After dropping by an LFS today and drooling over the 55gals, Thomas and I started wondering how we could afford (and fit) a nice big tank. After seeing the high prices there, and then more high prices online, I checked Craigslist.

50 gallon tank, with stand, hood, lighting, filter, etc.

for

50

Dollars.

That's $1 per gallon! LESS when you include all the other stuff included, like the stand.

A slight drawback is that it comes with cichilds, gouramis, and plecos. But I think I'd be able to sell them while my goldies are still in their pond.


I'M EXCITED!

wow that is a great deal. Can't wait to see it all set up for goldies.

awesome !!!! I am envious!! ...don't get attached to the other fish ....somthing tells me you may fall in love with all those fish

Wow! That is such a good deal. I wish my grandma didn't threaten me with the "if one more tank moves in, I have to move out" line. I stopped looking on craigslist because I hate to see all the good deals on stuff I can't get.

sounds great! B sure to post pics when u get it!

What a great find!! Good luck on finding new ones for the bonus fishies!

Congratulations,that's a great deal! I wish we had a Craigs List for this area but we don't.
Kathy

We're getting it tonight!! In about 30 mins no less!!!



Pics for sure!



Ugh, I do NOT like cichlids. Way too aggressive for me to fall in love with them! Gouramis and plecos... I dunno. I love my goldies wayyy more and they need a tank to move into when the summer's over! Plus the fry are growing at an astronomical rate!

Lucky duck. Hope it goes well tonight! Post pictures no later than tomorrow morning!

I'm with you Joy ...I like ALL my fingers we were gonna get Oscars ..until I seen a video on youtube of the owner being bit ..I like the feelimg of being able to clean the tank without danger lurking ..and Goldies love you ..you can see it in their faces

And here's me thinking my tank and (tiny) stand for $100 was a deal!! I still have to cough up another $90 for the canopy. Congrats!!!
I share your excitement
My bf and I got the keys to our new place tonight and I was already planning my tank placement, hehehe

It's late and I'm to bed but!

3 plecos-- one GIANT, one big, and one medium
4 convict cichlids-- 3-4"
1 dwarf gourami-- 4"


It was SCARY getting the plecos back into the tank! Those things are prehistoric! And sooo big.

The tank was DISGUSTING. Absolutely dirt brown colored water. Will post pics and you'll be ill.

Grossly underfiltered: 100GPH powerhead powering UG filter; airpump powering other UG filter.

Now it has: 170GPH powerhead with presponge filter with reverse flow on one UG, airpump on other UG, and the 692GPH canister filter with 12" spray bar. The water is almost clear!



Oh and sorry Kristen-- pics are gonna be a bit later than tomorrow morning because I have an exam to study for and meetings to attend. Tomorrow afternoon, pacific daylight time.

Craiglist's list is a beautiful thing. We have rescued many a fish from it's dungeons.
Wish we lived closer for we would gladly take the fish off your hands.
Enjoy!

The tank really is good-looking, and the plecos are amazing! We might have to keep them. As Joy stated, she has an exam today so photos won't be available for a few more hours (and she took the camera card to class with her, so I can't).

The tank really was gross. The previous owner admitted that he hadn't cleaned it recently (he's getting ready to move...), so when he stirred up the gravel the water became VERY muddy. When we got the tank home (empty of water, of course), we rinsed out the gravel with the python pretty well... but when we filled the tank it STILL clouded up. Under-gravel filters are wonderful and "low-maintenance", until you disturb the gravel. Now (as Joy mentioned) one of the UG filters is running backwards using the powerhead, so that should help prevent waste buildup in the gravel.

Moving out of my apartment last week, I ended up with a 48" two-bulb fluorescent light fixture with two plant/aquarium (~5000K) bulbs, unused, for free, courtesy of my roommate who left some things behind. I was wondering what to do with it, but now I know! The tank is also 48 inches long, so we upgraded the lighting on the tank this morning from 40 watts of kinda purply light to 80 watts of daylight-quality light. The light fixture doesn't quite fit the tank lid, but it works for now.

Yay! Congrats on your new tank and (potentially new) fishy family members!

