Newbie Needs Advice

[fowler]

Hi, what a place this is... Ive been reading through the masses of articles on the front page and im amazed at how complex fish keeping can get.. especially marine

Anyway, ive got a few questions surrounding my situation that you might be able to help me with... I would wait till tomorow to ask in the shops, but first hand experience from the pros is invaluable...

Basically im after a tank and the equipment to start setting up a tropical master piece .
The space I have to put the thank on is approx..

22 " Deep
57 " Long
Say 15- 20 " Tall (not too important)

As you can see, quite a large area to put a tank, and thats me reducing the space down a bit to try and fit in with tank sizes..

So can anyone recommend a size tank and where is the best place to buy them, price wise..

Also, with this sorta size tank..

Is 1 Filter enough?
Will I need more than one heater?
How many lights will I need, im thinking of going with blue and white lighting.. hopefully itl go with the light coloured gravel..

your thoughts on my ideas would be much appreciated. B)

 

[rdd1952]

Hi flowler and welcome to the forum.

Here is a link to a site that shows the standard sizes of most tanks. I would say you could easily put a 75 gallon (48"l x 18"d x 20"h) in there. You could maybe get a 90 gallon. Those are the same depth and length, just 4" taller. Bigger is always better as it gives you more options on what to put in it.

As for filters and heaters, my opinion is that you need dual filters/heaters for tanks longer than 3'. It provides better circulation and temperature control. I have a 75 gallon with a Fluval 304 filter on each end. I am using the Hydor Inline Heaters on those. Basically the water is heated after it goes through the filter and before it goes back in the tank. They are a little more expensive but worth it in my opinion.

Lights depend on whether you will have live plants or not. If you don't, the standard strips that come with the hood will work. You are only using the lights to view the fish. If you want live plants though, you will most likely have to upgrade to power compac lights to get the watts per gallon required for plant growth. Hellolights has the best overall prices of any place I have found online but show before you buy. You may be able to find them cheaper on another site.

In general, it's best to buy all your equipment online. You will save in the neighborhood of 15 to 50 percent that way. My Fluval filters for instance were $149 at Petsmart (cheapest place I found locally) and I paid $89 online. Good luck

 

[fowler]

Thanks, you say online is one of the best places to shop for heaters and filters... if thats the case then could u suggest some websites based in the uk where I can start looking..

 

[rdd1952]

I live in the US so I'm not sure aoub over there. Try posting in the Chit Chat or Hardware sections and asking there. I'm sure someone will steer you in the right direction.