Bye bye 67 gallon...

[misterking]

Well, I'm finally selling the big old empty 67 gallon.

Off to buy some wood to replace some of the slats from the base at the bottom then sticking it on ebay. Was moving it today, I find it so sad I never actually set it up. It's a HUGE take, just such a good volume to it, very deep from front to back and would have looked amazing set up.

Some of you may thing "OMG he's mad, why sell such a big tank!" and I'd agree, but it's got a crack on one corner. A few may remember me posting a pic of it (probably a year ago or more...) and I've since come to the conclusion I don't trust it to hold water. So I guess I'll sell it as a vivarium and hope somebody's interested!

Just thought I'd share my sad times!

 

[Thyra]

I appreciate your sadness, MK. How long do you before you finish school and do you have plans for when you are finished? Until you are settled a large tank like that would be hard to deal with I would think, particularly if you are not in a relatively permanent situation. Could you keep a betta or are you not interested in that type of fish?

 

[misterking]

I'm actually at university with plans to stay on and do an MA so I've got at least another 3 years ahead of me. I'd considered keeping a small betta tank in my rented house but I just can't afford to keep it running with the electricity costs, I'd need a heater etc and if the meter runs out there's nothing I could do about it until the morning and that could mean dead fish.

 

[Thyra]

Really, is electricity that expensive in the UK? I have had my current betta in a 1g bowl for over a year (2 1/2g is almost here -( its at the post office) because all you people made me feel guilty) He has survived several 9 day trips to the ocean in our little travel trailer. I sort of smuggled him along the first time in a shopping bag and padded his bowl in the little sink - 2 dogs, a cat and a fish. The betta before that I left home on our 9 day Thanksgiving trip, the furnace quit and we had a cold spell - like below freezing - he didn't make it. Look, you could save one little "cup baby" and give him a better life than the cup. Maybe just leaving a desk lamp on at night during the cold days and nights and with water changes at regular intervals you wouldn't need the filter - how much does a betta cost over there?

 

[misterking]

Bettas don't cost a lost at all, or at least they didn't - I haven't bought tropicals in a few years now. The thing is when it gets cold it gets VERY cold, you'd need a heater year-round I reckon. Electricity isn't too expensive but I'm sharing with 4 other people - having a filter and heater on all day long would be unfair of me, sucking up the electricity we're all paying equal for.

 

[misterking]

Hmm.. the bug's bitten me :|

I'm now ebaying small tanks lol!

 

[Thyra]

Unfortunately, after writing to you, I looked on CL and found a 26g tank used less than a year with everything minus a filter for $100. I will look at it Sat. The person I talked to sounded fine and my other half said, "Okay". Now I just have to fit it in. I know what you mean about "bug". As you may have noted, Fishman was all ready to help stock it.

 

[misterking]

I couldn't find anything on ebay. There were a few tanks but I'm not travelling for hours to pick it up, I'm looking for something around the 5g mark for a betta. Will have to keep looking

 

[HEADIN]

MK - completely oftopic, but ur in manchester.? United fan? Must be!lol I got my betta for 4quid and have to keep my heater on all day. Even on a warm day it wouldnt sustain the temp in my house.

 

[Thyra]

Refer to #7 - I know own the tank! Next step is a massive revamping of the study to fit it in. If Fishman sees this he will be restocking it for me. Have you considered exotic goldfish? My goldfish in the stock tank make it through the winter even when there is 3 inches of ice on top of what I assume is a 70 -100 g tank. Surely your room isn't that cold.

 

[misterking]

I could keep goldfish easily without a heater, if I only had the space. I think the most I'd do (simply down to space and money) would be a 5 gallon with a single betta I think.

@ HEADIN, I guess by default I'm a united fan just because that's what my family is, but I don't really follow football if I'm honest haha! You UK then? Where abouts?

 

[HEADIN]

Im just over the irish sea ther mate in belfast.

 

[misterking]

Ahh nice, I've got a few friends over in Belfast, at university in Bangor (Wales).

I'm in a bit of a pickle guys..

I've found an excellent deal on ebay. A (roughly) 6 gallon tank with lid and built-in light and filter in the lid. I believe the make is the same name of a famous white whale that's been censored haha, if anyone's had experience with it. Anyway, it comes with tacky coloured gravel I won't be using (got my own..), a piece of driftwood (though I have my own), a few tacky flourescent decorations I won't be using like a skull and such, filter pads, and a non-working heater but again I have my own. The best part is, it's like £12 on buy it now (about 18 US $), and about a 20 minute drive from me.

Do I go for it? It's got a load of tack coming with it but still, £12 for a tank, and I've already got everything else!

AHHHHHH!!

Then of course there's what to stock it with.. I guess a single betta makes sense but I can't help but think I'd get a bit bored of just one fish.. I've only ever had big community tanks. Any ideas on if I can have anything more than a single fish? Perhaps celestial pearl danios?

 

[lauraf]

Sounds like a rocking deal, mk.
If you think that you absolutely can't deal with only a betta (and *maybe* a couple shrimp, or whatever else will fit in a 6g), why not hold out for a 10g? Or is that too big for your space?
Or, do you get endlers in your neck of the woods? A 6g would make a beautiful endler tank.
But still, with a 6g, you could have a lot of fun getting obsessive about micro-details.

 

[misterking]

I don't really have space for a 10 however much I'd love one.. could keep a mini community in a 10!

I quite like the idea of the challenge of something as small as a 6... I've never done a "nano" before. I guess a betta and some shrimp could be quite nice and I'm sure I could live with it, I just feel I might get a bit bored without the variety of a community.4

We do get endlers now and again.. so that's definitely a possibility. It'd have to be only male though because I don't live close enough to my LFS in Wales to be trecking back and forth each week with offspring, and I wonder if aggression between males may be heightened in the small space. Though of course if I could do endlers I guess I could do celestial pearl danios, they're a similar size afterall...

I guess I'll just have to compromise because I really don't want to wait another few years to get back into fish! May have a look online at advice for small setups because the price of this one and closeness is just too good to miss.. I've already decided how I'm decorating!

 

[misterking]

DAMN IT.

I missed the tank, it was on a 'buy it now'. Back to the drawing board I guess. I saw another on there which I think was from the same seller but I can't seem to find it, it's probably gone aswell.

COMPLETELY KICKING MYSELF.

 

[misterking]

I found a 10 g.. It may be a bit big for where I want but I'm seriously looking into it.

It's a fluval, comes with a 100w heater, thermometer (both of which have never been used) and a couple of pumps which are in OK working condition (I don't need them anyway). No one's bid yet and it's got 3 days left, it's quite a bit further away but might ask the seller to meet me half way if they're up for it..

Hmm. Dilemma.

 

[ZackLanduyt]

Good luck with that!! Hope it comes through for ya MK you need to get into the fish life again, I have a fluval edge, it is a 6 gallon and I have 4 guppies and 3 ghost shrimp in there, I do a water change 2 times a week and it is working fine, no problems at all and all the fish are doing great, so a 6 gallon may not be too bad for ya

 

[misterking]

Thanks ZL, obviously I'll have to see what comes up - it very much depends on what ebay has to offer, I just don't have the money for a new tank and all the spare tanks I have are just a bit big, the smallest being a 15g and 2ft long.

Anyway, I'm in talks with the seller - if we come to an agreement over a price he may take it off ebay as a buy it now and sell it to me, and meet half way which means a 40min drive which I don't mind. Here's hoping!

 

[HEADIN]

Mk do u ever check out gumtree? Its like ebay only some real steals on it!