MousePotato

I found a 65 gallon tank on craigslist and I am considering it even though I wanted a 75. I plan on keeping mbuna, mostly bottom-dwellers, and I noticed the two sizes have the same footprint. The 65 is just two inches shorter. Would this be adequate or should I hold out for a 75? Would I be able to keep as many fish in it?

Thanks.

Slug

Should be fine. 10 gallons of difference, eh probably won't make that big of difference with stocking....at least not in my mind. Same with 2". Probably not enough to worry about.

MousePotato

Thanks again, Slug. I think I will pass on this one, but there may be another. It doesn't have a hood or stand and my Socolofi likes to give himself little concussions on the hood he has now. I started pricing hoods for a tank that size and just about had heart failure. All told, I'd be looking at $200 for the hood, $100 for the tank and filters and who knows how much on the stand. It sounded like a good deal at first, but now not so much. There are many more complete setups in the $250-300 range.

Thanks!

peacemaker92

The bigger the better! If you're patient enough, the 75 gallon will be waiting for you somewhere to be bought or found. I'd actually prefer the 75g. You can stock more and it's just 2 inches longer right?

Well, hope you find your perfect 75g. Good luck!

MousePotato

Actually, it is looking very likely that instead of going smaller I am going bigger! A couple advertised their tanks on a local website. They have a 110 and a 55 with all equipment, stands and fish for $550. A friend of mine has been wanting a 55 and it looks like a 110 also has the same footprint as a 75, but is more versatile if we decide to keep something other than Mbuna in the future. We are going to check them out tomorrow.

The only problem is the fish. I know I can rehome them even if it means giving them away to the LFS, but I made a BIG mistake! The tank comes with two large Frontosas. I told my husband (who knows very little about fish) about them and showed him a picture from a website. Now he wants to keep them! The good news is that I may have a 200 gallon tank in my future, but in the meantime I think I need to visit the stocking forum.... <sigh>

Allie

110g are really deep. I sold mine b/c it was too deep.
You can get a good price for the Frontosa. What size are they? 2" ones go for $40. Oh and remember that Fronts get 15" and go with only certain species, NOT Malawi they are too aggressive for the fronts.
What you need to do is go here:
http://cichlidforum.com/articles/afr...us_gallery.php
Fronts profile:
http://cichlidforum.com/articles/c_frontosa.php

MousePotato

Thanks, Allie. I will try to talk my husband into selling them or even giving them away. The same friend who gave me the hooligans is chomping at the bit to get his hands on the Fronts. They really sound like lovely fish, but I would definitely need another aquarium and, believe it or not, husband already fussed about me keeping the 29 gallon after getting the big one! I tried to explain "quarantine tank," but his eyes glazed over quickly.

Maybe I just need to put things in perspective for him. Perhaps I'll start talking about buying a horse or I'll tell him my biological clock is ticking. That oughta be good for a tank or two!