New Tank Dedicated to Corys

[JoeLoach1976]

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/Joe_L/FishTankCabinet001.jpg (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/Joe_L/FishTankCabinet001.jpg%5B/IMG%5D)http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/Joe_L/FishTankCabinet002.jpghttp://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/Joe_L/FishTankCabinet003.jpg

I was fortunate to have someone that offered to build me a cabinet aquarium stand. Now I need to save up for the tank (6 - 9 months down the road, hopefully). My plan is to dedicate it to one, two, or three different varieties of Corydoras.

The stand measures 96" long X 18" wide X 45" tall. My thought is to put an acrylic aquarium on there that measures on or about 96" long X 14" wide X 12" tall (70 gal).

I'm open to suggestions on filtration and lighting. I was thinking about getting two Eheim canister filters with spray bars and some LED lighting. I'd like to have some low-light plants in there as well. For substrate, I like a white and black mix of sand (looks gray when 50-50). I've used that before in other tanks.

With a tank of those measurements, how many Corys would you place in there? Do you have a preference of species? Would you dedicate it to one species, go with two or three, or a mix?

Thanks.

[fishycat]

HOMG!!!!! :cry: I'm so happy! An 8' cory tank would rock SO hard!

I'd definitely vote for mixing a few species! I've never done it, but how about a good-sized school of pygmaeus for mid-water? My favorites are the dwarf... Can you imagine 100 habrosus + 100 pygmaeus? :thud:

Well, Sterbai are gorgeous... and trilineatus...

Epic wood is definitely required... Lots of needle leaf java fern & anubias would be easy yet look great!

Looking forward to updates!!

[fishorama]

Nice stand! I think I'd go taller & wider if possible. Not just for the added water volume & floor space but the edges will have greater strength & to me anyway, very long but low tanks look awkward only 12 inches high. Even 4ft x 1ft high (33g long?) seen disproportionate.

I don't think with a nice big tank I could choose just 1 species. I bet it'd look awesome though, closer to their huge shoals in nature.

[JoeLoach1976]

A week ago, I threw away an 80 gal acrylic aquarium that I've had for twenty-seven years. I gave away all the fish in it to a good home (a guy with a 120 gal who specializes in loaches). I had a lot of harder to find loaches in there, including a school of ten year old B. sids. It was depressing, but it was best for the fish. The tank was damaged by rough handling during my last move. It started to slightly leak on a lower seam and I feared a blowout. I also have a 46 gal bowfront, but it is currently fully stocked. I couldn't just cram them in there.

I'm 52 now, and I used to keep Corys when I was much younger. They used to be my absolutely favorite fish, but I was frustrated in keeping them because their barbels kept wearing down. I had medium sized gravel and overcrowded them at the time. I stopped keeping them altogether and then shifted gears to (mostly) loaches. I want to keep Corys again and correct my mistakes.

I've always loved the look of a 20 long. I've also admired some custom built tanks that I've seen. There was one in particular that captured my interest. It was like they took eight 20 long aquariums and made a large square with them (I hope I've described this well enough for a proper visual). I just like the look of a shallow tank, and I like the option of fish being able to school without having to turn around for an extended period of time. You're right on about the disporportionate part, but I just like the look. I know for a fact that I'm a little off anyway.

I had the stand built extra high (45") so that I could sit down and look directly into the shallow tank. I shared the same concerns about needing to have the tank on the edges, but I also wanted it to be extra wide because I was afraid that it might tip over if I had it made 14" wide. As a result, the cabinet is constructed a bit differently. The top is very solid and heavy (and removable -- so you only have to move a ton twice instead of two tons once lol). There is also extra bracing underneath. I'm hopeful that this will be sufficient. We will see.

If I had three species to fill the tank it would be C. robinae, C. sterbai and some pandas (although some dwarf Corys would be nice as well).

BTW, the fellow who built the stand visited my office one day and saw my tanks. He mentioned that he used to build aquarium cabinet stands. I then said I had a dream of owning an 8' tank someday. He then looked at me and told me that he would build me a cabinet that long for FREE! My jaw dropped to the floor. He built the entire thing out of recycled wood pieces he had stored in a pile in his back yard. Most of the hardware he had in his shop in bags. I am very blessed.

[jetajockey]

That is a gorgeous stand. There was an 8ft acrylic coral tank that was for sale locally on CL a few weeks back that would've fit it pretty well=]

I'd go with something taller though, 16 or 18 would be much more appealing and give you a lot more volume to work with. You'd probably end up having several going airborne in a shallow tank.

A 96Lx18wx16H would be like 105 or so gallons I think, using the dimensions of 2 2/3 40g breeder tanks put end to end.

[platytudes]

That is such an amazing stand, the incredible workmanship is obvious.

I can't wait to see pics of the build!

