Aquariums! ?

[ho'ard]

Oopsm sorry 'bout the goofy link-- here:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/Shop.cfm?N=2004

[MacMagus]

> I have a Betta in a one gallon tank and came home tonight with a 1.5 Tetra tank set up
> (which is very cute) and two small goldfish...but I want more!

Don't put goldfish in a small tank. They are poop machines. Are you trying to kill them?

The 1-2 gallons per inch of fish rule becomes 5 gallons per inch for goldfish.

There are two ways that they can cram a lot of fish in those tiny tanks at fish stores. First, they have giant filters running behind those tanks. Second, they clean out the corpses several times each day.

As for the "big" tank...

Get an Eclipse tank with a nice quiet biowheel and a heater, Put it somewhere out of direct sunlight and away from outside walls that get warm or cool with the passing of the day. Add no more than 1/4-inch of gravel to the bottom of the tank -- more than that can make it very hard to clean. Don't add a lot of decorations initially -- they displace water and less water means a less resilient ecosystem.

Start it off with a couple of zebrafish to get the biological filter going and if they're still alive after a month, consider adding more fish a few at a time with at least a week between additions.

Keep new fish in a temporary "hospital" tank for a week before adding them to your "good" tank and look carefully for "sparkles" in their scales, white spots or holes in their fins which could indicate illness. One sick fish could kill everything in your tank.

Since you're a newcomer to the hobby, you should probably stick mostly to small, hardy, cheap fish. Minnows have decent survival rates and they come in many fancy colors and school in pretty patterns. Zebrafish are minnows. So are barbs, Danios and White Clouds. Watch out for species that notoriously nip as fin-injuries are easy sites for infection.

But every tank needs a show-fish, right? I'm very fond of plecos as they look really creepy and perform basic housecleaning... The caveat is that they get big -- don't get more than than 1 per 20 gallons. Buy the medium or large sized ones because the small ones have low survival rates.

...Which reminds me: The aquarium-trade thrives on selling fish... they don't care about things like the adult SIZE of a fish and the kid at PetSmart doesn't know anything he can't read off of a label. Don't buy a fish until you've done your research and know that its grown size and social habits are appropriate for your tank. Shark-catfish are prime examples -- they look pretty, they are very tiny, and the folks at the pet store love selling them in schools of 3-4, but they can grow to be 9 feet long as adults.

Don't buy anything without Googling first.

[ArtP]

[quote h']Marineland filters and Jåger heaters will always be the gold standard for me.
I really shouldn't start talking fish stuff BUT Marineland used to make a good filter (Penguin Bio Wheels were great although Emperors were problematic) but the latest models really suck. They redesigned them recently, eliminated a few things (extra holders for Carbon). One good thing, Marineland was like Apple, if you had a problem or a broken part, U could call a 800 number and they would send you out a replacement part usually at No Charge.

Whisper Power Filters have had the same basic design for years and like a Mac, they just work. The replacement Carts are usually cheaper and are a common size (they fit a few other filters also).

Whisper was bought out by Tetra a while back, and last year Marineland got absorbed and merged into one big company (Called United Pet Group). They still operate as separate companies for the moment under the big umbrella. Not sure where Marineland will be in a few years.

Avoid AquaClear power filters, that sponge and charcoal type design is inefficient, water bypass happens too quick if that sponge gets clogged.

Anyway if you haven't guessed by now, when I am not doing freelance computer stuff, my steady income involves Aquariums and Tropical fish.

[OWC Jamie]

When I changed focus from community tanks to breeding I found Riccia fluitans an indispensable aid. It's a wonderful plant. I just let it float on the surface naturally. Saved many many young fry. Every tank that had it was 'healthier'. Even the Kuhlie Loaches enjyed being in it at night.
If you get Kuhlies, they like a cave, preferably under a flat/arched rock to 'sleep ' in during the day and require a very tight fitting cover to restrain their night time surface jumping activity. Quite a few times I would find one on the floor in the morning. Acouple times waking up at night to a faint flip flopping on the floor , able to pick one up and put back in the tank. They'll manage to find even the smallest opening in a tank cover it seems.

[davemchine]

Another thing I thought of was balancing the type of fish you get. Top feeders, middle feeders, and bottom feeders. Love those bottom feeders as they keep the tank clean.

Avoid the under rock style of filter. They drag all the bad stuff deep into the rock and you will never get it clean. It's a bad bad thing.

You mentioned that a 28 might be too large for the spot you have in mind. My last tank was a 20 and it was quite nice although not large enough to put a big variety of fish in. This tank started in my house and when I needed more room I took it to my office at work, then after a remodel I moved it to the main work floor where the other employees can enjoy it.

