Coffee Table Aquarium

[chesterjohn]

Hi everyone, I've been trawling the board for a while now, and thought I'd register and say hi.

I'm not a total newbie, I used to keep fish when I was younger and had a decent sized community tank. I'm hopefully moving into a place of my own in the next few months, and having being interested in getting back into the hobby, see this as the ideal time to start up again. Anyway, I've seen coffee table aquariums on the internet and think these look rather striking, this one in particular takes my eye... http/www.coffeetableaquariums.co.uk/RE-CT12ASH--E2.jpg

I was wondering if anybody out there has one of these that they can comment on, or people's opinions on it. Also any other reccomendations are welcome. I'm wanting something as large as possible really.

I also can't seem to find any technical specs on this aquarium such as filtration capacity, heating, lighting etc however with it all being built in, I'm assuming what it comes with is adaquate

Thanks,

John

 

[aly_starh]

Welcome to the forum

Ultimatley its your decision if you buy it etc. There are some on Ebay at the moment too, maybe you could double check those, http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/AQUARIUM-COFFEE-TABLE-HF2200-FREE-DELIVERY_W0QQitemZ250535860877QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Fish?hash=item3a5519da8d
these include a filter, though it may be beneficial to contact the seller and ask directly.

Aslong as the stocking you choose if fine, i dont see a problem.

Just to add: how would one do waterchanges and general tank maintenance on those table tanks?

 

[drobbyb]

I'd be worried about the fish being stressed from all the activity from above.

 

[chesterjohn]

Thanks, I believe that is actually the same tank, just a slightly smaller and rectangular shape instead of square. These seem to be the best I can find, just wanted to get people's opinions on these. I think they look really cool.

I'm also hoping on the possibility that my Dad still has his old marine tank stored somewhere and I can pinch that, clean it out and have that instead of shelling out my hard earned

Just to add: how would one do waterchanges and general tank maintenance on those table tanks?

The top glass piece (table top) is normally sat on some form of rubber pads/struts this can just be lifted off and stored somewhere out of the way to maintain the tank

I'd be worried about the fish being stressed from all the activity from above.

That's my main worry. I was thinking maybe putting some sort of foam damper or something to stop the vibrations trasferring from the table top down the legs and into the tank

 

[aly_starh]

I would give it a go
once its all set-up it will look fab!

 

[Jenste]

a problem i have heard with these tanks is that a LOT of condensation forms quite quickly on the "lid" aka the table top...making it distorted and hard to see the fish

 

[chesterjohn]

a problem i have heard with these tanks is that a LOT of condensation forms quite quickly on the "lid" aka the table top...making it distorted and hard to see the fish

That is the biggest problem I can think of, and not only that, but the water evaporating into the air, and making the room damp and humid.

I wondered if they came with a glass sheet that sits on the tank sides and acts as a seal to stop the water escaping. If not, I'm sure I could get one made cheaply, or devise something myself. I'd just hope this was thought of in the design

I'm sure it would look great. I plan on having a few rocks and bog/drift wood with a fair few plants as hiding places, then stocked with something along the following lines:

some guppies
6-10 cardinals
6-10 cherry barbs
1 golden nugget plec (if I can find it anywhere)
a few clown loach (assuming they are ok for the tank, will research more later)
some shrimp maybe ghost or cherry
I was also wanting a bright colourful fish to go in with these. I've seen things like Kribs and cockatoo cichlids that look beautiful, but don't really have any idea what these can be kept with



Any other suggestions for fish, colourful and pretty is what I'm going for, or comments on that stock are welcome

 

[Jenste]

well a problem with a "sealed" tank is no gas exchange - fish need oxygenated water and gas exchanges result so the top does need some sort of ventilation... while a fantastic design maybe consider a low regular table with a traditional tank sitting on top of it? you can have the 360* view which is quite appealing, set up an internal filter to one side (visible but not so visually unappealing as an hang-on-the-bank kind, and use the tables drawers/etc as storage for fish related items so they are close at hand for the tank

 

[chesterjohn]

well a problem with a "sealed" tank is no gas exchange - fish need oxygenated water and gas exchanges result so the top does need some sort of ventilation... while a fantastic design maybe consider a low regular table with a traditional tank sitting on top of it? you can have the 360* view which is quite appealing, set up an internal filter to one side (visible but not so visually unappealing as an hang-on-the-bank kind, and use the tables drawers/etc as storage for fish related items so they are close at hand for the tank

Sorry, I didn't actually mean a seal on it, there would be slight gaps in the glass sheet at the corners etc, but I thought it would make it slightly easier to see into the tank, and stop a lot of the water from evaporating.

