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hi, i am now interested in getting a new 75g to replace my aging 55g. I was going to try to referbrish the 55g and eventually get it going with something again, but for now my oscar would appreciate the change in scenery. i currently have a penguin 350 bio and chemical HOB filter. it is rated for up to a 75g, and i was going to eventually get another smaller HOB for the tank as well if i was going to get a convict or something as a tank mate.

my main question, was are there any wholesale companies for buying tanks? if i should get acrylic or glass? and what else i would need for a tank like this. I have a plan for a lighting unit that is mearly a row of about 3-5 CFs. and the 55g currently has one 18'' flouro tube. it is very under lit and if i was to reuse this tank i would need to also upgrade this. also what do many of you use for the care and decorationof your large carnivorous friends (ie oscars, etc)?

Also i am open for any constructive criticism...

THANKS!

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

acrylic vs glass:
acrylic scratches easier, you'd have to use algae scrubbers that are acrylic safe, acrylic can sometimes warp the visual field, and I think acrylic tends to be a little more costly. AFAIK the only plus for acrylic is that it's lighter weight.

Your idea for the lighting is the same as an idea I had (but never got around to). It'd be good to see how it goes.

As for the filtration. You'll need way more than that since it's oscars. I'd say get a second of the same filter, have one on each side of the tank, and also consider a powerhead to keep the water moving and anything from settling too much.

As for the old 55, unless the seals are actually cracked I wouldn't suggest doing anything to the silicone, just give it a good cleaning once you've moved everyone else up to the 75

^_^

I don't know of any wholesale places to buy tanks. Personally I'd buy a tank used, this generally is very cost-efficient and usually comes with a lot of things you need. Depending on the set-up you can get away with not even having to replace anything. Acrylic or glass is up to you, there are ups and downs to both. Acrylic is lighter and bends light less but is more expensive and more easily scratched. That's why acrylic is used for public aquariums such as million gallon tanks where the wall has to be a foot deep; a piece of glass a foot thick would be extremely heavy plus it would bend the light to make fish quite unviewable.

Tanks with large predatory fish tend to have generally large open expanses, keeping decor to the sides and back of the tank. Carnivores that don't disturb the bottom, however, can be kept in a similar set-up as other fish; this includes arowana, gars, piranha, and datnoids. It's just when fish dig around or easily uproot through plants such as cichlids, stingrays, and large pims when reducing much of the decor seems to be a good idea.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

thanks babel...
i was thinking similar... but i dont feed my oscar everyday to simulate natural feeding search, and i know it isnt the best for his health... but it is also because it is hard to get to his tank and open it up and ffed him... as for the old tank, it is an acrylic and i wanted to maybe get some car wax or something and buff out some scratches and clean it up a bit. for the new tank i was thinking acrylic also had less risk of breaking or cracking and that is a plus for me as 75g of water leaking all over a 2nd story room would be detrimental....

at the same time i also kinda want to maybe get a 100g and a divider to make a half oscar tank and a half community.... then have a penguin 350 on each side...

i know i am just throwing random schemes and ideas out there, but it is still a thought and i need to know what i want befor ei make any purchases....

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

shini, you were posting as i was ...
i was thinking mainly DW and rock recorations.... my othe reason for the will of acrylic was the rigidity and elasticity that would alow it to take hits fomr say rocks being moved and drift wood thrown... etc...

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

There is the option of getting wood and rocks large enough to be basically immovable.

Well, it seems to me that acrylic does seem like a good idea for you. When I move around stuff in my tank my heart always skips a beat when a rock I'm holding taps against the glass.

You'd have to have a good tank divider to prevent an Oscar from pushing it over. First of all they don't make dividers large enough for 100 gallons. Also, you'd probably have to support any divider you make with eggcrate to help make sure the Oscar doesn't take it down. I was considering dividing my 125 gallon into half big community and half little community, but the logistics of it were a little difficult due to my lack of planning. It probably can be done effectively, though.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

If you get a filter and heater for each side technically it wouldn't be much of a problem to have a solid divider, I suppose. I'm just not used to dividers being solid, lol.

Used tank is the way to go. You can get some great deals that way, even if it isn't acrylic.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

i was thinking possibly an opaque or frosted glass permanent or semi permanent divider like one of the members has on here that they had two breeding pairs of dwarf cichlids in... and i know it would have to be a custom made one, that wasnt an issue!

but it seems like the price does seem to be accumulating quite a bit!

it seems like a standard 75g glas tank would be best... and i will get new gravel, more DW, and rocks... i will try to get LARGE rocks to help hold the DW and also to make sure they arent tossed about...


\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

i found a 125g with 2 cannisters int he pennysaver for 350$... i am going to call and ask what kind of cannisters, and the integrity of the tank (and what else might also be included)...

there is also a 90g that they guy used for a turtle for sale for 150$...
would the turlte's use affect the integrity or structeral soundness or chemical soundness of the tnak for my new fish?

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"

Hopefully the guy has the canisters running and you can listen to them, if not, maybe try filling them and hooking it up to a bucket and listening Not sure how it'd work but you want to ensure that the motor runs quiet.
Adam and I just woke up to one of our old canisters with a blown motor. The motor was so overheated that ice water steamed when we poured some in !
If you hear any type of grinding noise it may be likely that there is some damage to the impeller shaft or the motor itself (ours was warped, you could feel it by sticking your finger in it).

That all being said, the canisters might still be fine, in which case it might be a good deal on it all depending on the size of the canisters. Does the price include the stand? any info about substrate?

As for the turtle, somewhere somehow I remember reading warnings here about using reptile tanks for fish. Something about their waste getting absorbed into the silicone and it causing massive trouble later I could be confuse though... so someone else may be able to clarify that.

^_^

there was no info on the substrate or etc, but the stand was included... i was thinking it would be a good deal!
at least for a 125g tank and a stand... even if the filters areent the best they still work.

\\\\\\\"an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure\\\\\\\"