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Deleted member 55926
Guest
Hi everyone,
I have just bought my first flat, and being the animal-lover I am (and not able to keep cats here!), I have decided to set up a nice aquarium. Now I knew it would be slightly more complex than 'buy tank / fill with water / add fish' but I have quickly become lost in pages and pages of research and how-to guides. However, this seems like the best forum I have come across (loads of helpful threads, thanks) so I thought I'd just pitch my ideas and see if you guys can give me a little one-to-one advice for my particular situation.
What I Would Like
I do not have space for a large tank, but I am interested in taking this as seriously as space permits. I have a low cabinet about 2' high, that would make a perfect base for a tank with surface area up to about 80cm x 40cm. With this in mind, I am thinking of tanks that are 60L- 100L. Initially, I thought 60L would be fine, but I keep reading that slightly larger tanks are much better, and I have seen that you can't actually get many fish in 60L.
I was thinking of a Juwel Rekord 80 or 96, as they seem to be a good starting point, and affordable (http/www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/rekord.htm?cat=521). Are Juwel tanks OK? They seem to be quite popular around the Internet.
Fish
I have a million more questions, but I will leave it at that for now. I am having a real hard time simply choosing a tank to begin with!
Thanks.
I have just bought my first flat, and being the animal-lover I am (and not able to keep cats here!), I have decided to set up a nice aquarium. Now I knew it would be slightly more complex than 'buy tank / fill with water / add fish' but I have quickly become lost in pages and pages of research and how-to guides. However, this seems like the best forum I have come across (loads of helpful threads, thanks) so I thought I'd just pitch my ideas and see if you guys can give me a little one-to-one advice for my particular situation.
What I Would Like
- Tank no bigger than 100L.
- Tropical.
- Would prefer numbers over size of fish.
- At least one shoal, with a couple of larger individuals maybe.
- A couple of invertebrates (e.g. shrimp, snails).
I do not have space for a large tank, but I am interested in taking this as seriously as space permits. I have a low cabinet about 2' high, that would make a perfect base for a tank with surface area up to about 80cm x 40cm. With this in mind, I am thinking of tanks that are 60L- 100L. Initially, I thought 60L would be fine, but I keep reading that slightly larger tanks are much better, and I have seen that you can't actually get many fish in 60L.
I was thinking of a Juwel Rekord 80 or 96, as they seem to be a good starting point, and affordable (http/www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/rekord.htm?cat=521). Are Juwel tanks OK? They seem to be quite popular around the Internet.
Fish
- Is 80L a decent starting size, and is it realistic for me to keep, say, a group of 5-6 neons or cardinals, 2 or 3 fish that are maybe 3" max, and a couple of 1" shrimp?
- Do small shrimp or snails count as far as tank space is concerned?
- What are the benefits, if any, of keeping shrimp/snails?
- What is the difference between using sand or gravel? Which is easier to sustain the small fish I am interested in?
- What level of density of plant/rock cover should I use? I really like busy aquariums with lots of plants and places to hide.
- How much gravel is needed for an 80L tank, in terms of height from the bottom, and weight?
- How much volume does gravel and rocks take up, as this may influence my decision to go for the 96L.
- What are the benefits/drawbacks of using real plants? Is there anything wrong with using fake plants if they are aesthetically pleasing?
I have a million more questions, but I will leave it at that for now. I am having a real hard time simply choosing a tank to begin with!
Thanks.