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neon fish in a custom tank

23 11:58:51

Question
QUESTION: Hello

I have a cutout in my wall in my living room that I would like to place a custom fishtank into.  The problem is that the dimensions for this tank would be 4" thick 17" high and 44" long.  The tank must be viewable from 2 sides.  

I love the look of neon fish when they move in schools and would also like to use live plants.

I guess my first and probably best question is, would a tank of this size be able to support enough of these fish, to provide the effect I am looking for ?

If the answer to the first question is yes then could you recommend some types of plants, filters/filtration systems and lighting that would be appropriate ?

Your time and concideration in on this is greatly appreciated

Thank you
John Oscar

ANSWER: Hi John,

I appreciate what you are trying to do but if you have a tank that is only 4 inches in depth that isn't really going to cut it for any fish.  These are schooling fish and all fish need room to turn around and four inches in depth just isn't enough.  Most standard tanks are about 12 inches in depth.

I would also suggest that you consider cardinal tetras instead of neons.  Same blazing blue and red coloring, same approximate size, but they are much more hardy than neons and seem to be resistent to the dreaded neon tetra disease.  It would depend on how many gallons the tank would be to know how many you could put in there.  A standard 55 gallon is 12x18x48 so I would say your tank would be about 30-35 gallons and you could get about 25 cardinals in there.  As long as they are in shoals of 6+, they are happy.

Of course, make sure you nitrogen cycle the tank before adding ANY fish, and only add 4-6 at a time, after the cycling has been completed, let the bioload adjust and in a week, add 4-6 more.  Repeat until stocked.

An undergravel filter or an inside submersible filter is the only kind that you won't see or won't hang off of the tank.  Undergravels are hard to find because they are pretty old school and they are weak so if you get one, you'll have to get a pretty high powered one, like for a 60-70 gallon tank.

I am not one to give advice on plants.  They are harder to keep than fish in my opinion.  You have to have full spectrum lighting and you need to feed them plant food, which you just add to the water.  If you want to try it start off with something really easy like Java Fern.  I have so many tanks that I just use silk plants found at most pet stores.  They look real without the maintenance.

Good luck: ) April M.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello

I am thinking about this tank http://www.neoaquatics.com/Products_Elegent_3.html
The C1250 version

Originally it was my intention to just have one made, but this is what I am looking for.  The site says it only holds 20 gallons but at 61" long the fish should have plenty of room to swim. The site also says 1" of fish per gallon of water (probably overstated).

I remember reading somewhere a loooong time ago that water surface area is a factor in fish health. Is this an actual factor or is my mind making stuff up on me again?

What do you think ?

Sweet tank or Gimmick junk fishkiller ?

Thank you for your time

John  

Answer
Hi John,

I think it's aestetically pleasing but not at all practical for real fishkeeping.  Same as the BiOrb or BiUbe, which are glorified fishbowls, and not suitable for aquria.

If you plan on keeping schooling fish like tetras they will all swim together and they will bang into the sides trying to turn around and go to the other end with only 4 inches of space to get 25 fish around the corner.  It's not the side to side swimming I'm worried about, it's the turn around.

The one inch of fish rule is absurd and whoever started that rumor should live in a 2x2 closet, because he could technically fit, and see what kind of quality of life he has.  You could never put 10 inches of Oscar in a 10 gallon tank, nor 10 inches of goldfish in a 10 gallon tank.  Everything has to be taken into consideration: the tank size, the water surface, agitation, aeration, filtration.  In a standard 20 gallon tank that has a regular 20 gallon filter, that has normal surface agitation and a bubble aerator it would be safe to put 15-18 small tetras like neons or cardinals in.  But only one goldfish, and that was if the filter was upgraded to a 40 gallon.  The rules just aren't cut and dried.

Because there is only 4 inches wide of surface space it reduces the overall surface space, even though the tank is long, and you would be able to get far less fish in there, plus I would be worried about how to clean it properly and the filtration.  I just think it would end up being an expensive headache for you.  I have no idea what this cost but I bet it's crazy, ridiculously expensive.  You can get a killer 55 gallon set up, with everything, and I mean everything: tank, stand, canopy, hoods, lights, heater, filter, gravel, plants, decos, for about $500-$1,000 depending on the quality of the items you purchase.  This tank is probably close to that alone, nevermind all of the other items you need too, and it's not even half the size.

You may be able to find someone that can build a faux overhang wall for you and cut out a space for a tank.  This way you can have a regular standard sized tank and a practical way to access and clean it or just get a standard set up.

Good luck: ) April M.