My first tank! (with pics)

[Niku-M]

So yeah, I already posted in my other thread that I was going to set up a small coldwater tank instead of a tropical at this moment. And it turned out pretty well :)

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I don't actually know what the tank has been originally, my father has used this for experiments when he was studying and later used it as a hospital/quarantaine/fry tank.

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The stones had been used in previous aquariums so I knew they were safe. I think the tank looks pretty nice with the rocks and this gravel, kindof like a small river or stream.

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I've bought the smallest internal filter I could find, and it's actually pretty nice creating quite a current in this small tank and I can put this thing on for some bubbles (although that makes A LOT of noise).

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I've tried to find a small yet complete test kit but the store I went to only had large packages of testers just for each chemical, which were each more then 10 € which is too expensive for me when I have to buy 3 of those just for the nitrogen cycle. I'll go to this other pet store tomorrow to see if I have more luck there. I'll also look for some fake plants or the common coldwater plant people give/feed to goldfish bowls (I have no idea what it's called in English.)

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I'm really interested in your responses, I know this isn't much but I like the way it turned out.

... yeah that spot in the last pic isn't a leak, just being messy :14:

[xoolooxunny]

thats pretty cool. I've never seen a tank like that before

[Abbeys_Mom]

Hmm. What type of fish are going to put in it? If there is no lid, your going to have floor fish.

[Niku-M]

Does that really also holds true for goldfish? I've seen people keep goldfish in very large open tanks.

Edit: do they jump out of bowls too?

[Lady Hobbs]

Frameless tank. Cool. Make sure it's OK for a fish tank and not just for reptiles, tho.

[Abbeys_Mom]

I have had goldfish, betta, Oscars and koi all jump on me. Only the betta died. He had the unfortunate luck of landing on the baseboard heater :(

[Fishguy2727]

The tank does not look big enough for goldfish. In general you want 20 gallons for one, and an additional ten gallons for each additional goldfish. The big fat fancy goldfish aren't prone to jumping out. I would go with something like white cloud mountain minnows, or maybe platies. Guppies also do not need a heater. The planted tank I gave my sister has guppies, snails, shrimp, white clouds, it's a nice looking tank.

[sushant]

thats a beautiful tank wat type of fish u r planning to have?keeping in mind the small size of ur tank i think guppies will be a good choice or may be mollies though i don't personally like them.

[jweintraub]

That's a really neat tank and I love the way you setup the gravel and larger stones.

[Niku-M]

I calculated that this tank is around 5 gallons (I used the US gallons). Yeah I figured it would be way too small for a full grown goldfish though I was thinking about keeping a goldfish in this tank untill it grew too big for it and then move it to a larger tank. I actually was planning on buying a new tank but then I found this thing and yeah, couldn't resist :P

Actually I didn't know there were other quite available fish that can live in coldwater aquariums. I had never heard of a 'white cloud minnow' but I discovered it is thesame as the fish we call the 'chinese danio' in dutch. I think it's a very nice looking fish so if some stores around here have them I'll maybe go with that. In that case I'll also plant the tank and try to find some other coldwater inhabitants (meaning invertebrates). By the way, do minnows like this jump out of tanks too?

I'm not a big fan of guppies/platies/mollies, and I know they can survive in coldwater but I always thought guppies in a goldfish bowl yeah... didn't look so happy.

Thanks for all your responses! I'm glad you like the tank, I'm still really suprised by the way it turned out. I just have to think up something to cover it with :/

[Fishguy2727]

The chinese danios/white clouds may jump, so I was thinking you could keep the water level an inch or two below the top and if you are going to plant it get some that float. This will cover the top so it is harder for them to jump as well as make them feel more secure so they are less likely to want to jump. Ghost shrimp, algae eating/amano shrimp, and many snails would be perfect for the tank. The only problem with growing out goldfish in that tank is that it is more likely to stunt them very quickly, so even if you move them damage most likely already occurred.

[kimmers318]

The tank is really looking nice.....a natural look. As for a lid, you can probably have a home improvements place cut a piece of plexiglass to fit, we have Home Depot and Lowes. Just do your research on any fish you think might work and that will help you decide what you can stock with. A 5 gal doesn't leave many options, but invertebrates like you are thinking (shrimp maybe) would do well in a small tank and they are very light on the bioload.

[cocoa_pleco]

you could always do a DIY hood with a few pieces of wood and a small piece of plexiglass or acrylic.

In a 5g, white clouds are good. I have a few, and theyre interesting to watch and are called poor mans neons. If you want something else, a betta, or 3 killis, or 10 ghost shrimp.

[gm72]

Maybe some tetras of some kind? I love the tank, very unique. I also like the idea about a plexiglass hood, but if you have even basic carpentry skills it would be easy to build one as cocoa suggested.

[jeffs99dime]

that's pretty cool. i would get a hood for it though.

[Niku-M]

I will go with the white clouds, they seem to be nice and active fish which can stand a big range of temperatures (the average temperature that I'm at right now is around 17,5 C). I think the markings on their fins look especially nice when they move around. But yeah after seeing some videos of them and how quick they can shoot around a tank I should really get a cover. Thanks a lot for the plexiglass idea Kimmers! I'm not much of a DIY person so your idea seems a very good at least temporary solution. But I have a question though, should I cut it with only an opening for the filter cable and such or have more holes for ventilation?

I'm thinking of keeping the cover off when I'm around though, because it will probably look better. I've lowered the water level a bit already (to about 2 inches from top, which makes the tank also look bigger) and there are at least 3 species of floating plants which would do fine in my tank. Now if only the stores around here have some of those, I'll check it out tomorrow.

I was surprised by how many aquarium plants actually do well in coldwater tanks. But since my temperatures here average around 17,5 I think it's safe not to go with plants that are 18+ C. I've found 10 plants that do well under that temperature so I should be fine :).

I'm glad you thought the tank looked natural, I'm going to change the setup a bit though because I wasn't really thinking about plants when I was putting the stones in.

[Jermy]

would you mind putting a few of those that you found? im lookin for some of the same thing, but its not an easy decision to make with cold water and low lighting. i only found a few that seemed tryable, not even sure if they'll work.

Tank looks good BTW.

none of the pet stores had a usable lid?? the ones around here carry a varriety.

[cocoa_pleco]

month old thread. lol

[Jermy]

haha i didnt check the date

[Niku-M]

would you mind putting a few of those that you found? im lookin for some of the same thing, but its not an easy decision to make with cold water and low lighting. i only found a few that seemed tryable, not even sure if they'll work.

Tank looks good BTW.

none of the pet stores had a usable lid?? the ones around here carry a varriety.

Thanks, but are you looking for plants you mean? For the ones I have, check my signature, there are quite a few others that can work but I've had no luck with vallisneria spiralis. No none of the stores had a lid that could fit nicely, I've made a plexiglass plate which is fine. The original list I got from checking through a book about aquarium plants:

Vallisneria Spiralis
Salvinia Natans
Riccia Fluitans
Monosolenium Tenerum
Lysimachia Nummularia
Lemna Minor
Fontinalis Anipyretica
Elodea / Egeria
Chladoflora (moss ball)
Cardamine Lyrata

But as I said, there are quite a few others that also work, I ordered my Heteranthera online and this plant works very well. I would suggest checking around the internet for more plants that can tolerate up to 15 degrees C.

[Jermy]

I think the Chladoflora would be awesome to have. How is that workin out for you? needs a big tank?