud: Their prices are quite competitive and they can order any odd sizes that they don't have in stock. It's a strange little place (we know it affectionately as "Fish Shack"), but the people there are genuinely friendly and helpful and know what they're doing.

There's also Shark Aquarium in Hillside and Reef Encounter in Hackensack, but their low prices come with more than a bit of attitude.

--Rebecca
 
#10 ·
The 'Shack' rocks!
 
#11 ·
Rex Grigg said:
Figure $10-$20 a gallon for a fully setup planted tank.
Based on my recent experience, I thought I'd suggest an obvious point - that the $/gal may differ for different sized tanks. What I mean is, I just set up a 55g that I got for free. Just about all of my gear - filter, heater, lighting, and eventually CO2 - is of a size that I could probably use it on a 75g. (Of course, some folk would say a 75 requires more equipment - a 2d filter for ex.)

I've spent $525 so far on lights (coralife 4x65), heater (hydor eth), filter (xp3), substrate (flourite), plants (mainly cheap stems to start), fish (haven't yet bought the angels), and other odds and ends (power strip, timers, etc.) I figure pressurized CO2 will be another $125.

So I'm setting up what I consider a pretty decent tank, at a cost of just under $12/gal for all the gear OTHER THAN the tank. If that same gear was put in a 75g, the cost would be $8.67/gal.

While a 75g tank/stand will be more expensive than a 55g, I do not think it will be 36% more.

So what does this all add up to? BIGGER IS BETTER! :D
 
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