What Size Should I Get?

[fishfan91]

Hello and thank you first of all for reading my thread, I have a few questions and I'm hoping there can be answered as follows :

I'm moving into a new house 3 bedroom and wanting to put a fish tank in either the sitroom or lounge room.

1) Is it just as cheap to run a 6ft than a 4ft?
2) Should I buy 2nd hand?
3) How much will a 4ft or a 6ft tank be? (Just the tank will make a lid by myself).
4) Will the floor be able to take the weight?
5) What can I put the tank on that will take the weight?
6) I'm wanting to keep coldwater preferrably, what types is there and how many can I fit in 4ft or 6ft tank?
7) Do most coldwater get on well with eachother?
8) How many filters will I need in a 4ft or 6ft tank?
9) Do you need heater in coldwater or will it be fine without?
10) How long does it take for a tank to become established?

Thank you and I hope for some answers.

 

[VaegaVic]

Hello and thank you first of all for reading my thread, I have a few questions and I'm hoping there can be answered as follows :

I'm moving into a new house 3 bedroom and wanting to put a fish tank in either the sitroom or lounge room.

1) Is it just as cheap to run a 6ft than a 4ft?
Apart from filtration, heating and lighting, yes.
2) Should I buy 2nd hand?
As long as you thoroughly inspect the tank before hand, you can get some massively cheap bargains this way.
3) How much will a 4ft or a 6ft tank be? (Just the tank will make a lid by myself).
New? Ranges from £200-£1000. Old? Pretty much the same, really does depend on the tank itself to be honest.
4) Will the floor be able to take the weight?
Depends completely on the type of floor you have, ideally consult your local gov office to receive the plans for your house and then see.
5) What can I put the tank on that will take the weight?
Concrete ideally.
6) I'm wanting to keep coldwater preferrably, what types is there and how many can I fit in 4ft or 6ft tank?
Very few coldwater varieties, majority are goldfish and they need about 100-200L per a fish to live comfortably. Easily, cheaper and safe to go with tropical
7) Do most coldwater get on well with eachother?
Generally, just don't mix common goldfish with fancies as the commons can out compete the fancies for food very easily.
8) How many filters will I need in a 4ft or 6ft tank?
Ideally, the more merrier, but you should be looking at Litres, rather than length.
9) Do you need heater in coldwater or will it be fine without?
Heaters = tropical
10) How long does it take for a tank to become established?
Depending on the size of the tank, anywhere between 3-10 weeks. The bigger the tank, the longer the period.

Thank you and I hope for some answers.

Hope that gives you a starting point, no doubt other members will come along soon to add to what I've said.
Good luck.

 

[fishfan91]

Thank you very much but problem is I can't start putting concrete down because I'm going to be moving into a private rent place, will a unit or some sort be okay, if it was 6ft tank, I'd get a 6ft unit same for 4ft?

I want to buy second hand but haven't got a clue where to look - can you possibly help me?

I was thinking maybe 3-4 internal filters?

I don't know why but I prefer coldwater over tropical, much easier because you don't really need to worry about temperature and stuff

 

[Ian H]

Hello and thank you first of all for reading my thread, I have a few questions and I'm hoping there can be answered as follows :

I'm moving into a new house 3 bedroom and wanting to put a fish tank in either the sitroom or lounge room.

1) Is it just as cheap to run a 6ft than a 4ft?
2) Should I buy 2nd hand?
3) How much will a 4ft or a 6ft tank be? (Just the tank will make a lid by myself).
4) Will the floor be able to take the weight?
5) What can I put the tank on that will take the weight?
6) I'm wanting to keep coldwater preferrably, what types is there and how many can I fit in 4ft or 6ft tank?
7) Do most coldwater get on well with eachother?
8) How many filters will I need in a 4ft or 6ft tank?
9) Do you need heater in coldwater or will it be fine without?
10) How long does it take for a tank to become established?

Thank you and I hope for some answers.

