I was given a 200 gallon aquarium recently and we've finally decided to set it up. can anyone link me to a website or tell me the best filteration equipment to use? i'm not a beginner at keeping fish, i've just never had such a large tank and i want to set it up right. my kids are stuck on goldfish ( i know they are a dirtier fish to keep, but apparently that's what we're gonna go with). thanks in advance.
2007-02-01 23:54:31 · 3 answers · asked by freezingcactus 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
Goldfishparadise.com will be a good site to start with. Canister filters are best. Eheim is your best bet for such a large aquarium. You will need two canister filters. This will run you about $100-$120 new, try to find used ones maybe on craigSlist.com
Do not try an undergravel filter. What this is, is a grate that goes under the gravel and pulls all the crap and wasted food under it. You will have a buildup of waste that will be near impossbile to clean in such a huge tank. It causes problems with toxin buildups and its not pretty even in a 10 gallon tank when people decide to stop using it. I can't imagine trying to maintain one in a 200 gallon tank.
I assume the aquarium is used. Fill it up in the driveway if you can to check for leaks. Clean it with some pure bleach and rinse several times. It is important to have a stable area in the house since this aquarium will weigh around 2000 pounds. Use shims to make sure it is as close to exactly level as you can. With that kind of water pressure even the slightest imbalance can lead to the glass exploding and a mini flood in the house.
Read up on fishless cycling and get a master test kit for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. Don't worry too much about ph, so long as you have hard water with stability the ph can range from 7.6-9 for goldfish. Fishless cycling is done with pure ammonia (ACE hardware brand is pure) in such a big tank as it is the most economical way. Fishless cycling is done because there is no chance of losing any fish over the process.
Your tank can hold 15 fancy goldfish to adult size. Lucky you. You will want to add them slowly so as not to shock the cycle and cause a bacteria bloom. No algae eaters because they will eventually make a meal of the goldfish. You can add khuli loaches though.
I suggest you keep the tank at 78F for goldfish. A low temperature harbors some diseases better. A higher temperature will mean that any disease shows up faster so you can catch it. The goldfish will also have a better metabolism at this temperature and will grow faster and healthier.
That's all I can think of for now.
2007-02-02 00:01:33 · answer #1 · answered by bzzflygirl 7 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I have had a large established tank for more than 2 years and bio wheel is great. We used one large one for a good while but have had the best luck with 2 smaller ones that put together match the same demand. also if they start to get a foggy tank I would get an under gravel filter. BE SURE to buy a bottle of algea destroyer it comes in very handy, and can save alot of work for you just be sure to use the correct anmount as too much will distress the fish or even kill them. Also be sure to get the right kind of goldfish. We got one because it was pretty and 2 months later it was fryer size.lol I think it was a ryukin. not sure.
2007-02-02 08:06:57 · answer #2 · answered by chasin_jasen 2 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Look into the Fluval FX5. That "could" handle the tank alone, but I would also run a HOB(Emporer 400 or Penguin 350) in unison. If you try EBAY or purchase online, you'll save alot of $$$. The FX5 is not cheap, but does a great job. 200g, now I'm jealous =).
2007-02-02 08:44:20 · answer #3 · answered by Steven N 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