Aquariums?

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Josh

Josh

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Does anyone here know of a good website to check out different aquarium setups and pricing? Preferably larger aquariums as we're looking at getting a 125+ gallon for the living room. I'm not sure if it will be for saltwater, or fresh. My Dad used to be pretty big into aquariums back about 14-15 years ago, but he hasn't had one since then - ought to be interesting to see how long he can keep stuff alive.:lol:

If any of you have aquariums I'm very interested in hearing about them, and seeing pictures as well.

Thanks guys.
Oh, and - I'll kill someone if they tell me that google.com is my friend.:mad:
 
Hardy har har har. Anyone with a serious reply pertaining to the topic?
 
no effing clue, i never had any pets...just slightly want a cat but not enuf to go out and get one cos of the hassle of caring for it and of university
 
Originally posted by Josh
Hardy har har har. Anyone with a serious reply pertaining to the topic?
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Don't ask me, my goldfish died when I took him for a walk :confused:
I don't know. aquariums.com?? *shrug*
 
Originally posted by Josh
Hardy har har har. Anyone with a serious reply pertaining to the topic?
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Go to Clemson University late at night and break into the 'undersea studies' classrooms.
 
Perhaps I'll do that next time I'm looking to spend a few nights in jail.
 
Originally posted by Josh
Perhaps I'll do that next time I'm looking to spend a few nights in jail.
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Peh, the Clemson security guards probably have Contours, they couldn't chase you all the way back to Kiawah!
 
Damn. You have a pretty good point there, Doug.:odd:

BTW- Wtf is up with this? My thread went off-topic before it was really ever on topic. Bastards.:irked:
 
I had a tank - well 2 actually, a 2 foot one and a 4 foot one. They were freshwater tropical fishies and I loved them!!!

I had the usual neon tetras and little stuff like that but I had some monsters as well !!!

I had a banjo catfish that used to bury itself under the gravel and only come out at night so I bought a moonlight so I could see it !!

and I had these black knifed scissor fish thingies - they didnt last long though !!

oh and two BIG BIG plecs as well !! they'd suck on the side of the glass all day !

I'll be happy to help if you got any questions but yr dad will know a lot as he had a tank before
 
I see there's been a slew of relevant posts here.

My wife and I keep a 10, a 20 and a 38 gallon reef tank set-up i nour home. Not quite what your looking at, but a quick trip to www.nano-reef.com and you should find some good photo's of small tanks and links to larger tanks.

Keep in mind that setting up a 125 gallon Saltwater tank isn't an afternoon task. First you've got to find a 125 gallon tank. That's not something a local fish store (Or even a national retailer) keeps on hand. After that, mixing 125 gallons of water and salt. Then you've got power issues, and that much light, filter, skimmer, circulator, pump... may pop a circuit, so you've got to look into that.

A lot has changed in 15 years. The advent of Live coral rock and inverts to assist in the filtration process is something new. Power jets, heater/cooler under gravle filters, pumped systems from the basement.

I'm not sure you've estimated what you're getting into. Because at some point you're going to say "I need a bigger tank"

While google may not be your friend it did come up with this:

http://www.masla.com/portfolio.html (6 125 gallon set-ups, that you can note and price yourself)

http://www.simplifiedreefkeeping.com/n/129_anon.html (another one you can take notes on and price

http://www.theinnerreef.com/ (and one more that lists equipemnt)

Good luck, and post up pics after you get it finished (and before the tank crashes)

AO
 
We have an aquarium in our basement. I don't know how many gallons it is, it's probably 4x2x3 or something, maybe, probably smaller. It would be interesting to get that thing running and with some fish in it sometime maybe, perhaps once I move into a bigger room(once my brother leaves for school)
I would post a picture, but it would be impossible for me to clear out all of the stuff in our basement to get the aquarium freed enough for a simple photo.
 
Originally posted by Der Alta
I see there's been a slew of relevant posts here.

My wife and I keep a 10, a 20 and a 38 gallon reef tank set-up i nour home. Not quite what your looking at, but a quick trip to www.nano-reef.com and you should find some good photo's of small tanks and links to larger tanks.

Keep in mind that setting up a 125 gallon Saltwater tank isn't an afternoon task. First you've got to find a 125 gallon tank. That's not something a local fish store (Or even a national retailer) keeps on hand. After that, mixing 125 gallons of water and salt. Then you've got power issues, and that much light, filter, skimmer, circulator, pump... may pop a circuit, so you've got to look into that.

A lot has changed in 15 years. The advent of Live coral rock and inverts to assist in the filtration process is something new. Power jets, heater/cooler under gravle filters, pumped systems from the basement.

I'm not sure you've estimated what you're getting into. Because at some point you're going to say "I need a bigger tank"

While google may not be your friend it did come up with this:

http://www.masla.com/portfolio.html (6 125 gallon set-ups, that you can note and price yourself)

http://www.simplifiedreefkeeping.com/n/129_anon.html (another one you can take notes on and price

http://www.theinnerreef.com/ (and one more that lists equipemnt)

Good luck, and post up pics after you get it finished (and before the tank crashes)

AO
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It shouldn't be too hard to get a big tank up and running smoothly. I realize it will be more difficult than a smaller tank, though. The hardest part will be the salt deal. This would be the first saltwater tank we've had. He's definitely not going to just go out and spend thousands of dollars on this before he knows what he's getting into, though. I've been trying to read up as much as I can on them before he buys anything.

I think Petsmart has a few 100+ gallon tanks, but my Dad doesn't like any of them. I'm almost positive we're going to end up doing a saltwater setup, but it's going to be a pain. I don't like the idea of having to properly mix the required amounts of salt with the water, nor do I like the idea that hundreds of dollars worth of fish/coral could die if we made a stupid mistake somewhere, but it would definitely all be worth it if we pull it off without any screwups. They're so much nicer to look at than a freshwater tank. The crazy colors of the corals, sand, fish, etc. Much nicer to look at than your average fish + rock freshwater tank.

