Fish tank questions

[DaveO]

I believe I saw in several members bio's that they were fish enthusiast. I am not sure if that means keeping, catching or eating. But I'll throw this out to ya'll anyway. My wife just brought home a bargain , a 10.5x20x18.5" fish tank. After taking my daughter to the Wilmington aquarium, she thought that she needed her own tank. Now this bargain is only the tank, no light, pump, filter or any of the things that go with it. My questions to ya'll who know more than I are: Does anyone have any of these components that they might want to sell/trade? And what all do I need to keep fish alive in this tank? This could turn into a woodworking project for me, it needs a stand, and that my main interest in it, besides my daughter's enjoyment. I appreciate any advice/assistance that ya'll could offer. Thanks a lot, Dave

[Monty]

10.5x20x18.5", huh? Sounds like a pretty good size. Here:

1. Put tank in boat
2. Put ice in tank
3. Proceed to favorite fishing hole
4. Put fish in ice

Happy to help.

[DaveO]

You forgot, 2A. Put beer on ice in tank. 3A. Drink beer, while hoping to catch fish. Fishing is only an excuse to drink beer and float. Dave

[cloudancer]

Sounds like a 15 gallon tank... If you don't want to go with the beer idea, I suppose you could put live fish in it. Problem is asking me (large saltwater tanks) is like asking a woodworker about house framing... related, but ...

How much money is in your budget? Walmart sells kits for this including tank (20g) for 50ish dollars that would get you everything you need. It will probably cost about that to assemble it from parts. Petco, Petsmart and Walmart are probably your cheapest sources (outside of garage sales and such). Oh and don't buy fish from Walmart if you can help it. Fish from local pet stores will probably be the most likely to survive (more so than from Petsmart/co).

The cheapest way to go from your current tank is to get:
Book on freshwater fish (most important, could be from library)
Undergravel filter
Small air pump
Light hood
Heater (50-100watts,will say size of tank on package)
Clorine remover and fish food
Fish (after the tank cycles)

You will probably want to make a Hood and stand yourself. Keep in mind that water is 10 lbs a gallon and you don't want the stand to rack. A 20 gallon tank is 200lbs so don't put it on an open back stand .

I can answer lots of questions about things like cycling, fish, 2000gph surge devices, etc when you get to the point of having more questions.

[DaveO]

Thanks Cloudancer, I was hoping you could offer some advice. I agree with the thought of buying a kit. This tank is like having a lathe, just a drop in the never filling bucket of expenses, I laughed when my wife brought home her bargan . Water actually weighs 8.63 lbs. per gallon according to my sources, but you made a very valid point none the less. I think if I am going to go to the expense to set it all up I should probably go larger. Like water gardens/Koi ponds I build it is easier to balance a large body of water than a smaller one. I will contact you in the future for more advice once the bug bites me again. Thanks, Dave

[cloudancer]

Actually I thought it was 8.35 or there abouts. Most folks I talk to plan for 10lbs because of rock, general margin of error and ease of math... that kind of thing.

Bigger tanks are always easier to keep going (stable), but setup and water changes are more work. Speaking of big, do you want to come help me move my 560g tank into the house if I ever manage to get it built?

[cloudancer]

And please don't put fish in till its cycled... its cruel.

[DaveO]

Cloudancer, I stand corrected it is 8.33# per gallon. But I can see how 10# would be much easier to deal with and account for the gravel. If the assistance of a 6'2" 250# guy would make moving that monstrosity of a tank you mentioned, then I'll be there, just tell me when.

My wife things that she can find all that we need at garage sales so I'll hold off on the Walleyworld kit until she finds her bargains. I have learned a few things from building Koi ponds about conditioning the water before the fish go in, it's amazing how sensitive those big mud-sucking carp are to anything that is off in the water's balance. Dave

[cloudancer]

Hey, some poeple think carp are the end all and be all of fish keeping. Then again most people look at me and think I'm insane ... so it all balances out I suppose.

I'd love assistance from any and everybody... but I have some projects in the way so it may easily be next spring. Depends on how productive I am this fall.

[DaveO]

I am not to far away, so just let me know when you need some help. And you probably are insane, but it makes life fun...so what. Dave

[toolferone]

I am late on this post but have been busy building my workbench. I have been doing the fish thing since January, so no expert. I just wanted to show you the stand I built. Happy to answer any questions I can.

(scroll to the bottom of the link to see the stand construction)

http://www.dreamshopwoodworks.com/aquarium.htm __________________

[DaveO]

Very nice stand, tank, fish collection and website, I just spent 15 minutes drooling over your tools. When I get my tank set up I will seek some advice from you. Thanks, Dave

[rcorne01]

Great job on the stand! Looks very nice. Also enjoyed your website and pictures of both shop and aquarium. Thanks for sharing those!

I owe my wife a jewelry box. In yours, did you have open drawers like the one shown, or did you have some with dividers?

[toolferone]

Originally Posted by rcorne01

I owe my wife a jewelry box. In yours, did you have open drawers like the one shown, or did you have some with dividers?

Rick, I did not add any dividers. I told my sister-in-law I could add some, but she liked it the way it is.

[JohnsonMBrandon]

Dave,

If you have questions about keeping the fish alive and that sort of thing I can probably answer them. Basically I would get a biological filter (one with a biowheel), and a heater with temperature control (normally in the 20 dollar range for a 30 gallon aquarium). I have had an aquarium most of my life. Just let me know if you have any other questions.