Basics: Tanks
Tank size, and shape selection depends a lot on tank location, fish shape & size, ambitions and your budget. Generally, the larger the tank, the easier it will be to operate, as the increased water volume promotes a stability which is essential to every basic fish and water management requirement. At around 60g, tanks more easily develop a 'biotope' type of operation, making them much more stable and immune to accidents. Water weighs about 8-3/4 lbs per US gallon, so an approximate calculation which includes glass, substrate etc is to multiply your volume by 10 lbs. Tanks under 21g do not normally need an aquarium stand, so a 20g (about 200 lbs) is an ideal starter size. Heaters can be difficult to locate and operate for tanks smaller than 10g. The volume of any rectangular or square aquarium is length x width x height (in inches) dived by 231 to get US gallons. The inside measurements will be more accurate, but outside measurements are used for most purposes. DIY tanks are generally not economical unless it is a large tank, or the dimensions are otherwise unavailable. On-line purchasing does not make sense for tanks (due to their size), but is an option for other accessories. While aquariums generally do not fall apart, quality does vary.
Details...
LOCATIONS
Adjust the size & quantity of the fish by the proximity to your normal viewing vantage point. If the tank is in a large room or the end of a hallway, this suggests a few large fish in a medium sized tank. If the tank is on your kitchen counter, this suggests small fish in a small tank. A tank used as a room divider, or positioned in a living room viewed at a distance of 4 to 6 feet, suggests a large tank with medium bodied fish. The closer you are to the tank, the more benefit you get from having a mix which includes smaller creatures.
TANK SHAPE : FISH SHAPE / SIZE
Long cylindrical fish (ie: Danios, Comets, Rainbowfish etc) are built for speed, so they do best with long tanks (36"+). Tall slow fish (ie: Angels, Discus) should be kept in tall tanks (21"+). Tall fast fish (ie: Pacu, Monos, Silver dollars etc) and very active fish (ie: Leporinus, Tinfoil barbs etc) should be kept in big tanks, long (60"+), tall (21"+) and wide (18"+). Even this size will eventually be too small for a Pacu. Large bodied fish (ie: Oscars) do best in large tanks which have a front to back ratio of at least 1.5 x length of fish (Oscar at 12" needs an 18" wide tank). General guideline for Oscars is 1 to a 55g, 2 to a 70g and 3 to a 90g. They would of course prefer even bigger sized tanks. Very small fish (ie: Neons, Guppies etc) do not have tough demands on dimensions, but will tend to disappear in larger tanks unless kept in large numbers.
AMBITIONS
Narrow down why you want an aquarium, to improve your pleasure. Perhaps your interest is in large centerpiece fish with some dither, or perhaps it's the fun & challenge of breeding fish, or personality, or you are creating a sculpture in living colour. Every application suggests a slightly different tank size & shape. If you have children, keep the tank at their eye level, with colourful active fish (and secure the stand to the wall behind). An office tank is often small and tidy, like a 5g Eclipse or Waterhome with just a Betta, a frog and a snail.
If you want to do serious aquascaping with rocks, driftwood and/or plants, then avoid shallow tanks (less than 18" front to back), as you will run out of working area very quickly. This is especially true for rockscaping which can easily extend 12" from the back of the tank.
Serious planted tank ambitions are best addressed with significant light upgrades. It is possible to achieve beautiful results in low light, but an uncommon amount of patience is needed. Tall narrow tanks work against natural plants as the narrow hood holds less lights and the greater depth decreases the amount of light reaching the bottom of the tank. Successful gardens are still achievable using tall narrow plants tanks when using CF lighting, so it only requires a little planning on your part.
BUDGET
The cost breakdown of a large tank can be broken down to 4 approximately equal parts; i) glass box, ii) hood & lighting, iii) stand and iv) accessories (heater, filter, substrate, thermometer). Getting a free tank (glass only) accounts for roughly 1/3 to 1/4 of your total cost. The purchase cost of a complete system, decreases with size, so you can expect to pay (as an example) $10-12 per gallon for a medium sized tank (ie: complete 50g) and only $8-10 per gallon for a larger tank (ie: complete 100g). Starter kits (10-20g) don't follow this trend, and are often available at $6 per gallon.
