help me out with an upgrade, please

[Nina51]

i'm looking at this one...

http://www.petsmart.com//WFS/PETUS/...-0?green=CFA4C177-B30A-5902-AFB9-346A91364B12

right now, scampi is in a 20h. this was just a little kit i bought (including the light) from petsmart and was formerly my qt tank for my reef fish. it's too small for him, which i knew but i wanted to get him out of that nasty pet store tank.

i have a nice actinic strip light that i turn on when i get home from work, i don't usually turn the florescent light on till around 6 p.m. and it goes off at 9 p.m., so he isn't getting a whole lot of light.

eta: or this, which is glass, and quite a bit less $$$...
http://www.petsmart.com/supplies/aq...36-catid-300065?var_id=36-17608&_t=pfm=search

would the tank in the link be appropriate? eventually, i may get an hob skimmer but right now, it just has a hob biowheel filter, power head and of course, a heater. with a bigger tank, i'll add more live rock, too.

 

[Calappidae]

The 30 gallon version of the sea clear in the first link would be enough actually. The dimensions sacrifice height for width which is all they really need. The 30 gallon should have a surface area of 36"x12".

Of course bigger is always better. Plus the way the top is cut out due to acrylic is a huge nuisance to work around... It's what I have and it's a complete pain to get rock in the tank.

 

[Nina51]

i've never had an acrylic tank. i know they are much lighter in weight than glass but i also know they scratch easily.

what about the other link? it's a 40g glass tank. i called all over the place and only petsmart has them and they only have 1 left. they're holding it for me until tomorrow so i need to decide.

thanks!

 

[Calappidae]

The 40g glass will work!

Yeah, EVERYTHING scratches acrylic. I have to use a credit card to clean coraline algea off the acrylic. I've even scratched the sides of the tank with a dry wash rag just wiping little drip marks...

 

[Nina51]

thanks, joe! you talked me into it! gonna call my son and have him pick it up for me and i'll get it from him next week. gonna see if i can find some sort of stand that isn't too tall so as not to block the window too much. scampi will be a happy camper!

i don't think i'd get along well with acrylic. i am constantly cleaning the glass. not that it needs it but one little spot will kick start my OCD. LOL

 

[Calappidae]

Haha,

Sometimes I wonder to myself whenever I see coraline growing on the acrylic.. "Look at coraline, or look at possible scratches?" I do remedy the outside damage done with tooth paste in the scratches (don't know how, but it hides them completely).

Just make sure you silicone an acrylic sheet on the bottom of the tank.

 

[EI Gringo]

Acrylic sucks major donkey boners, never buying one again.

 

[EI Gringo]

I had my Glabrous in a 18l acrylic and it took dozens of chunks out of it, I was worried it would chip through. She's now in a bucket :L

 

[Nina51]

after seeing these comments, i'm definitely staying away from acrylic!!

Just make sure you silicone an acrylic sheet on the bottom of the tank.

i did put a piece of plexiglass cut to fit the bottom of this 20h but i just laid it down and covered it with 2-3" of sand/crushed coral. does this take any particular kind of silicone?

 

[Calappidae]

It doesn't really take any special kind of silicone, but I use this stuff that I get from a local lowes just because it says aquarium safe on it.

 

[Nina51]

thanks! i'll pick up a tube.

 

[snorvich]

Nina, you want the largest footprint; gallons is irrelevant.

 

[Nina51]

i understand that, steve. this 40g is 36"L, 16" tall, 18" deep. this will give me an extra 1' in length and another 5" in depth. it's 1" shorter.

the tank will be situated on a window wall that is between my living room and the room i had built on last year. it won't get any direct sun but will be bright enough so i won't have the lights on till well after dark for a couple of hours or so.

he's been doing lots of excavating the past few days so i hope he'll be happy with more room.