Walmart tanks?

appaloosa1

appaloosa1

Member
I've been thinking about trying this for a while. Taking a walmart tank "package" changing the light and maybe adding a few things to make a nice small 5gallon-ish tank. Anyone done this before? The guys at the LFS think its definately do-able but no one has done it. If you have done this let me know anything you would like to share!
 
tarball

tarball

Member
That's me, my daughter went to walmart and purchased a 55 gallons package deal. I'm using all the equipment that came with it, while I'm waiting for the tank to cycle. When that's done, I will add the necessary equipment to make my aquarium a happy home for all my new friends.
The tank I have has no leaks and appears to be strong enough for the weight of the CC and LR. " I hope"

I guess I will just have to wait & see..
 
slowburn22

slowburn22

Member
There is no difference in an all glass WallMart tank and an overpriced all glass tank at the LFS. I bought my 28 gallon bowfront at petsmart, stand from wallmart and upgraded items as funds came available. I replaced everything as follows: an emperor 280 HOB, stealth heater, Nova Extreme T5 light, AquaC remora skimmer, and an additional Maxi Jet 900 powerhead. All in all I paid a good bit for everything, but I got exactly what I wanted and did it at a decent price. I made out way better than getting a crappy saltwater package from the LFS.
 
appaloosa1

appaloosa1

Member
really? the employees at mine always seem like they were just pulled off the street. i've never seen t5s or MH lights. I was leaning towards an eclipse package anyways. I think they run about $50 and I can replace the lights for around $10-20.
 
slowburn22

slowburn22

Member
Umm no. Kidding bout the wallmart employees. They ARE drug in off the street. I remember when I was about 10 years old buying freshwater fish from them I wouldnt ever ring the bell for service. I would just go into the cabinet and bag my own fish. I've seen a few idiots at wallmart beat fish up trying to catch them. As for lighting and equipment - most of it sucks but you can find certain things that can be of use to you there.
Im not one for the eclipse packages or anything similar for that matter based on the fact that equipment upgrades are usually a pain to do if you can even make them work in the first place. Its all up to you when it comes to making that decision. Im not sure what you think your replacing the lights with for 10-20 bucks but good luck keeping anything other than mushrooms alive. No anemone, clam or other corals will be game for basic lighting.... Just my 2 cents.
 
prevwon

prevwon

Member
I would rather spend a little extra cash at a LFS than buy from Walmart. I hate Walmart. I went there to get some feeder fish because it was an emergency and I needed some, and they had no idea what they hell they were doing. I felt bad for all the fish in their aquariums. I don't care how cheap it is, I wouldn't buy any of my aquarium equipment from Walmart.
 
breineach1

breineach1

Member
Is there anything you can even DO with an Eclipse system, lighting-wise? I have an Eclipse 1 hood on my 10g- a gift from a well-intentioned friend. Are there maybe T5s that are 15w (the most that ballast will hold)? I think the light in there now is 17" long, and it says its a T8. If I could get a T5 on it, maybe then I could at least get some shrooms to live happily in there.
 
autofreak44

autofreak44

Active Member
my eclipse sucks, im upgrading. your best off just saving up for something you realy want. also the acrylic scratches easy and my eclipse is getting stress cracks in the front. its all in all a crapy aquarium. its gonna be my hospital tank once i get my 20 set up. its good for that, but not much else
 
breineach1

breineach1

Member
Originally Posted by autofreak44
my eclipse sucks, im upgrading. your best off just saving up for something you realy want. also the acrylic scratches easy and my eclipse is getting stress cracks in the front. its all in all a crapy aquarium. its gonna be my hospital tank once i get my 20 set up. its good for that, but not much else
Blech, guess it has no future then, other than fish-only.
 
larryndana

larryndana

Active Member
i don't see any problem with the tank, its what comes with it....the heater, lighting, thermometer, ect. will need to be replaced. might be better off just buying from your lfs.
the difference in my lfs and petsmart is, a couple of bucks. its not wal-mart but its a big retail store.
 
cjason3041

cjason3041

Member
Originally Posted by slowburn22
Yes, and they're fish dept. employees are top of their class marine biologists.

my sides hurt from this one
 
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