96 x 30 x 24 Tank and Arowana Species

[thebiggerthebetter]

Zugs, I must side with Chicx and RD and others similar minded. I was like you ten years ago and was cooled off rightfully... and I am still taught by various MFKers various aspects of various fish weekly (on my peers' schedule BTW, not mine).

Consider starting small and slow - cycle your tank, set it up right, figure out the filtering, the nitrogen cycle, the water testing, the importance and implications of the essential water parameters to your fish health and longevity.

As you were told before - we keep water, really, first and foremost. Fish - second.

Fish are kept truly and literally on life support by us, where we are responsible for every aspect of supplying the said support for their life.

Knowing on paper that you could attempt to keep a specialty, rare, and expensive fish X, Y, and Z in your tank won't help you keep more common and cheaper fish A, B, C, and D etc. with which you will be learning the hobby for a sizeable time.

We are only thankful that you are not asking what stingrays or electric eels or electric catfish you could keep in your tank as these could kill you or send to the hospital for a week. Understand that some fish in our hobby can be dangerous to humans. Every catfish carries needle sharp spines in their pectoral and dorsal fins with a toxin designed to cause pain. Some people find out they have allergies in our hobby. Slow down, bro, and learn every day step by step.

As I said also, the reality is you will be sickening and killing many fish before you keep one long term. Our hobby is far from simple.

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If you stated from the getgo you have zero hobby experience, we would have given you different and more helpful to you advices also from the very beginning. I know I would have used a different pitch. Like RD, I assumed you have mastered smaller tanks already. Please, know that you are an exception, going with a relatively large tank off the deep end, which can be done, nothing wrong with it necessarily, but do listen to us, swallow your pride, pick 6-10 people you trust (MFK trusts) and do what they tell you when they agree between themselves.

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There are legal and better ways to bring attention to your threads, such bumping and tagging.

Doing things in PMs has shortcomings too. We are the strongest together, as a community mind. PMs are to be used per ToS for cases when the things being discussed are none of the business of the community and carry no value to others. If they carry value to others, if you want to use PM in lieu of the forum, it could be some kind of violation.

I don't PM for anything but private matters.

You'd also be depriving your peer-advisor of the learning, being corrected, expanded, etc. by others and you'd be depriving others, your current contemporaries or in posterity from learning ALONG WITH you. That is defeating the purpose of the very existence of the forum.

We must learn to live and coexist as a community in the open forum. Or die. IMHO.

 

[Akeno071]

Consider starting small and slow - cycle your tank, set it up right, figure out the filtering, the nitrogen cycle, the water testing, the importance and implications of the essential water parameters to your fish health and longevity.

Of course, this doest mean you have to buy a 5 or 10 gallon aquarium. A 30 or 40 Gallon aquarium allows for a plethora of different species to be kept, while it isn't the 2 ton monster aquarium Op had his sights on. It'd do perfectly for learning the hobby and still feel like a large tank to anyone not used to the more in-depth parts of the hobby such as Datnoids or Aros etc.

The best thing about a 40gallon? After you've had it awhile, feel like you've learned the ropes and ready to move up the tank size, you've got a sump ready to go for your monster aquarium!

 

[The-Almighty-Zugs]

Zugs, I must side with Chicx and RD and others similar minded. I was like you ten years ago and was cooled off rightfully... and I am still taught by various MFKers various aspects of various fish weekly (on my peers' schedule BTW, not mine).

Consider starting small and slow - cycle your tank, set it up right, figure out the filtering, the nitrogen cycle, the water testing, the importance and implications of the essential water parameters to your fish health and longevity.

As you were told before - we keep water, really, first and foremost. Fish - second.

Fish are kept truly and literally on life support by us, where we are responsible for every aspect of supplying the said support for their life.

Knowing on paper that you could attempt to keep a specialty, rare, and expensive fish X, Y, and Z in your tank won't help you keep more common and cheaper fish A, B, C, and D etc. with which you will be learning the hobby for a sizeable time.

We are only thankful that you are not asking what stingrays or electric eels or electric catfish you could keep in your tank as these could kill you or send to the hospital for a week. Understand that some fish in our hobby can be dangerous to humans. Every catfish carries needle sharp spines in their pectoral and dorsal fins with a toxin designed to cause pain. Some people find out they have allergies in our hobby. Slow down, bro, and learn every day step by step.

As I said also, the reality is you will be sickening and killing many fish before you keep one long term. Our hobby is far from simple.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

If you stated from the getgo you have zero hobby experience, we would have given you different and more helpful to you advices also from the very beginning. I know I would have used a different pitch. Like RD, I assumed you have mastered smaller tanks already. Please, know that you are an exception, going with a relatively large tank off the deep end, which can be done, nothing wrong with it necessarily, but do listen to us, swallow your pride, pick 6-10 people you trust (MFK trusts) and do what they tell you when they agree between themselves.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

There are legal and better ways to bring attention to your threads, such bumping and tagging.

Doing things in PMs has shortcomings too. We are the strongest together, as a community mind. PMs are to be used per ToS for cases when the things being discussed are none of the business of the community and carry no value to others. If they carry value to others, if you want to use PM in lieu of the forum, it could be some kind of violation.