I've got a 29 gallon freshwater setup in my room. It's got a heater, under-gravel, two filters that sit on the outside of the tanke that suck water out, run it through a filter, then pour it back in, it's got a thermo. to make sure the temp is always right, always checked the PH, used the right chemicals to keep the water right, and clean, etc. I used to have a bunch of fish in there, but the Paccu(sp?) ate all of them, then the Paccu started eating each other, then the last one remaining just died.:odd: It's been empty of fish for a couple of months now.

Thank you very much for the serious post, and links, by the way.:) They've been very helpful.
 
Switching the 29 gallon tank over to a saltwater would be a great plan. As tough as it sounds, mixing the salt isn't that bad. Pick up 3 hydrometers from Petco, and a bucket of salt. The hydrometer has a gauge on it to measure the salinity. Once you've got it in the range, you're golden. Now mixing 125 gallons, is going to take some time.

Here's another cost: 120 lbs of live rock (approx for a 125 gallon set-up) at $6/ lb. Wee chunk of change. A likely good reason to start out with the 29 gallon tank. THe nice thing is that the Coral is pretty hardy. While the salinity and chemicals make wreak havoc with the fish the corals and the inverts will likely survive through it. Nothing like having three $60 fish die and the $2 crab feasts off the carcass.

My wife (The real aquarist in the house) pointed me to these two places: Big Al's and That Pet Place

Both are excellent resouces to start with, and run with.

Good luck.

AO
 
I wonder how much equipment we have for our stuff... I remember the light and the jet, but I don't remember a heater or anything like that... Of course, when we used our aquarium, I was around 5, so I have a logical excuse for not knowing what we used.
 
I have a 450 gallon fresh water tank if that counts..., what would you like to know?
 
Go for the freshwater. My friend has a 200 gallon tank, and attempted to do saltwater. His fish died in two days. If you dont get it perfect, it compltely wipes out your whole tank. There are some neat fish that are availiable for freshwater, too.
 
Originally posted by Pako
I have a 450 gallon fresh water tank if that counts..., what would you like to know?
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What are the dimensions on that biotch?! Where do you have it? Would it be too big for a living room? Would it be dangerous having a tank that size on the 2nd floor of a 3 story house? We really not going to like it if a floor or two collapses under that weight. How much did the complete setup cost minus the cost of fish? If you don't want everyone, and their little sister, to know how much you paid you can PM me, and that's even if you want to tell me.:p Where did you get the actual tank? What kind of fish would you suggest for a freshwater tank of that size?

Der Alta- Thank you, and your wife, for those two links. There appears to be some really good stuff on them. I think I will switch the 29'er over to a saltwater tank before we try setting up a saltwater tank the size of a small swimming pool.:lol:
 
Originally posted by Josh
What are the dimensions on that biotch?! Where do you have it? Would it be too big for a living room? How much did the complete setup cost minus the cost of fish? If you don't want everyone, and their little sister to know how much you paid, you can PM me, and that's even if you want to tell me.:p Where did you get the actual tank? What kind of fish would you suggest for a freshwater tank of that size?*snip*
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1.) Inside Dimensions are:
144"W X 30"H X 24"D

2.) The uses for a tank that size would have to be determined by the user. For best results, a recessed installation would look the best. I have this tank sitting on planks and cinder blocks in my basement, and frankly it's just a pain in the rear. It's in the way and it takes up one complete wall.

3.) Well, the tank was actually free, the fish were free, and the labor to deliver the tank only cost me a case of beer. I had to pay for some remodeling done to the basement stairwell that I had to cut out so we could swing the 13' tank at the base of the stairs leading down into the basement. Occasionally I would have to replace the air compressor $250 each time, about once every 8 months or so... The fish would go through a case of green beans a month.

4.) The tank actually came out of a bar here in town. They decided to remodel the bar and make it into a nice fancy place to eat, and didn't want the tank anymore. My brother-in-law worked there and is totally into fish, but couldn't take the tank to his apartment so he asked if we would take it. That's how I came acrossed it. It's definitely a custom tank, and to have one made that size would cost you in excess of $5K to be built (those are local prices by our local tank builders here, prices may vary without notice. ;))

5.) I actually had 4 12 year old Pacu's and that averaged 22-24 inches in length. Later on we got 4 more Pacu's that were fairly small (4-5 inches in length). We also had several tank suckers...to help keep the tank clean. It was all fresh water, a salt water tank that size would just be tooooo much. It would be a full time job just keeping everything in balance.

6.) I would suggest large schools or smaller fish, Oscars, Pacu's, Carp, Cat Fish, Trout, basically any kind of fish would do... :) It's a pretty big tank.

Unfortunately, this February, the tank started to leak in the back where I couldn't get to it, so I had to get rid of the fish and the water. Now it just sits dry in my basement.
 
Make sure you get your ALL your fish from the SAME PLACE! My friend's father had a salt tank for years & one day I got him this goregeous fish (It was dark blue w/ light blue & white rings on its sides- like a target) from a reputable shop as a suprise gift. The fish died in less than 2 days & a few days later, the ENTIRE tank was DEAD. I was speechless! :eek: :eek:
He later told me that he only ever went to 1 shop for fish, coral, you name it. He would only deal with one kid there, he would tell him things like which fish was sick in their tanks & why.

P.S. Does anyone know what kind of fish this is?
 
Yeah, I sure did. He took it all in stride though. He told me he was moving in a few months anyway & now the tank sits in his basement. Go figure.
 

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