Inheritence and new tank idea

[Cichlidnewbie23]

So i recently inherited 500 dollars from my grandma, who passed away a few months ago. I was hoping you guys could give me some suggestions on show tanks that I could get inside that budget, and I'm looking for a community of good looking fish, or a species tank of very large impressive fish (my mom loves big fish but always forgets to put large fish = large tank together :D). I'm really into Lake Tangyanika and New World Cichlids at the moment and would love some suggestions for community tanks I could put together with the alotted 500 dollars and i have extra money set aside for extras if need be. Thanks in advance for all suggestions!

[slimbolen99]

1. Buy the tank and equipment used; so long as it doesn't leak and it works, you could do something with it. Otherwise, $500 is going to get you a very nice 20 gallon tank.
2. Buy your livestock from local breeders and you'll save a ton.
3. Go with a single species or something that goes well with your water. No use in getting soft water fish if your water is hard or else you'll be spending all your money on chemicals.

[Cichlidnewbie23]

My water is very hard but i do have a water softener on the house if that makes a difference. And my employer can get me any kind of fish i want in large quantities for wholesale price. And he can get me a tank ill have to ask him about tank sizes and prices. Thanks slim

[afrabat]

A home water softener will not actually lower the GH and KH. So you will want to get fish that like hard water. If you want to keep soft water fish you will need to buy and RO/DI unit and they usually run several hundred dollars.

[bsommer]

Buying used stuff might help get you more for your money. Check out the used stuff to make sure it is good stuff.

[Cichlidnewbie23]

As it turns out my employer has several RO units I can use and just bring the water home. So as far as fish species go its pretty wide open. Any suggestions on good places to look for used tanks? I am considering getting a custom stand built by a good friend of my family who is a carpenter and can give us a fantastic price. I was thinking of putting together a 50 inch stand with 2 levels, and having 2 twenty gallons on the bottom and having 1 55 gallon on top. Does anyone see any problems that could rise out of that idea? I think it would be functional and look very cool. Id probably go small eartheaters and maybe festivums on top and in the bottom two make some dividers and invest in some apistogramma in one and shelldwellers in the other. I love those little guys

[pitdogg2]

make the stand wide/deep enough for a 75 or 90gal tank you'll thank me later.

[verbal]

I definitely recommend a 75 or 90 gallon tank(or at least the ability to expand).

I think your stand idea sounds like a good one. It should be a good balance of tank space and still look good. You might want 15 gallon tanks since they are shorter and give you a little more room above the tank.

[Vaudeville]

I see we shifted from buying tanks to chem, water and stands which is fine but may I suggest that you look towards your local fish auction ( does not need to be cichlid only)
I know at least with the ones around here you can get more like a 150 or 200 for that kind of money
I just picked up a 29 complete with stand (just add water and fish) for 25.00 at our last auction.
With that price and what you have available (and if the tanks are avail) you could buy about 15 setups and rent a truck to haul them home

[Cichlidnewbie23]

Well as it has become apparent I am quite dependent on my employer for ordering fish, items, and other equipment. I was talking to my boss about my new tank ideas and he brought to my attention that everything I order through the shop will come at wholesale prices as opposed to retail. I'm not sure if that makes a huge difference or not. Does anyone here know the price differences that would qualify me for? Also I'll be sure to keep extra room in mind for the stand as i would love to upgrade eventually :)