"sophie" wrote in message
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In message , NetMax
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I just made the Arrowana connection to the other post )

snipping

I've never encountered a production-built aquarium which used 2
thinner
sheets of glass.

I don't know if this is a brit thing, but the small tank I have now,
and
all the tanks in the LFS where I bought it - which are non-fancy and
non-branded - are laminated. Whether this means that they're
"home-made", I don't know. I do know that it's not at all uncommon
round
here; I have friends with aquariums and the only one I've inspected
closely enough to remember was made of double layers of glass. I'd
understood this was for strength, although I also seem to remember
reading that laminated glass is stronger under "short burst" load than
normal glass but can behave as sliding layers under prolonged load,
(though given the directions of force in a filled aquarium I'm not sure
if that would apply). But as I've never built or tested anything made
of
glass (except jewellery) in my life, it's hearsay, not fact.

It all makes sense, I just have no experience with it. I suppose the
panes are sealed along the edge so you don't have humidity leaving dust
behind. I'd imagine that there might be more refraction with 2 panes.
It's an interesting method to be sure, especially for overcoming the
expense and lack of availability of the thicker sheets of glass needed
for big tank. The jigging is more elaborate but your material costs are
lower (thinking out loud).

the base, and I thought yes, I'll test it by filling it with water
in
the conservatory - which, I now discover, doesn't have a flat floor.
Looks flat, but isn't. I think what I'll do is get it into the right
place (once I've got a stand for it) and fill it there. I'll need to

On a slightly uneven floor, put the tank on a sheet of 3/4" plywood
which
is on top of a sheet of 1/2" styrofoam.

I'd understood this, (and even the reason for it!) but I'm not sure
that
the floor counts as "slightly" uneven, the tank is a cm off the floor
at
one end (and it is the floor that's wonky, not the tank, I checked).

One cm would be more than the styrofoam could absorb. Alternately set
your plywood on four bricks (one per corner). It does not need to be
level, only flat. You could shim 1 corner if you needed to raise it 1cm.
You could also place the plywood on a level spot on the lawn (grass). I
must be more daring than most, as I just set it into a normal stand and
fill it with very warm water.

cycle it before I put the fish in (although I was wondering about
transferring the filter sponge to the new filter and hoping that
worked,

This is how I cycle tanks all the time. Cycling is really only a
nuisance with the first tank in your house. After that it's just
moving
filters around, don't overstock and under-feed for a few weeks.

the thing that was worrying me is that I think the gravel in the little
tank must be housing a lot of the bacteria, and if I go for the
(admittedly bonkers) sand idea, I won't be transferring the gravel. In
fact I don't think I'll be transferring the gravel anyway, as the
goldfish keep sucking it up and spitting it out, and I'm a bit worried
that one day a piece will get stuck. I'll have to fish the MTS out,
too,
if I can find them. The big stones and the bogwood should carry a few
good bacteria, though? And while my current bioload is gigantic in the
small tank, it should be fine in the big one.

With an established UGF, then the gravel has a lot of good bacteria.
With any other type of filter, the gravel has more of the anaerobic
bacteria (decay of organic matter) which reproduces much faster than the
nitrifying bacteria you need. With moves, I do keep some of the old
gravel (filter bag in the filter, or old nylon as Donald suggested), but
I wonder how neccesary it is. I read this bacteria doubles every 20
minutes, so it should not be critical to have (but I question lots of
things ;~)

snick

I have a custom glass top design for this tank which adapts to a
variety
of filters.
http://www.2cah.com/netmax/diy_proje...asscover.shtml

I'd kind of decided to buy a glass cover rather than a hood from the
LFS; I like being able to see the fish from the top. (I was wondering
about making a wooden "frame" for the top of the tank to cover all the
edges of the glass). And contrary to everything I hear, the plants seem
fine without lights. Not fast-growing, I concede, but healthy looking
(and uneaten!) The tank is in a nice position with nice bright (but
fairly diffuse) light and a little direct sunlight at specific times of
the day (never midday, and the whole tank is never lit at the same
time).

When you find something working for you, go for it. If normally sealed,
I find that the condensation on the glass cover underside typically
interferes with your ability to watch the fish from above. This will of
course vary according to the temperature difference in your home and how
sealed the cover is.


work out if I am in fact certifiably insane to want to keep goldfish
with a sand substrate and some plants (I have some that they don't
eat)

Yes, I think this is a certifiable offence in some states, but we
won't
tell anyone ;~)

having plants goldies don't eat? ;-) but if I don't try, I'll never
know. and I don't _think_ it can hurt the fish; though it may
eventually
prove annoying to me.

I don't think it will hurt the fish either. I have customers come in for
aquatic plants to feed their Goldfish. I usually send them off with less
expensive ideas (zuchinni, brussel sprouts, pealed peas, oranges,
blanched lettuce etc), or I sell them Amazon swords, Anubius or Onion
plants (which have a better chance of survival). I keep planted African
cichlid tanks, so I'm certainly not a conformist myself ;~).
Experimenting is how you learn stuff )


and some weather loach... And also I need to work out if I want a
cabinet thing to go underneath or a metal stand... And also I need
to
be

If you haven't already gone pricing, you will find that the cabinet
might
be your most expensive component.

probably. if the stand is stronger, I'll go for that. they just don't
_look_ as sturdy! He's small but pretty bright and won't climb it - and
the test kits and food are out of his reach. he really adores holding
bits of food tight between his fingers and putting his hand underwater,
and this is a treat for when he is good. messing with the fish without
mum gets this revoked indefinitely. (he also likes hunting for tiny
white worms in the compost for fish treats, but that's another story).
I'd put a "curtain" down the front of the stand, to, so the visual
climbing cue would be absent for his friends.

moresnip
.

I'm on his side "let's do it mom". With your aged filter, you should
be
able to proceed quite quickly.

but first I have to buy a filter, lid and stand. not to mention all
that
sand and a few more plants. Filters for this size tank aren't cheap (I
think I might fancy an eheim aquaball, if I can get one. I like my
current little fluval a lot, but I've read some really mixed reviews of
the bigger ones.) and the stands won't be cheap either, and I suspect I
won't be able to do that all in one go. the planning is half the fun,
anyway.

I'm very happy with the current production series of Fluvals 104 to 404
and have about a dozen running in the shop. At home for that size of
tanks, I have a 304 and a 2213 (not on the same tank). I prefer the 304,
as the 2213 is a little dated. I've no experience with Aquaball filters.
Internal canisters have their idiocincricies, which you already know
about with your internal Fluval. For Goldfish though, overfilter! I
would have thought that the AC300 powerfilter would be less expensive
than all the choices we discussed. For sand, you should not have to pay
much. The lid can be home made. Skip the polo lights as indicated.
That leaves the stand & filter. Your aquarium seller can't set you up
with a filter?

thanks for your time, NetMax; I really do appreciate it. I know I can
be
longwinded at times, and I also know I got off to a very bad start
keeping fish, so the advice is so reassuring. I'm actually quite
surprised at how committed I can feel myself becoming about the whole
experience - if I'd been told before I bought the little tank that five
or six months later I'd own a four foot tank I think I would have
backed
out in fright! but it strikes me now that a bigger tank is actually a
much more stable environment and therefore much easier to maintain, and
to keep healthy fish in.

Very welcome, glad to help. Yes, larger tanks are more self-maintaining,
and 48x18x18 is a very nice size (though I'm biased). It's not so big
that it takes 3 people to carry it or require floor reinforcements, but
it is big enough to do alot of things with it.

cheers
--
www.NetMax.tk


--
sophie