Compete tower setup advice needed

[archfiend]

Hi,

I'm completely new at all of this and need some advise.

I'm considering getting a tower aquarium much like the one in this link http://snipurl.com/aeyd

I'm wanting freshwater fish but not tropical (i.e I don't really want to use a heater is that possible?)

Considering the tower setup I'd like to know what kind of fish would thrive in such a tank and what essentials I'd need to consider buying

Many Thanks
Tony G

BTW I'm UK based so I don't know if this will have a bearing on the type of fish

 

[Menagerie]

[center:f4dcdfbd6a] Welcome to AA, archfiend! [/center:f4dcdfbd6a]
The problem with this type of aquarium for anyone is trying to get enough oxygen to the fish. The larger the surface area on the top of the tank, the easier it is to oxygenate. Aside from oxygenating the water, how would you vacuum the gravel?!? This is definately not a tank I would recommend to a beginner and I'm not sure I would recommend this tank to anyone.

I'm wanting freshwater fish but not tropical (i.e I don't really want to use a heater is that possible?)

Not really, it is best to have a heater just in case the temp drops very low. One nontropical fish that I can think of is a goldfish, but they would not thrive in this set up. The other is the white cloud minnow, but they do like their swimming room.

 

[TankGirl]

I think this type of tank is a doomed setup, and will give you a lot of trouble, for the reasons Menagerie mentioned. Fish are just not meant to live in vertically oriented spaces - they are lateral moving creatures for the most part. If you laid this tank on its side it would be much more doable, as the fish could swim horizontally and you would have access to the gravel, though it would be shallow, but you see what I mean.

I certainly understand the desire to integrate a tank into a design concept, to make the tank more esthetic and to have something unusual, but I don't think the fish would thrive and it would be a troublesome tank.

If are not daunted then I'd try something hardy like mollies or guppies, but I don't think they'd swim down to the bottom - possibly pressure issures might impact how far down the fish go, but I'm not up on my physics to tell you how much pressure would be in the bottom strata.

Good luck and keep us posted if you decide to go for it!

 

[QTOFFER]

I have to agree with Menagerie and TankGirl about this kind of tank.

I often see this kind of tank in modern office buildings and trendy restaurants, overstocked with fish that don't like living in such cramped quarters. I suspect that the owners use the services of a professional tank maintenance company. They probably just replace the sick and dead fish every week to keep the tank looking healthy and pretty.