Small Space = Small Tank. Looking At 30L - Advice?

[altselgreen]

Hi all
 
Its been a long time since I've posted on here. I joined a decade ago at the prime age of 12! 
 
Now getting back into it, I am looking at starting up a small tank.
 
This may be an unanswerable question, but look forward to receiving some advice. 
 
I have a very particular area that I would like to set up a tank in. The space is approximately:
44cm tall / just over 17inches
32cm wide / just under 13 inches
33cm deep / 13 inches
 
I recognise that this limits me hugely in terms of a tank, but this is the space I would like to fill. (and living in a small flat makes life more difficult)

I have been looking for tanks that fit this requirement, and the most suitable and largest I have found is a 30L tank by aqua one. Link is here: http/www.aquaone.co.uk/aqualed-nano-cube.php
(I have contacted them and they informed me that the tank is actually 35cm tall, not 30cm as stated, which explains how it can equate to 30L)
 
A 30L tank is limiting and such, I am currently considering a betta. I would like some opinions on anything else I could do with a 30L tank (besides shrimp/snails/betta). There seems to be differing opinions that I have read previously. 
 
Does anyone know of any other tanks (maybe brands that specialise in taller tanks or any particular models) that could also fit my requirements but provide a tad more volume? I am not sure the kind of volume I could expect out of a space of my requirements, but would appreciate a little insight!
Or could I consider custom built tanks? Any rough price ranges etc. I think most custom tanks are built because people require a far larger tank than can buy as standard. 
Maybe it would be suitable to buy a basic aquarium from scratch, but again it may be difficult to find with those height dimensions and an open space or lid that opens at the top. Any ideas on how I could start/where to look. 
 
Cheers
Sam
 

 

[NickAu]

When trying to squeeze a tank into a small space do not forget that you need access to it for water changes and other maintenance .

 

[tunagirll]

30 litres is perfectly fine and you can do quite a lot with it
 
Planted out, it makes a wonderful home for a betta.
 
If you like shrimp, you could also look at creating a tank with a nice shrimp colony and perhaps some nano fish in the top - a small school of 6 or 7 microrasbora or other rasbora species, some endlers or guppies would be fine in there.
 
You could also look at a brackish tank (freshwater with some salt) and look at a bumblebee goby. You can still include a few endlers or guppies as they tolerate a brackish tank well. Of course salted water is no good for plants, but you can create neat environments with wood and stone.
 
Another option is a dwarf indian mudskipper, for which you will need to create a landbase in the tank as well and keep a lid on for humidity.

 

[StevenF]

Keep in mind your need space above the tank for maintenance access.  if you have a 17" tall tank an no access maintenance may be impossible.  I would guess you would need 4" of space for maintenance, aquarium lights and or a automatic fish feeder.  Also check for outlets near the spot you want to use.  Aquarium require power and that could be a problem if the outlet is on the other side of the room.All That means your tank would be probably limited to13X13X13 inches in size.   Still large enough for some of the stocking recommendations from Tunagirll.  however before thinking about what fish you want you should test your water to determine the hardness and PH.  Those might limit your choices on what types of fish you can use.  Your local aquarium fish store should be able to test your water.  Ask them to write down all the levels for nitrogen,hardness, Alkalinity, ph, and Chlorine and anything else they measure.
 
Now you could have a custom tank made but it would likely be expensive.   The alternative would be to learn how to work with Acrylic and may your own. It may take practice but would cost a lot less.  Also if there is a Acrylic shop nearby ask if they could teach you.   If you do a search on google you can find text and videos on on making your own tank.  

 

[altselgreen]

Thank you all for your replies. After some consideration, I think going with the original 30L tank above will be the best in light of maintenance, cleaning, feeding etc. It will give me enough space above for maintenance and fits the width and the depth of the space perfectly. 
 
I have done a quick search online, and the water in my area is hard. It has a calcium carbonate (CaCO3) of 325ppm/mg per litre. The pH has a mean average of 7.505. Do these parameters help in deciding the best fish for the tank in line with tunagirll's suggestions?
 
I am quite keen on guppies or endlers, but like the look of some of the rasbora species too. How will these fair in hard water etc?

 

[tunagirll]

Guppies and endlers thrive in hard water, rasboras prefer softer water however are fine in hard.
 
The real trick is to avoid adjusting your water so that the acidity and hardness are consistent, as it's the fluctuations that tend to stress fish more than the actual hardness.

 

[StevenF]

 
 
I have done a quick search online, and the water in my area is hard. It has a calcium carbonate (CaCO3) of 325ppm/mg per litre.

 Water saturates with Ca(CO3) at 0.013g/l.  Most of the hardness listed is not due to Calcium Carbonate.   What they are listing is the calculated equivelent of Ca(CO3)  Much of the harness in your water is due to sulfates, Chlorides, and other compounds that are much more soluble that Ca(CO3).  I use RO water which a harness value of  has less than 25ppm.  I I saturate the water with Calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate and then ad the fertilizer I use my water hardness typically reads about 75ppm.  Most of that 75ppm is from the fertilizer not the calcium or magnesium carbonate I add.
 
One would think that with a water harness of 325ppm the water would have enough trace nutrients in it for plants to do well.  However the reality is the water may be short several key nutrients and as a result plants may not do well.
 
http/www2.ca.uky.edu/wkrec/HARDNESS.PDF
 
As a side note my sister did see a planted tank at a aquarium shot with Endlers, plants and what sounds like crystal shrimp.  She said it was a stunning tank.  Unfortunately she didn't take pictures of it.  And when she went back to get some photos of it, it was gone.  Apparently it had been setup specifically for a customer and delivered.