What is a better deal regarding fish tank?

Question

1) $160 + $25 Selling a 55G fish tank (with center brace) 48 x 12 x 21, comes with glass top, stand, two fluroscent light fixture (included bulb), two sponge filter, gravels, 200W heater

2) $75

The aquarium is H 19" x W 30" x D 12". It's 35 gallons. Everything is functional. However, it needs a good cleaning.

It comes with:

Whisper 30 Power Filter;

Elite 801 Pump;

bucket & syphon;

many Artificial Plants;

Bright coloured hollow Castle (in left side of tank picture)about 12" tall by 10" wide by 8" deep;

gravel;

2 bottles tap water conditioner;

fish net;

algae scraper (magnet);

algae brush;

Answer 1

I'm always partial to 'bigger is better' especially with tanks. Both are used, so they'll both need a good bleaching, in case any previous fish carried a disease. As for plastic things like buckets, nets and anything porous might need to be thrown out - you can't clean them reliably and they may have been contaminated by previous disease carrying fish. I know, call me a germaphobe, but some fish diseases can live for YEARS in a dry state. For the 35 gallon's filter, you'll probably want to replace that anyway - a tank looks better, in my experience, when you have a filter that's rated for a larger tank.

I wouldn't use the gravel from either set - once more my slighty germaphobic tendencies are steering me that way. The 55 gallon with bulbs included may be a good deal, as long as the bulbs are only a couple months old, and a stand - which even for a 20 gallon stands run you $80 or more. I would say it's a better deal, just for the tank, light and stand