Starting a small Aquarium in apartment

[[email protected]]

Hello I hope you all are doing well. I have been lurking here for a bit
and just wanted to ask what would be a good startup system for a small
apartment / house? Thanks for any info, have a nice day.

[-ED]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hello I hope you all are doing well. I have been lurking here for a bit
> and just wanted to ask what would be a good startup system for a small
> apartment / house? Thanks for any info, have a nice day.
>
Welcome aboard....Kick your shoes off. As for myself, I picked up a 55gal
kit from Walmart..with all the goodies- $158.00 +tax. Matching stand ran
$80.00. They have the pea gravel, decor to pick over, so forth and so on.
Couldn't be more pleased. Setup was quick 'n easy. Had the whole shoottin'
match up and running under 3 hours...and that was with a Burger king in one
hand. You've come to the right place.
Tell us your wish list. We have gobbs of experience here.....-ED

[Koi-Lo]

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Hello I hope you all are doing well. I have been lurking here for a bit
> and just wanted to ask what would be a good startup system for a small
> apartment / house? Thanks for any info, have a nice day.
=======================
I would recommend nothing less than a 30Long as a starter tank. It'll give
you enough space for enough fish, plants and decorations to be quite
interesting for a long time. :-)
--
Koi-Lo....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
Aquariums since 1952.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Aquarium FAQ are at: http://faq.thekrib.com/
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö> ~~~~ }<((((({*>

[[email protected]]

Thanks both Ed and Koi-Lo, I do appriciate your quick answers. Have a
nice evening.

[LaieTechie]

On Mon, 08 May 2006 18:24:34 -0700, bozo_the_clownn wrote:

> Hello I hope you all are doing well. I have been lurking here for a bit
> and just wanted to ask what would be a good startup system for a small
> apartment / house? Thanks for any info, have a nice day.

Depends on how big of a tank your landlord will allow ;) 30 long (as
suggested by koi-lo) should be acceptable in most complexes.

Do the basic tests on your tap water to see what fish / plants would
thrive in it (perform the tests on tap water that has aired for 24 hours).
Then decide fresh, brackish, or salt water and the theme of your tank:
biotope (everything from the same area - mine is based on the Amazon
Basin), species, or purely aesthetic. Make sure everything is compatible.

HTH,
Laie Techie

[Flash Wilson]

On 8 May 2006 18:24:34 -0700,
> wrote:
>Hello I hope you all are doing well. I have been lurking here for a bit
>and just wanted to ask what would be a good startup system for a small
>apartment / house? Thanks for any info, have a nice day.

Hi there,

I got started with a Juwel Rekord 70 tank, this is 70 litres
(2 ft) and has all the filter, heater etc self contained in a
section of the tank. Because it comes with everything you need
it's very convenient and easy to start with. And because it's
only small, you don't need to worry about the joists / floor
etc. in an apartment. Also because the filter media is in the
tank and not a sealed cannister, it copes with power outages
of up to 12 hours (in my experience) - so it's hard for things
to go wrong with it!

You can site it on a strong table, or I had it on a chest of
drawers, but on a board to spread the weight - or you can buy
a Juwel cabinet or stand for it.

I have kept tiger and ruby barbs in it before, and currently
have various small tetras, and an angel which is missing an
eye in there.

Great starter tank.
--
Flash Wilson - Web Design & Mastery - 0870 401 4061 / 07939 579090
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Work: www.wdam.co.uk Personal: www.gorge.org

[Adam]

If you are looking for a tank... try craigslist... I have seen
countless tanks on there. This may be something to investigate once you
have an idea of size/scheme in mind.

[Altum]

wrote:
> Hello I hope you all are doing well. I have been lurking here for a bit
> and just wanted to ask what would be a good startup system for a small
> apartment / house? Thanks for any info, have a nice day.

You've noticed folks are recommending larger tanks? There is very
little difference between maintaining a 10 gallon and a 40 gallon tank,
but it is much easier to keep fish in 40 gallons of water than 10. Fish
require a nice, stable environment and clean water. In general, the
more water, the more stable the tank and the healthier the fish. I
started with a 29 gallon tank.

Do look for used tanks. Tanks and stands are quite sturdy so used ones
are usually fine. If you can, set the tank up outside and leave it
overnight to check for leaks. Then empty it and move it indoors - never
move a full tank. Set-up tanks weigh about 10lb/gallon so if you're
lucky enough to find a really large used tank, put it next to a
load-bearing wall or across floor joists. Level the stand, using shims
if necessary, before you fill the tank.

For filtration, get a power filter that hangs on the back of the tank.
Penguin, Aquaclear or Whisper will all work fine and everyone has their
preference. (I like Aquaclears.) Most of us buy a filter slightly
larger than the manufacturer recommends, especially if the filter says
"up to 30 gallons" and the tank is 30 gallons.

If you like to garden or grow houseplants, you may enjoy growing live
plants in your tank. Most cheap, bundled tank setups do not have enough
light for any but the hardiest of plants (keeps the algae down). For
plants, look for a hood with two lights that run the length of the tank
at a bare minimum. Dedicated aquatic gardeners use very bright compact
fluorescent fixtures.

Have fun, and keep coming back with questions. Also check out the FAQ
http://faq.thekrib.com and NetMax's site - http://www.netmax.tk.

--
Put the word aquaria in the subject to email me.
Did you read the FAQ? http://faq.thekrib.com