New tank

[Great Lakes]

Thought I'd start a topic on something that has been discussed in many ways, just to share my experience.
These darn fish stores sell you a fish tank, and then they don't want to sell you fish to take home with it. :laugh:

My fish carreer started a few years ago when I met the missus. I always wanted a fish tank, but when I tried years ago, I screwed it up and decided it was too difficult to deal with. But always continued to marvel at them.

Fast forward. Meet my wife, get talking about fish. Found out she always had a tank. Her ex would never let her get anything larger than a ten gallon. Hah, I decided this fine lady deserved at least a 20 or 30. Go to fish store. 29gal tank and stand..$200. Hmm..55..$400...look a 75 is only a $125 more, and way cool. But look! For only $650, we can get a 90gal.
Yeah, by the time we added gravel, filter, blah blah blah, She had to write the check.(I can't bring myself to write a check with the word thousand in it!)

But he wouldn't sell us any fish, He had to think we were crazy. Heck, imagine how long it even takes to set up a monster like this. What, an hour or so? :laugh:

So My wife makes me stop at two other fish stores on the way home, and we buy over 60 fish!!!

Lucky me, the tank did go up real easy. Four hours later, fish were swimming aroud happy, never lost one.

Looking back, this was an incredibly silly thing to do. I would never recommend anyone to do it this way, but it is amazing what you can get away with sometimes. I think I know her secret too. Once, as I was trying to get the filter plumbing correct, I glanced over, and saw her whispering into one of the bags of fish......you be the judge....

 

[adeyc]

:laugh: She probably threatened the fish " Die on me and you go into the deep fryer!" :laugh:

 

[Davy Reynolds]

She must have something the rest of us didn't.

Oh if you've got spare cheques of that value, I'll have one for the fish hut :laugh:

 

[Duncan]

With the problems I've had (at the moment its algae) I certainly would wait 3 or 4 weeks before adding fish. I'm arguing with me sister to wait a couple of weeks before adding fish, mind you she does have the advantage to me. I'm on mains water and she's on spring water.

Our next set up I'll be leaving it a little bit longer before I add fish and I'm thinking of aquascaping - instead of dayglo gravel. Most likely be a species tank, not sure which species though :hmm:

Duncan

 

[adeyc]

Go for some large predatory fish. they're brilliant.

 

[pete]

HERE HERE i agree go for the predators :grin: :grin:

They sound hard work but i assure you that they are not........you just need powerful filtration (large external canister filters etc) and a good supply of "feeder fish" or frozen fish lol :what:

They really do make a facinating talking point when friends family etc call around lol

Snakeheads, large Catfish etc are all very nice but i would go for some Polypterus species (birchir's) as they are a very interesting fish in thier own right .........and........ you can house other large fish with them without as much of a risk as with Snakeheads etc

If you need any help on deciding what species to go for, should you decide to go down this road? then leave a post as some of us here already keep large predators and can probabally help with information on certain species :grin:

 

[Great Lakes]

Well, If any of you ever need a logical reason for a big tank. Since the 90 was my first, every tank I bought after that I was able fill with cycled water from my 90 gallon when I did a water change. Tank in an instant, I like to call it