20 Gallon High Aquarium Cover? Help please! :)

[dani_starr]

So I am trying to trade my mp3 for a fish tank, and someone wrote me back with a 20 gallon extra high (? I believe that is what it would be called) tank. The dimensions are 15" wide by 15" deep by 2 feet or so tall and it has a black cup board stand. Only problem is that it doesn't have a cover or a light. Any ideas/places to buy an aquarium hood for this size tank? Ive been searching online for a while and haven't found anything. I'd love to do the trade, but I could not live without a cover/light of course for it.

Also, I was thinking of moving my 8 black kuhli loaches and male betta to this tank from my 29 gallon aquarium, would they be okay in there? (I'd move the filter too and sand substrate, along with driftwood and java/anubias). I want to use my 29 gallon for a brackish tank.

Thanks!

 

[dani_starr]

Would just some glass from Home Depot work? Like this http://www.homedepot.com/Doors-Wind...ass+sheet&storeId=10051&superSkuId=202939045? I wouldn't mind if it over laps a little. Or could I do plexi glass instead?

 

[dani_starr]

Could I use plexi glass and then just get a cheap hood/light to throw on top?

 

[napsterninja]

Yes plexi. I find the polycarbonite ones lighter, stronger, and less bending from home depot.

 

[Bushkill]

Acrylic panels from HD or Lowes will cup and bow from the heat of the tank water. Stick with glass. The glass that HD sells is too thin. It's the extra thin window pane glass and you'll have to be extra careful not to break it. I can offer two simple suggestions: Shop for a light and hinged canopy in the online sites or go to a glass shop have a 1/4" glass top cut and seamed (edges softened) for you (allow room for filters, etc.) and go to HD and rummage through the lighting section for something that will fit on top of the tank.

 

[platytudes]

Are you sure those are the right dimensions? It looks like 24" high, 20" long and 10" deep is what these normally come in:
http://www.discountedpetproducts.net/20_GALLON_EX_HIGH_BLACK_TANK__20_X_10_X_24_-P45011.html

That being said, I think it's a pretty awful tank for kuhli loaches, honestly...who only use the bottom of the tank. It's no more floor space than a 10 gallon tank. If they are in a 29 now, they are going to be losing a lot of room by moving into this tank. The betta wouldn't mind, I'm sure. I wouldn't really put any fish that doesn't fit into a 10 gallon tank into this one, since it's exactly the same tank except much taller. Killifish and hatchetfish would be great, you could lower the water level a little and get a good look at them in a tank like this!

It would also be a great riparium. It takes a lot of skill to vertically aquascape such a tank. Unless you have specific plans to do something with the extra height, I wouldn't get it. That being said, I just got a 15 gallon high for $10 and bought this background to go in it:
http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-Marina-.../dp/B0032GG2HE/ref=pd_bxgy_petsupplies_text_b

It also comes in this slightly different style:
http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-Marina-Styrofoam-Background-Design/dp/B0032GAFOU

It really does look great inside the tank! However it makes filtration more awkward. A HOB won't work unless you put it on the side (making tops a pain to install). Internal filtration like a sponge filter or Fluval U series would be perfect, though. A tiny canister might also be just right.

I haven't set the tank up yet, but it's replacing a 10 gallon tank in a space that needs the extra height - so I'm psyched!

 

[tanker]

Are you sure that the dimensions are correct?? That is a strange size.

Also none of my tanks have a cover. I have nice plants and do not want to block any light.

 

[dbosman]

I had one of those for a while. The tank is a nice tank for fish that like to go up and down. Baby angels for instance.
It looks a bit like this one from Petsmart. http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11390248
It sells or sold as a kit with a black stand and a black canopy. The canopy is square and about 4 inches tall. It contains/contained an 8 watt fluorescent fixture.

 

[dani_starr]

Are you sure those are the right dimensions? It looks like 24" high, 20" long and 10" deep is what these normally come in:
http://www.discountedpetproducts.net/20_GALLON_EX_HIGH_BLACK_TANK__20_X_10_X_24_-P45011.html

That being said, I think it's a pretty awful tank for kuhli loaches, honestly...who only use the bottom of the tank. It's no more floor space than a 10 gallon tank. If they are in a 29 now, they are going to be losing a lot of room by moving into this tank. The betta wouldn't mind, I'm sure. I wouldn't really put any fish that doesn't fit into a 10 gallon tank into this one, since it's exactly the same tank except much taller. Killifish and hatchetfish would be great, you could lower the water level a little and get a good look at them in a tank like this!

It would also be a great riparium. It takes a lot of skill to vertically aquascape such a tank. Unless you have specific plans to do something with the extra height, I wouldn't get it. That being said, I just got a 15 gallon high for $10 and bought this background to go in it:
http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-Marina-.../dp/B0032GG2HE/ref=pd_bxgy_petsupplies_text_b

It also comes in this slightly different style:
http://www.amazon.com/Hagen-Marina-Styrofoam-Background-Design/dp/B0032GAFOU

It really does look great inside the tank! However it makes filtration more awkward. A HOB won't work unless you put it on the side (making tops a pain to install). Internal filtration like a sponge filter or Fluval U series would be perfect, though. A tiny canister might also be just right.

I haven't set the tank up yet, but it's replacing a 10 gallon tank in a space that needs the extra height - so I'm psyched!

Ya I thought those were weird dimensions as well, it's basically an extra high 20 gallon from the pic (the link you showed me looks like it!), but I do think they told me the wrong dimensions.

I was wondering that as well, granted they aren't the most active little kiddos, they do like to swim about after a water change and I was wondering if cutting the foot print down would of been a bad idea or not. Looks like it would be now that you point that out.

Reason I wanted to move them to that was so I could house a baby dragon fish in the 29 gallon with some mollies, then upgrade as he got bigger. The person was trading me my mp3 for the tank, so that was mainly why I wanted that tank. But looks like I'll just go pawn or try to sell the mp3, and put that cash towards a larger fish tank. I'll just keep my betta and kuhlis in the 29 gallon, then look for another 29 gallon-46 gallon tank or something (at my current place, 50-55 gallons are now forbidden at my place, but I'm moving in under a year to a bottom ground apartment so I can have larger tanks again, plan to eventually get a 125 gallon once future Nimmy get's bigger) to put in the bedroom (time to re organize!)

I was actually thinking of doing an riparium, I've always wanted to do something like that, but right now funds are pretty low for extra fish stuff, and I'd want to go all out to make it look AWESOME! Someday though, someday.

That said, that bark back ground and the other ones they have are simply awesome! I might look into getting something like that for Nimrods tank (my dragon fish's future name)

I bet your tank is going to be awesome! It's always exciting when you set up a new tank, or get an awesome background or piece of driftwood.


Thanks for all your expertise/advice, I'll leave Miles and the crew in the 29 gallon (at least now I don't have to worry about killing my MTS or Assassin snails and moving the kuhlis, they are fast little buggers! Yay) and just get a larger tank for Nimrod (better for him anyways!). Thanks again!

 

[dani_starr]

Are you sure that the dimensions are correct?? That is a strange size.

Also none of my tanks have a cover. I have nice plants and do not want to block any light.

I would not have covers, except I have kittys who otherwise like to try to go fishing when Mommy is not looking. Not too mention I can't hang anything up in my apartment as well from the ceiling. But nope, those were incorrect dimensions, like you said.