Posts by Li0nFish

The pet store by where I live (the closest one that I go to the most often) told me a lot of these smaller tanks seldom sell unless it is for a child. Even then, people tend to opt for the 5 gallon tanks over the 1 gallon ones as they are glass and come with more for not much more money.

Quote from Chirianti

A bare bottom fish tank has its own advantages over a substrate fish tank. There can be good flow in a bare bottom fish tank as opposed to the substrate one as more flow at the bottom would disturb the sand and the plants. The maintenance is also reduced in bare bottom tanks.

That makes sense. Maybe this is why he does it. It makes it easier to clean. I can't imagine it is very fulfilling or attractive for the fish. Though I am not entirely sure goldfish care about things like this like other types of fish.

It seems like fish are getting more and more expensive these days. To fill a standard 30 gallon, it has to cost well over $40 at this point. In some cases more depending on what kind you buy.

A friend of mine just did a new 30-gallon tank and got 10 fish in total and it cost him nearly $60 which seems very expensive to me. Have prices gone up?

How much do you tend to spend when you stock a tank?

This is actually pretty handy. I will have to check it out. I have heard of apps and sites like this but never bothered to sign up for anything. I like to have easy access to information for questions and concerns though.

At least once a week but usually every 2 weeks when I do water changes OR if the power goes out.

Anytime the power goes out, my filter system reverses and stops working so I have to get a qtip and kind of wind the band inside for it to work properly again. I am not sure why but it happens 70% of the time when the power goes out and comes back on.

I don't have a salt tank yet but I have been looking into prices and comparing brands.

Instant Ocean Sea Salt seems to be the best priced as well as best reviewed so that is the brand I will likely go with when I get one set up. It is only $13 for a 50 gallon bag.

This is something I have looked into time and time again and from my own experiences and what I have watched/read, no matter if it is a salt tank or a fresh tank, most people prefer to go with longer setups rather than taller ones. I think height is great if you plan on using a lot of taller plant life but if you don't, then height really just makes filtering and cleaning more difficult.

Natural sunlight, while great, will increase algae growth which is something you don't want.

I think most full spectrum LED lamps and lights designed for saltwater tanks do just find and aren't too expensive.

Hi, I only just noticed there was a reply to this thread!

Yes, I have checked all petshops in my area as well as aquarium shops and no one carries them still. I have found shrimp labeled as amanos but I have since discovered they are not after having bought a few.

They are roughly the same. Usually, with salt water tanks, you will require larger filters for the same amount of water as a freshwater setup. Certain filters are marketed for salt water tanks specifically. It depends on what you are keeping in the tank really.

I always recommend watching videos on YouTube. Not only can you learn from different people, but if the person in the video is making a mistake, the comments will call it out. It is really good for learning about different tank setups and what it takes to maintain them. You can learn a lot about different fish too!

I found a video on keeping them where it outlines bad things about them.

Overall they seem like they are easy to care for but most people find them boring and because they can live to be 10 or more years, it is a bigger commitment than most fish.

I was going to mention that tanks like this tend to be harder to care for. I am not entirely sure why but most people end up switching away from them. I think it makes more sense to have more surface area on the bottom. I think long tanks do better for most fish and other aquatic species.

How are thinkings going with your tank?

This looks similar to how I had my shrimp tank set up when I had them in a 10-gallon. I still have the same amazon sword plant too. I just have it in the smaller tank now in a pot. I have had to cut it down a few times, especially after an issue with black beard but it held on.

This looks really nice! I must have overlooked this section completely.

I know this is an older post but I would love to see what you have since done with it. I like seeing smaller tanks as I feel they are a lot harder to decorate and maintain.

I thought I would mention this site here. If you are looking for cheaper aquarium accessories, they tend to have really good deals.

They don't have a HUGE selection of stuff but what they do carry is discounted. They also sell other pet items too.

Aquarium Supplies: Fish Food, Aquarium Lighting and Accessories | PetMountain.com

There are specific plants and stones you can use in your tank to help keep the water more balanced and healthy for the fish. I can't think of them off the top of my head but you can google search for them. Loads of sites write about them. A good aquarium store will likely stock all the items.

I think the most common are parasitic infections overall. These tend to spread very easily and fast. I know ich is up there as well but I have only had one experience with it and it seems to be more rare than people let on.

Tropical freshwater fish?

I think there are a decent number of colorful and bright freshwater options but you won't find much in terms of eye-catching colors and patterns, not unless you invest in a salt water tank.

Do you mean the Bosmani kind?

I am not very familiar with these kinds of fish as I have never been interested in keeping them. They seem to need very specific needs and you can only put certain other fish with them.