Very Shallow Aquarium - Too Shallow?

[Merkin]

Hi All, I am new to this so please bare with me.

I am constructing an aquarium with the dimensions of 900mm x 900mm x 85mm deep (36" x 36" x 3 1/2" deep). Out of necessity it cannot have any changes to these dimensions.

Is this going to be too shallow to keep fish in? I imagine that it would depend on the fish though I am sure there is a recommended minimum. Has anyone managed to keep fish in such shallow water or is there something else I could keep in the tank such as small turtles?

Thanks for any help you can give me!

Brad

 

[SharonCC]

Well, that's a brain teaser...I can't think of anything...

 

[nosoup4you]

Possibly some Killifish...

 

[bordercollie05]

What about cories? Might be even too shallow for them...I don't know if they need height or not, but mine stay on the bottom almost always. Maybe another catfish that's usually a bottom dweller....

 

[fifefish]

Possibly some Killifish...

ask BigC if you can keep killifish in that tank he's like a killi-guru

 

[rabbut]

Would have though most Tetras and rasboras would be OK The real problem will be filtering it.

 

[Merkin]

Great! I was hoping I could get some Tetras in there, will have to find out what a rasbora is though...

Thanks!
Brad

 

[smegforbrains]

Just out of interest, what is stopping you making the tank taller?


I would have thought, apart from shrimp or dwarf frogs, there wouldn't be anything really suitable for such a shallow tank.

 

[LauraFrog]

IMHO it will be fine as long as you stick to small fish, the smaller the better. Pygmy corys and small tetras are suitable. Killies are too jumpy, they will hit their heads and kill themselves on whatever requires the tank to be this shallow (I'm interested to know!)

Edit: Sparkling gouramis!

 

[Schmill]

As a note my cory's spend a lot of time on the bottom (as you might expect), but also love nothing more than racing to the surface at high speed, and then zooming along the tank walls. Don't know if they HAVE to be able to do this, but they seem to like to be able to.

Also as in mentioned above I think filtering could be an issue for this 'tank'. to stop debris just sitting on the bottom of the large wide base you will need a fairly wide, fast flow rate across the base of the tank to move the debris to the filter, although that will give you another issue as with water that shallow, moving as swiftly as it will need to, again I don't think many fish will be happy?

From the dimensions I'm guessing you are doing one of these 'coffee table' style tanks?

As an aside my only other thought on this would be to the actual construction itself, with a 3ft square base, and then walls of only 3.5", there isn't going to be a whole lot to stop the tank twisting and straining. It's going to need to be VERY flat when it's sited, and whenever it is being moved you will have to be more cautious than normal to not stress the corner silicon joints.

 

[Inchworm]

As a note my cory's spend a lot of time on the bottom (as you might expect), but also love nothing more than racing to the surface at high speed, and then zooming along the tank walls. Don't know if they HAVE to be able to do this, but they seem to like to be able to.

Since their natural river habitat sometimes becomes muddy or silty, corys are able to occasionally go to the surface and gulp mouthfuls of air. The oxygen is then absorbed by their intestines as it passes through them. In an aquarium they sometimes indulge in this activity even though the water quality is fine. Since they are fighting a current in the river, when they go to the surface for this purpose it looks like they are "shooting" up.

Even if you could get sufficient water movement, I doubt if 3 1/2" of water would be deep enough to keep them in safety.

 

[Eclecticoldsod]

Turtles will grow to big for this set up. Would you consider shrimps, dwarf African frogs, or red claw crabs with loads of land area?
If you really want fish and would be prepared to go brackish, maybe be some mud skippers with a vast area of mud and wet land to live on...
Your greatest problem will be filtration, and a tight-fitting lid to keep them all inside.
This is a challenge that I would dearly love to face. Good luck with whatever you try...

 

[Merkin]

Wow, thanks for all the replies!

Schmill hit the nail - I am making a coffee-table Aquarium. I found an old table on the street a few years ago and I hate good things going to waste so I grabbed it with the idea of putting fish in it... finally.

The table has a galvanised steel tray inserted in the center with the aforementioned dimensions which is why I can't change the dimensions (without constructing a new tray). It is very strong and rigid and for safety's sake I have siliconed the inside and outside seams and also brushed a layer of silicone over the entire interior in case the lining leaks. I intend to put a black liner in and black stones on the bottom. There will be a reinforced glass top over the table with an inch gap between the top of the table and the glass.

I realise I will need a filter but I was hoping to get some sort of catfish or similar that may help to keep the tank clean as well - am I right in thinking this could help?

As for other types of animals to keep in there, I would consider this but only after I have exhausted my options with fish.

Thanks again for all the replies!

Brad

 

[LauraFrog]

Catfish generally make more mess than they clean up, you canot rely on them as any sort of cleaning system. Shrimp are better if you want cleaners.

 

[Tolak]

Sounds like a newt tank to me.