More Serious About Fish Keeping

[Alps]

I currently have a 10 gallon tank that I've had for over 5 years as a hand me down.
I have begun to plant it a little bit, but my lighting and substrates are not correct for this and the sealant in the corners of the tank is starting to break. My lighting is just 2 x 15w small bulbs that are sold at the lfs for $2.

Plans, requirements for new tank
- over 10 gallon
- one with maybe a good rep in the forums?
- the schooling fish I have will actually shoal
- low tech planted tank, no more than 2wpg fluorescent
- easy to maintain size, as I will only be getting busier in my junior and senior HS years

What would you guys recommend? any specific tanks, or just sizes?

also, do you guys think petsmart offers really competitive pricing on ph adjusting essentials, if not where do you think offers better pricing? Also where do you buy your bogwood?, planning on getting some for my 10g.

sorry for all the questions

 

[cujoho78]

Hi. I decided to go to a 55 gallon from the 10 gallon that i originally had. It's a 4 ft long tank by 12" by about 22" tall. A 65 or a 90 gallon would get you some more room front to back to decorate but i thought for me the 55 was a good value for the money. They look bigger than they are because they are 4 feet long i find, and anyone that hasn't seen my tank always says WOW when they walk into the room. It's an easy tank to maintain, you don't need huge filters and heaters and they are lighter than the bigger tanks. Most people suggest that you buy the biggest tank that you can afford and i think that that is some good advice.
As for fish schooling, they will only school if there are enough of them in the tank and they have to be frightened. So if they become comfortable in their surroundings, they may not school no matter what size the tank.
I bought some of my equipment from PetSmart, and some from BigAls. I don't play with the pH as it's really not necessary to do so and the swings in pH only serve to stress the fish. If you are really looking to buy some chemicals to adjust pH, then check out Walmart. I know people hate Walmart, but if you are looking to save money, they are a good place to look.

 

[smmetz]

I had a 10 gallon, and got a 29 gallon kit in the fall. I am now looking at getting the "ELITE 55 Gallon Freshwater Deluxe Aquarium Kit" here is the site of the manufacturer, All-Glass Aquarium:

http/www.all-glass.com/products/featured/kits/

I like it because I hear good things about the Aquaclear filter. My lfs told me he can get it for $230, or maybe $220 if it goes on sale from his supplier.


The downside is the lights I think. You meantioned no more than 2 wpg, well, this will probably have less than 1 wpg. For the money though, I might just pick one up. I already have a piece of sturdy furniture that would hold it just fine.

 

[Alps]

yah a 29 gallon would be perfect size as im putting it on a long countertop/wall desk that I am going to work at.

any online stores that always have good prices on lots of equipment? like a dominant go-to store that a lot of people in n america go to?

- my cards never shoal, have 3 (kinda low) will have 5 or 6 though

 

[smmetz]

You can sometimes find a local fish store with that link I gave above:

http/www.all-glass.com/products/featured/kits/

on the bottom of the page is a place to enter your phone area code. It then gives you a list of local places you can check out, complete with phone numbers. I got the 29 gallon kit for $120. It worked fine for me. I ended up replacing the filter eventually, but the one it comes with is fine as long as you understock it just a little, or at least don't overstock it. Again though, I think it comes with a 17 watt bulb, for 29 gallons, it may not be good for some plants.

 

[cujoho78]

If you're in the US, bigalsonline.com is a good site. They have everything except the tanks themselves. (I guess they are too hard to ship). I've bought from their Canadian site; they are a good company.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Alps

Do you live in the U.S.?

Upgrading to a larger tank is always fun, but doing it on a limited budget is always a challenge. I've found that I do best getting a cheap aquarium from the lfs and buying all the accessories online, mostly at Petsmart's site.

http/www.petsmart.com/global/browse_cate...D=1140974840021

Once in a while they have free shipping offers with a minimum purchase of either $50, $60, or $70, and I wait for them. Then I buy filters, hoods, heaters, etc. I cannot do better locally because there is no Petsmart near me. I understand that if there is, they charge more in their stores than on the internet, but if you print out the items you want to buy, they will honor the internet price. If you are thinking about doing this, I suggest you call their 800 number and ask first.

If you buy a kit, it might be a good idea to check out what the individual items cost. You might be getting charged for things you don't need like gravel and food. Play sand from Home Depot or other home improvement store costs only $3.00 or less for 50 pounds and works fine.

For a fish that schools and actually interact with each other, check out the various species of cory cats.

 

[Alps]

Hi Alps

Do you live in the U.S.?

Upgrading to a larger tank is always fun, but doing it on a limited budget is always a challenge. I've found that I do best getting a cheap aquarium from the lfs and buying all the accessories online, mostly at Petsmart's site.

http/www.petsmart.com/global/browse_cate...D=1140974840021

Once in a while they have free shipping offers with a minimum purchase of either $50, $60, or $70, and I wait for them. Then I buy filters, hoods, heaters, etc. I cannot do better locally because there is no Petsmart near me. I understand that if there is, they charge more in their stores than on the internet, but if you print out the items you want to buy, they will honor the internet price. If you are thinking about doing this, I suggest you call their 800 number and ask first.

