Small apartment, small tank?

[Northerly]

Hi all,

I haven't posted on the forums in quite some time. I've been away in the military, but now I've got my own (1 bedroom) apartment and I think it's about time to set up a tank. I had toyed with the idea of a 75-120g peacock or similar African cichlid tank, but I think I wanna try something different. Maybe saltwater, maybe tropical, but I want to build something I can be proud of. If I went tropical, I'd probably lean towards a single species of schooling fishing and an L-number pleco of some sort. As far as size goes, itll depend on what route i take. Saltwater id probably max out around 30g, and freshwater i would wanna stay around 30- 55g. My job is somewhat demanding at times, but i have the luxury of being able to go home most nights, so i believe i would be able to provide for a somewhat "advanced" or difficult setup. Feel free to share pictures of your small(er) tanks, I'm still undecided and need some suggestions!

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[Silbar]

Welcome back! I see that you have experience in the fish hobby so I would say go with what speaks to your heart, especially if it will be your only tank.

[Slaphppy7]

Welcome back, and I agree with the above...what do you like?

[Northerly]

Good advice, itll be a challenge to have only one lol.

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[Northerly]

My favorite tank that I didn't get to do much with was my Shelly tank. Shell dwellers are gorgeous.

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[Slaphppy7]

Well, there's your answer...we don't currently have any members doing shellys that I've read about, it would be fun to see you build one.

And BTW, thank you for your service to our country.

[Northerly]

I'll give it some thought, and I'll be sure to come back with what I decide.

Thank you.

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[Northerly]

I will add, I love the size and footprint of those 40g breeders!

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[Slaphppy7]

Love mine, the footprint fits the location I wanted it in my small house perfectly

[Northerly]

I love tanks like this. However, I have zero experience with heavily planted tanks so it would present some interesting challenges and be quite a learning experience..

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160907/01be0ea4ec61316b1dbe519ec1273981.jpg

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160907/e610a4882971a0cfb0c3b10c40173557.jpg

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[SueD]

I also have a 40B and love the footprint. I came close to doing a 20g shellie tank but after researching, the ease with which they breed steered me away. There is someone on here who had this problem - what to do with all the offspring. Can't really remember who that was. But I still think shellies would be a great tank for something different.

[Northerly]

Yes that's the exact same thought I've had about the shellies. I think I'd be better suited with another type of tank, as much as I'd love to start breeding again! I'll have to hit up a few LFS and see some tanks in person in order to find some inspiration.

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[mac]

Yes that's the exact same thought I've had about the shellies. I think I'd be better suited with another type of tank, as much as I'd love to start breeding again! I'll have to hit up a few LFS and see some tanks in person in order to find some inspiration.

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Hey man welcome back,
Dwarf Cichlids from south america. Also how about Badis Badis? They work nice in smaller tanks fish tanks well planted. Simple easy fish to keep yet very interesting and rewarding, plus enough male territory to make them a challenge to research and stock nicely. Not to difficult to find tank mates for either.

[Northerly]

At a first glance (quick google search) those seem pretty interesting! I'll give them a good read after work.

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[Northerly]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160907/405c4c453d9fb7170ec3e51d71355a99.jpg

😃 this would be awesome. This is a scarlet badi tank I found.

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[Slaphppy7]

Only thing I don't like is the fact that it is lid-free

[RiversGirl]

Welcome back to the Forum!
I'm looking forward to seeing what you decide to go with.


I will add, I love the size and footprint of those 40g breeders!



I really enjoy the footprint of mine, as well. Scaping it was quite fun with the nice width, and I particularly like that it isn't too tall. The bottom back can be reached when necessary, and that comes in handy.

[Northerly]

Does anyone know of an online store that sells 40 breeder stands?

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[Northerly]

Does anyone know of an online store that sells 40 breeder stands?

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Actually, I think I can fit it on a 50-65g stand. In that case, petsmart has a 40gb setup for just under 200. Probably right at 250 with lids...

Does anyone have any preference as far as filtration goes for a 40gb? I'd probably go with a 2-400gph canister or a couple fluval 110s.

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[Slaphppy7]

I have an AquaClear 70 and an Eheim 2215 on my 40B, and it's worked out well

[Northerly]

I think I'm narrowing down the species list.

I like badis ferrarisi

And does anyone know anything about this fish? It says badis jurgenschmidti but I can't find much on that in a Google search..

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160913/4db51af0a9158b7b62202197f4ff11f1.jpg

EDIT:
This is the website the picture came from... after translating it from French (which sounds a lot cooler when I don't mention that I used Google translate) it seems like it's newly identified or just otherwise not well known.

https://www.aquaportail.com/fiche-poisson-1746-badis-juergenschmidti.html

And this kinda backs that up

http://www.fishbase.org/summary/65866

Anyways, anyone ever kept either type??



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[Northerly]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160913/98d80a8f7c2ac26428d7933dbb95e7a3.jpg

Acquisition number one! $40 from petsmart! Gonna try to find a second hand stand and ilk be ordering lids from drsfostersmith while I research filtration.

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[Slaphppy7]

What size is it?

[Northerly]

40 breeder

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[Slaphppy7]

That's what I thought, nice size

[Northerly]

Yeah im pretty excited. Spent all of last week out of town for work, and going back out again tomorrow but I'm excited to track down some equipment when I get the chance.

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[Slaphppy7]

Here's how I built my 40B stand, 2 x 4's and 2 x 6's

49021

[Northerly]

Hmm maybe I could borrow a friend's garage and do some building!