DIY TANK
There is almost no benefit to building your own tank smaller than 55g (due to the volume economies of glass and silicon). Up to 100g, you might break even if you place any significant value on your time. DIY tanks become more economically interesting at around 200g+. Check out the plywood tanks in the Links page. These tanks use a single sheet of glass (instead of 5), saving a lot of money. For used tanks, check the local Pennysaver flyers, newspapers, aquarium marketplace newsgroup, and the local for sale newsgroup posting for your area. Buying out of town aquariums cuts into your savings, and you need an appropriate vehicle. Shipping costs for aquariums are very high as they are heavy, big and fragile, often needing crates to be covered by insurance. Compensation for leaking tanks can also be difficult with long distance purchases.
Tanks generally age very well. Quality tanks will easily last 20-30 years if the tank was not stored in conditions which resulted in the silicone becoming embrittled. Glass and acrylic scratches can be repaired. Note that small scratches are almost invisible underwater, and for deep scratches, glass is much harder than acrylic to remedy.
I cover lights, stands and accessories elsewhere in detail. From the view of expenses, your greatest savings are achievable in lighting, stands and substrate. Your smallest DIY savings are generally in accessories (unless you build your own filters), so on-line purchasing is a good option if you do not have an LFS (local fish store) worthy of supporting.
There are several drawbacks to on-line purchasing.
- Product tracking varies by supplier.
- Out-of-stock feedback varies by supplier.
- Multiple purchases may get shipped individually due to availability, increasing your shipping costs and negating the savings.
- Goods may arrive damaged or incomplete (from transit or shipped that way). Suppliers return procedures vary, often with consumer initially paying return freight costs.
- Product received is not as expected. One example are filters, which can be packaged with or without filtration media or accessories such as shut-off valves and spray bars. The lower on-line cost may include less than the product at the LFS.
- Not suitable for time critical components (ie: replacing broken heater or filter without a spare available).
On-line purchasing becomes more practical if you are buying equipment before you have purchased the fish, or you have multiple tanks and can move equipment around. The savings can be significant, approaching what you would find at an LFS during sales, liquidation or at a Boxing day special, but available every day of the year. Generally on-line sales are conducted fairly smoothly (according to the newsgroup banter), with only the occasional disaster story surfacing.
Other potentially cost effective sources of equipment (and tanks) are your local aquarium society, friends, auctions, garage sales, newspaper, scratch & dent sales and LFS bankruptcies. If your place of employment has a bulletin board, post that you are looking for an aquarium and/or equipment. Many people have inherited or had bad experiences such that they have an empty aquarium in their basement which they would like to get rid off.
MANUFACTURERS & QUALITY
Regarding manufacturers, quality levels do vary. A tank which leaks usually has a gap in the silicone bead, but they all hold water (won't split apart). Higher quality manufacturers do a better job preparing the glass surface for the silicone, they use thicker and better grades of glass, they heat the silicone before it is applied, and use precise jigs to hold the panes square & true while drying. Some silicone over-coverage can be removed with an exacto-knife, and is of no consequence under the tank. Silicone should be poured in one even bead (either in black or clear). Silicone does not bond to dry silicone, so all beads have to be done at the same time. The half-moon silicone bead you feel inside the tank is not holding the tank together. It's main purpose is to protect the thin silicone layer between the glass sheets. This is where the primary structural strength comes from. Any air entrapment is indicative of poor pouring conditions and would make the tank suspect.
The thinner the glass used, the more critical it is that the stand be completely flat. Thin glass tanks are also much more prone to transport damage (twist). The front and back glass panes will bow considerably as thinner glass is used. This can make a canopy or glass cover very loose. Custom glass covers should be measured on a tank when it is filled with water. Most bow conditions are structurally acceptable. Small thin wall tanks typically come with some type of a crossbrace, either integrated in the top trim, or siliconed directly to the glass panes. Bowfront tanks and long tanks (starting at 4 ft) often come with glass crossbraces. The crossbrace prevents more bow, improves fit of cover, reduces stress on siliconed edges and improves overall rigidity for transport, but is an obstacle to work around for tank access.
Sitting any tank on a thin sheet of styrofoam (1/4" to 3/8" expanded polystyrene) will compensate for minor out-of-flatness concerns for the stand, help keep the tank warmer, and more secure from sliding (though this is not a big problem once the tank is filled).
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