What Would You Buy?

[znk]

its what you would do not what he should do...

Well then...I guess I wouldnt get an aquarium because I already take much time doing the maintenance on my 75 and 77 gallon tanks.
...unless.
ok.
I would sell the 75 with the cichlids.
Then replace 77 gallon tank I just got with a 150 gallon long or 180 gallon tank.
More Plants.
More Rainbow fish + tons of neon tetras + a couple of dojo loaches or something.
Some Apistogramma cacatuoides triple red.
What else....hummm....

 

[sunpirate2u]

I've been in the hobby for 2 years and I would buy a 115 gallon with sand and rocks and fake plants ect. I'd stock it with platies, bleeding heart tetras, panda corys, and 2 female blue dwarf gouramis. (I may have over stocked my tank. I tend to get carried away with stocking tanks )

Ok then, i'd also put clown loaches, a small pleco, bala sharks, and sliver dollars.

 

[CFC]

For a grand i could set up two 180 gallon tanks (6x2x2') at a cost of around £400, filter them with 4 Eheim classic filters (two on each tank) at a cost of around £280, heat them with four 300w heaters at a cost of around £120, build a double tier stand from 4x2 timber at a cost of no more than £100 and still have £100 to spend on substrate and decore for the tanks.

 

[kingmed]

Diffently go to Petsmart and get there 150 gallon tank, hood, light and stand + whatever else I could afford. The rate a month ago was aprox. 950.00 for the whole setup.

 

[DevUK]

I've been in this hobby for about 2 years now. I think I would aim for a sort of asian style planted tank. I would use plant substrates, pressurised CO2 and a nice big tank, something like:

Juwel Rio 400 (or something similar size) - 400L Approx £600 inc stand
TetraTec EX1200 Filter - £70
Hydor ETH300 External Heater - £40
Eco-Complete substrate - £20 per bag x4 bags
Pressurised CO2 System - About £100

Fish stock would be lots of small shoaling chappies:

Pentazona Barbs - About 20 I'd say.
Black Harlequin Rasbora - about 10.
Golden Harlequin Rasbora - about 10.
Maybe some other peacful barbs.
Some larger fish, not sure what though.

Lots of plants, sticking with the asian theme:

Crypt. Crispatula var. "Balansae" - Lots of this!
Crinium Natans - Several of these
Maybe some Vallis
Some other crypts too

 

[dthoffsett]

Well translated to US dollars, I'd have around $2000 to work with.

I'd get a 220 gal kit I've been looking at (tank, stand, hood, light) for $700
Fluval FX5 filter for around $250 (ebay)
Heaters would be in the $40 range
Substrate would be play sand for about $10
Rocks for decor, I can get 200lbs for $60
That would leave me $940 for the fish (mbuna of course) and other supplies.

Oh, and I've been keeping fish for about 11 years.

 

[madgap]

Thank you all for the time you've all taken to satisfy my curiosity. Just one small thing though. Would you please specify what substrate you'd use and fertaliser, if any. What potions to condition your water, and so on. This is not a marketing ploy, it's just, for my next tank, I want to get it right. My budget is tight. So making stupid mistakes in the initial set up is not an option.

Again, thank you all.

Si

 

[merry78]

I'd get a Red Sea Max nano marine set up. As i will probably never be in a situation where i could spend aroun AU$ 2700 on a tank (about a thousand pounds), i have not researched what i would get in terms of fish and chemicals. I'd get an R/O setup tho, and lots of live rock.......this isn't much help is it. oh well. there's my worthless two cents worth!

 

[azzman]

Biggest tank i could get and the biggest most colourfull cichlids that would fit.

 

[madgap]

I'd get a Red Sea Max nano marine set up. As i will probably never be in a situation where i could spend aroun AU$ 2700 on a tank (about a thousand pounds), i have not researched what i would get in terms of fish and chemicals. I'd get an R/O setup tho, and lots of live rock.......this isn't much help is it. oh well. there's my worthless two cents worth!

It doesn't help me to make my decision, but it is interesting to see the diverse interests. Your's is not a worthless two cent. You're as entitled to your post in this thread as anyone . So, thank you.

 

[BigC]

Hi
Avid Hobbyist for over 35yrs,
A question for you.....What type of fish are you interested in, what ideas do you, yourself have for such a project.
Giving some background information from yourself may go some way to tailoring an aquarium to suit your taste.
BigC

 

[madgap]

Hi BigC,
What I want is a big tank. Peaceful fish, possibly the ones I have in my signture (beneath my post) It has to be well planted and not too difficult to maintain. By that I mean, if I can't attend my tank for a few days,it won't harm. I have work and karate commitments that often tire me too much.
I've kept fish, on and off for twelve years. But am by no means 'up' on what is impotant. My tank must be well planted and healthy. But substrate and fertaliser bewild me. I can't seem to get the answers I'm after.

You've been keeping fish my entire life, so any pointers and ideas will be greatly welcome.

Cheers.

Si

 

[BigC]

Do some research on geographical biotopes for planting schemes
http/www.freshwateraquariumplants.com/basicplantcare.html
http/www.freshwateraquariumplants.com/aq...scaping101.html
For fish and a stunning effect, I would choose amongst others, a large shoal of Congo Tetras. Great focal point.
The substrate I use is fine gravel, 25mm unwashed mixed with substrate additive (laterite mix) and topped off with 35mm washed fine gravel. Pea gravel is too large and sand compacts too tightly around plant roots.
anything else

 

[scouse_andy]

I've been in the hobby for less than a year. I would definitely get a big Rena Aqualife tank. They look very stylish. You can buy a 6ft one new for 995 or a 5ft one new for 795 at Maidenhead Aquatics but get on Ebay and you can half those prices if you're prepared to travel a bit, I've bought most of my tanks off Ebay and have saved a packet without being let down yet. So for less than 500 quid you could have a 6 foot 145 gallon aquarium complete with two heaters and a couple of decent external filters.

After that I have so many different ideas, I would like to try a Mbuna cichlid setup in a few years time. Probably though, I would go for a low tech planted setup. Very simple substrate of top soil and silica sand over the top, no added ferts or CO2 and the standard Rena lighting setup, similar to what I have in my Juwel Rio 240 now. I would plant with vallis, onion plants, swords and crypts, these are all heavy root feeders so a nutritious substrate is important. You could get soil, plants, bogwood and sand for about 150 quid.

I would then stock a couple of plecs for the bottom - Golden Nuggets look nice and you can pick these up for 25 quid each (need soft water though) and a shoal of Sterbai Corys (twelve for 40 quid from Tri-Mar).

I'd then get a big shoal of about 15 Redline Torpedo barbs (Puntius Denisonii) only a fiver each from Tri-Mar (£15+ from anywhere else). Another big shoal of Congo Tetra next (20 or so at about 3 quid each=60 quid). Then a shoal of Rummy Nose Tetra (another 20 at about 2 quiid each=40 quid).

Then for the top some Harlequins (20 at about 150 = 30 quid).

That brings the total to just under a grand by my calculations. The thing is that it hasn't taken me long to write this post as I'm always posing myself this type of question, looking for the next tank! The only problems with this setup for me are that:

A. I live in Southern England where the water is hard as nails and some of the fish wouldn't live, let alone thrive

and

B. My bank balance is currently four figures but it has a minus sign in front of it.

 

[madgap]

Thank you very much indeed, gentlemen. Andy, your bank balance is pretty much like mine.
BigC, you say at the end 'Anything else'? There will be more questions coming your way in the not too distant future.

Again, thank you.

Si