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I am looking at purchasing a new 30 gallon tank since my 10 gallon is lacking the room I desire, even for my limited stock of 3 full grown tiger barbs and two half grown rosy barbs, a cory, a bristlenose pleco female,and a as of yet un identified bottom feeder...I am hoping he doesnt get too large though, but you never know...orange and grey catfish type with 1/4 of an inch long wiskers, striped orange colloring,currently long and slender, almost like a common loach with a big mouth,and is about 2" long. scrounges off the bottom, not an algae eater.

anyway, i would like to add a couple more barbs eventually, and i would like a 30 gallon tank to accomidate them all.

now, it doesnt have to be a cylinder or a hex tank, but i would prefer it to be as narrow and tall whilest being as cheap as possible...square...good for me, just dont have alot of floor space. and i can build the stand for it, and have a filter, heater,gravel, ect, so all i need is the tank.

so, my questions are, does anyone know where to get such a tank for cheap, other than used, and also, if i get acrylic, will my pleco scratch it all up when she scrubs up the algae?

thanks in advance!

edited because i cant type,puncuate,spell,or proof-read

Last edited by Reun at 06-Nov-2005 00:12

A standard 30 gallon tank will be the cheapest. The taller dimensions will mean you wont be able to stock as fully as if you were to get a 30 or a 30 long.

Is there a reason you want a 30 rather than a 55? A larger tank is always better. And more surface area is best as that's what allows for more stocking by creating more surface to air exchange.

^_^[hr width='40%']"in any case, chocolate is hardly a rare comodity." said Chaos. "There are planets covered in the stuff"
REALLY?
"Indeed."
IT MIGHT BE BEST, said Death, IF NEWS LIKE THAT DID NOT GET ABOUT. ~ Theif of Time [link=Terry Pratchett]http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/" style="COLOR: #EB4288[/link]

well, two reasons i dont want a 55 gallon. cost and size.
a 55 gallon is way out of my price range. also, the size is an issue...i barely have room for a 30 gallon in our apartment, let lone a 55 gallon.

a taller tank may not be able to be stocked as full as a wide tank, but again, size is an issue. so, I am looking for one that is a bit tall, it can be deep as it is wide, a true square, i just dont have a big enough space for a very long aquarium.

would a tall 30 gallon tank be able to sustain 5-10 barbs, a cory,a pleco, and the as yet to be identified cat without over crowding??? or is my ten gallon enough?

the water stays balanced on my 10 with regular weekly 20% water changes, but i dont know if my 5 barbs will be happy when they are full grown with that limited of space.

thanks again for the reply

Depending on the type of cat you're pretty much stocked as it is. You're way over the limits with them in the 10 so upgrading is without a doubt a necessity. The barbs will love the space. If anything I'd fill in the schools a bit more if you find you do okay with whatever dimensions you do get.

^_^[hr width='40%']"in any case, chocolate is hardly a rare comodity." said Chaos. "There are planets covered in the stuff"
REALLY?
"Indeed."
IT MIGHT BE BEST, said Death, IF NEWS LIKE THAT DID NOT GET ABOUT. ~ Theif of Time [link=Terry Pratchett]http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/" style="COLOR: #EB4288[/link]

ok, I have a friend who is going to sell me his fully equipped tank,stand,heater,filter,ect, all in good condition for 100 bucks. the only drawback, i will be inheriting a brackish fish that will have to go in my current 10 gallon, and thats bad cause i havent taken care of anything brackish before, and the tank has been left without cleaning for a month!!!! the poor fish is prolly pretty sickly i would assume. so i am going to have to buy new filters and do a major cleaning!

anyway, i will be getting a 30 gallon. the catfish i have right now hopefully wont get to big, if he does i will give him to my aunt.

also, kind of off topic, but do you know if zuccini(cant spell) is good for my pleco? will my catfish have problems if he nibbles on it? also, will it work if i freeze the zuccini and thaw it out right before my pleco eats it?

Hi
Zucchini is an excellent food and your fish will love it.
Purchase it fresh. I was taught to blanch it before
freezing it (drop it in boiling water for a minute or two).

I would purchase only small ones, then cut it up
into pickle like spears, blanch it, and then freeze the
pieces. To keep it on the bottom in one spot, I would
then rubberband an individual piece to the top of a small
rock and place it in an open area. Everything from the
catfish, to the black skirt tetras,to the snails would
make short work of it.

Don't leave it in the tank more than 24 hours as it will
start to polute it.

Frank


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