Hex tank build thread!

[Jev12]

I'm gonna have to go follow to see how it goes...and I hope my significant other doesn't mind me having two whole rooms dedicated to the animals I want to keep( aquarium room & reptile room lol) of course that will be a long time from now...but I'm liking this reef setup idea

 

[Alyxx]

I'm gonna have to go follow to see how it goes...and I hope my significant other doesn't mind me having two whole rooms dedicated to the animals I want to keep( aquarium room & reptile room lol) of course that will be a long time from now...but I'm liking this reef setup idea

I have been given the go ahead for a fish room plus some show tanks outside of that room. I'm sort of piecing together a fish room now, however when we find a new place I will be setting up a fish room from the start so I can get things how I want/need them. Right now I just kind of have some tanks in the less cluttered spare room. The mote cluttered one mostly holds boxes of stuff we never unpacked from when we moved in. I will be doing some rearranging in the next week or so to get my almost fish room in better shape so I can add some more tanks for betta breeding, starting with my 20 gallon that is sitting unused in the room of boxes. I'm honestly shocked that I've managed to keep that tank empty for over a year now since I upgraded it to my 56 gallon. I would love some reptiles, though. I just don't have the room for the ones I want to keep, like a Chinese water dragon. I kept green anoles as a kid and loved them. My boyfriend and I have also been discussing getting a tortoise one day when we have a yard. And maybe a koi pond. I'm happy he's an animal lover, too. He didn't think much of fish before we met, though. Thought they were pretty but had no desire to keep them, then I moved my tank in and he decided they were pretty cool. At the time I had some angelfish with lots of personality.

I'm liking the reef idea too. I think I could do some really neat scaping in a nice tall tank.

 

[Jev12]

You are lucky lol I only have four tanks at the moment...and betta breeding seems like such an intense process...are you just doing it for fun or are you doing it as a hobby...and yeah Chinese water dragons are pretty cute...and yeah the scaling could look awesome in a tall tank like that

 

[Alyxx]

You are lucky lol I only have four tanks at the moment...and betta breeding seems like such an intense process...are you just doing it for fun or are you doing it as a hobby...and yeah Chinese water dragons are pretty cute...and yeah the scaling could look awesome in a tall tank like that

I am trying to get a serious breeding program going. My goal for now is crowntail plakats. It's going to take a few generations for sure and a lit of trial and error. I would love to work dragon scaling into the line as well. I'm working on growing out a batch of fry from a black hmpk and a dark blue crowntail female. Part of my reasoning for maybe going reef with this new tank is that a tall narrow tank is not an ideal betta tank, so if I can't use it for more bettas I might as well make it salty. Other than my crayfish tank, all of my freshwater tanks have bettas. The only other freshwater fish I have are neon tetras, platies, and bn plecos which are in my betta sorority tank.

So if I go reef, I am thinking about white sand, a black background (maybe with some other color marbled in a little) and a sort of tower of live rock in the center, slightly towards the back of the tank.

 

[Jev12]

Thats sounds awesome I looooove bettas it's a shame they are so territorial and would fight to the death for males...I have bettas in all my tanks except my 5.5 gallon soon to be shrimp and snail only tank...I would love to breed my bettas but I don't have the time that it seems to take and I would be super nervous that one of them would get super torn up...and of the reef scape the sounds like an awesome idea...would it sort of be like a hill going up the back of the tank or the rocks rite in the middle so there is space between the rock and glass on all sides

 

[Alyxx]

Space around the glass on all sides. Perhaps with a hole or two in the column of rocks, and some little outcroppings for corals.

I was pretty nervous that my gorgeous black male might get torn up, but he made it through all breeding attempts so far with just a couple rips to his fins that healed in a day or so. One female had a chunk of fin bitten off, and I removed her immediately. She is all healed now. Both of the females he actually spawned with took pretty much no damage. He ate the first batch of eggs though. In a couple weeks I will be spawning him again once I can get my fry moved. And soon I will have multiple spawn tanks so I can work more than one spawn at a time.