Dave

[davemchine]

All of these plants are live.

[ho'ard]

Thanks for the update.
Never actually owned an emperor but have had many Biowheel 300/330s and I think they're an incredible value. Not familiar with the redesign. Also experienced the no questions asked missing parts mailing at least once or twice.

Had enough experience with Aqua Clears-- the first was inherited, the second came with a new "kit"-- PITA. I still have replacement sponges sitting by my door for no reason (decommissioned the filters long ago).

I've always had the impression that whisper filters are crap, not sure why. One good thing about them is that you can get biobags though. Tetra made 'em for the biowheel for a short while but they dried up (very likely a legal threat from Marineland).

[quote ArtP][quote h']Marineland filters and Jåger heaters will always be the gold standard for me.
I really shouldn't start talking fish stuff BUT Marineland used to make a good filter (Penguin Bio Wheels were great although Emperors were problematic) but the latest models really suck. They redesigned them recently, eliminated a few things (extra holders for Carbon). One good thing, Marineland was like Apple, if you had a problem or a broken part, U could call a 800 number and they would send you out a replacement part usually at No Charge.

Whisper Power Filters have had the same basic design for years and like a Mac, they just work. The replacement Carts are usually cheaper and are a common size (they fit a few other filters also).

Whisper was bought out by Tetra a while back, and last year Marineland got absorbed and merged into one big company (Called United Pet Group). They still operate as separate companies for the moment under the big umbrella. Not sure where Marineland will be in a few years.

Avoid AquaClear power filters, that sponge and charcoal type design is inefficient, water bypass happens too quick if that sponge gets clogged.

Anyway if you haven't guessed by now, when I am not doing freelance computer stuff, my steady income involves Aquariums and Tropical fish.

[D-Rod]

Here is a tip I figured out on my own. If you use a background photo of plants or something smear it and the glass with a thin layer of vaseline. Put the background on care fully, squeezing out any air bubbles. This will cut out the diffraction from the glass to the backdrop and do two things. One, it will allow you to see the background from the sides of the tank. Two, it will make the background look ten times brighter! And that will make it look much more realistic.

When I did this I put the reversible background on that had a saltwater design. My friend that owned a pet store walked by (10 feet away) and was surprised I had a saltwater tank. It looked that good.

If you want, take a little vaseline on your finger and smear it on a small spot on the background. Push the background on and see the difference from the side and from the front. It is amazing. Because it is stopping the air gap between the background and the glass from acting like a mirror it is transmitting the light to the backdrop instead and that is what gives it it's brightness.

The way I discovered this is, when i was filling my tank for the first time water splashed between the tank and the background and I couldn't believe how much better it looked. But the water would dry up. So I thought???? How could I achieve that affect (effect?) on a semi permanent method. And I figured the vaseline wouldn't dry up and it would act like a seal between the layers so I tried it and have been using it for many years having lots of people asking why my tank looks so good.

[Panopticon]

[quote BigGuynRusty]The bigger, the better, also easier. ...BGnR
Could not agree more! Just make sure your floor can handle the weight. Example, a 100 gal setup could weigh in at 1200 pounds or more.

If you live near Lancaster, PA, That Fish Place IS the place to visit. The big cost on tanks is shipping. In areas that have have local aqua stores AND PetSmart & Petco, the local stores will usually be agressive in their tank and stand pricing. WallyWorld also sells tanks and stands.

Here's some additional on-line suppliers I've used:
http://kensfish.com/ Food & supplies good prices & low shipping cost
http://www.trickeri.com/store/cat-aquariums.html Live plants & supplies. Pond stuff too. Low shipping charges.
http://www.petco.com/ $6.95 Flat Rate Shipping. Use w/ Goggle CO.
http://store.aquariumguys.com/index.html Very informative site. Good for price comparisons.

As for filters, I like Fluval Cannisters. Easy to maintain and keep out of sight. Heaters, I use Ebo-Jager and Marineland Dual-Temp submersibles. The best air pump I own is a LUFT, now sold by Coralife (mine's old, labeled as a Tetra Luft but still going strong!).

"Cartman"

Figure 8 Puffer (Tetraodon biocellatus)

[Cap'n Rusty]

...and remember, in most cases, a long tank is better than a tall tank. For instance, due to its length, a 30 gallon tank has a much greater surface area than a 29 gallon tank. I guess it doesn't matter if you're not worried about how many fish you're going to be able to get or if the fish occupy different parts of the water column.