Aquarium?
 

Now that we’re settled in our “forever” home (I’m never moving again), my son is after me to set up a tank. He has one but lives 10 hours away, so wouldn’t be much help other than consultation. I had several tanks years ago but not in the last 3+ decades.

An indoor hobby would be nice and I’d prefer to stay with fresh water for simplicity...if I do this. Probably 55 to 75 gallons. I’m sure the technology has advanced but wondering if anyone here has some relevant experience.

Also wondering about weight. A 75 gallon setup would be about 800 lbs. We’re on a crawl space but it would be easy to add a floor jack to ensure no settling.

At this point I could easily be talked out of it!

It will hold up easy without support. Think, a couple or full grown American men will easily wait close to 400 lbs and the weight is pin pointed with a small foot print the tank's weight is distributed over a much larger foot print.

We had a couple tanks when kids were small, but lost interest. One day, I will have another.

fresh water fish tanks are stupid simple to keep. Go for a community tank, lots of guppies, neon tetras, sword tails , black mollies...........easy to keep.

check craigslist for good deals on used goods

Funny...since considering it I’m getting lots of ads on FB and also used stuff on FB Marketplace. A bit apprehensive to buy a used tank as a leak (or worse) could be a nightmare. Legit concern?

You can get creative with rocks and such and make an African ciclid tank that people will think is saltwater...

https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/ for lots of ideas.....

Had Africans years ago. Very hearty, aggressive and colorful. Thanks for sharing that forum. That should kill some time!

I had Jack Dempseys and they ate all my guppies. Then my Arowana ate them. lol Don't get goldfish because they really make a mess of the water..unless you get them for feeders.

Find out the pH of your tap water, pick fish that will like that level of acidity

I have 7 down from 9.

I really wouldn’t recommend this hobby to anyone.

I would never have a tank again on any floor other than my basement. I have a basement room dedicated to them. I have lost count of how many times I had an issue with a blocked filter and drained the tank down to the intake…..all onto the floor while I was not home. If it hasn’t happened yet, it will….

And never have a tank in a place where you can not easily hook up a python to a sink faucet. Using a syphon and a bucket will cause you and your fish a lot of issues.

Does the power go out a lot where you live? Do you have a generator? Do you travel a lot?

Are you comfortable euthanizing sick fish? Sucks killing your friends.

Spending lots of money?

My dad retired and asked if he should get a tank? I said absolutely not.

Questions?

Brand new 75 gallon plus tanks are so cheap it makes little sense to me to risk it. And god knows what was in that tank. I’ve thrown out a dozen 10 or 20 gallon tanks used for euthanizing or medicating that I never felt confident I could make safe again. I would be paranoid for a number of reasons using a used tank.

Ah, what the hell.

A large tank well thought with the planting and rocks, then a whole lot of neon tetras.

I had a 100 gallon tank for a while. I found that maintenance was easier if it wasn’t over populated with fish.

I would turn out the lights in the room only leaving the aquarium light on and chill. It was very therapeutic after returning from the desert.

We have a 210 gallon tank. Tank is glass, heavy. The floor below the tank is supported by well framed closet in the room below in the basement, and is up against a load bearing wall. Its been there for 10 years, no distortion/stress. We are on our second tank over that time (first one was 180 gallons) but the wife was afraid it was going to be compromised. My music studio is in the room below, 20 guitars, drums and lots of electronics.... she thought it better to be safe than sorry so we replaced that tank with the 210 gallon one. Years ago she had a smaller one split causing a wee bit of a mess....

Tank is fresh water (brackish) with a variety of African Cichlids. Does require double the filter systems, aerators etc at that size. We have a pro come and make sure all is well every 4-6 weeks and my wife maintains it in between his visits. The fish are her thing. We have plenty of breeding going on in the tank producing cost effective new fish :). A sign of a healthy tank environment.

That size is a lot of weight. Water is 1750 lbs, tank is 350 lbs, plus rock, stand, filters etc... at least 2250lbs. But no issues....

I kept 55's 135's, and 180 gallon saltwater reef tanks for 25 years...........challenges abound. But very rewarding.

350 gal. Freshwater fish and turtles.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1687004243.jpg

Wow…appreciate the candid info. A filter draining a tank on to the floor? How is that even possible? I’d have hoped that by 2023 there would be technology to prevent that! Yes, I can imagine a certain disaster potential but assume very low risk. Had never had such an event in my younger days FWIW.

Because we’re in a coastal area we do have a large propane powered generator. After a life of relentless travel, that’s not a retirement priority for us, so the occasional 1 week vacation would be about it. Euthanize fish? Isn’t that what the toilet is for (kidding…couldn’t resist)? Lastly, we have a useless garden tub about 20 feet away that is earmarked for water change duty.

Filter set up under the tank it is possible to set up a siphon situation, and the filter under the tank is a fraction of the tanks size. With no power to pump to empty filter back up into tank, it will overflow and drain onto the floor until the siphoning stops or all that is left is in the filter part of the system.....

Jeez...they’ve been making toilets for years that have a shut off valve so when the tank fills to it’s designated level, it shuts off and doesn’t overflow. Can it be possible that this century-old technology hasn’t yet found its way to aquarium filters?

I had fresh and salt tanks as a kid, an 80 gallon reef in the 90s, and I just sold a 30 gallon reef I had running for 5 years (that was a great tank).

Lots of modern tech and possibilities these days, for fresh and salt.

My experience is mostly in salt, but if I were ever to do a tank again, I’d do what’s called a “high tech planted”. Uses pressurized CO2, lighting and fertilizer.

Some great examples.


https://twistedsifter.com/2011/05/top-25-freshwater-aquariums-in-the-world/

And yes, almost all tanks have filtration designed in such a way that it is impossible for a filter system failure to drain the tank.