Aquarists unite: fish are friends, and food
- Thread starter Siliconemelons
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Guest, did you like the last podcast notification?? Well here's the second one, and for the third podcast! Yep. This Thursday 8-8-24 at 7pm Central
Go here to check out his podcast thread for info on topics and links!Go into the FoH discord and find the Happy Time Fun Hour channel and give it a listen!
a c i d.f l y
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Ideally, a tank should be wide (42") and shallow (18-24"), but depth from front to back only enough for the fish to turn around. 18" is plenty sufficient for the majority of home aquarium fish. Fish brains aren't that complex that they need large expansive tanks. The only time you get into that sort of scenario is with larger fish, or sharks, where you have the square, 500g tanks where a shark basically swims in circles. Most smaller fish that aren't in massive schools benefit more from places to hide or obstructing the line of sight.
Boils down to the fish.
Aamry
Blackwing Lair Raider
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I prefer them blackened.
I get where you're coming from, but as I said, I'm more a personal fan of square tanks or column tank, with a central feature (rock, driftwood, coral, etc)
Xarpolis
Life's a Dream
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I had some cheap ass fish when I was a kid (like 10-12 years old). Then my dad had a giant 186 gallon salt water tank in his office. It was great, but when he finally got rid of it, he said he ended up spending $30-40k in maintenance over the years. He did have a puffer, which I loved. I got back into fish after moving to Hawaii, where we aren't allowed to have dogs anywhere. So now I'm into fish. It started with some shitty goldfish that my daughter won at a festival, but one day one died, so I picked up a fancy one (split tail) before she got home from school. She saw it, and I convinced her that it evolved because she was into Pokemon.
Anyway, we did the goldfish game for a while, getting a few Black Moore's and some others, but they're REALLY god damn dirty fish. All they do is eat and shit. I got into live plants, and the fuckers up-root them just because. So I eventually got tired of it, and got rid of them.
I have a 20g tall at this point, and I'm keeping it stocked with LOTS of small fish. Under 2 inches. I actually have around 25, plus 7 amano shrimp. I'm really enjoying it, but it takes a lot of maintenance to keep a tank that packed with fish without endless deaths. I do nearly 100% water chances twice a week, and I'm constantly trimming back the plants and cleaning up algae. It's all good though, because I don't have a dog to keep me interested any more. So now my joy are these fish. Oh, and my wife/kids. But seriously, I dig fish anymore. I had to be pretty selective to find small fish that are not shrimp aggressive, and also don't nip at each other. But now this tank is an exceptional community tank, and VERY active. I'd love to pick up an Amazon Puffer (grows to a max of 3", and it would be an incredible center-fish), but it'd quickly eat the shrimp and they're a lot harder to manage. Especially because I'd need to keep a side tank to raise snails to feed it, just to assist with beak growth.
I've thought about going larger, but I need to keep the footprint smaller. My next upgrade that won't throw everything out of wack is a 29 gallon, but hopefully I can find one used. No such luck yet, though. And Hawaii charges out the ass for shit like that. I'd probably be in the $300 range at the store. I'd love to go the 55 gal route, but it's WAY too big. There's also a giant 150 gal on Craigslist for $1k, that I'd love to get and just massively stock it with under 2 inch guys, but that isn't in the cards.
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Xarpolis
Life's a Dream
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This was the first tank we had. And Walmart says it's a 10 gallon tank. It's actually a 5 gallon. Same $30 price tag. Take a tape measure and do LengthxWidthxHeight and you'll see just how tiny it really is.30$ Wal-Mart 10gal kit! Goooo
Pump was whisper quiet...now it has the standard brrrr-hummm
But tomorrow I buy some overpriced weeds and sticks for it.
Still pondering guppies to be with the betta or not...
View attachment 288281
I'm doing a 20 gallon tall right now, and it's perfect for my counter. Exterior dimensions are 24"x12.25"x16.5"
Use something like this to come up with the actual volume.
Tank Volume Calculator
Calculate capacity and fill volumes of common tank shapes for water, oil or other liquids. 7 tank types can be estimated for gallon or liter capacity and fill. How to calculate tank volumes.
www.calculatorsoup.com
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fris
Vyemm Raider
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- 2,473
Man, struggling with moving forward with this project. I bought a 125g glass tank off Craigslist. It holds water fine, but the stand looks a bit worn cause previous owner had a salt setup.
I want to build a stand that has a more open access, so I can use another tank as a sump.
I've used 2x6 for the top ring, just need to cut support legs and screw.