 

[Jev12]

Ohh ok yeah that would be a cool scape with a few hole for the fish or whatever you decide to put in there to hide in...and that is awesome what type bettas are the spawn again...and are planning on just selling them on aquabid or locally???

 

[aquandrew]

go reef tank!! a hexagon reef tank would look so cool

 

[Alyxx]

Ohh ok yeah that would be a cool scape with a few hole for the fish or whatever you decide to put in there to hide in...and that is awesome what type bettas are the spawn again...and are planning on just selling them on aquabid or locally???

Yeah, I want hiding spots and maybe a couple holes they can swim straight through. I'm going to need lots of super glue. And maybe some PVC pipe to build it around. I guess I had better be sure to get it how I want it because it will be hard to get apart! I'm looking forward to researching corals and fish for this tank! It's always fun branching out and trying new things. I've been wanting to start a reef for a long time now.

The spawn is probably going to end up mostly veil or crown tail, since short fins are a recessive trait. The only color they are showing so far is black, but I think I will get some blues too. Breeding black to blue is the best way to get black babies since black females are usually sterile. I will breed the best female with crowntail features from this generation back to the father, so I should then get some short fins. I will have to do some outcrossing and more breeding back to parents until I get the traits I am looking for. Some fry I will sell to my LFS, and hopefully I will have some nice ones to list on aquabid and sell here on the forum!

 

[Jev12]

I am deffinatley going to be interested in some cool females to add to my sorrority...and I'm excited for you I love corals and Zoas so much I can't wait to get myself a reef going one day and I can't wait to see it when you get it all set up...I hope your car gets fixed soon lolol

 

[chey9204]

I have had a hex tank for years, love my tank but as of Monday will be getting a 78 gallon bow front. I have a Bala shark, tetra's, gourami's and two cat fish. My Shark has gotten huge! I have plants, and plants. They all live peacefully.

 

[Alyxx]

Yeah, it should be out this week. Should have been done Friday but the part came in a few days later that it was supposed to. Then I can get the tank and go to my LFS and finally look at the corals for real instead of just looking because they are pretty. Will probably order most online though because frags are really expensive at my LFS. I don't think I've seen any for less than $20. I will see what they can order in as far as fish go and see what the lady who runs it might recommend as far as stocking. I'm lucky and have a LFS ran by people who know what they are talking about. And I can pick up some RO water and live rock to start a cycle while I try and piece equipment together! Also a plus, I have a couple 10% off coupons to use by the end of this month... So I will pick up what I can early, like the rock and water. And hopefully they will have put new coupons in the phone book again for the rest of the year.

 

[Alyxx]

I have had a hex tank for years, love my tank but as of Monday will be getting a 78 gallon bow front. I have a Bala shark, tetra's, gourami's and two cat fish. My Shark has gotten huge! I have plants, and plants. They all live peacefully.

Yay for upgrading! Always fun.

 

[Jev12]

Well it's going to be an awesome tank I can tell

 

[Alyxx]

Well it's going to be an awesome tank I can tell

Thanks! I certainly hope so.

 

[jessicafish]

LUCKY!! I wish I had a reef... I'd get a clown fish if I were you, and name him nemo... lol, I was like 4 when that movie came out so its one of favorites!

 

[Alyxx]

LUCKY!! I wish I had a reef... I'd get a clown fish if I were you, and name him nemo... lol, I was like 4 when that movie came out so its one of favorites!

Lol, I was like 14... I'm not sure if the tank will be big enough for one since I don't know the gallonage yet, but if it is I might get one. I do like clowns. And Finding Nemo. Good movie.

 

[The CodFather]

Following!! So excited to watch this unfold for you Alyxx!

 

[Alyxx]

Following!! So excited to watch this unfold for you Alyxx!

Thanks! I'm really excited too.

 

[bettaowner]

Clownfish need at least a 20 gallon tank so a single clown might work