I would put a couple freshwater stingrays in there. Do some research on them and make sure you have excellent filtration for them. They are so awesome!
big tank
- Thread starter sharpie
- Start date
joephys said:
I dont know what the national average is, but my average water bill is 7,000 gallons per 3 months, and thats for my wife and I. Divide that by 12 weeks = 583 gallons a week. A 300g per week water change(assuming that is the only tank)l would increase my bill by over 50%. There is also sewer charge here which is calculated by doubling the water bill plus an additional fee. So take whatever water went up by times 2 for sewer, plus some small fees. Sure it might not kill your pocketbook but I would definately notice a difference. And I already b**ch about the water price, and it is going up here from already expensive to a 9% per year increase over the next 3 years and sewer is going up by 15.2% per year for the next three. This is from the City of Gahanna, OH. And if your changing water with warm water... well the electricity adds up too but I have made my point. Would this discourage me from setting up a 600g tank? Probably not. But it will cost more.
If you assume 100g per person per day, a 4 person houshold here would run you about $348.76 per bill (3mo) and thats at the current rate (add another ~40% - $487 for our wonderful 3 yr price hike). I suppose some may pay that kinda price but if my bill were that high I would...
:thud:
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I don't think that the cost of the water is an issue. If you can afford to build yourself a tank and filtration system that size you can afford the water. I am sure that heating a tank that size would cost more than the water.
Post your probable dimensions and type of filtration. Maybe that will help with the selection.
Post your probable dimensions and type of filtration. Maybe that will help with the selection.
I was going to do something similar to this last year. I even went out and bought a small 700ish gallon pool for my basement, but then had second thoughts. I had two setups that I really wanted. One was to have an oscar, maybe a big pleco, some large schooling fish like tinfoil barbs, etc. The other setup that I wanted was some fantail goldfish, white cloud minnows (might possibly lose a few here and there to large goldfish), and some weather loaches.
As was noted, I would worry more about the stucture of the floor I was putting it on. Also you need to think about what temperature you need the water. I dont have experience with a tank that large, but it would probably be expensive to heat. You could probably set up some sort of a pump, float system to help with the water changes. I don't know about live plants, you would need some pretty powerful lighting to penetrate deep enough for plants to flourish (?) You should also consider how you will treat the tank if an illness or parasite breaks out. Would take a lot of product I would think.
Have you considered using native species like perch ( there are different kinds of perch, some are colored with patterns), catfish, bass, crappie ect? You might put some crawdads on the bottom or even try a freshwater turtle or a couple bullfrogs. You could do a net search to find out more. Koi would do well in a large tank. Trout must have cold water to survive. Keep in mind that you can buy chillers as well as heaters. I dont think any of these fish would be too picky about the temp or water hardness.
If you put in things besides fish, like turtles for example you will need to make adaptions for them such as lighting, and a floating stabe piece of 'land' for them to come out of the water on.
Just some ideas.
Have you considered using native species like perch ( there are different kinds of perch, some are colored with patterns), catfish, bass, crappie ect? You might put some crawdads on the bottom or even try a freshwater turtle or a couple bullfrogs. You could do a net search to find out more. Koi would do well in a large tank. Trout must have cold water to survive. Keep in mind that you can buy chillers as well as heaters. I dont think any of these fish would be too picky about the temp or water hardness.
If you put in things besides fish, like turtles for example you will need to make adaptions for them such as lighting, and a floating stabe piece of 'land' for them to come out of the water on.
Just some ideas.
hey everyone-
but i think that i am going to go bigger now. i think i want it in the 1000's. maybe like1100..??...do you guys think that i should turn it in to a saltwater reef tank.?...it doesnt really matter if i go bigger because i have the room and i already got the floor tested so it could hold the weight...i dont have to worry about the cost of heating. it might cost more to heat the tank than it does the house ...
but i think that i am going to go bigger now. i think i want it in the 1000's. maybe like1100..??...do you guys think that i should turn it in to a saltwater reef tank.?...it doesnt really matter if i go bigger because i have the room and i already got the floor tested so it could hold the weight...i dont have to worry about the cost of heating. it might cost more to heat the tank than it does the house ...
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rolmfao that was the perfect response to this thread I love it. And yes you can change 75-80% of the water a week no prob dont listen to everything they tell you at the LFS. I do agree on the overstock thing though you can get a way with more fish then what people here will tell you but those fish will not be as happy or healthy. (The reason I say this is it is common to over stock an african rift tank to curve agresion and so its easier for fish to hide as long as you keep up with water changes. Some will disagree but it is done)