1) will cost more to run a 6ft, doubt you would notice a huge difference though
2) Theres nothing wrong with second hand tanks, you can usually get a bargain too if some one is selling everything. Just check theres no obvious cracks/leaks and as if any copper treatmeant has been used, this wont effect most fish but things like shrimps it could leak out the silicone and kill them.
3) depends on 2nd hand or new, i got my 5ft with 2 filters, 2 heaters, stand, lid and lights for £500 new (ex display)
4) if you have a concrete floor downstairs your fine, if it sounds hollow when you tap/kick the floor i would check where the beams are running and maybe brace the stand against a wall too.
5) a nice solid wooden frame will be fine, if you plan on making your own ask in the diy section for tips. Most household furniture will be no good as it wont be designed to take that much weight for so long.
6)As stated above your better off with tropical. Just as easy as coldwater and a MASSIVE choice compared to just coldwater. The only difference in keeping the 2 is a heater to keep the temp stable.
8) i'm running 2 external filters on my 5ft, one at each end. If you plan on using only 1 filter it'll have to be something big like the fluval fx5 for a 6ft tank. Find out how many litres the tank will hold and then you can go round looking at filters, they are rated on how many litres they can handle (take it with a pinch of salt though, the more filtration the better)
9)no heater needed in a coldwater tank, you should have one in a tropical tank though. (just to make it clear tropical and marine are different)
10) theres loads of factors in this. Look up fishless cycling and get to grips with what will be happening in the tank. Filter media will make a massive difference too. if you only have a small mass of sponge/bio balls then it will take ages to cycle the tank, more area the quicker it is. You can also speed the process up by adding mature media into your filter(s) you'll read all this when you look up fishless cycling though

 

[VaegaVic]

Thank you very much but problem is I can't start putting concrete down because I'm going to be moving into a private rent place, will a unit or some sort be okay, if it was 6ft tank, I'd get a 6ft unit same for 4ft?

Need to remember that each L of water is 1KG, not including rocks and ornaments. 450L would easily weigh 450KG. Not including the actual tank itself.

I want to buy second hand but haven't got a clue where to look - can you possibly help me?

Ebay is probably your best bet to be honest. If you're in the UK, Gumtree. If the US, Craigs List.

I was thinking maybe 3-4 internal filters?

Go for 1-2 Externals, much easier, much quieter, much cheaper.

I don't know why but I prefer coldwater over tropical, much easier because you don't really need to worry about temperature and stuff

And that is literally the ONLY difference. Coldwater generally have messier fish though, so that means more maintainence. Go with tropical, you wont regret it, I can assure you.

 

[drobbyb]

To expand on the length of time to get established, cold water tanks take longer. The ideal temperature for a tropical tank is 28 to 29C for the bacteria. The cooler the water, the longer it takes.

 

[natalie265]

People often say that bigger is better and that you should buy the biggest tank you can afford. I do not entirely agree w/this sentiment. I think a 55 gallon is an ideal size. Anything bigger seems a bit overwhelming and unmanageable, and like you, i have concerns about how much weight my 100 year old wood floors can hold (and okay, fine, it's the biggest i can afford!). On the other hand, if you go below 30 gallons you begin to really limit your stocking and it gets to be more difficult to keep the water parameters good and stable.

I have purchased two 55 gallon tanks, stands included in the past few months. The first i got for $75 (quite a steal!) and the second was $125. I don't see any sense in buying a new tank when you can get such great deals if you buy used. With the economy being in such a slump, people are getting rid of perfectly good tanks left and right.

If the only reason you are going cold water is because you think it will be easier to maintain, then i agree w/the previous comments.

As far as filtration goes, my preference would be to get 1-2 GOOD filters, rather than several poor ones.

As others have suggested, please read up on cycling before you get started.

 

[Assaye]

1) Is it just as cheap to run a 6ft than a 4ft?

No. The 6 foot requires more electricity for a larger filter and bigger/longer/more lights. However, the difference shouldn't break the bank and a 6 foot tank gives you more options, fish wise.

2) Should I buy 2nd hand?

Absolutely, if you can find a solid, water tight tank for a good price.

3) How much will a 4ft or a 6ft tank be? (Just the tank will make a lid by myself).

Could be anything from free (from places like Freecycle) to several thousand pounds. Take some time to shop around. You can find absolute bargains if you are patient.

4) Will the floor be able to take the weight?

You'll only know if you look at the plans for your house and/or get a surveyor to check. Remember - 1 litre of water = 1 KG.

5) What can I put the tank on that will take the weight?

Concrete floor and a purpose built tank stand designed for the number of litres/gallons you want.

6) I'm wanting to keep coldwater preferrably, what types is there and how many can I fit in 4ft or 6ft tank?

You need to know how many litres or gallons it is. If it is a 6 foot x 2 foot x 2 foot tank (pretty standard, can get wider/taller ones) then probably around 600 litres or so. If you wanted a coldwater/temperate community (so danios, minnows and other fish in the cold-sub tropical range) then you could have . . . a lot. If you want goldfish, you need to pick either fancies or single-tailed and not mix them with each other or the other community fish. Fancies - probably 5. They get massive so might look empty when they are small but you'll really notice them when they are full grown. For the singletails - you're really looking at growing them out for a pond. IMO, they shouldn't be kept in tanks unless you can afford a 8-12 foot tank, as some of these varieties get to well over 2 foot long.

7) Do most coldwater get on well with eachother?

