my husband and I recently got a small tank which is doing great - then we were given a huge tank and have no idea what to do with it. I'm completely at a loss on what to do as far as filtering, cleaning, stocking . . . right now all I've got is a big empty glass tank - I don't even know how many gallons it is. it is about 4 feet long, 2 high and 2 wide. any suggestions?
new tank . . .
- Thread starter madeline
- Start date
it's gonna cost me
i thought I was so lucky getting this free tank and now it's gonna cost me shipping . . .
just kidding - does anyone have any ideas on the gallon amount at least?
i thought I was so lucky getting this free tank and now it's gonna cost me shipping . . .
just kidding - does anyone have any ideas on the gallon amount at least?
hehe 
Length x height x width divided by 231 will give you the gallons (someone will correct me if I'm wrong I'm sure). If it's exactly 4x2x2 then it would be around 120 gallons.
Did the tank come with any accessories at all? or just a bare tank? I'm not too familiar with ideal setups for 100+gal tanks yet really, so I'm sure others will have more useful info than I can give you on filtering, etc.
Some websites you can check out that sell various items are:
www.drsfostersmith.com (my personal favorite)
www.aquariumpros.com/company/
and of course:
www.petco.com
www.petsmart.com
Good luck! Hope others are able to give you more specific info
Length x height x width divided by 231 will give you the gallons (someone will correct me if I'm wrong I'm sure). If it's exactly 4x2x2 then it would be around 120 gallons.
Did the tank come with any accessories at all? or just a bare tank? I'm not too familiar with ideal setups for 100+gal tanks yet really, so I'm sure others will have more useful info than I can give you on filtering, etc.
Some websites you can check out that sell various items are:
www.drsfostersmith.com (my personal favorite)
www.aquariumpros.com/company/
and of course:
www.petco.com
www.petsmart.com
Good luck! Hope others are able to give you more specific info
it came with a bunch of plants, a thermometer and some really grubby/sticky tubing (that I insist on throwing away) for pumping air into the tank and opening and closing some plastic shells. that's about it though. Thanks for all the help so far - i'm sure we'll figure it all out eventually. it's just easier when everything comes in one big kit . . .
Well, first I'd get an exact measurement so you can start getting your equipment together. 120 for what you gave already is correct. A faster way than actually doing the math is to plug in your numbers here:
http://www.worldfishlink.com/calculate.htm
Some very general guidelines, but it would also depend on what fish and where the tank is going to be located:
Heater: 5 watts per gallon
Filter: 5 gallons per hour
Gravel: 1 lb per gallon (I think?)
http://www.worldfishlink.com/calculate.htm
Some very general guidelines, but it would also depend on what fish and where the tank is going to be located:
Heater: 5 watts per gallon
Filter: 5 gallons per hour
Gravel: 1 lb per gallon (I think?)
Oh, to save yourself a chunk of cash on gravel, get some pool filter sand! It's very coarse sand and looks nice (multi-colored, mine was at least). I paid $9.99 for a 50lb bag. Regular aquarium gravel usually sells for around $3.50 a 5lb bag here, so that's a good savings. I also like the sand better and find it easier to keep clean.
Some here have also recommended sand blasting sand and other sands you can find at most hardware stores.
Some here have also recommended sand blasting sand and other sands you can find at most hardware stores.
sounds like you got a deal of a lifetime on that beautiful tank. that is the first step. here go some suggestions...
filter: i love fluval canisters, so i would recommend a fluval 404 ($109) and a bio wheel ($30). this shoud be sufficient
heater: i love ebo jagers. you can get 2 250 w heaters for a grand total of $40
substrate: a thin (1") layer of coarse sandblasting sand (a 100 lb bag is under $10)
lighting: you can get a 4' shop light at a home depot or lowe's for $7 and 2 bulbs made specifially for aquariums at the same place for $5 bucks each
i would also recommend an air pump and bubble wand. you can shop around for these, but the pump and wand should be under $50 or $60
also, i would get glass tops, but you can get creative. the decorations are where you can spend tons of money, or very little.
grand total of necessities: $260
there are many ways to cut costs. check out this thread: http://64.191.28.50/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=342
i wish you the best of luck, and if you decide it isn't for you, let me know.
filter: i love fluval canisters, so i would recommend a fluval 404 ($109) and a bio wheel ($30). this shoud be sufficient
heater: i love ebo jagers. you can get 2 250 w heaters for a grand total of $40
substrate: a thin (1") layer of coarse sandblasting sand (a 100 lb bag is under $10)
lighting: you can get a 4' shop light at a home depot or lowe's for $7 and 2 bulbs made specifially for aquariums at the same place for $5 bucks each
i would also recommend an air pump and bubble wand. you can shop around for these, but the pump and wand should be under $50 or $60
also, i would get glass tops, but you can get creative. the decorations are where you can spend tons of money, or very little.
grand total of necessities: $260
there are many ways to cut costs. check out this thread: http://64.191.28.50/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=342
i wish you the best of luck, and if you decide it isn't for you, let me know.