There are two breeding pairs of the convicts... I do NOT want baby cichlids!

The plecos are sure interesting. I'd like to keep one, but he'd need the 55gal all to himself!

The water is SO much clearer now. It looks really good today.


I am definitely going to rehome the fish. I love my Roxanne too much to deny her all that space!

I agree Joy ..you keep looking at her pouty face when she sees that big tank wishing she could be in there..

She's pretty content in her 45gal deck pond, but when she comes back in, I'll bet you she'd fight those plecos and cichlids out of the tank--- and WIN.

we have a dealer in town that always takes in peoples fish he has tons cichlids and pirahnnas and scary fish and more scary fish ..and goldfish ..not for food either maybe you have one around town somwhere....oh and I see penguin has nonchalantly required about keeping the plecos...or some sorry penguin had to poke fun a little

you could always compromise...have the pleco in the 45 gallon and having the goldies in the 50.
Also where is the pics? I really want to see them

Unfortunately the 45 gal isn't a permanent installation... it's a Rubbermaid tub on my back deck that has to be broken down this winter and used as a storage tub.

Anyways I'm still at school/work and I'm coming home in like 30 mins and I PROMISE I WILL POST THE PICTURES!!!! Sheath those Koko bats people!

cool deal! congrats to you guys on the new tank. i would watch those convicts, they love to breed. try to off them as quick as you can if you still were looking to do that before you get stuck with a ton of fry you dont want lol....cant wait for the pics....well, the clean tank ones lol

Yea, tell me about it! 2 breeding pairs... ugh. I already called one LFS and they haven't the room. There's two more in my immediate area and then I guess I'll start calling to the far away cities north and south of me.

I definitely do not want baby cichlids! I've already got my goldie fry to take care of.

he hemmm...i believe its been more than 30 minutes and we're still patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for pictures....

I'm bad--- I sorted through the pictures but then had company over last night. Now I'm at school again, and won't be home for some hours.

Don't hate!!!

Since Joy is slacking, and left me with the photos, I am uploading them onto MY photobucket. The internet here is slow... so this will take a while. In the mean time, I will take the gourami to its new home in exchange for some java moss (craigslist strikes again!)

Edit: apparently Joy's class is canceled, so she will do the photos...

How exciting! It sounds like you have your hands full! Good luck finding homes for the rest of the fish. The goldies are sure to like the java moss - but not eat it! You have to just love Craigslist!

Okay alright already! Here are your pictures you impatient people!


The tank setup in the living room, straight out of the car.



Thomas models the size of my current tanks and then compares to the new one.




The water was absolutely disgusting. There are fish in both of those buckets. The water was from the tank and diluted by HALF with fresh water.



Siphoning out as much as we can...



After we changed out 100% of the water.



With the light.



Thomas installs the canister filter.



The next morning.



With the new 80watt plant light!



Now for the fish!


8" common pleco



Boo!



10" Rubbernose pleco

(This one didn't upload-- check back in a few hours and it will be there.)


I think this one is a leopard sailfin pleco. 12" With the gourami in the background.



The gourami again and one of the female convict cichlids.



The older male convict.




Happy now my loves?!

Wow! It looks soo good! The fish must be happier now that all the nasty sludge is out LOL! The new 80 watt light is awesome on that tank!

ooo I like !!!!! what a difference by morning and thomas ..love the shirt!!

They look SO much better. The fish were WAY stressed out when we got them home-- and then we had to get them out of the buckets and into the tank without hurting them, and we couldn't even see them! (Almost poured out one of the cichlids, haha).

Now that I look at it... the one I labeled as the 80watt plant light is actually the old light (just two 18" 20watt bulbs)-- I can see it in the photo. The plant light is white. Guess I missed it. You can use your imagination and think how much BETTER it looks with a better light!!

Thanks An!


(Now imagine it with goldies...)

Never underestimate the power of 700GPH filtration.

Btw, Thomas' shirt is practically the mantra he lives by. It sums up our fishkeeping habit well! ranchuranchuranchu

I didn't know that rubbernose plecos got to be 10"? I thought that they were supposed to be like bristlenose plecos and stay smaller than 6"?

