Looking for a little advice

M

Meghan

Large Fish
#1
Feb 27, 2008
201
0
0
Lynchburg, Va
#1
So I've pretty much made up my mind on getting a 36 gallon bowfront. I settled on this because I want to keep my tank in the alcove above my fireplace. The alcove is 34" wide. Tank is 30" wide. I've found that a 36g bowfront is going to be the largest (in terms of gallons) tank that I could fit there. I've got a few questions though.

1. What is everyone's opinion on bowfront vs. 'non' bowfront tanks?

2. I really want to have some african dwarf frogs. Anyone have any opinion on keeping them in a 36g bowfront? The dimensions are 30" long, 15" deep, 21" tall. My only worry is that the tank may be too tall for them to be able to dart up to the surface...

3. Filters. Wow, I know nothing about filters. I was in the filter aisle at Petsmart last night for probably 30 minutes. I'd like to keep the budget for a filter around $50-75. Pretty much leaves me to hob's or internals. I looked at the Fluval internal filter for a while... As I said, I'm clueless and I'm just looking for any sort of feedback. I don't need a filter that is too rockstar, I'm pretty consistent about twice a week water changes.

4. I want to plant it. I'm still learning in this area as well. Is it fine to plant plants directly into sand? Or do they require some other substrate? I've been reading on plants with very little special needs- this is what I'm going for. Nothing high tech.

So, other details:

Fish I want to keep in my tank- 1 male betta, 3-4 fancy tale male guppies, cory cat's, oto's, african dwarf frogs.... maybe a couple (same sex) dalmation mollies.

Substrate- sand!

Erm.... can't think of anything else to share. Of course, if I forgot something, just ask!

Thanks in advance everyone. :)
 

roark fishies

roark fishies

Large Fish
#2
Dec 20, 2007
485
0
0
North Lousiana
#2
1. I LOVE my bowfront. I think they are a little "fancier" looking. More decorative. It would look great above a fireplace. The only thing I would worry about with putting it above a fireplace is that heat rises. You don't think it would overheat the tank?

2. I've been reading up on adf's cuz I want some for my 10G. I don't know if a 36 is too big or not. Someone else will have to help you there. I wouldn't think it would be but IDK. One thing to keep in mind is they are supposed to be hard to feed cuz they don't see very well. They will need extra attention.

3. Don't go undergravel. I have a Whisper 60 HOB on my 46G and Aquaclear 5-15 on my 10G. Love them. Especially the Whisper. It's really quiet and you can adjust the flow as needed. Just a suggestion: Go with one bigger than needed. Don't know anything about internals.

4. My plants are all silk and plastic....


Your stocking choice sounds pretty good. I have read mixing guppies and a betta could be bad. The beta may mistake the guppies with their bright colors as being another betta. Especially the fancy tail guppies if the fins are long and flowy. But looks like you've already mixed them in your 10G with no problems. So maybe you'll be fine. otos are great but be prepared for a long acclimation. When you get ready for them there are people on here to help you with the best way to acclimate them.

UM, sand. Never used it though I kinda wished i did. So can't help u there.

How do you plan on cycling the tank? Since you already have an established tank it should't be too hard.
 

M

Meghan

Large Fish
#3
Feb 27, 2008
201
0
0
Lynchburg, Va
#3
1. Haha, we've never used the fireplace and don't plan to... I didn't think to say that. It's gas and I'm in Va- doesn't get too cold really. So, nope not an issue. I didn't think about how that may sound- fish tank on fireplace haha.

2. I just love the little guys. Yeah, I've been reading up on them too. I know they'll be hard to feed, but I think it'll be worth it.

3. No undergravel. That's for sure. I have a hob on my 10g, I'm not impressed, but it was also a major cheapo so I can't hold it against the rest of them.

4. My plants are currently all fake too.

Nah, I have my betta with my guppies now. He was in a 2g by himself. I finally got brave enough to throw him in the 10g. Kept an eye on them, this was maybe a month ago, and I've not yet seen any aggression or nipped fins.

