Awesome Deal!
- Thread starter coolwade
- Start date
I am in the Army and so is she, she is moving house and has had enough of Fish Keeping. I encouraged her to give it up. Hence I get a good deal and a nice set up!
It sounds like a good deal to me. By the way, 4 feet x 18 inches x 18 inches is about 67 gallons, but thats not a normal tank size. Could it be 21 inches tall. That would make it a 75 gallon tank.
No, thats the same sized tank as mine. 48 x 18 x 18. Can't totally vouch for the tank in the deal though. she said it holds effectively 240 litres. That after substrate/driftwood/other stuff!
that sounds about like a 70gal, the older ones have thicker glass. This is why they aren't truly 75. Yes, I have a 70 with those dimensions.
In response to those who asked how I spend 700+ on my 55 gallon aquariums:
- my stand with canopy was: $299.99
- then add the cost of the actual 55 gallon tank itself
- Penguin Bio-Wheel 330 (2): $49.98 (can't remember if that is each or together)
- Ebo Jagar Heater: $19.99
- African Driftwood 24"-36": $29.99
... that right there is almost $500 bucks. My fish and plants combined came to $233.25. Btw - I like to take totals of everything. It really keeps me organized.
So what’s that? 733.25 plus tax? And shipping and handling for those things weren't cheap either... that’s right, I ordered 90% of everything online.
- my stand with canopy was: $299.99
- then add the cost of the actual 55 gallon tank itself
- Penguin Bio-Wheel 330 (2): $49.98 (can't remember if that is each or together)
- Ebo Jagar Heater: $19.99
- African Driftwood 24"-36": $29.99
... that right there is almost $500 bucks. My fish and plants combined came to $233.25. Btw - I like to take totals of everything. It really keeps me organized.
So what’s that? 733.25 plus tax? And shipping and handling for those things weren't cheap either... that’s right, I ordered 90% of everything online.
Alright, I have Home Command approval. Now she has changed her mind and wants a Cichlid Rift Lakes tank as the water out of our tap is best suited to this. Any suggestions on stocking of a (relatively small) Cichlid tank. Lemon Cichlids are the only one she knows of and I like them too. So if I get a pair of them, can I fit anything else in?
You'd have to get a second opinion on this one, but I have a rift tank set up. The best thing to use is crushed coral or something of the like to keep a high PH, which is something these guys like a lot. You will also want to have a lot of caves for the guys to swim around in, so buying rock by the bulk has seemed to be the best way to go with that. I get it at the LFS I work at for about $1 a pound. Most times it's slate or some other type of sheet rock that can easily be chisled and shaped, then you can stack the pieces up. Most people would reccomend using a few pieces of slate at the bottom of the tank first, then stacking on top of that, and then putting in your substrate. This creates a more stable structure within the tank, since the Rift Lake Mbuna's (which, i believe, means rock-eater or mover) love to pick up rocks and move them around...for no real good reason, at least to my eyes!!! 
As long as the filter is as good as it *sounds* you should be set there...and that leaves stocking!!! The good news is, you can stock a little more then with the average fish...for a good reason. Mbuna's are very agressive little suckers, chasing each other around, picking fights, just because they can. And the more you have in a single tank, the more spread around that agression is going to be. I'm not real good at gicing numbers on this, but in my 46 gallon, I have about 9 Rift lakers. That is a bit much, but it is also a bow front, with a large amount of rock structures that I have and a extra heavy duty power filter (I was originally going to do Oscars). However, with this massive amount of fish I have for a 46 gallon, I also have had NO problems with stress, peaks in ammonium, nitrate/ite, etc. However, this is just my experience, and I am more then willing to be corrected if wrong.
Jeremy
As long as the filter is as good as it *sounds* you should be set there...and that leaves stocking!!! The good news is, you can stock a little more then with the average fish...for a good reason. Mbuna's are very agressive little suckers, chasing each other around, picking fights, just because they can. And the more you have in a single tank, the more spread around that agression is going to be. I'm not real good at gicing numbers on this, but in my 46 gallon, I have about 9 Rift lakers. That is a bit much, but it is also a bow front, with a large amount of rock structures that I have and a extra heavy duty power filter (I was originally going to do Oscars). However, with this massive amount of fish I have for a 46 gallon, I also have had NO problems with stress, peaks in ammonium, nitrate/ite, etc. However, this is just my experience, and I am more then willing to be corrected if wrong.Jeremy
