# Large Tank Concerns



## Telsiph (May 29, 2012)

Afternoon!

I've had a casual interest in the hobby for the last few years. I've always enjoyed playing with my aquarium and I've enjoyed having a very stable tank for the last few years but unfortunately everyone has grown a bit too large for what I have along with some issues with the tank itself. I've played with the idea of moving to salt water but the cost seems a bit too high and I've become attached to the 4 fish I have, so I'v decided to start looking into an upgrade.

I have a 35 gallon that is on a stand that is about 20 years old. Inside I have a rainbow shark, a raphael catfish (who is ancient) a Green Severum (Banded) and an 8 inch pleco. I've been making plans to upgrade tanks for the last year, and I just recently changed filters to get ready for this and unfortunately I made a mistake installing the new filter. This is an in tank filter and in my attempts to keep the lip above the water level I set it too high, and a bit of water was able to splash onto the lid and pool. This pooled until it began to drip off the sides and onto the particle board which has now warped and splintered as I didn't catch it until a few days later. A carpenter assisted me in reinforcing it for the time being, but I don't want it to sit any longer than it has to as the idea of this tank collapsing has me nervous. 

With that in mind I finally did some serious shopping today and found a local store (Fishy Business) that just took in a new used tank and stand combo. This tank is absolutely massive coming in at 110 gallons. It is a very tall tank as it is only about 4 feet wide, and it is priced within my budget. I'm sure the Cichlid would appreciate the extra space, and I could even get a few more and turn it into a freshwater Cichlid tank! The wood seems very solid and the LED light fixture is included. Overall it seems solid, though I don't know how old it is. 110 gallons seems like an insane leap for me, but it is priced the same as the 60 gallon tanks I've been looking at. I figure if there isn't any unforeseen complications in getting a tank that large for the same price, why not? 

My concern is that there may be something about having such a massive tank that I am unfamiliar with. I have only ever had a very easily manageable 35 gallon tank, and I obviously haven't done an amazing job with it (allowing myself to purchase too many inches of fish per gallons of water, and allowing water damage to the particle board). I'm curious if there is anything I might need to know or plan for if I wanted to get a tank of this size, or if there is any reason I might want to not go this route. My house is on a slab so the floor board should be fine to support the weight, and I know I will likely need to get another filter to go along with the in tank filter I already have (I'm thinking about getting one that is rated for 90 gallons to go with my 40 gallon one on the other side). 

I likely won't be going with any live plants with this setup. I was thinking just some very tall fake plants and some large pieces of drift wood. I suppose I'd need to get a larger heater as well as I doubt the one I have will be large enough to heat that much water! 

I appreciate any and all opinions on this matter, and in case it matters a picture of it can be seen here.

http://i.imgur.com/E54mgmR.jpg

Thanks!


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

If it is in budget ;get the tank.
A little tall for me(I have 2 @120g with a 4'x2' footprint{110 is 4'x18"}) but some fish would really enjoy the space.Especially yours after being a 35( what a great upgrade!).
The white tag in middle of tank should have mfg date on it.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

man if i lived on a slab and i could convince my mom to let me get it then i would.go for it!! its a lot more maintenance but if its this good of a deal then you cant pass it up.besides if its water changes your worried about then just do a few small water changes a week.


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## Marshall (Jul 8, 2013)

Besides the obvious difference in height, which will mean longer cleaning tools, a bigger tank is normally easier to keep water condition regular du to the larger water volume.

might want to invest in a python if you don't already have one, it'll make water changes a breeze


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## Telsiph (May 29, 2012)

Sounds good! I will likely pick it up this evening.

I do have a python but I will need to extend it somehow due to the height. What about my heater? Does that need to be upgraded or can it handle the larger tank?

Finally, is there anything I should do to secure the tank before setting it up? Everything seems solid but in unsure if there are any safety tips for ensuring the stand can handle that weight for many years.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Look for clear breaks or water damage on stand.
If it seems OK (most usaully are) then don't worry.
Ask the seller if they gaurentee it won't leak for how long?
Then make sure it is level(sometimes you have to fill it up or at least 1/2 way to know so don't condition water till you know you are filling it up all the way),as you may need to drain and add shims to under the stand(I have never had a level tank without adjusting).
You should probly get a larger heater,but I don't know what you have?
I use aqueon pros that I purchase online to save big.Lifetime warranty and all saftey features.
Aqueon Pro Heaters
I would go with a 250 watt.
The size really depends on how much above room temp you want tank,NOT just gallons.
You may need or want more then 1(2).


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## FishyFriend (Oct 20, 2014)

How tall is the tank if it's only 4ft wide?
Think about any future stocking you might want as fish swim lengthways not up & down so length is more important than height.