Yeah, I've read about how sensitive oto's are. I assume acclimating them by putting them in a bowl, then slowly over time adding my tank water to it will be the best way to go.

Seems like other people have great things to say about sand. Plus, I've read its softer on the adf's. And, I think it would look awesome.

Fishless cycle, definetly. With as much decor from my cycled 10g as possible. When the time comes, I'll read up more about it.

Thanks Roark!
 

C

Cichlid-Man

MFT Staff
#4
Jul 9, 2003
8,866
14
38
38
Columbia, SC
www.youtube.com
#4
1. I've never owned a bowfront, but from what i've seen in person it depends on the aquascaping and whats in there. Usually unless its a spectacular reef i dislike bowfronts. They distort to much for me in freshwater. Really need an aquascape to compliment the tank.

3. HOB Filter wise i don't buy anything but Aquaclears or Whispers. Aquaclears preferred. However, think about this a moment, an HOB takes up some space on the back of your tank adding inches to the whole width. Be sure to factor that in. A canister filter would be more expensive but save the space in the back, trick with this is you need to hide it somewhere else. HOBs are the most simplilest, straightforward filters out there.

4. I've seen people plant in sand before. Guess it depends on if you plan to fertilize them or not and what type of plant it is. Can't help much here.
 

roark fishies

roark fishies

Large Fish
#5
Dec 20, 2007
485
0
0
North Lousiana
#5
Meghan said:
Yeah, I've read about how sensitive oto's are. I assume acclimating them by putting them in a bowl, then slowly over time adding my tank water to it will be the best way to go.
Click to expand...
Yeah, that's what I done. I added my tank water until the water was doubled. I took 2 hours to do it. I originally bought 6 (only wanted 4) b/c I expected some deaths. A week after buying them I lost one. The other 5 are going strong. I even have a pair that lay eggs!

Oh, and I added 2 full tank shots per your request on my pic post. ;)
 

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L

Lakea

Large Fish
#6
Oct 14, 2006
317
0
0
Texas
#6
I just wanted to say about the bowl thing, when I had otos I had a couple that were climbers and they would just climb right out of any container I put them in I did not cover so just watch that.

And I'll just add also, I am using sand on my 55 and 6.6, first time sand for me and I have loved it so far. I don't have fish yet, but I hear sand is pretty easy to clean. I have some plants in the sand, they have no problem anchoring in it, I use some plant tabs and liquid ferts they seem to be doing just find. I am using pool filter sand by the way, great stuff.
 

F

FishGeek

Elite Fish
#9
May 13, 2005
4,294
5
0
38
South Carolina
#9
I would not go with your current stock choice. The Mollies will be to aggressive with the Betta with food and his fins. Also the male Betta may not enjoy sharing his domain with male guppies. They are too colorful and most males don't do well with them. (Not saying it hasn't been done by a few but its not something that I would prefer to try.)
 

roark fishies

roark fishies

Large Fish
#12
Dec 20, 2007
485
0
0
North Lousiana
#12
Meghan said:
Anyone else have any comments? HOB filters vs Internal filters?

Roark, did you buy your tank as a kit, or all separate. Is it glass or acrylic?

Opinions on glass vs acrylic?
Click to expand...

I bought everything seperate cuz I wanted the choice of what kind of filter, heater, etc. It came with a hood and light though so I didn't get to choose on lighting. I got it from my local mom and pop lfs. It was way cheaper than Petco and Petsmart. After doing a little research I decided I didn't want acrylic so mine is glass. Glass is heavier than acrylic I think so there's a con but once you get it in place you'll probably never have to move it again.
 

MikeS

MikeS

Large Fish
#14
Oct 5, 2006
328
0
0
Nor Cal
#14
As for the dwarf frogs, go for it. I had on in my 75, did very well, and got HUGE!!!!! (well, for a dwarf frog). I feed him blood worms. I let them thaw in a glass of tank water and spread them around the whole tank. Depending on your other fish, might have to add a little more worms to make sure he gets some, but should be no problem.
 

