Plasma Tanks

[Barry P]

My main reasons for getting into tropical fish was that they looked good in my house, little did i know that they were so much work (enjoyable work). My new LFS is getting in whats called Plasma Tanks which are wall mounted and about 4 foot long and 5 inch`s thick, they come with numerous lights and look fantastic. Im assuming i would only be able to put very small fish in something like this..please advise, thanks

 

[red-devil0602]

reasons for not getting it
1 i would not like mount any amount of water to a wall
2 hard to maintain i think
3 not really suitable for fish, apart from maybe tiny tiny ones

 

[Barry P]

Thats what i was thinking, but this looks so good that a small shoal of neons would look fantastic in it. Its lit from end to end and each bulb along the way can be a different colour.....very mellow!

 

[annka5]

I'd say 5" wide would be OK (just) for some small fish - many people suggest you need a tank where the width is twice as much as the length of the fish (minimum) for things like Oscars, so I don't really see why it should be different for smaller fish, so long as there is enough lengthwise swimming space as well.
However, I don't like the idea of the weight of the tank on a wall (how do the fixings actually work, out of interest/) but that could be my dodgy plaster, also have no idea how you would clean it.

 

[dwarfgourami]

I saw one of these in the summer, in a public toilet, it had otos and an angel in it- YUK! The poor thing had to fold double to turn round.

Actually I dont think it's alright even for small fish like neons. They may have room to swim but with the lack of depth they wouldn't have anywhere to hide from your gaze; they'd be permanently on view and permanently exposed to the stresses of the outside world. I like to think that my fish can get away from me and retire into the background when I get a bit much. And I'd feel uncomfortable with the whole idea of treating my fish like a painting.

 

[annka5]

Actually, thats a good point re: cover for the fish - you'd need to have some very carefuly thought out decorations to allow the fish to hide, particularly from the lights. I think you probly could do it, but it would be difficult.
Absolutely not a tank for anything of any size !! Angel fish/otto, that does sound sickening.

 

[WILDER]

Like to see a pic of one even though they don't sound very good to put fish in them.

Found this
http/www.aquavisiondirect.com/

There only 8gals.
http/www.kooltanks.com/promo/wall.php

 

[love cichlids]

I found this link check it out, it has video of a fish tank on the wall. It is only 6 inches thick.

http/www.wallaquariums.com/?OVRAW=plasma...&OVMTC=advanced

 

[WILDER]

Looked cool, fine for small fish that can turn around in it, but i wouldn't add any meduim size fish.

But not very good for when you have to do a vacum clean and water change.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

indeed, that thing'll be an absolute pain in the butt to clean. especially if its mounted flush to the wall at eye-level (which would be the most attractive although impractical way to mount such a thing.)

remember, smaller tanks need frequent water changes. anything under 30 needs at MINIMUM a weekly 15% change and that's only if it isn't overstocked and underplanted. since a 30g tank would weigh some 250 POUNDS, that "plasma tank" is probably not anywhere close to that large. it probably is in the 8g range and would definitely need a weekly clean.

but cleaning concerns aside, there aren't too many fish suited for a 5 inch wide tank. most small fish are fairly skittish, need plenty of cover, and prefer lots of companions. the only thing that i can think of that might be even close to suitable is a school of 5-8 pygmy cories. pygmy cories (c. habrosus, i believe) stay under an inch in length, don't produce much waste, are actually mid-level swimmers and should do pretty good in a small school. they aren't very flashy, but like most cories are quite enchanting to watch.

although not many people want to shell out for this, you could have a fantastic plant-only tank. a plant-only tank (as far as i know) wouldn't require frequent water changes but would need regular fertilization and a CO2 system. it could easily be more expensive than owning fish, but after the initial setup of some automated systems, a plant-only tank wouldn't require frequent maintenance. a well-designed planted tank is often more eye-catching and impressive than the typical community tank simply because it's far more rare. you could possibly even include some of the fancier small freshwater invertebrate (such as bumblebee, cherry or amano shrimp) if you didn't mind incorporating the extra maintenace.

if you decide to get the "plasma tank", whatever you decide to do should DEFINATELY incorporate a high level of real planting. its my opinion that nothing helps control water quality between maintenance periods better than live plants. using live plants is not an alternative to weekly water changes, but it does help improve the effectiveness of you maintenance efforts.

 

[consp]

I was talking to somebody wh told me they had one. They were new to fish keeping which might be another reason for what happened... but the majority of their fish died within the first few weeks of being added. They eventually gave up on buying new fish and now have none in there.

I can imagine any maintainance being difficult and getting fish out of there if you ever had a problem!

When you buy these tanks you are *very* limited with the fish you can buy to go in them.

Remember that the amount of fish you should add should be relative to the surface area and not nessecerly the gallonage... and surface area on these tanks are very small.

If you do choose to buy one... good luck

 

[prankster705]

It's something that I would call "a piece of s**t" how can you keep fish in that crap and cleaning is hard, fish can hide, and where the f**k is the filter.

 

[Ethos]

It is intreasting.....somthing I would put in my livingroom with a school of neons and corys.
I'm not that impressed with it really, its not terrable, but its certainly not the coolest I've ever seen.
I dont think its that bad, as long as its clean and your dedicated to it.

 

[consp]

It's something that I would call "a piece of s**t" how can you keep fish in that crap and cleaning is hard, fish can hide, and where the f**k is the filter.

The filters in the ones I've seen are integrated into the hood or behind the frame on one side. You know it is possible to have a working tank in thso edimensions but it is just a little more tricky to keep.

It is intreasting.....somthing I would put in my livingroom with a school of neons and corys.

Corys would be too big for this tank. If you got them small they'd grow bigger and be such a pain to get out... Netting fish in your own setups is stressul enough as it is... but n a 5" wide tank it'd be hell! I wouldn't get neons either... Small tanks are harder to maintain goood quality in and neons are very sensitive.

If I had this I'd buy a small group of danios or a pair of honey gouramis. I'd understock to make life easier.

 

[freddyk]

I'm not sure what would be so impressive about a two dimensional fish tank, but I can see how such a setup can draw the 'wow' compliments from guests and friends that have no clue about fish. Tanks with lasting impression have more depth, not less.

One thing that I'm surprised hasn't been mentioned (unless I missed it) is the terrible surface area of this tank.