BadHairDay
New Member
So... I woke up at 2:30 on Tuesday to the ominous sound of splashing water - after over 40 years of use my old 3' tank decided it had had enough and unceremoniously dumped around 30l on the bedroom floor. Two and a half hours and many many soggy towels later, the fish had been temporarily rehomed and it was back to bed.
So, I need to start looking for a replacement of similar dimensions, and have to make decisions on kit. I am massively out of touch with current kit (the 40 years of service should give you a clue), so need some guidance/pushes in the right direction. The old tank inhabitants are a non-specific bunch, a couple of dwarf cichlids, some tetras, loaches, and the mix is likely to continue along those lines.
Firstly, does anyone have any strong or medium strength opinions on rival manufacturers e.g. Juwel, Fluval, Oase?
Secondly filters, I've always had an external cannister filter, but would be happy to see the back of trailing hoses and pipes, but are there advantages to internal or built-in filters and maintenance?
Thirdly, substrates - I have buckets of gravel from the old tank which used (many years ago) to have an undergravel filter - do people still use gravel as a substrate or is it all sand now? I'm not a great plant grower, although the old tank was a jungle of various anubias and java fern on bogwood.
I appreciate I'm asking a lot here, but if you can give me any guidance to at least rule out some options, that would be helpful, as soon as that carpet has dried I'll be on the hunt.
So, I need to start looking for a replacement of similar dimensions, and have to make decisions on kit. I am massively out of touch with current kit (the 40 years of service should give you a clue), so need some guidance/pushes in the right direction. The old tank inhabitants are a non-specific bunch, a couple of dwarf cichlids, some tetras, loaches, and the mix is likely to continue along those lines.
Firstly, does anyone have any strong or medium strength opinions on rival manufacturers e.g. Juwel, Fluval, Oase?
Secondly filters, I've always had an external cannister filter, but would be happy to see the back of trailing hoses and pipes, but are there advantages to internal or built-in filters and maintenance?
Thirdly, substrates - I have buckets of gravel from the old tank which used (many years ago) to have an undergravel filter - do people still use gravel as a substrate or is it all sand now? I'm not a great plant grower, although the old tank was a jungle of various anubias and java fern on bogwood.
I appreciate I'm asking a lot here, but if you can give me any guidance to at least rule out some options, that would be helpful, as soon as that carpet has dried I'll be on the hunt.
