Aldi Aquarium kit £38 good value?

sillygoose

Hi,
Aldi have a complete aquarium kit coming in on 14th December @ £38 seems very good value, I have been wanting a starter aquarium for a while but I know NOTHING about it!!!
Can someone advise on the value aspect and is this a good kit to try a bit of fishkeeping to start with?

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/2867_8262.htm



A Christmas gift with a difference. This comprehensive set contains all you need to start the fascinating hobby of keeping tropical fish. Once filled, it will provide years of dazzling natural beauty – a colourful, living centrepiece for any room. (Fish not included.) Includes:

54 litre capacity glass tank
4mm thick glass
Light and feeding slot in lid
50 watt water heater
Thermometer
100ml tropical fish food
Fish net
Water filter
Water filter replacement cartridges available from most pet shops

sillygoose

Anyone? yay or nay before I let it disappear off the 1st page of forum?

Is there some stigma to fishkeeping? I want to become one of you so don't be shy!

helping_hubby

I have no idea if this is good value - it's been a while since I've bought anything. You could have a nosy at a fish shop to see what the bits would cost individually?

The main problem with when you're a beginner to keeping fish is you soon want a bigger tank So if you are serious about this I would get as big as you can afford or fit in to your room If I could a fit a 6 foot tank I would have one!

I would strongly advise you to take a look at fishforums.net It's a great forum with loads of stickies for beginners. You'll want to read about cycling a tank too. Some fish shops are just there to sell fish and do not always give the correct advice, so try to get some knowledge before you go to a shop to buy fish.

Sorry I can't help with the main question.

sillygoose

cycling a tank? is that something to do with a fish on a bike?

Thanks for advice, yes I will read up 1st, sure I won't want bigger, no room. Its really for a child (under strict supervision!!!) to help him learn about responsibility a bit.

emmahip

Cycling the tank means running it with filters on for at least a week, then putting in a couple of very hardy little fish which will get the filtration system working. Alternatively to adding the fish you could put in a couple of buckets of water from an established tank which would do the same thing.

Then wait a couple of weeks before SLOWLY introducing more fish - best to get the fish shop to test a sample of the water first though!

The basic calculation as to how many you can have is 1" of fish per 2 litres of water - so you'd be safe with around 25" worth of fish in this tank. That would be 25 little tiddlers like Neon Tetras or a smaller number of larger fish.

fixx

It's a pretty good deal if that's the size of Aquarium you want... def a decent price for what you get.

Just bear in mind though that while it will look fine sitting in a corner of a room, if you want something as more of a centrepiece, you will want to spend a bit more money on plants/decorations etc - that kit looks slightly bare.

Also remember the cost of fish - for that size of tank you'd probably end up spending another £35-40 on the fish, even the cheapest standard ones (which are still very cute!). It'll be mroe if you want anything really exotic.

From what i can see of this kit, it'd be a great starter kit for a childs bedroom, or someone who is really new to fish and not sure they want to spend a lot of money - it'll be fairly easy to maintain.

However, it's nothing special, and if you really want to have fish i think you'll get a bit fed up of it pretty quickly - as the poster above said, you'll want something bigger very quickly.

If you do really want to keep fish, i'd recommend waiting until the january sales, and them picking up a 36" glass tank - most stores will do bundles with all you need anyway, and some will also gove you a discount on fish if you buy the kit from them. 36" is also a manageable size even as a starter, but big enough that you shouldn't outgrow it quickly.

Also, bear in mind the cost of a stand - a tank full of water and gravel/sand is heavy! You'll need a decent stand to support it. You can buy aquarium/stands together, but this is expensive. Find a nice cabinet first which can bear the weight, and then buy a glass tank to put on it.

Final suggestion (this is a longer post than i intended!) - if you really want to save money, but have something fairly large, look on gumtree/local ads - second hand tanks are fine (just don't buy any with cracked glass, and check any silicon seals, tho they can also be repaired easily with silicon from a DIY shop). You might pick up a bargain tank and stand set, with accessories as a lot of people sell the lot when they stop keeping fish. You might get a fair bit more for your money.

Edit: just saw your last post - it'll be great for a childs room, and is a good deal, go for it!

pealy

sillygoose wrote: »

Its really for a child (under strict supervision!!!) to help him learn about responsibility a bit.

Just a thought, are you sure you want to start with tropical fish? Coldwater fish require a little less care and are generally a little more hardy. Of course there's nothing to stop you using this tank for coldwater fish but something smaller & easier to maintain might give you a chance to see how keen the childer are.

Craigoldfield

sillygoose wrote: »

Hi,
Aldi have a complete aquarium kit coming in on 14th December @ £38 seems very good value, I have been wanting a starter aquarium for a while but I know NOTHING about it!!!
Can someone advise on the value aspect and is this a good kit to try a bit of fishkeeping to start with?

http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/2867_8262.htm



A Christmas gift with a difference. This comprehensive set contains all you need to start the fascinating hobby of keeping tropical fish. Once filled, it will provide years of dazzling natural beauty – a colourful, living centrepiece for any room. (Fish not included.) Includes:

54 litre capacity glass tank
4mm thick glass
Light and feeding slot in lid
50 watt water heater
Thermometer
100ml tropical fish food
Fish net
Water filter
Water filter replacement cartridges available from most pet shops

Yes, excellent set up, I bought last year as a spare for my missus and apart from a problem with the heater which was replaced immediately, it's been running fine ever since. I'd highly recommend as a starter kit or as a spare tank.

sillygoose

thanks, we are talking about a kids room. Don't need a stand as a sturdy desk should do it. maybe 10 little hardy fish? will look into coldwater fish? Aldi are doing a good deal on Lemon Sole? could I fatten up a couple in there too? haha!

alanobrien

Good deal for the price although i just picked up a similar size good quality tank on ebay for £12. No way that will hold 12 fish though unless they are neons!

sillygoose

Another question... it doesn't seem to include a pump?
don't you always need a pump to put oxygen in the water?
or can we conclude from the reference to filters it includes a pump as thats what the filters are for?

thanks - clueless!