Does anybody know anyone on here or in 'real life' that has a tank like this? It would be interesting to hear the opinions of people that have already got a similar set up

 

[Assaye]

a problem i have heard with these tanks is that a LOT of condensation forms quite quickly on the "lid" aka the table top...making it distorted and hard to see the fish

That is the biggest problem I can think of, and not only that, but the water evaporating into the air, and making the room damp and humid.

I wondered if they came with a glass sheet that sits on the tank sides and acts as a seal to stop the water escaping. If not, I'm sure I could get one made cheaply, or devise something myself. I'd just hope this was thought of in the design

I'm sure it would look great. I plan on having a few rocks and bog/drift wood with a fair few plants as hiding places, then stocked with something along the following lines:

some guppies
6-10 cardinals
6-10 cherry barbs
1 golden nugget plec (if I can find it anywhere)
a few clown loach (assuming they are ok for the tank, will research more later)
some shrimp maybe ghost or cherry
I was also wanting a bright colourful fish to go in with these. I've seen things like Kribs and cockatoo cichlids that look beautiful, but don't really have any idea what these can be kept with



Any other suggestions for fish, colourful and pretty is what I'm going for, or comments on that stock are welcome

Wouldn't go for the clown loach as they need 6 foot tanks. The others all seem fine, though, as long as the tank is big enough (which it should be if it is coffee table sized!)

If the tank is in the 150-200 litre range, how about some rainbow fish? Most of them appreciate the larger tank but they are stunning and make a really lovely display when shoaling.

 

[Mikaila31]

It can be done, it would just be more of a PITA then it is worth IMO. Show tanks should be on stands, not on the floor.

 

[chesterjohn]

[/quote]

Wouldn't go for the clown loach as they need 6 foot tanks. The others all seem fine, though, as long as the tank is big enough (which it should be if it is coffee table sized!)

If the tank is in the 150-200 litre range, how about some rainbow fish? Most of them appreciate the larger tank but they are stunning and make a really lovely display when shoaling.
[/quote]

the footprint of the floor is approx 1m x 1m, is that not big enough for them? They sound funny and I like the look of them, but obviously not going to keep something that isn't suitable.

the capacity is supposedly 340 litres so that would be cool. What sort of rainbowfish? Cichlid? any good pictures?

 

[drobbyb]

With 340 liters, you could keep any of the rainbow species. The only limitation you would have with them is availability. Here's a link to all known rainbow species, with pictures. Keep in mind that a fraction of the species listed will actually be available to you.

 

[Assaye]

Wouldn't go for the clown loach as they need 6 foot tanks. The others all seem fine, though, as long as the tank is big enough (which it should be if it is coffee table sized!)

If the tank is in the 150-200 litre range, how about some rainbow fish? Most of them appreciate the larger tank but they are stunning and make a really lovely display when shoaling.
[/quote]

the footprint of the floor is approx 1m x 1m, is that not big enough for them? They sound funny and I like the look of them, but obviously not going to keep something that isn't suitable.

the capacity is supposedly 340 litres so that would be cool. What sort of rainbowfish? Cichlid? any good pictures?
[/quote]

1m x 1m is only 3 foot x 3 foot. They need 6 foot tanks as they get to a foot long and need the swimming space. They also need to be kept in groups of at least 3, ideally 6 or more.

Cichlids would be possible, depending on the species. A group of some dwarf cichilds (apistos, rams, kribensis, etc) would be interesting and colourful but rams (while peaceful) need very specific water conditions and the other two can be aggressive so you need to think carefully about what fish you put them with.

Larger cichlids such as malawis would work but are pretty much species only compatible.

Have a browse online to find out details about each species. Remember to check 4 or 5 resources to get a decent overview.

 

[GrubbyGirl]

The questions I would be asking myself if I was looking at one of these are: (1) how well would I actually be able to see the fish? As the surface of the water will be moving getting a decent view from the top will be hard, so you're talking about viewing the fish from the side like a standard tank, so you'll be on your hands and knees a lot! (2) How do I feed the fish? Looks like you have to take the top off to get to the tank - do you have to dismantle the table every day to feed? (3)where are the wires going to go?

You never see these in fish shops yet there always seem to be a lot for sale on fleabay.............they appear to be hard work to keep from my point of view.

Good luck if you go for one though, it would be interesting to know what it's like living with one.