Depends on the animals! Newts will eat small fish, as will some frogs. Goldfish produce enough poo to poison a small army so shouldn't really be kept with other fish. There are some small cold-temperate fish (such as some barbs, minnows, danios, etc) who all get on fine. There are also so large coolwater catfish who might be suitable for your tank but who should be kept with other larger fish (and not goldfish).

8) How many filters will I need in a 4ft or 6ft tank?

Loads of options. With goldfish, internal filters are an awful idea as they are not powerful enough to cope with all the waste they produce. There are also very, very few internal filters designed for tanks that large. Your best bet is either a sump tank (basicly, a giant filter made out of another tank) or a couple of external filters.

9) Do you need heater in coldwater or will it be fine without?

All fish like stable temperatures so heaters are a good idea if you set them very low, as they will keep the temperature the same. You don't need one but in all honesty, I would get one so that the tank stays stable. You can usually set them as low as 18 celcius, or even lower.

10) How long does it take for a tank to become established?

Cycle takes about a month or so and after that you're looking at a couple of months to get it all run-in (but you can add fish). Once it's about 3-6 months old, I'd happily call it esyablished. Remember, there is a difference between "cycled" and "established".

Read this!

Hope this helped.

 

[fishfan91]

Thank you very much for your replies so far, I really do want to get a 6ft+ tank, I had one in my bedroom but had to get rid of it because the mother wasn't happy with all the weight and stuff which I accepted, I got that for £200.

As I've stated I'm getting my own place and want my own tank, I do like tropical fish but I did actually think coldwater was easy.

The floor in this new place will be concrete indeed, I would have it in the sitroom or dining room.

Will vibration of the tv affect the tank?

What will be the best wood to make a stand/frame out of?

I know I'm asking lots of questions but I really don't want this to be a disaster.

 

[Ian H]

Better to ask questions, otherwise how will you learn? I've asked loads of questions on here and as a result i would say i know a fair amount on the subject

Personally i would say cold water would possibly be harder, purely because your gonna have to have very good filters and alot of water changes because of the amount of poo goldfish will produce. Plants are limeted in coldwater set ups too.

The ONLY difference in a tropical and coldwater set up is the heater(s)all you do is set the temp (little knob on the top) put them in the water and turn them on, they will turn off when it gets to hot and come on when it gets too cold. You dont have to do anything else. Tropicals have a HUGE selection to choose from with fish, also so many different plants. Alot of easy to keep tropicals are also live barers so will give birth to tiny little fish which is always nice to see (platties/sword tails and guppies, mollies too but they are a brackish fish really and need a little salt to thrive) Then you got egg layers like bristle nose plecs which will lay eggs and look after them so nothing eats them. All those fish will mate in pretty much any tank (especially the platties/guppies its almost impossible for them not to breed )

With a 6ft tank you would have a massive selection of fish, you could either have loads of small/medium size fish (which i would suggest for a beginner as it looks nice and they are mostly easy fish to keep.) or you could go for monster fish such as common plecs and oscars (personally wouldnt reccomend though as your back to the same stage you were with the goldfish then)

concrete floor will be fine though, should take the weight fine.

Where is the tv? so long as its not stupidly loud/high bass i cant see it being a problem. Also make sure to position the tank so that its not in direct sunlight. Before you move in make sure the landlord doesnt mind a tank of that size in the building, not sure whos in control of the house insurance in a rented place but you should notify them because if the tank breaks everything on the floor will be ruined.

Ask in the DIY section near the bottom of the forum would be the best bet to ask about making a stand, im sure some one will help you out with some ideas/drawings. It will need to be very solid though.

 

[fishfan91]

Well I have just realised the 3 bedroom I should be moving into is a first floor, will first floor be able to take the weight or will I best try and get ground flat?

I've decided I want either a 6ft or 8ft tank because the more option, also I didn't realise how much difference there is from coldwater to tropical, I think I'll go for tropical

What will be the best option of wood to make the stand/frame out of?

 

[Ian H]

wouldnt want to try a 6ft never mind an 8ft on anything but concrete ground floor! 8x2x2 would be near/over a ton by the time you add gravel, rocks ect.

an 8ft tank would also cost a fair bit of money to run and maintain, not to mention a pain in the #16##### with waterchanges. Decide on the kind of fish you want to keep, a 8ft tank would be used for huge monster fish rather than guppies and the like

Best idea is to goto a fish store with a pen and pad, write down the fish you like and post them up here. Generally ignore the sales person there, they will just be trying to get a sale and wouldnt care less if you bought 10 common plecs for your 2ft tank!

Like i said ask in the DIY section about the stand

 

[fishfan91]

So my best bet is to get a ground floor flat rather than a first floor?