Schofe Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 Hi, I'm new here, and I'm looking for some advice! We've had a 7-8 gallon tank for a while now, and have just upgraded to a 25 gallon. It was given to us by a friend and is currently sitting out in the hallway, empty. As we've only previously had a 7-8 gallon tank, I'm not altogether sure what to do with the new one. We basically need everything and we need to do it on as tight a budget as possible :-? So we're looking for: a) Something to stand the tank on. I'm thinking that with a tank this size, we'll need a proper cabinet, rather than a piece of furniture we currently own (though that would be better for my wallet). Any suggestions as to what size/type of cabinet we should have? The tank is rectangular, measurements 30 inches across, 15 inches height and 12 inches depth. b) We'll need a new heater, as I assume our old 50w won't do the job. What wattage should we look for and what price should we be looking at paying? c) Filtration. This is the part that I am probably most stuck with as there seem to be so many options. Any simple advice?!? With our other tank, the filter, heater and light came as part of the package so these are all new problems for us. d) Thought I'd stick this in here for fun - any advice as to what to stock our tank with? Sorry to be a newbie that just throws a load of questions at you - I wasn't sure where else to go for the advice! Thanks for any help you can give, Gary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 hi - heating 1 1/2 watts per litre so imo about 150 watt heater - filter, externals are great but it depends what you want to keep and how heavily you are going to stock the tank. A minimum turnover of 4 x per hour at least although I prefer higher than that. The cf cannister range is a good price although I do find the cf500 slightly on the low side for a 100l tank ime. fish - not going there have fun and take your time to decide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvia-15 Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 i agree, the cf range is your best option for good price to filtration power. Depending on your stocking level, a cf500 might even do. However, the price difference across the range isnt huge, so get the best you can. I used to just rest my old 100lt on an old tv cabinet. As for fish, it depends on what you like, you can do a planted tank with various barbs and neons etc. Or a cichlid tank (avoid oscars and ones that big). I had a senegal, 3 baby borneo tigers, a pictus cat, and a small clown knife. I would suggest you have a look at other tanks and get some ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted August 25, 2008 Report Share Posted August 25, 2008 Hi Gary and welcome to the forums. Just to clarify: 25 UK Gallons is about 114 litres by my calculations. The dimensions of the tank are approx. 760mm long x 380mm high x 300mm deep. a) Stand. You are certainly going to need a sturdy piece of furniture to hold the weight of the tank, but it doesn't necessarily have to be a custom tank stand. Sometimes you can reinforce an existing item to make the top more rigid, and it can then hold the weight of the tank. But of course you need to feel very confident that the stand will take the weight as it would be awful if it couldn't, or even if it could but you spend your time worrying about it. Can you buy something second hand off an online auction site? Also think about other fish-related accessories you want to store. If you are going to use a cannister filter (one that sits outside the tank) you will need a cupboard to put it in and a gap at the back of the cabinet for hoses etc to pass through. Also a cupboard is good for storing buckets for water changes and other bulky stuff. A drawer is good for little stuff like fish food, meds, spare filter media, etc. b) Heater As a general guideline you would need about 1 watt of heating per litre of water (depending ion the ambient temperature of the room and how warm you want to keep the water). As you have an existing 50 watt heater you are probably best to add a second 50 watt or 75 watt heater - two small heaters are better than one big one. I don't know what price heaters sell for in the UK but again an online search should help. c) Filter Filtration depends partly on what fish you are keeping (and how many). If you keep your fish stock low you can get away with less filtration. My personal preference is to over-filter. I like a cannister filter that sits under the tank and is reasonably accessible for cleaning. d) Stock What fish do you already have? Compatibility with existing fish is likely to be the most important starting point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted August 26, 2008 Report Share Posted August 26, 2008 ebay could be your best friend for buying heater and filter cheaper, im not sure what the prices are like overthere but likely to be a lot cheaper than here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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