I have two almost 2 year old Ryukins, Lou and Abbott, in a 20 gallon long tank. They were tiny babies when I bought them and they have at least quadupled in size.

I just bought this for the kitchen:
http://www.allkitchencarts.com/Catskill-Cr...426-KL1000.html
and would like to move them there with a new, larger tank. (I only need the cart for storage space and don't intend to move it around.)

I saw a 65 gallon tank that I liked, but became concerned about whether the cart would hold the weight. (It is solid wood.) My second choice would be a 50 gallon, but frankly I haven't seen any. Are they hard to find?

I have a 300 Penguin Bio-wheel now, should I get an entirely new filter or an additional one? Maybe add an Aquaclear since many people like them so much....? How difficult is it to get extensions for the intake pipe thingee? My current one wouldn't reach down into the tank far enough.

This whole UV filter is new to me. I don't recall reading about them when I did my research prior to buying Lou and Abbott. Does it require a canister filter to work? What size UV filter should I get?

I have minimal substrate: I collect sea glass and (after much boiling) I have that scattered loosely along the bottom. I also have an aqua glass pitcher turned on its side that they like to "hide" in. So, I don't have much material holding beneficial bacteria. How do I get the new tank up to snuff cycle-wise as quickly as possible?

I think my back is ready for a Python. How difficult is it to find the faucet adapter thingee? I know I'll need one.

Sorry for all the questions. I've been reading this board for the last two days and have only managed to make my head swim.

Wow! That thing is pretty! But $800 is quite an investment for a tank stand! If it's solid wood I would think it could hold a decent size tank. I think a 55 is around the size you are looking for. I'd get an AQ110 AND still run your other filter! (Goldies can't have too much filtration!!!) And definitely get a Python. I'd get the 50 footer....it just makes life easier!!

Can't wait to see your finished product!

The AQ110 comes with two intake tubes that fit together. One intake on my 29 gallon tank reaches better than halway down......so two should get pretty deep on a 55. On my 100 gal tank 3 intakes ALMOST touch the bottom & 2 reaches 3/4 the way down. (Thought that would give you an idea to get a visual of)

i personally havent seen a 50 gallon tank. the common ones are 55gal. 48in long x 12in wide x 20in high



you should keep your current filter, and get and additional one. your new tank will need to be cycled and an old filter would help speed up the process. aquaclear 70 and 110 have pretty long intake tubes. for my 55 gal tank. it always reaches to the bottom. maybe 2-3 inch off the gravel. if you really want extra intake pipe, it shouldnt be hard to find. ebay or online stores should sell them.



im sure that the UV filter does not need a canister filter to work. all you need is a pump, and some sort of intake pipe to get the water down into the UV lamp, and a pump to pump the water back into the tank once the water passes through the UV. im not sure what size you need tho.



well if you put your old filter in the new tank, with all the old filter media, it would speed up the process quite a bit. theres lots of fourm out there on how to speed up the cycle depending you want to do fishless cycle or not



im not familiar with pythons. but a faucet adapter should be hard to find at all. if the fittings that comes with the kit doesnt work, its as easy as going to your local hardware store.



no problem thats what were here for, to asnwer your questions

I didn't buy the cart for the fish. I just lost some kitchen cabinet space in order to fit in an under-the-counter dishwasher (old house) and I got the cart to make up the difference. The bottom two drawers are huge. The idea to put the fish tank on top of it came later.

I read somewhere (I think Daryl wrote it.) that Ryukins do better with an 18" wide tank instead of the usual 12" because of their round bodies. Gives them more turn-around room or something. That's why I was looking at a 50 or 65 gallon. I used this chart here to compare:
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/tipsandt.../bltanksize.htm

After I've recovered from the fish draining my wallet, my next purchase will be a digital camera. I'm still using disposables and the pics I've taken just don't come out.

The intake I have now reaches about halfway down or 6 inches. The 50 gallon is 19" tall and the 65 gallon is 24" tall so 6"is not going to cut it.

So, as long as the new intake reaches much further down to the bottom of the tank I should be ok? Or do I need an extender for my bio-wheel intake?

[quote]I have a 300 Penguin Bio-wheel now, should I get an entirely new filter or an additional one? Maybe add an Aquaclear since many people like them so much....? How difficult is it to get extensions for the intake pipe thingee? My current one wouldn't reach down into the tank far enough.[/quote]

you should keep your current filter, and get and additional one. your new tank will need to be cycled and an old filter would help speed up the process. aquaclear 70 and 110 have pretty long intake tubes. for my 55 gal tank. it always reaches to the bottom. maybe 2-3 inch off the gravel. if you really want extra intake pipe, it shouldnt be hard to find. ebay or online stores should sell them.[/quote]



If I use my 300 Bio-wheel and add an AQ110, doesn't that leave me short with the amount of filtration for a 50 gallon tank? Shouldn't the numbers add up to at least 500?

your bio wheel 300 is around 300gph. aquaclear 110 is 500gph which equals to 800gph. thats plenty enough for a 50gal tank

So, they named it the AQ110 instead of the AQ500 just to confuse me?

Like I'm not confused enough already...

Yeah, they do things just to confuse me too!

I'd probably run some sort of canister filter in a 55 along with your bio wheel. Canister filters are alot better and you can hook up alot of additional things to them. might be more expensive but probably better in the long run. To cycle the tank quicker i would just stick your existing filter on when you transfer over the fish. But make sure the tank has been running for a week with the filter, bubble bar of somesort, and some water treatment to make the transition a little better

Remember that water weighs approximately 8 pounds per gallon - add in the tank and equipment, I usually approximate 10 pounds per gallon in my calculations. A 50 gallon tank would then weigh 500 pounds.

I would guess that your stand would hold that - it should. But the big question is whether the wheels would. Most wheels that are put on carts of that nature - even wheels that are put on commercial racks that are designed to hold great weight - are not rated for that type of weight. The posts that are used for support will often bend and distort - making it so they will not roll in the future. I think you might do well to see if the wheels can be removed and set aside. When and if, in the future, you no longer want a tank on top of the cart, you can replace the wheels and have a wheeled cart again.

Aquaclear 110 and aquaclear 500 are the same. they renamed it to aquaclear 110 2-3 years ago i believe