I don't PM for anything but private matters.

You'd also be depriving your peer-advisor of the learning, being corrected, expanded, etc. by others and you'd be depriving others, your current contemporaries or in posterity from learning ALONG WITH you. That is defeating the purpose of the very existence of the forum.

We must learn to live and coexist as a community in the open forum. Or die. IMHO.

Well the thing is I've already put the money down for the bigger tank and stand. I was told when I started, that a bigger tank will be easier in a way because there will be less fluctuation in water parameters and/or rather that it would take much more for something to get out of wack once you have everything stable because there is much more water. Same as if you put a cup of something in a lake, it isn't going to poison the whole lake. I figured that this would allow for an easier more straight forward progression into the hobby. Even though it is starting very big and going off the deep end like you said. But I do agree with all that you have said above. It is a more logical way and easier way of going about things. A smoother progression if you will.

As well, when I started the only thing with fish that really interested me was the bigger fish. The Piranhas, the Arowanas, the Datnoids, The Peacock Bass, The Catfish etc. Not the betas or smaller type fish. I thought that I would lose my motivation and excitement with those types of smaller fish because none really interest me or tickle my fancy. It would be like giving a Cat to a Beef Farmer (Only comparison I could think of / I know it's a weak one). I realize this may not be the best way of thinking about things but I'm just walking you through how I approached it. And it may even be a selfish way of looking at it also. And that's my bad.

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And yes I have learned that it is better to find a small circle of knowledgeable individuals that don't necessarily always agree to get a much better view when analyzing something. A broader spectrum. More opinions to sift through and when the time comes that they all agree, you know which way to follow the advice. And I totally agree that it would be better for everyone if everything was done out in the open on the forums but in my situation I am met with two problems.

One being that I have a lot of questions. A lot. I realize that some of these questions will be answered as I progress and learn more about the hobby. But even then, I still have a lot of curiosity and questions to ask. Some that I will need to know and others that I would like to know. Maybe even some that are just for fun. This obviously annoys many members and attaches a stigma to me. Just like it was in public school. You ask a lot of questions, people single you out and you're the black sheep all of a sudden. I get it.

That's not to say that every member is like this and I totally understand that. Not trying to group everyone together or generalize. And while I will not let this perception affect my attitude nor my excitement for the hobby, as you said, I have to be mindful of other peoples time. It was never my intention to come across like I did not respect or appreciate the time someone takes out of their day to answer me. That because I was asking so many questions it looked like I was trying to say, "Hey look at me! Answer my questions!".

The other problem is that now it seems no matter where I post here on the forums, certain very silly members find it appropriate to come after me and denounce my advice or attack me (not to sound like a Millennial). While some of these instances may actually have a point behind them, that point is quickly deemed null and void, and overrun by the fact that they are just trying to troll me. And it doesn't bother me, having someone attempt to troll me, it's actually quite amusing. But it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth and remains a running problem in the long run. As when you denounce a members knowledge publicly it automatically poses questions to whoever is reading it. It clouds the waters and makes things less apparent.

Some members have offered their help to me through the PM's that wholeheartedly disagree with the way certain people have acted and I have since had some great phone conversations with very knowledgeable individuals, where I am free to ask questions without the same backlash. Where people are willing to answer 10-20 questions at a time and enjoy doing it. And that's not to say that I'm not getting any great advice from members here directly on the forums either. I have and I will continue to. But with members following me around trolling me, not being able to post all of my questions, and being restricted in how much knowledge I can obtain in a given time frame I am left at a standstill.

As well I believe even now, after all of the above writings, I am still coming across as wrong. Maybe it may seem like selfishness, noobness etc. I just know that I'm not having an easy time portraying my intentions here.

 

[adamsfishes]

I agree that it's better to start big if you can. Nothing wrong with having a big tank, as long as you're filtering it adequately and keeping up with water changes. My progression has been 20 -> 54 -> 125 -> 180. I had the 54 for many years and at the time thought it would be crazy to get anything bigger. In reptrospect, I wish I would have started bigger. Now I wouldn't set up anything smaller than a 75 unless I was doing a betta or shrimp tank.

If someone is trolling you, just report the post and explain. The mods here are pretty good about sussing out what's going on when they are alerted.

 

[The-Almighty-Zugs]

I agree that it's better to start big if you can. Nothing wrong with having a big tank, as long as you're filtering it adequately and keeping up with water changes. My progression has been 20 -> 54 -> 125 -> 180. I had the 54 for many years and at the time thought it would be crazy to get anything bigger. In reptrospect, I wish I would have started bigger. Now I wouldn't set up anything smaller than a 75 unless I was doing a betta or shrimp tank.

And that's just my point. I realize that water changes and cleaning may take more time and be considered "harder" in that regard, but with the larger body of water being able to keep parameters more stable (once I get them there) I think in some ways it is easier. At least from what I am told. But the logic of it makes sense to me. This is why I went after the larger tank and the fish I wanted. I would like to hear what others have to say about this as it is still a very large tank, being 300 gallons. Maybe better to start out with something like 180 if going large vs a 300 but like I said, I've already put the deposits down. I've also scrapped the FX6 idea and have went with two EHEIM 2262's. Will also be using two Hydor Inline heaters.