Oh, and Joy, I won't tell you about how in love I am with my new ranchu Penny. She just has the most charming personality and is so DARN cute! She waddles and bumbles around the tank and her eyes are so funny the way that they peek out of her big wen... She has displaced my lemonhead Betsy in the position of favorite fish. (Ssshhh! Don't tell Betsy. ) I think that you need a big fat ranchu ASAP. Lack of space is no longer an excuse.

I dunno much about plecos. Perhaps he isn't a rubbernose? He's got a funny little protrusion on top of his mouth that looks like a nose, so I assumed rubbernose.

Maybe he's some other crazy sort of pleco.


And AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH the empty tank itch is KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLIIIINNNNGGGGG MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ranchuranchuranchu

Just beautiful!! Can't wait to see the Goldies in it.
Kathy

I think you thought that was w/ the daylight quality bulbs because you used photoshop to adjust the colors... the new bulbs have a color retention index of 90 (very close to the actual colors) so a color-adjusted image with the old bulbs looks just like how it looks with the new ones.

I didn't adjust the colors!!!! But actually, no, I'm a complete liar and it IS the 80watt plant light-- I just cropped the white casing out of the picture!!!

I dunno...sometimes I really surprise myself with how absent-minded I am.

The picture of the pleco above should be working now.

Here's a front view: is he a rubbernose? or what??

A few more pics:

those are monster fish ... I probably would be scared of them ..

great pics, i love ur fish! Plecos are some of my faves ! Is the tank drilled? Or where does the intake of the canister go? lol

You can see the pump in the last couple close-up photos (post #39). The output hose simply goes out the top of the tank, to the canister, then from the canister back into the top of the tank to the spray bar.

What a fine collection of fish..may they get great homes.

The tank looks great

i'm begging here....send the tank fairy to north dakota!!!! please!!!

wow,what a difference! those fish dont know what to do in clean water lol! the setup looks good. hope the fish get good new homes, but they are good lookin tho

Oh, and those plecos ARE scary. The previous owner was scared of them, too: he had to get them out of the tank and into buckets for us, and was VERY careful not to get stabbed by their spines. Of course, he didn't have a net large enough, so had to kinda lift them up on top of the net and hope they didn't decide to squirm....

I had to repeat the procedure when we got them home, and it was VERY tense for a couple minutes. I couldn't even see what I was doing with all that muck in the water!

send it across the border too, cuz we live right by the border of north dakota and minnesota! lol

I love plecos, they're awesome!

I want to say that you have a terrific find on the tank. It's looking great too. The Plecos are awesome.

I do want to give you a tip though. Reverse flow on an undergravel filter still doesn't prevent waste buildup. I had my 29 tall running with a Fluval 405 (320 to 300+ GPH) canister and a full coverage undergravel running reverse flow at 125 GPH. There was still waste buildup in the gravel and Nitrates were really hard to control even with 50% water changes every 2 or 3 days. And vacuuming the gravel would create ammonia spikes and such.

I went to barebottom with good water flow and sufficient canister filtration. For me and my critters, this works the best. The cycle is zeros across the board except nitrates. Nitrates are manageable with 1 and sometimes 2 70% water changes each week.





I admit the decor is sparse. But my philosophy is minimalist - and to let the fish be the lewels of the tank.



So, in conclusion. I recommend barebottom when you transition to 100% goldies.

Meanwhile, you've done a great job getting the setup running and looking terrific.

Thanks for the tip Daniel!

I've grown to hate the look of graveled tanks, just thinking about my fish choking... The UG filter is temporary-- until we can get these guys new homes! We know it's not ideal, but the UG filter is only a small part of the set up. We threw our 692GPH home-made canister in there... impressive water flow, let me tell you! Then the UG is coming out and so is the gravel (in stages, of course)... then goes in the river rocks, and after summer is over, the goldies!

The convicts really need the gravel. The females like to grab a piece of territory with good shelter, supposedly for a nest of sorts, and dig it out a bit. I think they'd be stressed by the bare-bottom tank. We will remove the UG system when we transition to goldies.