So, How Do We All Like My New Breeding Tanks?

[VaegaVic]

I decided the other day that having 5 tanks was perhaps a tad much.
I had:
a 64L which is now my main tank,
a 17L baby-grow tank,
a 20L corner display tank,
a 15L snail breeding tank (MTS),
and a 10L hybrid guppy breeding tank.

Breeding snails is fun and all, but the money for them isn't really justify the cost of having the tank, let alone being placed next to my 64L flagship, it ruins the "wow" factor when you enter the room.
I closed down the snail breeding tank and the hybrid breeding tank and replaced them with these:

http/img821.imageshack.us/img821/7497/photo0149l.jpg

http/img541.imageshack.us/img541/6216/photo0150e.jpg

Apologies for the poor quality, camera phone until I can decide on a new slr.

Each tank is roughly 2L, each complete with it's own BABY female hybrid guppy. I've only put the young in there as they are small enough to still have enough space to swim around, the adults would not fit (whilst also giving me more babies than I could handle).

The girls do a 30 day stint in there for quarantine purposes, if they are pregnant already, they give birth, they are then removed and the babies left in there, after 3 weeks, the babies will go into the baby grow tank and the males separated into my 64L, the females will either be bred again or given to family members, as not to get into local fish supplies.

If the females are not pregnant, after 30 day quarantine, a male is put in the tank and removed after 7 days.

Rinse and repeat.
All in all, the maximum time any female will spend in there is 60 days, after which she will go most likely to my sister's 6ft tank. Not a deal eh?

 

[Curiosity101]

At the end of the day so long as they arent being exposed to ammonia, nitrite and really high nitrates that's the main thing. And your set-up isn't all too dissimilar to most breeding set-ups with the positive difference that the girls aren't in their long term. Long term they're in a nice big tank where they're well cared for.
I personally wouldn't do it, I'd probably go for some cheap clearseals and set them up on that shelf either divided or as 3/4 small seperate tanks. But each to their own.

 

[VaegaVic]

At the end of the day so long as they arent being exposed to ammonia, nitrite and really high nitrates that's the main thing. And your set-up isn't all too dissimilar to most breeding set-ups with the positive difference that the girls aren't in their long term. Long term they're in a nice big tank where they're well cared for.
I personally wouldn't do it, I'd probably go for some cheap clearseals and set them up on that shelf either divided or as 3/4 small seperate tanks. But each to their own.

I really wanted to do that but space issues really hampered that idea.
The shelf is part of a bookcase and the max weight is something around 10kg, so not including glass, that's only 10L. I couldn't find a cheap tank that small that would fit in there and weigh that small amount. They were originally being bred in the 17L baby-grow, but I couldn't tell who's baby was who after a while, so that made it hard to stop inbreeding.

I would have preferred a bigger set up, but it's all in one room. The 64L, the 17L and now the breeding tanks. The 20L is downstairs.

Each tank is individually filtered by an aquaflow 50, (best small filter in the world!, would happily recommend it over elite mini any day) stuffed with mature filter media.

 

[ZoddyZod]

for the breaeing part.....no idea!

For the aesthetics I think it looks great. Very nice design. When I opened the pics I was expecting a bare tank with a sponge filter, not something as pleasing on the eye as yours.

 

[Curiosity101]

The shelf is part of a bookcase and the max weight is something around 10kg, so not including glass, that's only 10L.

Ahh, I see why you picked those now. You could always reinforce if you wanted to. Place 'slats' of the same colour wood on the shelf below to work as supports. If you measure it out properly and such it could look like they were meant to be there and would significantly strengthen the shelf.

But that'd only be if you really wanted to increase the space, at the end of the day you already have the breeding tubs and stuff set up so...

 

[VaegaVic]

for the breaeing part.....no idea!

For the aesthetics I think it looks great. Very nice design. When I opened the pics I was expecting a bare tank with a sponge filter, not something as pleasing on the eye as yours.

Haha, well thank you.
The old snail tank was bare, absolutely hated it, I can't stand ugly things.
I decided that for these tanks they must look at least presentable without stealing focus from the main tank, which is a metre away on the opposite wall.
I think it worked out quite nicely.

 

[VaegaVic]

The shelf is part of a bookcase and the max weight is something around 10kg, so not including glass, that's only 10L.

Ahh, I see why you picked those now. You could always reinforce if you wanted to. Place 'slats' of the same colour wood on the shelf below to work as supports. If you measure it out properly and such it could look like they were meant to be there and would significantly strengthen the shelf.

But that'd only be if you really wanted to increase the space, at the end of the day you already have the breeding tubs and stuff set up so...

Yea, problem is, there's a shelf below that and a shelf below that and a small shelf below that, so I'd be going slat happy! Haha. The other problem is the actual depth, the case only measures 21cm deep, making it hard to find a tank that small that doesn't weigh more than 10kg, but has more than 9L...

In the end, I just saw those and thought they'd be perfect.

 

[ZoddyZod]

It's a very good job, quite 'arty' in fact.

 

[coldcazzie]

I like them! They look very nice - not ugly at all! Your reason for choosing them is logical and I think they suit your prupose well. And as you've said, it's not like the girls are going to be staying in there long term, you've proper filtration for each of them, so I think you've done a good job!