Tropical Fish Forum
Tropical Fish Keeping => General Fishkeeping Chat => Topic started by: jesnon on April 28, 2014, 09:00:14 AM
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Wasn't really sure where to put this!
As you all know I've been trying to convince my partner that a new fish tank would be a great idea! ;D He currently remains unconvinced. He doesn't really think much of my little endlers, saying they're too small, and he wants bigger fish. So I was thinking if I can identify a smallish tank that could go in my lounge on the stand we used to use for our current tank, and which can fit some bigger fish in, he might be convinced! I'm not sure yet whether I would move my endlers to the bigger tank and get some fish I've been eyeing up for a while in my smaller tank, or just leave them in their current home that they've been happy in for a year or so now!
When we were looking at fish I know he liked penguin tetras, but generally the bigger and prettier the fish the better! I also have very high Ph and hard water so choices are limited by that too.
So can anyone think of a tank that would still be small enough to fit (around the size of the larger fluval edge or slightly bigger) and any fish that may tempt him!?
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Hard water, high pH, biggish and pretty fish, smallish tank......mmmmm..... difficult, it is.
I've got one platy and three guppies in a 25 litre, 36x23cm footprint tank in hard water and all seems well.
I also have a 55 liter, 40x40 footprint tank (AquaNano 40 (http://www.aquaone.co.uk/aquanano.php)) with a lot of fish in, but I mix that water with RO or rainwater to get the GH down to ~9
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not sure how they would match up to your water conditions but i had a drive out to a big fish shop yesterday and saw some peacock goby,s they was a very nice looking fish and the profile here says it gets to about 6cm but i guess your hard water and high ph would cause a problem for these :(
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Yes, the problem is finding fish that like your water. Livebearers are the obvious types, but they range from the small (endlers) to the too large (mollies). There are some rarer livebearers that could be kept in a species-only smallish tank such as the limias.
Some of the killifish would be OK, for example this (http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/nothobranchius-rachovii/) or this (http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species/fundulopanchax-gardneri-gardneri/)
What is the maximum length of tank you can squeeze in? The length is the most important dimension as that's what limits the size of fish.
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You could do the RO mix like me. If you had, say, 16º GH water then if you did a 2 parts tap to 1 part RO water you would end up with 10º GH, which is suitable for virtually all fish except a few of the more fussy ones. If you can collect rainwater then you could use this.
So for this example, a 50litre tank with a 10litre (20%) water change each week would use 3⅓ litres of RO and so cost approx 50p per week..... or nothing if you collect rainwater.
Worth thinking about, perhaps?????
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Hi everyone apologies for not replying sooner!
Thank you for all your replies. As you say my water is the main problem here! How easy is to change ph and hardness and keep this consistent so as to not harm fish? I will definitely consider this when weighing up my prions.
I'll measure my space when I get home from work tomorrow and let you know Sue.
What fish do you have in your tank again Colin?
Ahh I just wish I had simpler water and easier space in my flat!
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What fish do you have in your tank again Colin?
I've got Five-band barbs, Cherry barbs, Lemon tetras, and Neon tetras.
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Hi Jesnon,
Don't know if you've thought about them or even like them, but I think, ( :-\ ) some of the Rainbowfish might suit you and your water conditions. I guess it really depends on the size of the tank you can squeeze in.
I think the Rainbowfish are lovely and am planning on some dwarf ones myself for my new tank, (when I finally settle on what one to get :-\ )
Anyway...just a thought :)
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They are lovely fish Resa! I shall investigate! And Colin that is definitely a good choice of fish I would be happy with similar ones!
I have around 22 inches of stand space I could reasonably use I think Sue
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Though I could use slightly more I would be more concerned about the stand. It's not a purpose built stand but a long short stand I bought for my tank originally and I wouldn't put a tank too heavy on it because of that
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I second the Dwarf Rainbow suggestion - lovely fish :) although a 22 inch tank is perhaps on the small side for them though :( as they are very active and like good swimming space.
Though I could use slightly more I would be more concerned about the stand. It's not a purpose built stand but a long short stand I bought for my tank originally and I wouldn't put a tank too heavy on it because of that
Have you looked at whether you could get the stand reinforced in some way? If its a simply wood frame it should be relatively easy to add some extra struts/bracing.
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I agree with baggie - my dwarf rainbows are in a 42 inch tank and they are all over it.
24 inch tanks are quite common, ranging for 50-ish litres like my Eheim tank, to 70-ish litres for some tall ones. So we're talking 50 to 70 kg for the water alone. The stand needs to be able to cope with that weight. If you had space to replace your stand with a purpose built one, that would be safer. Stands that come with the tank usually have exactly the same footprint as the tank so if the tank will fit, so will the stand.
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I see where you're coming from. Though I do think weight wise it would be fine for a tank around the size you say Sue. It used to house my current tank and I would happily sit on it without concerns. I wouldn't want to it as it goes well with everything else and I bought it especially for the old tank.
Perhaps this is all futile anyway as my partner is still putting his foot down! I was hoping if I could show him the fish we could have and how easily it would fit he'd be convinced ha.
The other issue with the Location is the radiator... We never really use our hearing but I have no idea how to turn off that radiator!
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And here's where my current tank is, sadly tucked away in the corner!
I went into MA yesterday and they had some stunning endlers with the patterns of tiger endlers but also a beautiful pink and green colour. I was very tempted!
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The other issue with the Location is the radiator... We never really use our hearing but I have no idea how to turn off that radiator!
The radiator may not be a problem. Does your tank overheat? Is the heating on? If the answer to either of these questions is "No", you don't have an issue. It's only if your tank overheats and the heating is on that you have an issue. In this case, there is, or should be, a valve at each end of the radiator. One of them will require tools to alter, the other one will just turn like a tap. Turn it as far as it will go and your radiator is off.
Or you could try shouting at it! ;)
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We never really use our heating as being on the 4th floor of a new build flat it's generally quite warm anyway. I'll investigate though and see if I can turn off the radiator though. I've never had problems with my current tank over heating but I've never had it in front of the radiator before.
Overall though do you think the stand would be ok for a 70l tank?
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Overall though do you think the stand would be ok for a 70l tank?
I'm sorry, I couldn't possibly give you an idea. I haven't seen it.
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A 70litre tank with water, glass, gravel etc could weigh up ~90kg. Depending on you and your partner's weight..... would you sit on the stand?
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Both of us could sit on the stand without any problems I guess our combined weight would be around 20 Stone whatever that is in KG! I think it would be fine once I work out how to turn that radiator off (not that that's a concern during summer anyway!). Though of course the biggest issue is still convincing my partner haha.
I need to do some reading about using RO water to change Ph and hardness though as I imagine it could be complicated getting the amounts right to keep it stable
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20 stone is about 130kg. It's an indication, but the loading is different so don't take it as a guarantee.
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I need to do some reading about using RO water to change Ph and hardness though as I imagine it could be complicated getting the amounts right to keep it stable
It's really easy - but it will only change the hardness. The pH should stay basically stable 'cos of the buffering.