Today's a new day.

[elephantnose3334]

It's Saturday. I love the sights of Perth, including the LFS's here.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Today's Sunday. A beautiful 72 x 48 x 50cm (173L) tank originally built by Aquotix is now a secondhand tank waiting to have a new owner, costing $100. Only on Facebook Marketplace. I'm just very interested in large tanks because they provide more swimming room for my tetras, if I have one. Fellow fishkeepers, I'm ready to start getting a bigger home for the fish. But research is always needed for a tank like this, especially the care for the aquarium. We only have two 10L water jugs each (for me and younger sister) for spare water for water changes.

Listening to some French music (the one I found in a Pringles ad and Wednesday) currently. I may not know French, but it's surreal. I'm only a young female, still learning on fishkeeping since a year ago. I check on Marketplace everyday to see there are cheap second hand large aquaria suitable for some fish.

 

[Colin_T]

Tanks that are more than 45cm high are painful to clean. Even though it's only 5cm higher, it can still be an issue if you are short. The other issue is the length (72cm). It's not much longer than a 2 foot tank but will weigh a lot more due to the height (needs thicker glass) and width.

An aquarium that is 3 foot long x 30-45cm wide x 30-45cm high has a better surface area for fish and gives the fish more swimming room.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Tanks that are more than 45cm high are painful to clean. Even though it's only 5cm higher, it can still be an issue if you are short. The other issue is the length (72cm). It's not much longer than a 2 foot tank but will weigh a lot more due to the height (needs thicker glass) and width.

An aquarium that is 3 foot long x 30-45cm wide x 30-45cm high has a better surface area for fish and gives the fish more swimming room.

I do get it. The Fluval gravel vac (large) is 60cm high for the main part. But taller tanks are better for some fish i.e. angelfish, although they can be a pain to maintain.

 

[GaryE]

I have ape arms, and a tank that tall would scare me off. Gallons or litres don't matter as much as footprint anyway.

Who are the French artists you're listening to?

 

[elephantnose3334]

I have ape arms, and a tank that tall would scare me off. Gallons or litres don't matter as much as footprint anyway.

Who are the French artists you're listening to?

Edith Piaf. That famous French artist who's songs appear in TV and movies. Two days ago I watched the red belly piranha scene on Ep. 1 of Wednesday (2022 TV show) where the main character puts two bags full of them in a swimming pool with a swimming class, they break free from the aquarium bag and bites a swimmer's (presumably a bully) backside. It's CGI, not real. One song of Eidth's plays in the scene. And yes, Wednesday Addams got expelled from the school after that. I thought the fish in the bag were oscars at first, but when they swam, they were piranhas.

I get that, but why piranhas in a horror-comedy TV show? Piranhas get a bad rap in myths such as piranhas eating peoples' backsides. They don't eat people, but when they do, it's very rare.

 

[elephantnose3334]

It's Wednesday. Had a 3-day long break, hopefully I'm back to business. Caring for my tetras currently. Nothing special today.

 

[elephantnose3334]

Today's Wednesday. Had a long break from posting, and I'm back to work. Yesterday, my first day back to school, I found a 21L (36 x 22 x 26.5cm) aquarium which was dumped by someone in the school grounds near a carpark. The tank didn't have a lid, so I might get my LFS to build one for the tank instead. It didn't have a filter, heater and light either. I assume they didn't want the tank anymore and just littered it. Sadly I didn't take a photo of it when it was first found since I don't have a phone. The tank didn't had cracks or chips on it, and was in good condition. There were debris and bird poop on the outside bit, which meant it was exposed to some elements a few days/weeks ago. I washed the debris off from the inside of the tank and cleaned the outside to get rid of bird poop. I visited the LFS and showed them the tank and explained to them why it was found that way. I did a leak test for a day (until today), and it did not leak after that, as per the fish shop's advice. It's an Aqua One Splish & Splash aquarium (medium), with the brand claiming they're suited for goldfish.

It's very rare to find aquaria like this dumped in the school grounds. And who knows, luck may be on my side. I just hope I can give the aquarium a deserving makeover. I will update you on the aquarium once I took a photo of it nowadays. It is just big enough (21L) for a single betta and nothing else.

 

[Colin_T]

It should make a nice Betta tank. Now all you have to do is choose a fish. Do you want a red one or a blue one, or maybe a koi coloured Betta? Short fin or long fin? Male or female?

Are you still enjoying work?

 

[elephantnose3334]

It should make a nice Betta tank. Now all you have to do is choose a fish. Do you want a red one or a blue one, or maybe a koi coloured Betta? Short fin or long fin? Male or female?

Are you still enjoying work?

Shortfin Koi, copper or nemo is the best. Boys' more common than the girls. I still need the filter, heater and light. But I agree with you. I enjoy the work of aquariums and looking after them.

 

[elephantnose3334]

The 21L aquarium is moved to the same cabinet table as the 41L aquarium I have for a year. A thing regarding such a small aquarium: How suitable is it for a betta? I know that Petbarn said 9L is suitable for a betta, and Morley Aquariums said 3L. But the minimum is 20L or more. Why do these places list these litres (9L and 3L) as the appropriate volume for a betta?

Also here are some pics of the 21L aquarium (plus my 41L aquarium):

 

[MattW]

I’m guessing so they can sell Betta fish to a larger market. As most people will have smaller tanks which = larger customer base

It’s all about profits

 

[elephantnose3334]

I’m guessing so they can sell Betta fish to a larger market. As most people will have smaller tanks which = larger customer base

It’s all about profits

Oh. I was just asking why brands and businesses sell these tiny, incompatible tanks for bettas and goldfish instead of the actual aquarium sizes for both species. I'm doing a betta tank in that Aqua One Splish & Splash aquarium. I'm confused about the brand selling it only for goldfish instead of a betta. It seems silly, but does Aqua One UK sell these exact aquaria?

 

[Essjay]

Small tanks for goldfish only is because they don't come with a heater which means only suitable for cold water fish. Most people think goldfish can be kept in a bowl so a small tank is an upgrade as far as they're concerned. After all, in their minds goldfish only grow to a few cm and live for just a year or two.

As for bettas, well doesn't everyone know they live in puddles in the wild - another popular misconception. I was in a non-fish shop a few years ago and on the shelf behind the till was a 10 cm/4 inch cube containing a male betta. That's 1 litre or 1/3 US gallon. No filter, no heater, no decor. The person who bought that thought is was suitable for a betta and it was possibly sold as being suitable for a betta.

 

[Colin_T]

We stopped selling small aquariums and bowls in the early 90s because we didn't like fish being stuck in them. A lot of shops and companies haven't.