gettin started

[shane harripaulsingh]

hi
here s one 4 all u experts out there.
i m planning to get a larger aquarium, around 5ftl long ,3ft by 3ft.
any advice on filters, population no#,species etc.bed(floor) contents
my main fish of interest are clown loaches and bala sharks
thanks

[Martin Thoene]

I make that 280 US gallons based on 60 x 36 x 30 which you mentioned elsewhere or 336 US gallons at 60 x 36 x 36. Either is a NICE tank for Clowns.
You are going to need a lot of filtration on a tank like that. Probably two big cannister filters at least, plus some internal powerheads for water movement would be ideal. Depends on what products are obtainable in Trinidad.

For the substrate I would use sand. You need an inert, smooth, non-calciferous sand. Usually such stuff is sold as Play-sand for kids play-pits.

Here's my 6 foot tank set up last October. There are some other posts on it since, but i can't find them.

http://aquaweb.pair.com/forums/archives ... view=96568

There's a Rena XP3 cannister in each of the outer cupboards in the stand, plus an Aquaclear 500 HOB on the left end rear. You really need more throughput because of the larger capacity. Emma is your best bet for equipment advice because of her experience with a monster Clown tank.
Steve and Emma have some big filters on their tank.

Martin.

[newshound]

Martin
I still say I love that tank!!!!!
man I wish I could have a six footer in m y 2nd floor apt.
.
.
.
or honestly I wish I could get rid of one of my 5 tanks
this loach thing is more addictive than crack!

[Mark in Vancouver]

I decided today to begin combining tanks. Five is too many - my weekend is a write-off of water changes. I'm going to move some tetras out of the horse tank and in with the sids (alas, my last rainbow dither has passed on, and since, I don't see much of the sids). Then I can move the skunks in with the horsies - unless it would be wiser to move the sids into the other Botia tank...

In any event, we're planning to move this summer, and I'd like to pile the whole lot into one big tank and be done with it. Martin's design is inspiring, always.

To Shane, you can grow some nice clowns up in a tank that size, but don't overpopulate them. Consider them the masters of the bottom zone. Let them get big in there. Set up a strict quarantine regimen for any fish entering a tank that size - it's difficult to treat a huge tank should, say, Ich, enter the system.