CichlidFish.com - Fish That Think.

Okay. Now that I have decided that I should buy a 120 to 180 gal tank, how do I know if the floor will hold the weight?

I have thought about putting the tank in the basement, but I don't spend a whole lot of time down there - even though we have a TV room down there - and I am afraid that Al and Oscar will be lonely.

Right now I have their tank in the bedroom and enjoy watching them before going to sleep and while I am getting things ready in the morning. They also seem to enjoy myh company and attention. That was one of the reasons I was asking about a corner tank.

I just want to make sure that the floor will be able to handle this large of a tank. The tank will be expensive enough; I don't want to have to pay to have my floors repaired.

Anyone have any facts and/or figures on how to figure out if the floor will hold the weight? Thanks!!

Remember one gallon equals 8lbs. Call your county building and ask for planning department. Talk to plans examiner or engineer. They will know your local ordences and the structure requirements. They should know what your structure is like due to local codes etc. I can't help you as I am sure your codes are different then here. Good luck.

S42K - Thanks! That's great advice! I never would have thought of that.

Everyone else - Thanks for your advice! Now all I have to do is find one I can afford!

ok lets say that a 120g weighs 1000 lbs if you take say 8 people at 150 lbs apiece and line them up in the place where you want to put the tank is the floor gunna cave in ????????????????????????????????????

Good points everyone, also remember, how "BAD" would a 120gallon SPILL be where you intend to put the aquarium? I think of this stuff since I live in California

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Joe
www.cichlidfish.com

Heheheh, but on the other hand if the place shakes so much your 120gallon breaks you'll probably be concentrating on reserving a spot in heaven

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Joe
www.cichlidfish.com

good thing i live in texas, the only shaking we get down here is when the cows get spooked and there is a stampede.

Texas, ah cool, so I guess most Texans like Bush? Seems like Gore had problems in his state so am curious if people are excited about Bush in Texas or if they don't really care much for him either.....

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Joe
www.cichlidfish.com

Okay. I've changed my mind. I think that I am going to get a 90 gallon tank instead and go ahead and put it downstairs. Even though I don't have to worry about any earthquakes here in Iowa, I would rather be safe than sorry.

Check this out. I actually got my husband to help me re-arrange and remodel the basement so that I can have room for my tank (and my Bearded Dragon too, of course). Even though he kind of makes fun of me for how worried I am about my babies being sick and how much time I spend taking care of them, I think that he actually likes them too. How could you not like an oscar??

So, what do you all think about 90 gallon tanks? I have already ordered 2 Emporer 400's and am going to work on a canister filter next (Fluval, Eheim, such decisions!). If anyone has any advice on setting up 90 gallon tanks and what kind/size of canister filter would be best or if I bought the wrong power filters, please let me know. Thanks!

You will be fine with a 90 gallon tank. I would have gone with a penguin 330 bio wheel. The only reason for that is they are half the price of the Emporer's. 2 Bio's will do your 90 perfectly. Canisters are good for larger tanks as they can handle larger amounts of water, rather then two power filters. Plus the canister hide underneath your tank. They are a lot of work compared to power filters from my understanding. The advantage would be the water polishing part. They can filter out micro particles from the water a nice plus. I am gonna go with a FLUVAL 404 FILTER for my 150 gallon as soon as I get around to building it. Check out www.thatpetplace.com if you mail order. They are really cheap with things. The bio's are $23 there....

hi new to this billetin stuff I have a 55gal with a tiger and an albino oscar, seven one inch orange africains, black shark, kuhli loch and a crab(I had two but one died trying to make a run for it)I also have in a 29gal a very beautiful Buttikoferi he is about 6inches and is the meanest fish I've ever known my family and I call him "The Dreaded Pirate Buttikoferi" I buy three large gold fish a month for him but he doesn't eat them he just kills them FOR FUN!!but when I first put them in he is gorgeous. His colors get real bright his dorsal fin flares up.And he attacks me through the tank

S42K - You might want to check out www.bigalsonline.com. They have the best prices I have found. I went to that pet place to check it out and I would have paid 41.99 for the Emporer 400 that I bought at big al's online for only 38.99. One of the reasons that I chose the 400 over the 330 was because I have a 330 on my 45 gallon community tank. It sometimes has a hard time keeping up with those fish, so I decided that 2 330's would never keep up with 2 oscars. I am also planning on adding a canister filter in addition to the 2 power filters. After the trouble I have had with the past couple of weeks and my oscars being sick because of the poor water quality, I want to move them into the best environment possible when I get the 2 90's. It broke my heart to see them sick and I want to do everything I can to prevent it from happening again. They are, however, doing better, but I know that it will happen again unless I get a bigger filter on the 20 gallon until the time I can move them to a 90 gallon.

Oh - to everyone else out there thinking about purchasing filters and such from your local pet store. Check out the online sites! I checked out the price on an Emporer 400 when I was picking up some meds for them. The pet store wanted $75 for just one Emporer 400! I purchased two of them for just a few dollars more online!! I am sure glad that I found this bulletin board and did some research before I just purchased them at the store!

Zeus, I will check that site out for sure thanks. I use the 330 on a 60 gallon, with 2 red devils, texas cichlid, green terror, jewel cichlid and a 6 stripe Frontosa with out any problems. If you go with a canister filter you will not need power filters. The canisters will do bio, chem, and mech. in one set up. They cost a little more but you get more purification. However my bio 330 does just fine at its only 21.99 price online. Keep up with water changes you will be fine. When I build my 150 or larger tank I rather have one cansiter filter hidden underneath then two or more power filters hanging over the sides. Merely for looks on a big nice show tank.

[This message has been edited by S42K (edited 12-07-2000).]

Zeus, I will check that site out for sure thanks. I use the 330 on a 60 gallon, with 2 red devils, texas cichlid, green terror, jewel cichlid and a 6 stripe Frontosa with out any problems. If you go with a canister filter you will not need power filters. The canisters will do bio, chem, and mech. in one set up. They cost a little more but you get more purification. However my bio 330 does just fine at its only 21.99 price online. Keep up with water changes you will be fine. When I build my 150 or larger tank I rather have one cansiter filter hidden underneath then two or more power filters hanging over the sides. Merely for looks on a big nice show tank.

Hi Buttikoferi,

Can you take some pictures of your buttikoferi? could use some more pics etc for that fish...



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Joe
www.cichlidfish.com