New tank size?

[Platiesareawesome]

Hello! I am planning to get a new aquarium soon (30-40 gallons). I was wondering if this aquarium would work:

37 Gallon Aquarium » Top Fin® Aquarium Starter Kit | PetSmart

I can seem to find any normal 30 gallon aquariums and I found this one. I realize it isn't as long as a normal 30 gallon, but could I still have fish that need a 30 gallon minimum tank size? (like a goldfish?)

I would use a better filter like a penguin or emperor (which one and what model?) and a better heater. But would the hood be ok?

Thank you!

 

[Mcor]

Are you looking to keep a goldfish? You can happily keep a goldfish in that tank. (Seems every time I check the number of gallons per goldfish increases so going on the 20g + 10g for each additional fish, you could do two comfortably, three at a squeeze (fancy goldfish I mean, not commons). I have 3 in a 40g but they are still tiny, and I may see a need to upgrade further as time goes on.

 

[Platiesareawesome]

Are you looking to keep a goldfish? You can happily keep a goldfish in that tank. (Seems every time I check the number of gallons per goldfish increases so going on the 20g + 10g for each additional fish, you could do two comfortably, three at a squeeze (fancy goldfish I mean, not commons). I have 3 in a 40g but they are still tiny, and I may see a need to upgrade further as time goes on.

I'm not sure about keeping goldfish (I just used that as an example), but could I keep 2 pearlscale goldfish in this tank without having to upgrade? Also, should I get the marine land penguin or emperor? (what model?)

Btw thanks!

 

[Old Scales]

30"x12" is equivalent surface area of about a 25g. The extra height will do little to add fish capacity. Unless you really want the height for a specific purpose, please check into a 40g breeder. At 36"x18"x16" you would get almost twice the carrying capacity of this 37g and the shorter height would make it easier to work on and grow more types of plants with the same light. Good Luck in your new aquarium quest. So fun! OS.

 

[Platiesareawesome]

30"x12" is equivalent surface area of about a 25g. The extra height will do little to add fish capacity. Unless you really want the height for a specific purpose, please check into a 40g breeder. At 36"x18"x16" you would get almost twice the carrying capacity of this 37g and the shorter height would make it easier to work on and grow more types of plants with the same light. Good Luck in your new aquarium quest. So fun! OS.

So a regular 30 or 40 gallon tank would be best? I'm just a little concerned about a 40 gallon being to big for the amount of space I have... What do you think?

 

[Mcor]

I say absolutely go for the biggest tank you can afford and have space for. I don't know about the filters, I have no experience with either of them. My filters are a fluval u4 (huge internal sponge filter), a wet/dry trickle filter (built into the hood of my 66g), and an assortment of small generic sponge filters that I have running in case I ever need to set up a new tank in a hurry/emergency without worrying about cycling.
What you need from a filter is for it to filter the whole tank volume 10x per hour, and provide a good home for your bb. So long as both of those are sorted, then I don't really see any difference between the expensive filters and cheaper ones.

 

[Old Scales]

Measure out the space the tank will be going to. That will decide what size you can get. ALWAYS, if you have a choice, get the biggest you have space for and prevent the "I wishes" later. LOL I know from experience. I opted for a 29g because I was worried about space. Turned out I had room for a 40g breeder that, if I would have got, I would have had more options as I progressed in the hobby(plants) that I can't do now with the 29G.
OS.

 

[Platiesareawesome]

I say absolutely go for the biggest tank you can afford and have space for. I don't know about the filters, I have no experience with either of them. My filters are a fluval u4 (huge internal sponge filter), a wet/dry trickle filter (built into the hood of my 66g), and an assortment of small generic sponge filters that I have running in case I ever need to set up a new tank in a hurry/emergency without worrying about cycling.
What you need from a filter is for it to filter the whole tank volume 10x per hour, and provide a good home for your bb. So long as both of those are sorted, then I don't really see any difference between the expensive filters and cheaper ones.

Thanks guys! So can I do a filter meant for a 75 gallon tank (350 gph) without it being too powerful?

