Aquarium value?

Question
Hi Nathan,

I hope you can advise me on this situation. At my local fish store, there's a 10-gallon aquarium kit (all the materials are items in their store, they packed the kit themselves). The kit includes a Aqua Clear 20, an Elite 25 watt heater, a hood with incandescent lighting, and a small container oF Nutrafin flakes, and a small bottle of Aqua Plus Conditioner. Also, there's some colored (rainbow colored) gravel. This kit costs $250. I think it's a bit overpriced, but the store manager says it's a good deal. What's your opinion?

Answer
Hi Madeline,

Wow... that's one EXTREMELY overpriced fish tank kit! Your store must be one of those local 'mom and pop' stores. A large chain store would never dare to price something like that! I'll give you a complete overview:

10- gallon glass tank: $20
Hood with lighting: $30
AquaClear 20: $30
Elite 25W heater: $12
Small Flake food: $3
Small Water conditioner: $3
Gravel: $5

And the grand total... $103.

The prices are given at what you would normally find at a large chain store such as PetSmart or Petco. The MOST that the above equipment could possibly cost would be $150, if the lighting was fluorescent and there were decorations, etc.

Rainbow colored gravel is NOT good, because it will take away from the fish's color and it will stress the fish because of the bright colors.

Good luck, and happy Fishkeeping!