New Tank - Easy Qusetions

[meegosh]

Hey all,

Couple easy questions for you guys and gals. I am getting a 30g tall tank from the guy who gave me my Angelfish and Clown Loach. From what I gather the tank is 24" wide, 12 1/2" deep. I am wondering how much sand I should get. I have been looking at the Black Tahitian Moon sand and I really like it. Looks like $20 per bag (20lbs), how many bags would I need for the sand to be maybe 1/2" - 1" above the trim of the tank?

Also, I read a couple posts saying that the black sand is oily and is really hard to clean. Is this true or are the people posting just lazy and only rinsed once or twice? I'd imagine after 5-8 rinses it would be ok. I had to rinse my gravel like 10 times before I was happy.

Also, he has a light for it but no hood. He actually ran it like that for a while! Thank god I adopted his fish before someone bumped the tank and the light fell in the tank! My question is; should I get a glass cover, or just buy a new hood (24" perfecto for $35)?

Thanks in advance for your responses! At this rate I'm averaging a new tank every year! I'm debating if I want to replace my 10g with this 30g tall or just set it up as a third tank and save the 10g for QT... hmmm... decisions decisions...

 

[jsoong]

Don't know enough about the sand, but I have heard only good things with the tahitian moon sand.

As for the light, depends on what it is. If it is a good light, get a glass top so you can keep using it. Some lights can also be retrofitted with legs so they stay fixed to the tank rim. <The light might have came with the legs & the guy just didn't put them on. Ask & see if he has them kicking around somewhere!> If it is a crappy light, you might be better off getting a new canopy.

 

[meegosh]

I was actually thinking about retrofitting the 24" bulb from my 36" hood (my other post you helped me on) into his hood. Apparently it only has an 18" bulb in it now. I'm going to build a new canopy for my 30g long so I might as well use the 24" light. If it doesn't look easy to do I might just go buy another hood/light.

I'm curious to see what feedback I get regarding the sand. I've heard great things about it but today was the first time I heard about the sand being "oily" and leaving a film on top of the water. They compared the oil, consistency wise, to lighter fluid!

Thanks for the response!

 

[An t-iasg]

I have also read about the oily nature of this sand. I've never used it but I've read reviews where some people say it's very oily, and others say they love it.

If your new tank is tall, make sure that the light you get or build will penetrate down to the bottom. A standard fluorescent light may not be enough. I prefer glass tops and choosing the type of light you want to go on top of the glass, rather than being limited to the bulbs that come in hoods.

 

[meegosh]

I think since the tank doesn't have a hood I will probably just get a glass top and a better light. I still may try retrofitting the 24" bulb from my 36" hood to the 24" hood after I finish the other canopy for my 30g. I figure it will just be laying around collecting dust. Might as well give it a try. Thanks for the thoughts everyone.

Curious to see if anyone has anything to say about the sand.. I have seen a lot of tanks over the years on here with it. I sent a PM to guy I saw who had it. See what turns up.

Thanks again!

 

[BEANS]

I would say glass tops are better because they leave you more room to upgrade and change lighting in the future. Also I have some sand in my tank I forgot exactly what kind it was but I have no problems with oils. As far as amount I would just go with the 20lb bag put it in and see how much depth it gives you. I have a 75g tank and 70lbs of sand was perfect for it. so 20lbs would prolly give you a 2 to 3 inch layer.

 

[meegosh]

Well I heard back from a few people on here regarding the sand and they all said it was fine. I guess I'll go pick some up and give it a try. I too am thinking 1 bag would be more than enough.

How many watts do you think I should shoot for? I have seen some reasonable 24" CF 65watt lights. The lights were $55 and the glass top w/ hinge would be another $15. I'd say $90 for a 30g high with everything but fish is a good deal.