Help Buying a Fish Tank

[Gobo]

I've had Marine aquariums for over 25yrs my last one being 520 litres , a tank maintained properly looks fantastic 100% of the time but when not properly maintained they look awful except when freshly cleaned.
Most people love the hobby when first setting up the aquarium & getting new fish & coral etc but a month down the line when maintenance becomes a burden on your weekends the love can turn to hate.
I got rid of my last aquarium around six months ago & as much as I love the hobby I now just feel relief when I look at where the aquarium used to stand.

[Slamdoor]

I've had Marine aquariums for over 25yrs my last one being 520 litres , a tank maintained properly looks fantastic 100% of the time but when not properly maintained they look awful except when freshly cleaned.
Most people love the hobby when first setting up the aquarium & getting new fish & coral etc but a month down the line when maintenance becomes a burden on your weekends the love can turn to hate.
I got rid of my last aquarium around six months ago & as much as I love the hobby I now just feel relief when I look at where the aquarium used to stand.

Same here. Had marines for 12 years. Can look fantastic but oh - the work! Never again.

[MB2]

Bit of an update - we have some fish in it who seem happy enough. We had lots of issues with the water clouding and going green. So moved it to another place in the room so it gets less sunlight but still went green.

Installed an in-line UV light and did a water change last week and so far it has stayed beautifully clear.

[Plake]

Bit of an update - we have some fish in it who seem happy enough. We had lots of issues with the water clouding and going green. So moved it to another place in the room so it gets less sunlight but still went green.

Installed an in-line UV light and did a water change last week and so far it has stayed beautifully clear.

Would love to see some photos when you have a minute.

[MB2]

Would love to see some photos when you have a minute.

Try this - if it doesn't work will try again with imgur

[Plake]

Try this - if it doesn't work will try again with imgur

Link’s not working sadly.

[MB2]

Link’s not working sadly.

Sorry - try this one via the desktop.



Your fish look great ! We have a fish that eats the moss etc. but not a shrimp.

One of the Guppys spends most of the time at the top, but was swimming around the other day.

There is a towel behind it at the moment as there is a window there, but we just had UV tint film put on the window so if it stays clear with the towel, will try without the towel next.

[stuie-t]

Bit of an update - we have some fish in it who seem happy enough. We had lots of issues with the water clouding and going green. So moved it to another place in the room so it gets less sunlight but still went green.

Installed an in-line UV light and did a water change last week and so far it has stayed beautifully clear.

The first 6 months or so are always the trickiest with any new tank. After that they should be quite well established and just need regular water changes and cleaning. But then you’ll probably want to upgrade! I bought a nano cube tank to go on my desk last year thinking I would keep it simple but have since upgraded the light, replaced the internal filter and heater with external and added a Co2 diffuser to help the plants


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[kostal2093]

I've had Marine aquariums for over 25yrs my last one being 520 litres , a tank maintained properly looks fantastic 100% of the time but when not properly maintained they look awful except when freshly cleaned.
Most people love the hobby when first setting up the aquarium & getting new fish & coral etc but a month down the line when maintenance becomes a burden on your weekends the love can turn to hate.
I got rid of my last aquarium around six months ago & as much as I love the hobby I now just feel relief when I look at where the aquarium used to stand.

I can fully relate to this. In relation to tank location, the importance of this should never be overlooked in making tank maintenance some bit easier - away from direct sunlight, level floor, no draughts and easy access to water supply and sink. I also found that an inline UV filter helped with preventing algae growth but the UV bulb needs to be changed every three months or so to keep effective. Similarly, the lighting (fluorescent tubes) need to be set correctly on timers and tubes changed frequently to minimise algae growth. While I still miss the tank, I do not miss the gravel cleaning and water changes etc etc but chances are I will get another one again when I have more time.