# Cheapest 20 Gallon Aquarium?



## Venemous Rock

Hi. I have a common goldfish along with my comet in a 4 gallon. I know this is too small, thats why I'm asking about upgrading. They've been in there for about 2 weeks, the water is crystal clear and they are taken care of. One is about 1" and the other is about 1.5". I am 13 years old and make $60 a month for allowance, every first of the month. I may possible be getting $75 this month though because my dad has been talking about raising it and gave me $75 last month too. I'm going to get them a 20 gallon for now because its the most cost effective. So I'm asking what is the cheapest? Petsmart has a 20 gallon Top Fin with hood for $56, but I would also need to get a filter, too.


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## bmlbytes

I;m not sure if they are still doing it, but earlier this month Petco had a $1 per gallon sale. Also, look on craigslist. You may be able to get a much larger aquarium for $60 or $70, possibly with stand, hood, lights, etc. Wait long enough and a great deal will show up on Craigslist sooner or later.


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## Venemous Rock

bmlbytes said:


> I;m not sure if they are still doing it, but earlier this month Petco had a $1 per gallon sale. Also, look on craigslist. You may be able to get a much larger aquarium for $60 or $70, possibly with stand, hood, lights, etc. Wait long enough and a great deal will show up on Craigslist sooner or later.


Sadly, my local Petco went out of business. They had an 80% off sale before they closed but they didn't have any fish/plants or anything. I did get some goldfish food for I think... $0.33? Also, Craigslist seems to have a 45 gal with a stand, a filter and a hood for $50. The only problem is my room is pretty small, with my bed, tv, tv stand, and dresser, I don't have a whole lot of room. My current 4 gallon is on top of my dresser which is about 14 inches wide and 25 inches long. I have one more spot on my entertainment center about 20 inches wide by 20 inches long. Anything else on Craigslist near me is like a 3/5/10/55/600, etc.

Edit: Found a good one http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3804446&lmdn=Fish+Aquariums+&amp;+Bowls


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## bmlbytes

Pro tip: Petsmart links never work for some reason.

Try just giving us the name of the item.

EDIT: Using my awesome computer skills, I figured out what you meant.
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3804446









Top Fin® 20 Gallon Starter Kit 

Keep in mind there is no substrate, decor, or stand for this tank though.


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## emc7

If you have time to hunt, you can check thrift stores and garage sales, also. If you can get a $20 tank, a $20 lid w/light, and a $20 filter, you are doing really good for new and okay for used.


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## Venemous Rock

bmlbytes said:


> Pro tip: Petsmart links never work for some reason.
> 
> Try just giving us the name of the item.
> 
> EDIT: Using my awesome computer skills, I figured out what you meant.
> http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3804446
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Top Fin® 20 Gallon Starter Kit
> 
> Keep in mind there is no substrate, decor, or stand for this tank though.


I can get a few extra bucks
Gravel = about $4 - 5
Petsmary fake plants = $2.50 - $3.50
Stand = my dresser :3


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## Ladayen

I wouldn't use your dresser as a stand for anything bigger then your 4g(something tells me your parents will agree with this.), and your entertainment stand wont hold anything bigger then a 10g with your dimensions. You're going to need a new stand as well.

Now, on to the next issue. Even a 20g tank isn't nearly big enough for a goldfish nevermind 2. Would you be at all willing to consider finding another home for your fish? Perhaps someone with a pond where they could have much more room to swim.

Now as to getting a good deal on your tank. As mentioned already craiglist has good deals on it, also there are probably other local online classifieds and perhaps even a local aquarium club. Also ask around to people you know. When I first got into fishkeeping people kept offering me stuff, from tanks to food and everything else. I gathered enough to set up a 5g, 10g, and a 35g for under $20 total. All I had to do was mention I was interested in fishkeeping, didn't have to ask for a thing.


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## emc7

It depends on the dresser. Real, old-fashioned hardwood furniture (glue and dovetails, etc.) can take a tank's weight. Ikea (read the max weight on the directions) particle board + camlocks likely cannot. Remember water alone is 8.33 lbs/gallon. 

I have to agree with Ladayen about rehoming the goldeis. Goldfish can outgrown a 20 in a year, they really are pond fish.

I would still get the 20 under the "get the largest tank you can fit" recommendation, but then the next month trade the goldfish for some small tropical fish and add a heater.


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## mousey

I haven't been able to get past his first post saying how much allowance he got!! Wow!
That is totally irrelevant I know.

I picked up a 20 gallon with hood and light, filter and water sample for $50 plus tax just before christmas at Petsmart (canadian prices which are usually higher than US)
I do not care for the filter as it has a plastic insert to collect biobacteria. Also where the uptake tube joins a bit of tube coming down from the filter box. You need a rubber joining ring at that spot. They do wear out and i found that the two pieces of tubing were hard to get together although hubby didn't have any problem.
This is a new TETRA EX series filter.


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## ZebraDanio12

I found my 20 at a flea market! 20$ for the tank, heater, plants, decor, and other accessories.


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## Fishpunk

I resist buying used tanks for over a dollar a gallon, at least for small sizes. My $20 twenty-gallon tank came with a stand. Craigslist.


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## bmlbytes

Aquariums are one of those things you can always find a good deal on Craigslist on. I assume that it is because aquariums are large, useless things if there aren't fish in them, so they become a burden to store. People sell them for super cheap because they don't want to keep them in their garage any longer. 

New aquariums are just too expensive to be worth it (except the $1/gallon sale). The cheapest ones are $1/gallon, and while that is a good deal, you still need a stand, filters, heater, lights, etc and that all adds up. Most of the time on Craigslist, they are selling these all together.

It baffles me how expensive aquariums are new though. You have to consider that glass is a fairly cheap raw material, and silicone isn't expensive either. When you put them together, suddenly they become a fairly expensive item. There must be some serious mark-up at the wholesaler and retailer end of the operation.


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## emc7

They are PITA to ship even though they are light, they take up a lot of space to ship and store. Most movers won't take tanks or will charge more than a new tank costs. so areas with a lot of people moving out have a lot of tanks for sale. CL Atlanta is always full of tanks. The ranges of markups on new tanks is what I find remarkable. The same tank can go for 2x-10x wholesale at different stores.

new tanks usually don't leak (but they aren't leak tested by the makers), don't have scratches and don't carry disease. And the new/used spread is pretty small in small tanks (5 gallon $15 new/$5 used) but goes up with size.


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