What are your favorite species? I am also a huge fan of the dwarfs. If you kept a single species, you could breed them :)

I think it would be awesome to have a shallow tank, you would have to fit it very well (with a custom fit top drilled for filters, lines, etc...or maybe mesh?) Maybe also with some hatchetfish, killifish, butterflyfish or other similar top dweller!

Will you be using live plants?

[JoeLoach1976]

Thanks for all the suggestions. One thing to consider though, is that the stand was built as tall as it is so that I can directly look into the aquarium when I'm seated. I'm 6'6" and I'd welcome a different perspective than always looking down into them.

I have plenty of time to dream about the tank and play with dimensions.

I like butterfly fish, and entertained keeping them again. Right now, the plan is for Corys only. There might be a need for dither fish. We will see.

When I get closer to my financial goals, I'll be looking for an acrylic aquarium manufacturer and talking about what the tank might look like on top. Right now, for lighting, I'm looking at Marineland, Double-bright LED lighting. Not sure if I should suspend them, or place them directly on the top of the tank.

Live plants might include anubias and Christmas moss and some other low light types. I have them in my 46 bow right now.

My favorite Corys are robinae, sterbai and panda.

[jetajockey]

I've really taken a liking to sterbai also as of late. I have pandas and pygmies in the same tank and they really do appreciate a good bit of plants to play/hide in.

[Mgamer20o0]

i think a short tank would work on there. since the stand is higher up it wont look bad or anything. i am a big fan of sterbai as well.

[JoeLoach1976]

One thing to keep in mind, is that I gave the dimensions of the tank that I wanted to this fellow and he built it with that in mind. I would feel very uncomfortable to add to the weight by making it taller. He made it with 2 X 4s underneath and extended them inward from the outer edge to support the tank when it is placed in the middle of the top. Here are some additional pics:

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/Joe_L/FishTankCabinet005.jpg
I've lifted up the top here.

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/Joe_L/FishTankCabinet006.jpg
Here's a view by opening up the front. There is a horizontal hole in the back (please ignore the acrylic sheet in back of the tank. Three of them will go underneath the stand to help protect the floor).

I assure you that the cabinet is very heavy and solid, especially the top. That said, it was built to support the weight distribution of a shallow tank over the span of eight feet -- eight, ten gallon tanks.

[JoeLoach1976]

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/Joe_L/FishTankCabinet008.jpg

There is a shelf in each of the three sections. Each shelf is adjustable. I can take it further down or up or add shelving.

[JoeLoach1976]

When I look at these pics, I have to remind myself that I'm looking at a stand that is a hair under 4' tall. The 2 X 4s look like dwarf versions. I'm used to seeing stands that are much shorter. If you saw this in person, you would understand.

[bradlgt21]

That stand looks amazing!! out of recycled wood to boot!! I am so jealous. I wish I knew how to do that.

[Chrisk-K]

You could put 50+ cories in such a big tank. Go with a few different species. Each species has its own characteristics. You'd also need dither fish. Since I added Rasboras to my cory tank, all of my cories have been very active.

[JoeLoach1976]

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/Joe_L/th_SpeciesTank002.jpg (http://s8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/Joe_L/?action=view&current=SpeciesTank002.mp4)
Here's a tank that is 48" long X 12" wide X 13" high. The tank I'm planning would essentially be two of these placed end to end. I like the look because it can highlight bottom dwelling species (which are my favs). The problem is that because this tanks are so shallow, it is tough to get a good view of them -- thus, the cabinet.

[JoeLoach1976]

http://s8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/Joe_L/?action=view&current=SpeciesTank002.mp4

Sorry, I meant to make that a movie above.

[JoeLoach1976]

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a1/Joe_L/Corydoras%20Aquarium/th_SpeciesTank002.jpg (http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/%3Cembed%20width=)

Hope it works this time. I like the look of this tank because it is long and shallow. I've always thought that this design highlights bottom dwellers better than others. This tank is 48" X 12" X 13. If you place two of these together, it would be the tank I hope to somehow own.
(http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/%3Cembed%20width=)

[Sawyer]

I'd have several large cory schools. what species are you looking into?

[Hollygirl]

Are you going to use a canopy?

That is a beautiful cabinet BTW.

[JoeLoach1976]

If I decide to go with a single species, it would be C. sterbai. I have plenty of time to plan for this, and I'll probably change my mind a thousand times, but I'm leaning on only having one kind of fish in there. I've always had mixed community aquariums. Time for something different.

I want to wait on a canopy until I know what lights I'm going to purchase. Right now, I'm interested in two of these to span the length of the tank:

http://www.customaquatic.com/estore/control/product/~product=LT-HMAAS42T5L

If the technology changes in the next year, I may change my mind. I'd like a combination of T5 fluorescent bulbs and LEDs (to provide some "shimmer")