# what size tanks should i get?



## Terry6000 (Apr 2, 2012)

so Petco is having a $1 per gallon sale 
i have been looking for cheap tanks for a while on Craigslist but everyone wants too sell there tanks with all the frilly decor and there cheap hob filters thus driving there prices up.

I want to start buying tanks for a future rack system. The system I think I want to build is one where all the tanks are separate water from each other. So I guess it would be called a quarantine system.

I plan to using them for breeding, hospital and quarantine. 

So back to my Q what size tanks should i get?

I already have a 20 long and my gut tells me to say with the 20 long's or should I go with a few 10's 20's and 30's.


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## weedkiller (Nov 18, 2012)

at least a 50Gal.. a bigger tank is easier to maintain and when crap happens it has less impact on a bigger tank


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## Jaysee (Apr 24, 2010)

How large the quarantine tanks need to be is a function of the fish you plan to keep. I have two 29s and two 20s for quarantine. Really, I wouldn't go with less than 10 gallons.

If you are looking to raise fry, then you will need a large tank as well, on the order of a 55.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

if you plan on breeding i would suggest a few different sizes...much is relative to what you plan to breed...i keep my pairs of angels in 20 gallon highs..from the time the fry are 3 weeks old they go into 55s-90s.they need a deep tank to develop good finnage.
a lot of species do not need deep tanks ; and many do better in more shallow tanks as far as breeding goes..most of my rearing tanks are 40 breeders...they have a good surface area and depth for most species..
the biggest tanks in the petco/petsmart sales are 55s...but they are not always the best for breeding..
as for my tanks..2 1/2 and 5s for killies and hatching cory , aspidora and a few other eggs.10s for keeping and breeding of smaller fish such as cories , aspidoras , apistos , guppies , and a few others..15s for pairs of plecos and cory groups..20 longs and 20 highs for angels and some rift lake fish(tangs)...40 longs for for tang groups , odessa barb breeding and rearing..90 , 75 , 125 and 135 for grow out....
here is a link to the thread where i showed some pics of the fishroom...not very good but they will give you an idea...

so...i would suggest you get 15s and/or 20 longs..and definitely 40 breeders..
but first sit down and think about what you want to breed..

http://www.fishforums.com/forum/fish-aquarium-pictures/35115-fishroom-almost-done.html


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## Terry6000 (Apr 2, 2012)

thanks for your help guys

well as of right now my plan for breeding is small.
My angel pairs dont seem to have a problem spawning in my 125 community and I just move the eggs once they do the dirty. 
Maybe in the future I will do some breeding with rams but right now angels are easy (knock on wood).

Anyways I bought another 20 long and 29 high. 
I plan to use a 20 and the 29 for egg hatching and grow out. use the other 20 for hospital and qt 
I wanted to keep the foot prints of the tanks the same to make building a rack more neat and organized.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

how long have you been breeding angels ? i have bred and raised a few of these fish and am always excited to see that there are eggs in a tank...
although it depends on why you want to breed them and what you are going to do with all of the fry ; it can take a great many more tanks than you have...
it can go something like this...(how i would have it set up...)

1 20H for the pair.....
4 10 gallon tanks for hatching eggs and for the first 2-3 weeks of life for fry...
4 55-75 gallon tanks for rearing for the next 5-7 weeks....

what many people do not realize is that a good pair of angels if properly handled can produce 300-700 eggs every week.....*EVERY WEEK just like clockwork....

you will needs lots and lots of very fine and very high quality foods for the fry...the sizes of the foods need to be increased as they grow without backing off on the nutrition...
fry need a bit of a different diet than the adults do..higher protein and much higher fat levels..
50-100% daily water changes are also important..

the very best of luck to you in your endeavor..remember...it is always much better to be prepared before you start than after you start...*


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## Terry6000 (Apr 2, 2012)

Right now I am just doing it for some fun.
My experience level is beginner at best. I have hatched eggs a few times but I lacked the funds for more tanks and equipment, to raise them ( I'm 22 and still a college student) 
The fry I have now are my first whole hearted attempt at raising them. They have been swimming for about a week and are eating well.
The spawns I get do not seem to produce more than 350 eggs. I only have about 100 fry. I don't think they were all fertilized. It was the first time they spawned together but they both have spawned with other mates.

The female is a blue/platinum with 2 black tiger stripes I got from a breeder on aquabids. ( parents were white and blue/platinum tiger. Her bro has pearl scale)
Dad is a mystery black and white koi form petsmart. 
I am excited to see what they come out looking like

While I have you loha what do you feed your fry? When do you switch them off bbs? Any other tips, tricks, dos, don'ts you can tell me? Anything you can't read about on forums?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i think you are doing a great job so far...keep it up..you will improve as you go along...

one of the foods i use is Super Mini Max...it is my own formula that i also sell..i also feed decapped brine eggs..i actually do not feed much in the way of live and frozen foods..

doing the big water changes is important for growth..fish secrete what is referred to as a "growth inhibiting hormone"....it saturates the water....their bodies have receptors that read the levels of it...it tells the fish whether or not there is room to grow..the water changes dilute the levels to the point where it tricks the fish's bodies into believing that they have plenty of room to grow...i have done a few tests on this and found it to be quite true..one of the tests was with angels..i set up 2 test tanks..both 20H..side by side..same filtration..same temp..hatched eggs in a 10 and kept them there for 2 weeks...25 fry into each 20...same diets..equal portions...1 tank got 50% weekly water changes..the other got 50% daily changes..after 6 weeks the fry that got weekly changes were nickel body size while the other batch was quarter body size..
what this translates to is that it will take a lot less time and money to have the fish market ready..which means increased profits..
higher temps mean faster growth rate..i keep my fry at 82-84....but that also calls for increased feeding ; 5 times a day ; and increased water changes....50%+ daily...


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## Terry6000 (Apr 2, 2012)

I have been doing 50% daily water changes but only because I am trying to keep the bottom of the tank clean. I think I am over feeding but I am doing so because I think the 85% hatch rate eggs I bought are more like 50%.

Is decapped the way to go?
What is in your super mini max lol? My guess is it involves powdered egg yoke.
By the way how much is it?

Oh boy the female is preparing to spawn with a different male. Should have more eggs tomorrow. Now to convert my basement into a fish room lol


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

i use the non hatching decapped eggs...there is no waste whatsoever...
there is no egg yolk in Super Mini Max....it is a special blend of very nutritious high grade ingredients...egg yolk can foul the tank in a very short time so i stay away from it...
Super Mini Max costs $6.00 plus shipping for a 2 oz. bag..it doesn't sound like a lot of food ; but a little goes a long way..after about 2 weeks i start feeding Plecocaine #01 and at about 6 weeks i start with Plecocaine #02..


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