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A 29-30 gallon aquarium kit is a great option for beginners who want to have a community planted tank with plants and many types of tropical fish. This medium-sized tank provides an abundant house for small schooling fish that like to swim together in small groups. This article reviews some of the best 29-30 gallon fish tanks for sale that come in various shapes and dimensions for you to choose.
Best 29-30 Gallon Fish Tank Reviews
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Aqua Culture 29 Gallon Aquarium Starter Kit - Great Value
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This aquarium kit comes as a complete kit making it ideal for beginners. You don’t need to care about finding an LED light and filter fit for the tank because all are included and you only need to set up them in proper places in the tank.
The low-profile hinged canopy gives the tank a compact and stylish look but ensuring ease of handling. It is designed with a hole for convenient fish feeding.
The package comes with small LED strips connected together with a power cord, an adapter and on/off switch. These small LED strips are designed to fit into positions under the hood, along its length, to provide white light thorough the tank. The on/off switch is very convenient for turning on/off the lights.
Pro Tip
For filtration, this kit comes with a powerful filter and cartridge from Tetra. It comes with a small heater and thermometer for temperature control. It also comes with a fish net, fish food and water care that you will need to care for your fish.
Read What Other Owners SaySeaClear 29 Gallon Show Acrylic Aquarium Combo Set - Perfectly Clear And Beautiful
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Some people prefer glass fish tanks while the others love acrylic ones, each of them have its respective advantages and disadvantages. People usually worry about leaks appearing after moving the tanks while scratches can easily appear on acrylic tanks. And if you expect these properties from your new aquarium such as clarity, impact resistant, light weight, you might love acrylic tanks and this SeaClear acrylic aquarium is recommended for you.
The SeaClear 29 gallon acrylic fish tank is safe for both marine or freshwater applications. You can easily feed the fish and clean the tank through the open space under the hood. It is also very easy to set up and maintain the tank. You can choose any kinds of decorations and plants you want and use your imagination to make the tank the main attraction of your room or office!
There aren’t annoying black frames holding the tank together, it looks quite beautiful and modern with rounded front corners. The clarity of the tank and its rounded front corners create a great visual effect from the tank. It looks like there is nothing interfering with the view of your fish and decorations with this clear acrylic aquarium.
The only thing I don’t like about this product is its useless fluorescent hood. Just remove the hood and replace it with an LED aquarium light fixture if you want to use this modern type of aquarium lighting. You can also attach an LED strip under the hood, too.
Pro Tip
The product doesn’t come with a filtration system, so you should also buy a 29 gallon aquarium filterseparately. The acrylic top is pre-drilled with holes for placing a Hang-On-Back filter and a heater. If you want to keep tropical fish with this tank, you will need a 100 watt aquarium heater to maintain a suitable temperature range for the fish.
Aqueon Deluxe LED 29 Gallon Aquarium Kit - Durable And Nice Looking
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The tank itself is durable and nice looking. The hood is designed for easy handle and equipment setup. The hood is built with an LED lighting system that provides white day light. Besides, the kit comes with most essential components for running a fish tank making it a great choice for those who don’t want to run around to find suitable equipment.
Pro Tip
The Aqueon QuietFlow hang-on filter operates so quietly and keeps the tank crystal clear and your fish healthy. The preset heater and thermometer are also included that makes this full set ideal for a tropical tank setup. Getting started is a breeze with the careful setup guide from the manufacturer.
Coralife Biocube Size 32 Starter Kit - Great Modern looking aquarium
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Coralife Biocube size 32 is a cube, not high, not long tank with a very modern looking. The corners of it are rounded glass that offers a stylish view from the tank. The hood of it is designed to drip water back into the tank but not on your wood floor when lifting it. It isn’t not only a hood, it is a great place for setting up equipment and hiding them from view.
Coralife Biocube size 32 LED lighting
The LED lighting is a great feature of the kit. It is automatically controlled by an integrated 24-hour timer that provides various modes for coral needs such as bright white, sparkling blue and color enhancing. Moreover, it features automatic 30′ sunrise/sunset and 60′ moonrise/moonset functions that mimic the lighting conditions of your fish and corals in nature.
The behind of the tank is a built-in filtration system with overflow hoses that is powered by a pump. The filtration system is so quiet and strong enough to support a small reef system. Although you can absolutely use the tank for a freshwater setup, it is economically ideal for a marine reef system.
Pro Tip
All the equipment included is compatible with existing BioCube accessories on the market that makes it easy to find a replacement. The stylish tank with the great equipment included makes Coralife Biocube 32 the best cube tank kit for a small reef setup on the market today.
Marineland Bio-Wheel 29 Gallon Aquarium Kit - exceptional Tank Setup
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The Marineland Bio-Wheel 29 gallon aquarium kit comes with all necessary things for you to set up your tropical aquarium. It comes with an LED light with a 3-position switch for on, blue and off modes, a Penguin 200 bio-wheel power filter for superior biological filtration and an aquarium heater with a thermometer for tropical fish tank setup. Like other kits, some additives and supplies such as fish food, net, conditioner samples are also included.
Penguin 200 with a bio-wheel
Pro Tip
What makes it unique from other kits is the Penguin 200 power filter with its bio-wheel wet/dry filtration system. While the filter is operating, the bio-wheel rotates to enhance the aeration on its surface that supports the colonization of helpful bacteria. These microorganisms are able to process nitrogenous toxins (ammonia and nitrites) in the water and convert them to non-toxic nitrates. If you are a fan of power filters with Bio-Wheels, the kit is a great choice to start with
30-Gallon Standard Glass Fish Tank - has 30 gallon capacity
Highlights
This is a standard 30 gallon glass fish tank with dimensions of 36-inch length by 18-inch width by 12-inch height. If you only need a new 30 gallon fish tank to replace your old broken one or you have already bought your own filter and LED light, the tank is for you. You can choose your own equipment to combine with the tank.