M

Meghan

Large Fish
#15
Feb 27, 2008
201
0
0
Lynchburg, Va
#15
MikeS said:
As for the dwarf frogs, go for it. I had on in my 75, did very well, and got HUGE!!!!! (well, for a dwarf frog). I feed him blood worms. I let them thaw in a glass of tank water and spread them around the whole tank. Depending on your other fish, might have to add a little more worms to make sure he gets some, but should be no problem.
Click to expand...
Oh, that is awesome, I was waiting for someone to tell me that had adf's in a bigger tank, thanks!

Fishgeek, I didn't realize mollies got aggressive?... They were just an afterthought. My betta is with my guppies now and they all seem fine. They've been together over a month now and I've seen no nipped fins. Everyone's appetite is the same as well. I really thought that they would stake out territory in the tank, but they haven't. They swim all around each other.

I'm going for the bowfront, despite Chichlid-Man & Airbourne's advice, haha. I'm siding with Roark. I'm hoping one day for the tank to be really filled in with plants- just need to learn a little more. ;) Anyways, I think it'll look great.

Thanks everyone for your advice. Guess I'll start shopping around now.
 

F

FishGeek

Elite Fish
#16
May 13, 2005
4,294
5
0
38
South Carolina
#16
Well Id say you got lucky :p Just don't think they are all like that ;) Mollies can be nasty and they are even said not best kept with Puffers cause they can be nippers and they a PIGS! :p I would go with a schooling Tetra of some sort. Maybe Black Neons or Harlequin Rasboras, just stay away from Serpaes and the Black Phantom Tetras as they are also nippy.
 

M

Meghan

Large Fish
#17
Feb 27, 2008
201
0
0
Lynchburg, Va
#17
FishGeek said:
Well Id say you got lucky :p Just don't think they are all like that ;) Mollies can be nasty and they are even said not best kept with Puffers cause they can be nippers and they a PIGS! :p I would go with a schooling Tetra of some sort. Maybe Black Neons or Harlequin Rasboras, just stay away from Serpaes and the Black Phantom Tetras as they are also nippy.
Click to expand...
Haha yeah, I have 3 cats too- they all have way different personalities. *crazysmil
unfortunately, the only 3 pet stores here in town don't seem to have a lot of selection. I've been to all 3 a lot, haha. I haven't really seen any tetra's that I like. Of course, there is still plenty of time left before getting fish. *twirlysmi
 

M

Meghan

Large Fish
#18
Feb 27, 2008
201
0
0
Lynchburg, Va
#18
OKie doke, I ended up with a 29 gallon. *DRUMMER*

I got it from my local mom & pop store. Tetra brand deluxe kit.
Came with:
Tank (duh) :p
Hood & Light - fluorescent bulb inc.
Whisper 30 hob filter
Heater
Thermometer
$112 *celebrate

I couldn't find a 36g bowfront not sold in a kit. The only kit I found was at Petsmart for around $150 and had an off brand filter in it. Figured for the price, 29g was best way to go.

I also bought an Aquatek air pump (65g) but will be returning it because it is insanely loud. Anyone have any recommendations? The one I have for my 10g is a Topfin and is nice and quite.

And, I got my sand. $3.95 for 50lb bag from Lowe's. It is Quickcrete brand All Purpose Sand. How long should I rinse it? 30 mins, 1 hour, 2 hours? Also, 50lbs in person is a lot less than I expected... enough for 29 gallon tank?

So, once I get my sand rinsed, I'll set it up, and begin cycling with media from my 10g and I'm also getting some plants. I'm hoping that cycling will take about 4 weeks or so with the media & plants in... we will see.

Yay, I'll post pics once I get it set up. *BOUNCINGS
 

C

Cichlid-Man

MFT Staff
#20
Jul 9, 2003
8,866
14
38
38
Columbia, SC
www.youtube.com
#20
So no bowfront? I think you will be pleased. ;) 29gal is a good size as well.

The sand should be enough for the 29gal, depending on how deep you want it. Rinse it until the water coming off of it is clear....or as close to clear as you can. You're still gonna get a little dirt and dust off of it and it will still cloud the tank but not as much as it could as long as you rinse it good.
 

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