My concern is that any unevenness can cause the tank to crack. My floor is natural slate, nothing is even.
I want to build a stand that has a more open access, so I can use another tank as a sump.
I've used 2x6 for the top ring, just need to cut support legs and screw.
My concern is that any unevenness can cause the tank to crack. My floor is natural slate, nothing is even.
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Sludig
Potato del Grande
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I had some cheap ass fish when I was a kid (like 10-12 years old). Then my dad had a giant 186 gallon salt water tank in his office. It was great, but when he finally got rid of it, he said he ended up spending $30-40k in maintenance over the years. He did have a puffer, which I loved. I got back into fish after moving to Hawaii, where we aren't allowed to have dogs anywhere. So now I'm into fish. It started with some shitty goldfish that my daughter won at a festival, but one day one died, so I picked up a fancy one (split tail) before she got home from school. She saw it, and I convinced her that it evolved because she was into Pokemon.
Anyway, we did the goldfish game for a while, getting a few Black Moore's and some others, but they're REALLY god damn dirty fish. All they do is eat and shit. I got into live plants, and the fuckers up-root them just because. So I eventually got tired of it, and got rid of them.
I have a 20g tall at this point, and I'm keeping it stocked with LOTS of small fish. Under 2 inches. I actually have around 25, plus 7 amano shrimp. I'm really enjoying it, but it takes a lot of maintenance to keep a tank that packed with fish without endless deaths. I do nearly 100% water chances twice a week, and I'm constantly trimming back the plants and cleaning up algae. It's all good though, because I don't have a dog to keep me interested any more. So now my joy are these fish. Oh, and my wife/kids. But seriously, I dig fish anymore. I had to be pretty selective to find small fish that are not shrimp aggressive, and also don't nip at each other. But now this tank is an exceptional community tank, and VERY active. I'd love to pick up an Amazon Puffer (grows to a max of 3", and it would be an incredible center-fish), but it'd quickly eat the shrimp and they're a lot harder to manage. Especially because I'd need to keep a side tank to raise snails to feed it, just to assist with beak growth.
I've thought about going larger, but I need to keep the footprint smaller. My next upgrade that won't throw everything out of wack is a 29 gallon, but hopefully I can find one used. No such luck yet, though. And Hawaii charges out the ass for shit like that. I'd probably be in the $300 range at the store. I'd love to go the 55 gal route, but it's WAY too big. There's also a giant 150 gal on Craigslist for $1k, that I'd love to get and just massively stock it with under 2 inch guys, but that isn't in the cards.
Neat, though yeah that thing is stocked to the max and more.
Sludig
Potato del Grande
- 9,907
- 10,538
I think with rimmed tanks, those don't tend to do much. The top of the stand needs to be square and level to itself. From there the stand can be shimmed at the bottom to bring it level if it's off drastically. 125g's are usually pretty stout, so even a very mild off centerness ought to be fine. (within a degree or two.) Basically fill it an inch to the edge of the bottom rim to use as a natural level once the stand is in place and make sure it's not immediately noticeable as being off level. If it's basically off by the thickness of the water tension then it's fine.
I think I've heard more issues on larger tanks that are a little less robust blowing because of the newer style saltwater wavemakers that can create some real slopping back and forth kinda motion taxes the seals greatly.
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Aamry
Blackwing Lair Raider
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Sorry if this is an overly large picture.
Here is a stand I made for my 36 Gallon Bowfront. I just used 2x4's, sided and topped it with 1/2 plywood first, then brad nailed cedar onto it. I recently got the tank back from my ex-wife after she finally starved my fish to death, that's why it's empty.. also I'm broke.
The top is darker because I just sealed it with 2 coats of Teak Oil.
Here is a stand I made for my 36 Gallon Bowfront. I just used 2x4's, sided and topped it with 1/2 plywood first, then brad nailed cedar onto it. I recently got the tank back from my ex-wife after she finally starved my fish to death, that's why it's empty.. also I'm broke.
The top is darker because I just sealed it with 2 coats of Teak Oil.
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Aamry
Blackwing Lair Raider
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Here is the inside. I usually have a crossbar of cedar for between the two doors, hence the one spot missing it, but when I moved it to my house I was able to put the tank inside, with the buckets inside the tank, to really cut down space needed in my car.
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Skinner
Trakanon Raider
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That looks really nice. What brand of teak oil did you use? I'm in the middle of building an ada style stand for my 20g myself but I can't find a stain/sealer that I like the look of. Was going to test clear epoxy resin next but I'm curious how your specific teak oil would look like on white oak.