The best thing that this tank is loved by many people is its long profile making it ideal for stocking fish or turtles. A long tank is always better for stocking fish than a high one with the same volume because it provides a larger water-air contacting surface for gas exchange. You could also use it as a breeder tank, planted tank or reef tank as you want.
Pro Tip
Because the package only comes with a blank glass tank, I will recommend you some equipment for the tank. You will need a 30 gallon fish tank stand and a 36-inch canopy. You can choose a hood with or without LED lighting. A good filter is indispensable for any healthy aquariums and you will need a filter with a flow rate upwards of 120 GPH (gallons per hour) for this 30 gallon aquarium.
What LED light is suitable for your aquarium will depend on the kind of your setup (fish-only, planted, or reef). Read the guide for aquarium setup in the final part of this article for more details.
Aqueon 36 Gallon Deluxe Bow Front Aquarium Kit - Creates a stunning effect
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Don’t like normal rectangle fish tank, this is a bow front glass fish tank that provides a stunning view from any angle front of it. Many people love bow front aquarium because the curved glass front makes the fish look a bit bigger when they swim in the front of it that creates a stunning effect.
The kit comes with a Quiet Flow 30 filter that is well-known as one of the most powerful and quietest hang-on-back filter on the market. It operates very quietly and is very effective in keeping your aquarium clean and clear. The filter uses a large Aqueon filter cartridge and is very easy to find a replacement online.
Pro Tip
The package also includes some helpful things that you will need for a tropical fish tank setup such as a preset heater, fish food, water conditioner and setup guide.
How To Choose Your First Fish Tank?
Fish tanks can be purchased in a range of sizes from tiny bowls to 500 gallon tanks. You will want to buy a tank that is the right size for your room and for the fish you want to keep. Here are some tips to help you choose your best fish tank aquarium.
Is a large or small tank easier to maintain?
Beginners usually have the same thought that small tanks, common 5 gallon fish tanks or even very small tanks such as 3, 2, 1, 1/2 gallon fish tanks or bowls that are very easy to bring to every where to change water are good options for their daily maintaining. Moreover, small tanks usually come with lower costs. It is serious misconception and these are the reasons why I said that:
- I may spend more hard working time for cleaning and water changing to keep a large tank run smoothly.
The truth is absolutely opposite, maintaining a small tank is harder bigger ones because creating a cycled tank ready for stocking fish with a small tank is more difficult than with a larger one. - I may spend more expensive cost to set up and maintaining a larger tank.
Yes, it is relatively more expensive to set up a new larger tank at the beginning. However, in the long run, the cost of maintaining it is lesser as compared to a smaller tank. The reason is provided in the first reason.
The bigger the tank size the less maintenance needed!
20-30 gallons are ideal sizes for starters
If you are a beginner, it’s ideal to start with an aquarium size in the range from 20 to 30 gallons. Smaller tanks will lead to more work trying to keep the water balanced and are easy to overcrowd. My suggestion is also starting with a minimum 20 gallon fish tank, so it is a good decision if you want to start with a 29 gallon one.
With a 29 gallon aquarium you can keep various beautiful fish types that can’t live healthily in small fish tanks such as Goldfish, Mollies, Swordtails, Blue Rams, Zebra Danios… Some dwarf cichlid can also live well in this medium sized tank. And if you’re going to stock some schools of fish, the larger tank will provide you wonderful experiences when enjoying them swimming around inside the larger space provided by the tank.
Choose an acrylic or glass tank?
Glass fish tanks are heavier than acrylic but are generally cheaper. They occasionally spring leaks which can usually be easily fixed with silicone sealant. Acrylic fish tanks come in a variety of shapes but scratch easily. They rarely leak as they are made in one piece without seams. Although more expensive than glass fish tanks they last longer and any scratches can usually be removed.
What is the best shape for a fish tank?
Acrylic tanks can be purchased in a wide range of shapes including hexagon, cylinder, round as well as the more traditional rectangular shape. You can even purchase a wall fish tank or a coffee table fish tank.
The traditional long rectangular shape is probably the best as the surface area compared to the water volume is large and allows maximum gas exchange with the air. Other shapes, with smaller surface areas will need more maintenance and more often water changes. It will be easier to maintain, you can keep more fish and the water quality will be better with a rectangular long tank.
How To Set Up A 29-30 Gallon Fish Tank?
First of all, you need to prepare all necessary equipment for setting up a fish tank. Following are several things you will need for the process:
- A fish tank with a canopy.
- A 29-30 gallon fish tank stand.
- A 36-inch LED aquarium light for a 30 gallon tank, 30 inch for a 29 gallon tank. Choosing the right type for your aquarium setup.
- Substrate (gravel, sand or aqua soil for planted tank). You will need approx 32 pounds of substrate to fill a 2 inch bed of a common 30 gallon tank (36″ L × 12″ W × 16″ H). For a 29 gallon tank (30″ L × 12″ W × 18″ H), the substrate amount is 26 pounds.
- A filter for 29-30 gallon aquariums and filter media or replacement cartridges.
- Aquarium decorations and/or aquatic plants.
- A 100 watt aquarium heater is just fine. A thermometer is recommended for daily temperature verification.
After choosing all necessary things for the setup, read my full guide for setting up a freshwater fish tank to know how to get started the process. Because a new fish tank setup is still not ready for stocking fish, you have to cycle your new tank before adding your fish or they will die. Do not buying all your fish at one time, only add several fish once time.
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