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## Telsiph (May 29, 2012)

Here she is

http://i.imgur.com/uidkZ5t.jpg

I've slowly been adding water for the last few hours to check for leaks, and everything seems solid.

New filter and new heater are already installed. I will then install the old filter and old heater on the left side of the tank once I do the actual move. I severely misjudged how much substrate I needed for this size of a tank, so I will pick some more up tomorrow morning but I wanted to go ahead and get everything running in the meantime. I'm letting the filter and heater run for a good 24 hours with the newly treated water before moving to the next step. Eventually I will siphon the 35 gallons worth out of the new tank to be replaced with all of the water in the old tank! 

At any rate, I appreciate all the advice that helped get me setup! Here in the next few days I'll have these guys in a new home.


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## Liz158 (Sep 3, 2014)

Very nice! 

I recently moved from 3 foot tank to 6x2x2 and had some of the same concerns but have found it a very smooth transition. The hardest part was staying patient while the tank cycled. I have bought a little pump for getting water from a big tub on the floor up into the tank when I'm doing a water change but otherwise I'm doing pretty much the same as before, just on a bigger scale.

Good luck, post some more pictures as you go!


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## DLFL (Oct 26, 2012)

Please use the water from you old tank and use the old filters until the new ones have had time to cycle. Clean the old filter media in a bucket of old tank water then saturate the new media in the dirty water to seed it. Should be a easy move.


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## Wild Fishes (Nov 23, 2014)

Ive never really cared for tall tanks, mainly because it seems to me it would be hard to deal with the contents, i mean you would need a snorkel. 

But i found this video, and it really seems to suit the fishes, and it looks nice.

Personal preference i think when it boils down.

Our 110 gallon Tank 4ft long 3ft high - YouTube


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

you mean like this wild fishes?http://www.canadafishtank.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/fish-tank-nut.jpg


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## Wild Fishes (Nov 23, 2014)

Yep, Thats it *r2


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## Telsiph (May 29, 2012)

I like that video! 

I definitely think I will be looking for some incredibly tall plants to put in here, as well as some rock formations. It will be a gradual process before I add anything else though as my bank account is still reeling from the initial hit of the tank! My Cichlid has been eyeballing the tank across the room over the last few hours. 

I imagine he is thinking "That place....I will own it all"


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

Its beautiful! You're so lucky to have a slab, and to get this within price range. Catfish do seem to want a long tank to cruise.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

well guess what yall?*sighs*last night the unthinkable happened to me as well.stupid filter had been spraying water on my wall and particle board is now warped.on my 29 gallon tank for goodness sake!!!! and for the filter wellllll lets just say its a puddle of wax or whatever its made of.yeah i started a bonfire last night.*muhahahaha*


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## Telsiph (May 29, 2012)

Daaaaang, that's unfortunate! I now know how annoying and scary it is to have a tank being held up by damaged wood . This was a tank that my parents gave me that they used since i was 10 years old, so it is unfortunate to see it retired. I will likely look into getting a metal stand so at least part of it can be used in the future! 

So the tank is setup, and the fish are in! They seem fairly happy, with the Cichlid and Pleco thriving (at least for now) but I already see a new issue that I didn't expect. Perhaps some seasoned large tank owners who have posted here might have some pointers for me. The Leopard pleco is about 10 inches long (and is only going to get larger in this tank!) and like most plecos, he defecates pretty much 24-7. 

Now in the old tank there was a lot more water flow due to the in tank filter pulling up water from the bottom of the tank, and this helped with the waste. However in this new tank I can already see waste covering the drift wood and the gravel after just the first day. Although I intend to do weekly gravel vacs and replace the water removed during it, which will obviously be the best way to handle the excess waste, I am curious if there is anything else that might help a bit with keeping the tank visually appealing. I have read about people doing daily gravel vacs but that seems a bit excessive! With it being so tall it seems difficult to get any real current along the bottom of the tank, and now that I've set everything up installing anything under the gravel isn't really an option. Might just be SOL there! 

Thanks again for the input. I'm shopping around a bit for some plastic plants (not sure I could keep live plants healthy) that I think would look good with some coming in at around 23 inches. I'm also looking for some rock formations to compliment and replace the current hiding spots which are cheesy looking plastic caves.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

dang you got a pic of that "monster" pleco?


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## Telsiph (May 29, 2012)

Some terrible cell phone shots. I'll bust out the better gear once I've got the tank setup the way I want it.


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## Marshall (Jul 8, 2013)

you could put a powerhead near the bottom to circulate the water more and cover any dead spots, that should keep the waste up in the water until the filter can get it.

I had the same prblem with my little 4" clown plec, bloody thing just didnt stop!


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