need a new fish tank and stand.

utajoker

utajoker

utajoker

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so i need a new tank for my tropical set up.

its currently got a snail infestation that i cant seem to get rid of so needs a good clean out.

but

we have just redone our room and the stand its on is crap so i need a new one. i know its really hard to find a stand to match the tank size so i thought i mite aswell just get all new.

dont need all the equipment, just tank with light and stand.

anyone got any reccomendations for sites that arnt stupidly priced like pets at home etc?

looking for max of 80-90L and would like it to be under 100.
 
I've got some dwarf chain loaches. Not the cheapest of fish and a bit shy but they do like to eat snails :) Cleared out problem out very quickly and are a very hardy fish to boot. I got 3 for my smallish tank on the recommendation of the LFS and they seem happy (although on-line seems to suggest you need 5 at least http://www.loaches.com/species-index/yasuhikotakia-sidthimunki)
 
If you still fancy a new tank seapets.co.uk is a good place to get one and they do free delivery on offers over £29. (dependant on not being too far from there warehouse though I think, they quoted me £45 delivery to northern scotland on a juwel rio 180.)
 
jessjess said:
check out a few assassin snails, they do the job getting rid of infestations.
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Thats is what i would do, much smaller bioload on your filter than adding more fish you may or may not want. Then that leaves you more room in the tank for the fish you do want. I can post you a link where to get some reasonably cheap if you decide to go down that route.

Other than that your looking at loaches but most will grow too big for a tank that size and they also really need to be kept in groups. Or..... Its a case of picking them out by hand, weighing down a piece of lettuce in the tank over night is also a good way to get rid of a large number, you can just bin the piece of lettuce in the morning, rinse and repeat until you've got rid of as many as you can.

As for a new tank and stand, obviously i see seapets has been mentioned another option is to have one custom built for you. Check ndaquatics.co.uk It may work out a little more expensive but you can pick your cabinet colour and handles, the exact size you want the tank (they do custom sizes you just need to email for a price) So you can get exactly what you want. But on the downside the deliverys going to take a bit longer.

Hope that helps
 
+1 for looking in to something like the Assassin snails before buying a new set-up, since the problem may well return again. It's better to focus on the cause rather the symptoms. There are others to choose from which will help, though I must admit I can't remember many, been a while since I have kept any fish. Good luck. :)
 
I've recently heard that these snails are really good as well, just waiting for somewhere to have them in stock before I give them a try, I spend a lot of time squashing ramshorn snails.

As said clown loaches are too big for that size of tank.
 
dekez said:
I've recently heard that these snails are really good as well, just waiting for somewhere to have them in stock before I give them a try, I spend a lot of time squashing ramshorn snails.

As said clown loaches are too big for that size of tank.
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I can point you in the direction of some, i think the guy charges a couple of £ each one plus £1 P+P no matter how many you buy.

pastymuncher said:
Does'nt have to be Clown Loaches. Most loaches love a snail to snack on.
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Again with that i think you'll find most.... if not all loaches prefer to be in groups of 5+. You can keep them in smaller groups but you really wont see the best from them until there in larger groups.
 
utajoker said:
so i need a new tank for my tropical set up.

its currently got a snail infestation that i cant seem to get rid of so needs a good clean out.

but

we have just redone our room and the stand its on is crap so i need a new one. i know its really hard to find a stand to match the tank size so i thought i mite aswell just get all new.

dont need all the equipment, just tank with light and stand.

anyone got any reccomendations for sites that arnt stupidly priced like pets at home etc?

looking for max of 80-90L and would like it to be under 100.
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Clown loach will get rid of your snails - they love them! nom nom

Best bet is to get 2nd hand for sure - I got my 3' Jewel bow tank, with fish, pump etc for £100 - sold most of the fish back to the aquarium.

As long as the seals are in good condition and no glass is cracked/chipped it should be fine.
 
Clown Loaches are terribly nervous fish, you need about 5 for them to get brave enough to show their faces more than rarely (so I read).
Though they do love snails, as has been said.

One thing you can do, get a small-ish ornament the CL can hide in, get just one and it's like you have no Clown Loach at all. But you also benefit from the snail hoover properties as he'll come out at night and munch them. I have 3 in my 180L tank and I rarely see them. I absolutely rarely see snails, they never last more than a day.
 
fullmetaltony said:
Clown Loaches are terribly nervous fish, you need about 5 for them to get brave enough to show their faces more than rarely (so I read).
Though they do love snails, as has been said.

