Finding a Tank

There are a few main components of a setting up a tank that are what I call the "big hitters."  These are the components that in and of themselves most often are the most expensive or are the largest portions of a tank set up.  In my opinion this includes the actual tank, the stand, the filtration and lighting.  As I am collecting all of these over a period of time I felt that the first step was to find a tank.

There are all kinds of tank shapes and sizes as well as glass tanks and acrylic tanks.  I feel like most people start small for their first tank and end up with a 10 Gallon aquarium.  I feel like that size is so limited especially when it comes to stocking the tank with fish!  Many people consider that you should have at least 1 gallon of water per inch of fish (though hobbyists will argue this "number").  That leaves room for between 5 and 8 very small fish.  I wanted to start bigger!  Honestly I wanted a 40 gallon breeder tank because it seemed like a good size but it also has more depth (front to back) than most tanks.  

Because I am on a budget I knew that it may be more cost efficient to buy a used tank instead of a new one from the store so I started my search for  40 gallon breeders on my local craigslist.  There were quite a few tanks out there but mostly not what I was looking for.  Lots of failed 10 gallons tanks, and some other larger tanks that people have had sitting around since the dawn of the dinosaurs!  Most people were trying to sell the whole setup with filters and lights, which for some might be good but not for me as I am looking to get specific equipment and it mostly drove up the price of the tanks that I was looking at.

Finally I spent an afternoon with my dad and I told him of my plans to set up an aquarium (at the time I was still planning on salt water).  I told him of my research and what I was "dreaming" about and a few days to a week later he sends me these pictures that he took next to a dumpster at his apartment complex.

It wasn't the exact tank size and shape I was looking for but it definitely WAS the price I was looking for!  I went that night and picked up this 50 gallon tank and stuffed it into my Prius!

 The Stand is slightly old fasioned but I plan to update it a little but hey a free tank and stand cannot be beat!

As you can see the tank needs a lot of work!  I have had to help several people deal with a limescale build-up on their tanks but this was the worst case I have ever seen. I'm sure that process will end up on another post though.

I am stoked to have the first part of my project out of the way and it didn't cost me anything!  If I was to buy a brand new 50 gallon tank with a stand it would probably cost between $250-350.  Now to clean it up...  :-)