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[SueD]

You won't be able to get the glass top for this tank from Foster & Smith. The one they have for the 40B assumes there is a center brace, which the Aqueon tanks do not have. I would ask Petsmart or Petco if they have one (might be in the back) or if they would order one for you. They are sometimes hard to find for the 40B tanks. But you do want the Versa top, not the Marineland top.

[Slaphppy7]

But you do want the Versa top, not the Marineland top.

Precisely, I always defer to Sue for glass lid compatibility questions.

I bought the wrong glass lid for my 40B, just like she described....they are kind of hard to find for that size tank, for some reason

Another alternative is to buy the hinge and back plastic trim separately, and have a glass shop cut you two pieces of glass

[Northerly]

Hmm. That does make sense, I remember my 65g having a center brace. I'll do some looking around! Thanks for the heads up on that, I don't have the money to be making mistakes!

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[Slaphppy7]

For example: "unavailable"

https://www.amazon.com/gallon-Breeder-Versa-Aquarium-Clear/dp/B0002AS80M

[Slaphppy7]

"Available for backorder" here

http://www.petsolutions.com/C/Aquarium-Hoods-Canopies/I/Aqueon-Versa-Tops.aspx

[SueD]

It's a pretty popular sized tank, too. I don't get why the tops are so hard to find at a decent price. My LFS had one at a pretty steep price, but they agreed to discount it for me within a few dollars of one I found on-line (can't remember where now). It's so heavy I was hesitant to have it shipped and take a chance it would be shattered on arrival.

[Slaphppy7]

It's a pretty popular sized tank, too. I don't get why the tops are so hard to find at a decent price.

I don't understand that, either

[Boundava]

I agree, I can get the tank for $40 with the $1/gallon sale, but then have to pay $34.99 for the top at the same store because you can't find it online-anywhere. It is absurd and makes me want to figure out a cheaper way to put a lit on the tank.

[Boundava]

"Available for backorder" here

http://www.petsolutions.com/C/Aquarium-Hoods-Canopies/I/Aqueon-Versa-Tops.aspx

The 36"x18" shows in stock for me?

[Slaphppy7]

The 36"x18" shows in stock for me?

Check the part # down below on the page, that's a 2 piece for a 65G

[Boundava]

Then they do not have the lid for the 40B at all, in stock or otherwise. The other one is not wide enough with the 35 1/16" x 9 5/8" dimensions. It is what I went through looking for the lid when I bought the 40B, which is why I bought in-store.

[angelcraze2]

My best fish friend had a 40B and he got glass cut to fit. It was way cheaper than buying it from a fish store. It's just glass. I never use those black hinges either since they block light.

[angelcraze2]

But shell dwellers are awesome. You'll have generations and generations in your 40B in no time! If you want to limit the stock, get a pleco that will eat the babies. I forget the name...syn..something? For plants, you'd be able to keep anubias types. It's all what you prefer.

I used to be so intimidated by plants at first, but they are sooooooo much easier than I had thought.

The possibities are endless.....maybe with one tank, you might like an easy-maintenance planted tank. The plants even help with the bi-product Nitrate (from the nitrogen cycle) by using it as fertilizer.

Anyway good luck in choosing what you want to keep!

[Northerly]

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=3781&cmpid=03cseYY&gclid=Cj0KEQjwvIO_BRDt27qG3YX0w4wBEiQAsGu3eT-qFbhcE_xk8rtKry6g8ny07dxeCn9feriFzZvIgdwaApW58P8HA Q

Does the 36" listed here work?? I'll probably end up having to order this top from a fish store.

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[Boundava]

Nope, I contacted them directly on it-it doesn't fit a 40B. The only place I could get one was the local chain Petco store.

[Northerly]

Dang bummer. Does anyone know the exact dimensions for the inside rim on a 40b? I don't own a tape measure lol.

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[Northerly]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160920/259d7deff3efd4b2ced1c2292bcd8d80.jpg


Acquisition number 2! Who woulda thunk, the LFS had like 5 on the shelf! I paid 46 bucks but I think I can deal with that. Now time to find a nice stand.

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[Slaphppy7]

Nice score, amazing your LFS had that many in one place

And even better, less than $50 each

[mac]

Things are really coming along now.
Can't wait to see more advancements

[Boundava]

Yeah mine was $34.99 at Petco, it was the only place I could find it and be sure it was for a 40B. Amazon had one that was listed at a dimension for the 40B, but reviews said it was actually 2 pieces-for a 40B with center brace. Plus they wanted something like $100 for it.

Great score and the 40B is a wonderful size.

[SueD]

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160920/259d7deff3efd4b2ced1c2292bcd8d80.jpg


Acquisition number 2! Who woulda thunk, the LFS had like 5 on the shelf! I paid 46 bucks but I think I can deal with that. Now time to find a nice stand.

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That's not a terrible price and this is one of those items that you really can't "shop around" much for because they are not easily found. Better bought locally too if you can find it so it doesn't come smashed in the mail. Good deal.

[Northerly]

That's not a terrible price and this is one of those items that you really can't "shop around" much for because they are not easily found. Better bought locally too if you can find it so it doesn't come smashed in the mail. Good deal.
Luckily I opened up the box to check the first one I had grabbed off the shelf, because it was smashed! The cautious approach is worthwhile.

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[Northerly]

If you want to limit the stock, get a pleco that will eat the babies. I forget the name...syn..something?


I think that you're thinking of synodontis catfish. I used to keep some synodontis multipunctatus im my african colony that were pretty amazing.

I'm still so undecided on how to stock the tank! Gonna take some time for sure.



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