Going Bigger?

[blackers92]

Well I have a 37 Gallon tank right now which I love and I have learnt alot from, but I want to upgrade to something larger by the end of the year. I have about 6 foot of desk space which can be re-inforced to support practically anything (dad is a builder).

so my question is, what size should I go for if I was to upgrade? that would allow the largest amount of fish to live in, i.e clown loaches and other fish that need bigger tanks. I dont want to be as constricted as my current tank.

should I go for a generic tank and external filter or like a an aqua one or some other brand? I have an all in one at the moment and dont like the idea of being constrained to the one company if something goes wrong.

sound will also be an issue as it is in my bedroom, I can soundproof the cabinet to make the filter quiet and accept a bubbling noise, I dont want it to sound like a waterfall haha

any ideas or personal expericance would be appreciated

adam

 

[chrisbassist]

I'd say go as big as you have room for.

No matter how big you go you'll always find things which are too big. I'm looking at building a massive tank, (12ft by 6ft by 3ft high) and I've already found thing which won't go in.

But a 6ft tank will be able to house most if the common fish in the hobby.

As for noise, my external filter is silent. Can't hear it at all. And you don't need the water to be like a waterfall, it doesn't need to break the surface, just agitate it.

 

[meguro]

have u given any thought to the maintenance on such a large tank in ur room?

most external canister filters are very quiet, even more so when in an enclosed cabinet.

 

[blackers92]

well I was thinking 6ft would be a good size

as for maintainance I would have finished school and have plenty of time to do larger water changes, gravel vaccs etc? what else would be need to be done? rinsing of filter media/changing of filter media. Cleaning algae etc. What other maintainance would be required?

 

[snowflake311]

6'x2'x2 that's about 180 gal. I think that's a perfect size it's big but not scary big. I hope to upgrade my 100 gal to a 180 some day.

What kind of fish are you looking at?
Oh yeah filters don't make any sound unless broken. It's the splashing of water that's loud.

I don't find my 100 gal is any harder to care for then my 36 gal. Sure it takes a little longer due to more water. Besides that it's the same. A python is a must for larger tanks.

 

[blackers92]

yeh I think it seems like an ideal size. the splashing of my filter is quite irritating as it is in my bedroom, i can only hear it when I focus though (which happens alot when I am sleeping)

Like alot of people I wanted to get Clown Loaches only to realise my tank isnt large enough, so a shoal them would make me happy. And maby a common pleco. According to AqAdvisor that puts it at almost completly stocked which sounds ridculious to me haha

but I am open to any fish really.

im worried about the weight of the tank though, it would literally weigh a tonne and im not sure that my bedroom floor could handle that load . Its just a standard house, im not a builder so I dont know the technical terms. But there is a crawl space underneath it.

so hopefully I havent ruined my dream before it has begun.

 

[chrisbassist]

I would definately get that checked. And either way, position the tank so it spans a few floor joists.

The problem with the common plec is that it's maximum size is about half the length of that tank, and they're poo machines. The average sizevwould beva fair amount smaller.

I bet you could add a few more fish in the top without making much dif to that percentage.