Aamry
Blackwing Lair Raider
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I just picked up a can of it from Lowes, it's Minwax "Helmsman" Teak Oil, I applied a good coat with a sponge brush, then wiped off the excess with a rag. White oak, will probably bring out the grain, but won't darken up as much like the cedar did.
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Anyone have experience with the Red Sea tanks? Looking at maybe the 75 gallon max series with the full sump add-on but not too sure. I've been wanting a reef tank setup since I was a kid and I'm thinking when we move and buy a house next year, might finally pull the trigger. Trying to get my due diligence in right now.
a c i d.f l y
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Red Sea MAX S-Series - Fully featured REEF SPEC, reef aquariums
The MAX S-Series is Red Sea’s flagship reef system and features the very latest in reef-keeping technology. WiFi controlled Hydra HD LED lighting, REEF-SPEC filtration and circulation systems, customizable fascia and a one-plug control center allow you to focus on the beauty and diversity of...
This full kit is definitely badass from what I can tell. I just know there are pieces you should probably buy separately, like the skimmer and lighting. I went through half a dozen skimmers before I found one that I could balance properly. Lots of variables, such as the size of the tank, size of the skimmer, skimmer cup, pump, bubbler, water hardness, fish capacity, general filtration, yadda yadda -- you want one that performs at about 99%. 100% or more and when there's nothing to skim it just fills the reservoir constantly with "nothing" (water without junk, causing it to overflow or burn out the pump). Not sure if that makes sense, but it will when you start figuring out how to use one. And who knows, maybe the "Professional" one it comes with is badass. It's a REEFER model, which, it's been a while, but I recall these being great minus short pump life.
REEFER Skimmers - Red Sea
Our high-performance REEFER™ Skimmers feature a combination of PSK pumps with proportionally sized venturi, bubble diffusor and reaction body that optimizes air-water contact time for steady waste removal.
Lighting is going to change drastically what kind of coral you can keep, with a side of color and aesthetic. What this kit comes with shows pictures of bubble coral, mushrooms, zoanthids, so suitable for most of your basic soft corals. You'd likely want a bigger stand if you wanted to do harder corals anyway, in order to fit a calcium reactor.
Follow these guys on Facebook: Bulkreefsupply.com - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies
Youtube: Bulk Reef Supply
They're "The Guys" when it comes to keeping saltwater aquariums.
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Alasliasolonik
Toilet of the Mod Elect
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Im totally good on sumps, skimmers and stuff but I need a good neutral lighting system with LESS light.A sump is definitely the way to go. That way you can drop your pump in there to keep it cool and increase its life, or if it's a non-submersible pump at least it will be behind the stand to reduce noise. You may get some "waterfall noise" depending on how exactly it's setup. Though looking at this one... "silent downflow pipe" - nice nice.Red Sea MAX S-Series - Fully featured REEF SPEC, reef aquariums
The MAX S-Series is Red Sea’s flagship reef system and features the very latest in reef-keeping technology. WiFi controlled Hydra HD LED lighting, REEF-SPEC filtration and circulation systems, customizable fascia and a one-plug control center allow you to focus on the beauty and diversity of...www.redseafish.com
This full kit is definitely badass from what I can tell. I just know there are pieces you should probably buy separately, like the skimmer and lighting. I went through half a dozen skimmers before I found one that I could balance properly. Lots of variables, such as the size of the tank, size of the skimmer, skimmer cup, pump, bubbler, water hardness, fish capacity, general filtration, yadda yadda -- you want one that performs at about 99%. 100% or more and when there's nothing to skim it just fills the reservoir constantly with "nothing" (water without junk, causing it to overflow or burn out the pump). Not sure if that makes sense, but it will when you start figuring out how to use one. And who knows, maybe the "Professional" one it comes with is badass. It's a REEFER model, which, it's been a while, but I recall these being great minus short pump life.
REEFER Skimmers - Red Sea
Our high-performance REEFER™ Skimmers feature a combination of PSK pumps with proportionally sized venturi, bubble diffusor and reaction body that optimizes air-water contact time for steady waste removal.
Lighting is going to change drastically what kind of coral you can keep, with a side of color and aesthetic. What this kit comes with shows pictures of bubble coral, mushrooms, zoanthids, so suitable for most of your basic soft corals. You'd likely want a bigger stand if you wanted to do harder corals anyway, in order to fit a calcium reactor.
Follow these guys on Facebook: Bulkreefsupply.com - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies
Youtube: Bulk Reef Supply
They're "The Guys" when it comes to keeping saltwater aquariums.
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