 

[adamsfishes]

And that's just my point. I realize that water changes and cleaning may take more time and be considered "harder" in that regard, but with the larger body of water being able to keep parameters more stable (once I get them there) I think in some ways it is easier. At least from what I am told. But the logic of it makes sense to me. This is why I went after the larger tank and the fish I wanted. I would like to hear what others have to say about this as it is still a very large tank, being 300 gallons. Maybe better to start out with something like 180 if going large vs a 300 but like I said, I've already put the deposits down. I've also scrapped the FX6 idea and have went with two EHEIM 2262's. Will also be using two Hydor Inline heaters.

I agree. A larger water volume means more of a buffer to dilute contaminants. I don't think a bigger tank is "harder" to care for per se. Like you said, it just takes more time. But for me, since I use a pump to change water, it really doesn't matter the water volume, it's just time where I need to be near the aquarium to monitor the situation.

Having said that, a 300 is pretty darn big. To me a "big" starter aquarium is 75 gallons.... 180 would be a huge starter aquarium. 300 is maybe not the best place to start, but that doesn't mean you can't be successful if you go about it the right way.

The most important consideration for you may be where you are deciding to put it. I hope it's going on a concrete floor.

Also, if you are only using canisters and not a wet/dry sump, put in some aeration from the get-go. Canisters don't aerate the water unless you have a spray bar slightly above the water line, and those are very noisy.

 

[The-Almighty-Zugs]

I agree. A larger water volume means more of a buffer to dilute contaminants. I don't think a bigger tank is "harder" to care for per se. Like you said, it just takes more time. But for me, since I use a pump to change water, it really doesn't matter the water volume, it's just time where I need to be near the aquarium to monitor the situation.

Having said that, a 300 is pretty darn big. To me a "big" starter aquarium is 75 gallons.... 180 would be a huge starter aquarium. 300 is maybe not the best place to start, but that doesn't mean you can't be successful if you go about it the right way.

The most important consideration for you may be where you are deciding to put it. I hope it's going on a concrete floor.

Also, if you are only using canisters and not a wet/dry sump, put in some aeration from the get-go. Canisters don't aerate the water unless you have a spray bar slightly above the water line, and those are very noisy.

It's going to go on a load bearing outside wall and I'm going to be bracing underneath it. I think the original bracing is just old logs or something, not 2x4's. So it will have to be braced.

 

[adamsfishes]

It's going to go on a load bearing outside wall and I'm going to be bracing underneath it.

Is it perpendicular to the joists?

Sorry, I've not read every page in this thread - what are your current thoughts on stocking? Still considering an Asian arowana?

 

[The-Almighty-Zugs]

Is it perpendicular to the joists?

Sorry, I've not read every page in this thread - what are your current thoughts on stocking? Still considering an Asian arowana?

I think the original bracing is just logs or something, not 2x4's or anything. It's an older house. So it will have to be braced for sure. It will be going along the the outside wall. I'll have to take a trip to the basement again to see what's going on down there. I may have to get a contractor in to see what the best bracing options would be and what all is needed.

And no worries. I don't expect anyone to read all of my posts. It would take too much energy to keep up with all the posts I make lol. And this thread in specific was a drama bomb, trust me there's no need to go back. ?

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In terms of stocking I'm still on the fence of what to do. I have the option to get the 18" Piraya as that was what I had originally intended to get and how all of this started in the first place. But at the same time, now that I have the 30", I have options for a lot more fish too. I could do a community tank. I could do a solo fish. Lots of options. But I am a beginner and don't want to put another couple thousand deep into fish I may lose due to inexperience. I'm already spending enough.

I've been told by some people here that Asian Arowana for example would not be a good starter fish. But at the same time, I've had others tell me that contrary to what many people may think, it is a hardier fish and relatively easy to keep as long as you keep up with cleaning and water changes etc. So I'm getting mixed messages. At this minute (And this will probably change in the next minute), I'm really liking the Asian Arowana and Silver Dollar (Wide/Thin/Blackberry) Combo. Maybe I should start with a bunch of Silver Dollars and get them going and then later add in an Arowana. Not sure yet. Maybe add a Datnoid or two. Maybe go all Kelberi. I'm not sure. Just analyzing my options at this point. Would like ideas and recommendations given my lack of experience.

 

[adamsfishes]

My advice would be to make a list of fish that you like and that stay under 20". Then figure out what fish on that list are compatible with each other.

You have a lot of options with a 96"x30". I'd love to upgrade to that size (or bigger) one day. For me personally, I would either do a community of larger cichlids or an umbee pair, but I'm a cichlid guy.

A SA community tank would be cool. Lots of great examples on this site. Some fish to consider: cichla kelberi, large pikes, wild type oscars, larger-growing geos, chocolate cichlids, Caquetaia species, acara species.

Honestly, I would recommend staying away from an Asian as they will easily get over 2 feet in an aquarium. You'd be good for a few years at least tho, and once it hit 2', it would probably be easy to sell in Canada for a pretty penny.