Hi to everybody

Good day all.

I have registered quite a while back but only recently decided to get my firsttank.
I have bought a few books and also sifting through all the valuable informationthat is on the site, starting reading the Profs Reply on filtering.

I must say that by the time that I am finished reading I will know exactly whatI need to buy, decided that I will do all my reading before I buy and so try andavoid the trial and error associated with a new hobby / passion.

Cheers

JP

 

Welcme you started right

 

hi,welcome and good luck.a wise man once said "a fool learns from his own mistakes,a wise man learns from the mistakes of others".if you got any queries or the books are a little "off" some were written before there was electricity,dont be afraid to ask.ons is almal hier om te leer

 

Hi, I will definitely push on a few buttons so that I canmake informed buys.
Thank you!

 

Guess we are in the same boat then :cheesy:

 

Welcome JP! Let us know what you had in mind and we will help you out.

 

Ja what floats your boat?

 

I am currently looking around at prices and options and learing about the advantages of sump filters vs canister and so forth

I currently like this tank

4 ft - 1200 x 700 x x 550h with a build in sump filter.

Will go and have a look on friday.

 

where are you based?also before you decide on a fish tank have you decided on a fish type?

 

Randburg and no not as yet, that is the other problem.

 

I have read the post on fish to avoid, I was swinging to do a full community fish tank or a malawi tank.

 

rather do some research on the fish you would like to keep before you get the tank it saves lots of money.BELIEVE ME.

 

Community of what?1.2m might be a bit small for the amount of malawis you would need to keep to dampen aggression with these fish but im not a malawi expert im sure theres aomeone here who could elaborate

 

I am luckily still doing my homework and the shopping around for prices.

 

I agree, a 4ft for mbuna malawi(ie rock fish) might cause a problem unless setup in such a way that territories can be established. Peacocks(aulonacara) are not that bad (depends on how many males you get) I would also advise getting a taller setup, you won't believe how much extra space a 700mm plus tank will give you.

 

I will get an updated price to extend the tank to 700mm, thank you for the advise.

 

remember its also best to start with the maximum size instead of having to upgrade at a later stage,but it all depends on the fish you wanna keep.just a lesson i learned.

 

I can get a 1500W x 450 x 1200 h tank for a fair price. The more I look at the 1.2m high i think it will be a problem reaching the bottom of the tank easily. What do you guys think?

 

Arms cant reach down further than 800mm to 850mm to reach that elusive heater clip etc. thats fallen to the bottom... Tongs quicly become a pain... + If you are going with your idea of a planted community tank - it takes some serious lighting to punch light down to those depths... Just a thought

 

1.2 is very deep, agree with azurekoi, also if it is on a stand/cabinet you will have to stand on a ladder/chair
What happens then is you end up putting your body weight on the tank (bad idea)

The 1.2 deep will be a shlep, might be managable if you do bare bottom, then you are limited to few types of plants.

my 5ft is 700 deep plus lid about 200, I can only just reach the bottom with the tips of my fingers, PS this always ends up with wet sleeves and armpits.