Please, help! How to go about that bigger Tank?

[AviDusty]

Hi,
I just joined your lovely community.
I want to set up a bigger tank - say about 50 -55 G with a canister filter.
I am considering an offer of a package - tank, cabinet, canister filter, heater, lights- for $500. The maker is called Jinlong?! Anybody heard about them?
The size of the tank is 83x43.8x52 - around 50g - 189l.
The canister filter's capacity is 1100 LPH and the warranty is 4 years.

I have some doubts about this package:

1. Isn't the included canister filter too big for this tank? What disasters can be expected by unknown manufacturer? What happens if the canister filter packs on you? What to look for in canister filters?

2. The tank is 50g, but the surface area is smaller than the normal 50g. When stocking with fish, how would I work it out not to overcrowd?

3. Will this tank be suitable for my 2 silver dollars?

Please, any advice will be God Sent!

I have had a 10 galon aquarium with an undergravel filter for 13 years. Started the hobby with a shelf of books (no Internet then). Had mixed success. Some of the "rules" back then seem to be outmoded. For example the initial advice, I got, was to dismantle the tank every 6 to 9 months, wash loosely the gravel under the tap with luke warm water, clean the tank, and refill it, keeping some of the old water. After a few hours put the fish back - done! Ok - I was checking the amonia and adding Cycle - never caught amonia level raised!? Still one wonders about scores of short lived souls! And the advise in one of the books (for beginners!!!) on the number of fishes!! Outragious overcrowd! No wonder the water was always going acidic and thefishes stressed!
The last three years I got only a bristle nose and a flying fox left and I stopped adding new fish. They both have lived for 6 years.
Going away for ten days, we found them both dead.
So, I go and do what I have been taught to do long ago. Restart the tank and next day put a bristle nose and 2 selver dollars about 5 cm each. I chose them because the guy at the shop said they had been there for some time and I did not want to risk newly delivered stressed fish. Then it turned that silver dollars woud become big boys and then I jumped on the Internet.
Please advise!

 

[Orion]

I'm not sure the going price for tanks in Austrailia, but here in the states that's very steep for a tank that size. At most places you can get just the tank and a very nice solid wood stand for around $250 (US).

Most of the time, tank packages aren't that great. It often turns out better to buy the things seperate to make sure you get exactly what you want. It really doesn't mater if the canister is bigger than it needs to be, IMHO it's good to have larger than rated canisters anyway because in real life use we never see the actual ratings on canisters anyway.

Your right about the surface area. If a tank held 100 gallons of water volume, but the surface area was equivalent of a 40 gallon tank, you would only want to stock the tank as a 40 gallon. Also if the tank is not a standard size, that might be some of the reason for the higher price.

I would keep the books around for keepsake items, but a lot has changed in the past decade in the understanding of how the mini-ecosystems work. In a healthy tank one should almost NEVER have to break down the entire tank, most certainly not a few times a year, that's just crazy There is lots of good information on the nitrogen cycle in the freshwater sticky threads that you might find useful in helping you get caught up. But always feel free to ask questions that you have.

Oh and on the no-name filter, this is a personal thing, but I don't trust them. I bought a cheap one off of ebay a few years ago just to try it out and it was an absolute disaster. The 'brand name' ones I paid more for I've never had a bit of problem out of. Well worth the money.

 

[sombunya]

I'm buying a brand new 100 gallon unit for $159. 60" long, 16" wide, 24" tall. I'm lucky I have a place to put it; a divider of sorts that separates two rooms in my house.

I have one Aquaclear 110 already, will need another, about $70.

I have plenty of substrate, just need to wash and disinfect it.

Upgrade to my lighting will be another $30 or so.

Anything else is incidental.

 

[AviDusty]

Hi mates!
Thanks for your particiation in my learning!
Dear brother COFEE LIFE FORM (so am I),
Australian market for a similar set up (tank. cabinet, hood, lights, canister filter and heater) is from A$1200 onwards - at that price with some cheap filters too. The Fluval sets are over $1700 And you cannot find easy matching cabinet to a tank.
I went around the shops today and that's that!
I will go and see that deal and if it does not look shoddy, migh get it.
If the canister turns a lemon - a 600 L/HR Eheim is $230 - still cheaper. If the tank does not leak after 3 months, that is.
Dear Sombunya, you ARE lucky! My husband wouldn't even let me think of a bigger tank! Well, life is compromise!
In the meantime, I am reading a lot, testing the water and the amonia is negligible. The silver dollars are quite settled and the BN is not available for inspection.
Thanks again!
Avi

 

[TAL]

Welcome AVI.

We hope you are able to post pictures soon.

Share your fish and set up with us!

G'day mate.

PS. Is Fosters REALLY Australian for beer?

 

[jo3olous]

jesus these price quotes are really REALLY high

 

[sombunya]

Hey AviDusty,

One more thing; make sure your tank is lighted nicely. Try a small 12" or 18" fluorescent, either hung above it or even set it on top is you have a sheet of glass on top. Makes a BIG difference on how it looks.

My wife wasn't into my tanks at all but after they were set up and cycled and the water was crystal clear, she started liking them. If you have it lit up nicely and it looks good, your guy may just start liking your hobby more and more.

 

[AviDusty]

Hi, everybody!
Yes, prices here are higher. But then we are only small country (20 mil. people) . The miracle is that we are not even more expensive.
My guy likes my fishes and I have a nice light oover the present 10 g tank. He just objects getting involved with moving furniture and bringing in power points. And he gets upset when the fish dies, which in this small tank happens to me all the time. That's why I want to get something bigger, hoping it can be kept a bit more stable. And a striking a friendship with a LFS to buy some stronger fishes.
PS Fosters is not really Australian for beer (like "culture" is American for yogurt - just joking!). We have Vic Bitter, Larger etc. But then I am into wine.

 

[jo3olous]

wow that stinks, i never considered prices would be higher due to country demographics

 

[emmanuelchavez]

wow that stinks, i never considered prices would be higher due to country demographics

1.00 USD = 1.18 AUD

Just fyi. Also have to factor in a lot of other stuff, like standard of living, etc. Since it's a relatively small country, I think they have to import a lot of stuff, making things more expensive.

I just wish I would've remembered all this stuff when I was taking economics back in high school. haha.

 

[jo3olous]

yeah i never did anything international bus related, maybe 1-2 classes thats it. Plus in my 4 and 5th yr in school i pretty much only had concentrated courses (programming/web-design/coding) so Idr sshkittles about economics and such

 

[emmanuelchavez]

I've never taken any business classes, but I did work in Human Resources for 2.5 years - and helped the International HR group once in a while. None of that made sense to me though until I went to Italy... and my dollar was worth almost nothing (ok, not almost nothing but a lot less than a euro).