Tank Q

Is a 20 gallon fish tank the same thing as what i'd buy at a petstore that says "20 gallon reptile tank"? Or is there a difference? The only thing I can think of would be haveing to buy a screen top instead of a hood. The fish tanks are cheaper too.

A 20 gallon fish tank is just hat... a 20 gallon glass quarium. If they're selling it as a set it will hagve a hood with an area or cut out for a filter. Like you said a reptile set would have a screen lid. There's 3 different types of 20 gallon tank, 20 regular, 20 high, and 20 long. The 20 long is what most use for their leos. Dimensions of 30x12x12 inches. Metal screen lids usually are less expensive than fish lids since fish lids usualy include a lighting bar on top. I generally don't like buying prefabbed kits, esp. The ones designed for "desert" herps as they often include things inappropriate for leos such as sand, or repti carpet, or overhead lighting and no heat mat. It would be easier and cheaper piecing it together yourself. You can usually find inexpensive tanks on craigslist, even some selling complete set ups even. That's always where I look first. Also a lot of smaller pet stores, usually those that specialize in fish keep used tanks in back that may no longer hold water and they could be willing to sell them if you ask.

Sweet deal. Yeah, im going to go look around at goodwill here or savers. My dad is weary about craigslist so I cant ever buy anything from there.

if hes leery of craigs list then maybe he could accompany you... I got a 90 gallon slate bottom tank for my boy for $30 bucks on craigs list... it should have been a $300 tank. I also see a lot of regular smaller tanks on there I saw a 20 gallon long last week for $15.00 with screen lid and hides... guess someone lost their herp

Yeah, I agree about craigslist. This year, I'm saving money for May when everyone begins to vacate Stillwater. Last year, everyone tried to sell off their 10 gallons, 20 gallons, with hides, with heat mats; some even wanted to sell their animals. I was like for me!

I'm definitely taking advantage of this, haha.

Wow thats awesome. I havent seen any deals like that in my area. Im gonna look more now.

If Gilbert is a small town you may end up looking at bigger towns some distance away from you. Like I'm in Erie pa, which is a small city, but I need to look at pittsburgh or buffalo or cleveland for the really good deals because they're all obviously HUGE cities but all also about 2 hours away.

Best thing to keep in mind when dealing with craigslist is:
1. People are inhearantly idiots and they will sell something right out from under you even if you tell them you're on the way... They do this because they get 100 calls sayin yeah I want it, arrange a pick up then no one shows... which leads me to point 2...
2. ALWAYS keep any appointments you make to see a product... it's curteous, and polite and darned annoying when you wait around for hours cause 6 people said they wanted to see it an no one shows up to their pre-arranged time.
3. NEVER go alone to see or buy something... always take a friend/family. Again refer back to point 1... PEOPLE are inhearantly IDIOTS... I certainly don't wanna be alone at this person's house... and I carry a gun. I know why your dad is leery
4. Always pay in cash, and don't be afraid to haggle. If YOU think $30 is too much for an empty 10 gallon tank (which is insane!) then offer less. People often add an "emotional" pricetag to items they sell.
5. Buyer beware... unless you can see it or prove it, never take what the seller says as gospel... it could leak, or be broken, or or whatever. Don't bother asking if theres any warranty on any items as usually most manufacturer's warranties aren't transferrable to third party buyers. So again, Buyer beware... Once the cash is in their hand you're usually screwed.

So aside of all that I love shopping on craigslist and Ebay or amazon are also great for bargains on herp stuff. Then all you have to deal with is inflated shipping rates.

Herp shows are also sometimes a really good source for low cost enclosures as those vendors certainly don't want to pack itback up and take it homeso at the last day, end of the show, deals usually are plentiful.

Thanks, hopefully i'll find something.