One thing you can do, get a small-ish ornament the CL can hide in, get just one and it's like you have no Clown Loach at all. But you also benefit from the snail hoover properties as he'll come out at night and munch them. I have 3 in my 180L tank and I rarely see them. I absolutely rarely see snails, they never last more than a day.
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Not always the case - I've kept CL's for over 20 years and have never found them particularly nervous, infact mine tend to be total loonies. The ones I have now often rest upside down all in a row at the bottom/front of the tank..... very funny.

If anything, in my experience they can be the bullies of the tank can certainly can hog the food.

My friend has 2 in an 18x10x10 tank (far too small) and they are lovely and big, very brave and greedy blighters!

Not knocking your experience, just not the case for everyone.


armed_gorilla said:
People who keep recommending clown loaches, take a read of this and see just how big they WILL get further down the page. http://www.loaches.com/species-index/clown-loach-chromobotia-macracanthus
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In the right environment they can get big but it is rare for them to get over 4" - my LFS has 4 in their MASSIVE community tank and aren't any bigger than mine. I've seen very few reach that size. Some say its cruel but mine have been around 5 years and are perfectly healthy.

By the book they are too big, but then again 1 goldfish in a standard bio-orb is 2-3 times the inch of fish for the tank - that is far more cruel IMHO.


Alternatively if you got 3-4 Corydoras
 
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boxman2000 said:
In the right environment they can get big but it is rare for them to get over 4". I've seen very few that size. Some say its cruel but mine have been around 5 years and are perfectly healthy.
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Really? I've seen plenty bigger than 4". The reason you might not seen many bigger than that is far to many people have them in a tank to small. There growth rate slows down at 4-6" but it doesnt mean they stop growing, there growth just gets stunted.
 
I have a Clown Loach and 2 kissing goramis (sp) in a 2ft x 1ft x 14inch high fish tank as well as 3x harlequins, 4x neons and a Orange Pleco.

The clown loach and kissing goramis and too big i think for the tank. They are about 4 inch long so my sisters is having them for her much larger tank. She always has my fish as I seem to be able to grow them in my tank really quick and then pass them of to her.

Id love a big tank, but I never get round to spending much time with it, also have just cleaned it as had a lot of black moss type stuff in it.
 
armed_gorilla said:
Really? I've seen plenty bigger than 4". The reason you might not seen many bigger than that is far to many people have them in a tank to small. There growth rate slows down at 4-6" but it doesnt mean they stop growing, there growth just gets stunted.
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Yes, I understand that but it isn't the case each time that they will grow to that size - but I do take your point and would tend to give that advice out when stocking a tank.

Magic_x_uk said:
Id love a big tank, but I never get round to spending much time with it, also have just cleaned it as had a lot of black moss type stuff in it.
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The bigger the tank the easier it is to keep clean - absolutely no question.

I used to have to clean my smallish tanks every 2 weeks but now I can do my main tank every 6 weeks, or more. I have done water quality tests as well as consistently fine, plus I have a fantastic external canister filter which saves so much time in cleaning, plus gives you a few more " of fish stock capacity!
 
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boxman2000 said:
Yes, I understand that but it isn't the case each time that they will grow to that size - but I do take your point and would tend to give that advice out when stocking a tank.



The bigger the tank the easier it is to keep clean - absolutely no question.

I used to have to clean my smallish tanks every 2 weeks but now I can do my main tank every 6 weeks, or more. I have done water quality tests as well as consistently fine, plus I have a fantastic external canister filter which saves so much time in cleaning, plus gives you a few more " of fish stock capacity!
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I know but im just saying just because they "appear" to of stopped growing it doesnt mean they have. Far to many people recommend them without realising just how big they can get. But i guess were agreed on that point anyway really.

Also agreed on the bigger the tank the easier it is to keep clean although again it does depend on the fish your keeping and just how many also if you have live plants. My main tank is a 4ft 320 litre, 2 large external canister filters and i do a 20% water change once a week. Reason being i keep malawi cichlids, the tank is overstocked (on purpose to keep down aggresion) so theres a lot of waste products being produced. I have a smaller 90 litre tank which gets a water change....... erm when i feel like it basically, dont think ive done one in about 3months. But thats down to the fact its fully planted and i dont have excessive amounts of fish in there, ive also got a lot of shrimp in there but again they dont really add any bio load to the filter.
 
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