Tank Suggestions

[rayhenry]

Good day. I've recently aquired a ~75 gallon tank that desperatly needs help. This thing is just plain ugly.

Current residnts are:
2 gouramis
4 black tetras
3 giant danios
1 angel
1 tri colour shark
2 larger plecos
2 rainbow shark
and one fish I've yet to identify. The family of the pervious owner thought it was a shark, but I can't find anything so far in the local stores like it.

The tank was transported and set up again just a couple of weeks ago, so I'm not going to make any real changes right away. We got lucky, everything survived the move. Actually, even luckier, as I couldn't believe anything could live in the water they had been in when I got there. The previous owner had passed away, and little more than feeding the fish was done since then. Except the addition of a turtle, which has now gone to a different home. So I don't want to get the fish rattled up again too soon....

So here's the thing, I want to fix the way this tank looks. But I don't want to be spending huge money to do it. So I'm hoping that I can get some input from you folks on where I need to go with this thing.

I'm going to have to get rid of the gravel first, I find it just obnoxious.... Here's what it looks like now; http/www.autoclubs.ca/tank1.jpg

 

[MHunt]

That thing looks like it's on a life support machine for all the tubes! Nice size of tank though, and the fish look great, especially that little black angel

Does it really need all that equipment or could you get it down to a single filter and heater?

 

[tetras4me]

well that unidentifed fish is acctully a type of cat fish i used to have one cant remember what its called though. any way i would start by putting a backround in the back of the tank you should be able to buy some at a fish store or petsmart. second if you do that get a cave or sunken ship or something that the fish can go into thats a little bigger. replace the gravel with blue or brown gravel. sand would also be good. get alot more plants
it would be better if you got a varity in size of the plants. also get a large flat rock to put in there make it so that its slanted buy placeing another rock under one end of it gouramis and catfish and especilly angel fish love that!
make those adjustmints and it will be looking terrific!!


sorry it is so long.

 

[OohFeeshy]

You don't even know which fish in the tank is in-ID'd, let alone see it well enough to ID it...

 

[rayhenry]

That thing looks like it's on a life support machine for all the tubes! Nice size of tank though, and the fish look great, especially that little black angel

Does it really need all that equipment or could you get it down to a single filter and heater?

Yeah, I hate all the mess. Problem one is that they bought 4 of the cheapest, smallest air pumps, one for each undergravel tube. I'm thinking that step #1 is to replace the undergravel system with a new one, running a single powerhead on each side, for a total of 2. Then move to a Fluval or the likes, with the filter away from the tank, getting rid of those nasty hanging filters. Also, up the size of the heater, and get a submersible one to drop down center back of the tank, where it can be hidden better. Figure I'll impliment all that in one whack, rather than keep stirring the poor fish up. They've been through enough.

I'm working on the assumption that there has been a problem keeping this tank clean in the past. Both from how much they seem to have added on to it, and the condition it was in when I picked it up. I'm surprised the fish survived the move, really. Tank was very nasty, and the previous owners had already stuck the fish into 5 gallon pails before I got there. By the time I had the tank cleaned up, and ready for the fish again, they probably spend somewhere between 5 - 6 hours in those pails, and water temp was down about 68.

The only fish that seem to be having problems are the plecos. One has remained sullen & washed-out, the other one has the occassional day where he spends a few hours looking washed out....

Gravel looked like a variety of brown & green gravels until I cleaned it. Took the better part of an hour to get the algae & mineral deposits off the thing... I'm just amazed at how healthy the fish seem to be, considering I saw and smelled what the water was like before.....

well that unidentifed fish is acctully a type of cat fish i used to have one cant remember what its called though. any way i would start by putting a backround in the back of the tank you should be able to buy some at a fish store or petsmart. second if you do that get a cave or sunken ship or something that the fish can go into thats a little bigger. replace the gravel with blue or brown gravel. sand would also be good. get alot more plants
it would be better if you got a varity in size of the plants. also get a large flat rock to put in there make it so that its slanted buy placeing another rock under one end of it gouramis and catfish and especilly angel fish love that!
make those adjustmints and it will be looking terrific!!


sorry it is so long.

Could be right on that being a cat. Here's a better pic, if anyone can ID it:
http/autoclubs.ca/unknownfish.jpg

As for gravel, is there a benefit to sand over aquarium gravel? What about something like pea gravel, more natural? Pea gravel would sure be cheaper, it it's suitable..