Alien Anna
Fish Gatherer
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2002
- Messages
- 2,087
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I've considered what I'd do in a situation like this. I don't know if this is appropriate for your situation, but here's a few ideas:
* Old, scratched tanks are often thrown away (check dumpsters at the back of petstores). Often the only problem is cosmetic but if they leak it's surprisingly easy to strip out the old sealant and re-seal the gaps. Alternatively, I gather its easy to make a ply-wood tank from scratch.
* Plastic condensation trays are the cheapest kind of lid for a tank. You can weigh them down with some wood or rocks if your fish is the sort liable to escape.
* Buy fine pea gravel in large sacks. It costs a fraction of the cost of a small bag and is a very easy substrate for most situations. Wash it in an old bowl or bucket using a garden hose until the water runs clear.
* Using silicone gel and some pebbles (which you can buy from a garden centre in sacks) is a cheap way of making up caves.
* Sponge filters driven by an air-pump are absolutely fine for filtration provided the air-pump is of good quality and sensible wattage. For something like an oscar tank you can use two or three filters in parallel, although you will have to clean them regularly (clean one sponge per day in used tank water).
This probably won't look pretty but it'll work and it will be a good home for your cichlids until something better comes along.
* Old, scratched tanks are often thrown away (check dumpsters at the back of petstores). Often the only problem is cosmetic but if they leak it's surprisingly easy to strip out the old sealant and re-seal the gaps. Alternatively, I gather its easy to make a ply-wood tank from scratch.
* Plastic condensation trays are the cheapest kind of lid for a tank. You can weigh them down with some wood or rocks if your fish is the sort liable to escape.
* Buy fine pea gravel in large sacks. It costs a fraction of the cost of a small bag and is a very easy substrate for most situations. Wash it in an old bowl or bucket using a garden hose until the water runs clear.
* Using silicone gel and some pebbles (which you can buy from a garden centre in sacks) is a cheap way of making up caves.
* Sponge filters driven by an air-pump are absolutely fine for filtration provided the air-pump is of good quality and sensible wattage. For something like an oscar tank you can use two or three filters in parallel, although you will have to clean them regularly (clean one sponge per day in used tank water).
This probably won't look pretty but it'll work and it will be a good home for your cichlids until something better comes along.