If you buy a kit, it might be a good idea to check out what the individual items cost. You might be getting charged for things you don't need like gravel and food. Play sand from Home Depot or other home improvement store costs only $3.00 or less for 50 pounds and works fine.

For a fish that schools and actually interact with each other, check out the various species of cory cats.

thanks for all the replies, i think getting a larger tank is a big step up so I'll try planting and working with my 10usg for now and then I'll move up once I know my stuff. Gonna plant it and have a diy co2 and some low light plants and see how it goes, then do the same for a 20-30g.

-what filtration would you have for a 10g? I just have an aquaclear mini and air. Any upgrades I should make from this?

 

[Trance2006]

You could always buy a 72 gallon bow, with stand at petco for under 430 USD. Would be much better and would pay off ,instad of having to buy 30 & 40 gallon tanks for a 100 each

 

[Alex_]

Highschool just getts easy your junior and senior year

 

[Iron Man]

If you're getting into live plants then maybe think about getting rid of the air bubbles. These help dissolved CO2 escape the water and go into the atmosphere. Its not a big deal but its something I would do if I were you.

If you have the screw in bulb type fixtures on top of your tank then you can buy power compact flourescents to go in there (we have them at Wal Mart here) at about $10 for two and mine are 20 watts each. That means I just easily screwed 40 watts worth of flourescent lighting into my hood which packs a little punch for my 10 gallon....though mine is saltwater....a little bit different setup.

Also...if you plan on using low lighting....then there's no use in making any kind of CO2 injection as they plants aren't really gonna use anymore than what will be in there from the fish. If you're doing it just for experience before you get into a larger more serious tank then that's probably different.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Alps

-what filtration would you have for a 10g? I just have an aquaclear mini and air. Any upgrades I should make from this?

I like the AquaClear filters and have them in all different sizes on my tanks. They are simple and inexpensive to buy and maintain. One sponge lasts a long time if you rinse it well. For additional mechanical and biological filtration, just fill the chamber over the sponge with cheap filter floss. You don't need the expensive stuff they sell to go in there, and you don't even need carbon.

I would recommend just getting another AquaClear of a size appropriate to whatever size tank you decide on.

 

[Trance2006]

That means I just easily screwed 40 watts worth of flourescent lighting into my hood

Sorry mate, just too funny

 

[Alps]

If you're getting into live plants then maybe think about getting rid of the air bubbles. These help dissolved CO2 escape the water and go into the atmosphere. Its not a big deal but its something I would do if I were you.

If you have the screw in bulb type fixtures on top of your tank then you can buy power compact flourescents to go in there (we have them at Wal Mart here) at about $10 for two and mine are 20 watts each. That means I just easily screwed 40 watts worth of flourescent lighting into my hood which packs a little punch for my 10 gallon....though mine is saltwater....a little bit different setup.

Also...if you plan on using low lighting....then there's no use in making any kind of CO2 injection as they plants aren't really gonna use anymore than what will be in there from the fish. If you're doing it just for experience before you get into a larger more serious tank then that's probably different.

thanks for the advice iron man - u like biking?

I have a 2 light bulbs like this and your saying to get these or this right? Isn't 10,000k though (high?)

still some ?'s though,
1) what should i use instead of the air pump for my 10g, still in dark ages
2) yah I have theincandescent round screw in lights - ill check my walmart (hate them, but prices are good)
3) should i use some Flourish Excel or maybe regular Flourish for now?

That means I just easily screwed 40 watts worth of flourescent lighting into my hood

Sorry mate, just too funny

lol

 

[Iron Man]

If you're going to be putting live plants in that tank, unless its right in front of a window that gets good sunlight, you're definately going to have to get some kind of flourescent lighting over them to keep them thriving. The incandescents don't do anything at all for plants.

The 50/50 flouescents in those links you provided are made for reef tanks like mine, and freshwater plants don't use the Actinic (blue) lighting at all, so half of your lighting would be a waste, maybe grow some hair algae in freshwater at the most (which of course is the LAST thing you want).

So in the 50/50 bulb with say 20 watts, you'd only be getting 10 watts of useable light from the other half of lighting the plants can actually use. And yes 10,000k is high for planted freshwater. I only have I think 6500k on mine. I've heard to stay away from anything above 6400k to avoid any type of algae but I have never had bad problems with algae in a heavily planted tank anyway.

If you have HOB filters (or anything else really) circulating the water you don't need an air pump at all.

One more thing.....I just thought you'd like to know about the screw-in type power compact flourescent type, as its a very cheap alternative to what's out there for your (I'm assuming 20" long) 10 gallon. You can go an expensive hood for your ten gallon, or even go with a custom DIY thing. Money and expertise are your only limits.

Good luck.