 

[jlk]

If your considering a 40 with goldies, you want to look for filtration that is 10x the tank size. So, for 40g, the minimum would be 400gph of filtration but I recommend more if its feasible. With fancies, length is preferred over height as some fancies have hard time with depth resulting in buoyancy issues. Pearls would fall into this category in particular as they are delicate creatures and are prone to buoyancy issues due to their physique.

I have 2 emperors and I honestly hate them. They are the noisiest, most problematic filters I have ever owned. I would opt for Aqueon or Ac over these any day.

 

[Platiesareawesome]

If your considering a 40 with goldies, you want to look for filtration that is 10x the tank size. So, for 40g, the minimum would be 400gph of filtration but I recommend more if its feasible. With fancies, length is preferred over height as some fancies have hard time with depth resulting in buoyancy issues. Pearls would fall into this category in particular as they are delicate creatures and are prone to buoyancy issues due to their physique.

I have 2 emperors and I honestly hate them. They are the noisiest, most problematic filters I have ever owned. I would opt for Aqueon or Ac over these any day.

Cool thanks!

 

[Platiesareawesome]

If your considering a 40 with goldies, you want to look for filtration that is 10x the tank size. So, for 40g, the minimum would be 400gph of filtration but I recommend more if its feasible. With fancies, length is preferred over height as some fancies have hard time with depth resulting in buoyancy issues. Pearls would fall into this category in particular as they are delicate creatures and are prone to buoyancy issues due to their physique.

I have 2 emperors and I honestly hate them. They are the noisiest, most problematic filters I have ever owned. I would opt for Aqueon or Ac over these any day.

What model aqueon filter could I have on a 30 gallon? 40?

 

[Old Scales]

May I suggest the Fluval Aqua Clear 70. 300gph. I have the 50 and love it. I can customize my layers of media, slow the flow during feeding, and use the MUCH cheaper cut to fit filter floss instead of buying the expensive pre-made inserts. You can layer the different medias like you can in a cannister. You can look at one on Dr. Foster & Smith website. OS.

 

[Platiesareawesome]

May I suggest the Fluval Aqua Clear 70. 300gph. I have the 50 and love it. I can customize my layers of media, slow the flow during feeding, and use the MUCH cheaper cut to fit filter floss instead of buying the expensive pre-made inserts. You can layer the different medias like you can in a cannister. You can look at one on Dr. Foster & Smith website. OS.

Is there a difference between the hagen and fluval aqua clear filters?

 

[Old Scales]

No. Hagan and Fluval are the same company now. I misnamed the Aqua-Clear as they are labeled Hagen. Another of their HOB line is called the Fluval C-series. They are getting really good reviews also. Do you know what I'm refering to when I mentioned the cut to fit filter media? Petsmart/Petco has it. Comes in about a 18x24" sheet that is blue on one side and white on the other. A bag here cost about $6 and will last for at least a year. OS.

 

[Platiesareawesome]

No. Hagan and Fluval are the same company now. I misnamed the Aqua-Clear as they are labeled Hagen. Another of their HOB line is called the Fluval C-series. They are getting really good reviews also. Do you know what I'm refering to when I mentioned the cut to fit filter media? Petsmart/Petco has it. Comes in about a 18x24" sheet that is blue on one side and white on the other. A bag here cost about $6 and will last for at least a year. OS.

I've heard of this, but never seen or used it. What area in the aqua clear would you put the media in?

 

[Old Scales]

In the aqua clear your different media is layered in horizontaly. On bottom is the square foam piece for mechanical(debris removal) filtration, on top of that you cut to size and place in a piece of the bulk media for fine (polishing) filtration. Then a pouch of act. charcoal or a Purigen packet.(I don't use AC anymore, went with Purigen for crystal clear water) Last I put a pouch of ceramic bio-media for the BB to colonize. When I clean the filter every two weeks, I rinse everything in old tank water and put back in filter. NEVER clean filter media in chlorinated tap water as it will kill your BB. I don't replace the cut to fit piece of media floss until it literally starts to fall apart as it gets more effecient as you scruff it up each time you clean it. If you decide to get one I'll be glad to give you more tips on the Aqua clear or C-series about cleaning the impellor chamber. Very simple.
Later, OS.