what size tank??

[brett_fishman]

hey all, i've been planning on setting up a 55 gallon tank in the near future (within next two months) for these fish:

6 yoyo loaches
4 pearl gouramis
8 cherry barbs or harlequin rasboras
6 marbled hatchetfish
2 or 3 bristlenose cats

first off, all those fish are fine together, right?? im getting to the tank size if thats too much for a 55..

now, secondly..this info is off of www.glasscages.com :

a 55, 65, 70 wide, 75 tall, 90 long, and 95 wide are all 48" long tanks, perfect for my space..i cannot fit a 5' or 6' tank in there..

heres the dimensions:
55 - 48 x 12.5 x 21
65 - 48 x 18 x 17 - too shallow
70 wide - 48 x 24 x 13 - way too shallow
75 tall - 48 x 18 x 21
90 long - 48 x 18 x 25
95 wide - 48 x 24 x 17 - too shallow

obviously the tank is better, the bigger it gets..but what one would be the best for the loaches??

the 70 wide looks mighty fine for loaches..the bottom is 48x24...but its only 13" tall...and the other fish wouldnt like it...same with the 65 and 95 wide...only 17" deep..

so, out of the 55, 75 tall and 90 long, which one would be better for these fish..

stocking list wouldnt change if i go for a 90...except maybe a few more barbs or rasboras (whichever i choose)


thanks,
brett.

[Mark in Vancouver]

If you're serious about loaches, go for the maximum footprint. 17 inches is not too shallow for fish that live in rivers. And also consider that you're getting yourself into some major water changes with a 90 gallon. That's a lot of work to devote yourself to every week. Be practical.

Barbs and rasboras are dither fish, IMO. Loaches should be the focus of your purchase.

[brett_fishman]

mark,
the loaches are the main focus of the tank, all the plants, rocks and bogwood will be 'revolving' around them...with exception of hornwort for the gouramis (as per advise on here, which makes sense)

i know gouramis dont require as much verticle space as angels, but i dont really want a really shallow tank...definately not 13" tall

i will revise my options:

55 - 48 x 12.5 x 21
65 - 48 x 18 x 17 - kinda shallow
70 wide - 48 x 24 x 13 - too shallow
75 tall - 48 x 18 x 21
90 long - 48 x 18 x 25
95 wide - 48 x 24 x 17 - kinda shallow

i think that i'd be best with a 55, 75 or 90...still..but i dont know...i'll have to see whats available around here..

a 15 percent waterchange would be this:
10 - 1.5
55 - 8.25
75 - 11.25
90 - 13.5

the problem is, the two locations i have open to me, are downhill from the sink (therefore, no python)....haha..if i put it in the basement (my plan) i could siphon the water into the drain in the floor (in the other room, this room has carpet)

i could always have a *new, clean* garden hose to fill it up from the sink, and siphon it down the drain...good plan??

but a 15% change is the biggest i'd typically have to perform, right?

what do you all do?
5, 10, 15, 20??

-brett.

[Tery]

I try to do 20%, once a week, sometimes stetches to a week & 1/2, I want the 65 wide. The plants I could have!

[brett_fishman]

i forgot this:
i asked the LFS owners today and they told me that 55, 75 and 90 gallon tanks are pretty common sizes...they can order one in if i want..

do you think they would make me pay shipping??

so the 3 sizes footprint would be:
55 - 48x13 [x21]
75 - 48x18 [x21]
90 - 48x18 [x25]

75 it is!!

it has 5" more room front to back than the 55, but the added 4" height of the 90 is useless to me...haha

i dont see why i'd need 4" more of height unless i got angels or something...but still..21" is fine for them..


thanks, i made up my mind
brett.

[brett_fishman]

tery,
thanks for the input..

why the 65 wide??

the 70 wide or 95 wide would make sweet aquascapes, but not too deep...they are 24 inches from front to back though!!!!! that would be insane to aquascape in!!

-brett.

[Tery]

For me, the 65 instead of the even better 95, space. My fish room is narrow.