Should I Adopt This Tank?

Kenho21, I suggest that you go to whatever fish place you like, right down all the fish that you like, come back here and list them, and there are some members here that are really good at stocking suggestions.

That sounds like a good idea. I'll go to my local LFS (or twelve) and come back with some options when I'm ready!

 

Always take anything free. You can always make it a QT if you don't wanna abandon your dream build. Where it's basically ready to go you'd be a fool not to take it. It's a bowfront. Ppl pay extra for those.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with BluMan.

If this is not what you really want, don't get it! It has a smaller foot print than a 40 gal long and you mostly stock a tank in regards to footprint not amount of gallons.

The height of the tank requires an expensive light if you want to grow plants.

This said, I wouldn't even know where to get a 40 gal long, they are not common and not cheap. A 40 breeder you could get at Petco for about $50 at the moment.
A stand you could build yourself.
My first tank is a 40 gal, hubby build the stand.

 

Always take anything free. You can always make it a QT if you don't wanna abandon your dream build. Where it's basically ready to go you'd be a fool not to take it. It's a bowfront. Ppl pay extra for those.

That seems to be the consensus haha. I'm at work right now. Just waiting to run into her and let her know I'll be happy to take it off her hands!

 

That seems to be the consensus haha. I'm at work right now. Just waiting to run into her and let her know I'll be happy to take it off her hands!

Smart man.

 

I wholeheartedly agree with BluMan.

If this is not what you really want, don't get it! It has a smaller foot print than a 40 gal long and you mostly stock a tank in regards to footprint not amount of gallons.

The height of the tank requires an expensive light if you want to grow plants.

This said, I wouldn't even know where to get a 40 gal long, they are not common and not cheap. A 40 breeder you could get at Petco for about $50 at the moment.
A stand you could build yourself.
My first tank is a 40 gal, hubby build the stand.View attachment 333330

I just want another tank for the time being. A 40 L is my ideal setup, but in my opinion, a fish is a fish and that's what I truly want more of. I'll probably get the 40 L somewhere down the line and I can always sell the bow front if I want.

I've found that every store I've called can get 40 Ls, but they usually have to be ordered. Cost is usually around $75 because they are a somewhat uncommon size.

I wholeheartedly agree with BluMan.

If this is not what you really want, don't get it! It has a smaller foot print than a 40 gal long and you mostly stock a tank in regards to footprint not amount of gallons.

The height of the tank requires an expensive light if you want to grow plants.

This said, I wouldn't even know where to get a 40 gal long, they are not common and not cheap. A 40 breeder you could get at Petco for about $50 at the moment.
A stand you could build yourself.
My first tank is a 40 gal, hubby build the stand.View attachment 333330

Beautiful tank by the way! I hope I can make mine equally impressive!

 

To be honest..if you have the room for a 55...you may as well get a 75 gallon. Same length and height, with a little more width than the 55. There I go again being an enabler.
I may be mistaken, but I believe Petco will soon have their Dollar Per Gallon sale coming soon.
I will be very honest here. Get what you really really want, do not settle on a tank just because it's free. That's nice and all, but you will never be truly happy. You will always look at the bow front and replace it with the 40 in your mind every time you look at it, and wish you went with the 40. It's best to get what you want the first time. Once you get the bow fornt, I can almost promise that you will wish you went with the 40.
I'm a perfect example of that. I had a 55 gallon tank, and was so excited to finally get a big tank, but looking at the width of it, it was kinda narrow for such a large tank and wishing it was wider(?). Upon looking at 75 gallon tanks, and realizing that they both have the same footprint, with the 75 having about 5" more of width (insert joke here) made a big difference. I honestly don't think I would have been happy with the 55, and would kick myself for not getting g what I really wanted.

 

To be honest..if you have the room for a 55...you may as well get a 75 gallon. Same length and height, with a little more width than the 55. There I go again being an enabler.
I may be mistaken, but I believe Petco will soon have their Dollar Per Gallon sale coming soon.
I will be very honest here. Get what you really really want, do not settle on a tank just because it's free. That's nice and all, but you will never be truly happy. You will always look at the bow front and replace it with the 40 in your mind every time you look at it, and wish you went with the 40. It's best to get what you want the first time. Once you get the bow fornt, I can almost promise that you will wish you went with the 40.
I'm a perfect example of that. I had a 55 gallon tank, and was so excited to finally get a big tank, but looking at the width of it, it was kinda narrow for such a large tank and wishing it was wider(?). Upon looking at 75 gallon tanks, and realizing that they both have the same footprint, with the 75 having about 5" more of width (insert joke here) made a big difference. I honestly don't think I would have been happy with the 55, and would kick myself for not getting g what I really wanted.

Yeah, I totally hear that and agree that I'm always going to want the 40 (or why not 50??), but my plan now has changed a little since our discussion last night. I think you're right and the fact that the $1 gallon sale is coming up plays into my new plan perfectly.... Since the bow front tank is tall and narrow, I'll definitely be able to squeeze it into the bedroom or move my wall mounted bike rack in the living room and put it there and still be able to bring in the 40 (or 50). I'm going to buy the tank when that sale comes up and chip away at that project as my funds allow. It will be a good project to keep me busy and all the while I will still have my 5 gal and the bow front to keep me occupied!

Funny how things just work out when you have a small to medium sized obsession haha!

 

That sounds like a great game plan. Take your time piecing the 75 gall...I mean the 40 gallon together and make sure that you get everything that you wanted, and don't skimp out on most important equpment, such as the filter and heater. I don't mind spending a little for good equipment. I strongly believe in that you get what you pay for.

Funny how things just work out when you have a small to medium sized obsession haha!

You would never guess fish can become an obsession. I used to get crazy looks when I would excitedly tell people about my aquariums.

 

I agree with BluMan - take the freebie and still get the 40. If you want it bad enough, you'll find room for it.

 

That sounds like a great game plan. Take your time piecing the 75 gall...I mean the 40 gallon together and make sure that you get everything that you wanted, and don't skimp out on most important equpment, such as the filter and heater. I don't mind spending a little for good equipment. I strongly believe in that you get what you pay for.

Absolutely. I will always buy a quality filter and heater. So far my Cobalt Neo Therm heater has been amazing and I haven't run the Fluval 206 in an aquarium yet, but in the sink it ran well and was quiet lol.

 

With the 75 gallon you will eventually get...man there I go again.... I mean the 40 you will definitely need to upgrade to a bigger filter and heater. I suggest nothing less than 400gph and a heater no less than 250 watts.
Right now I'm running 2 Magnum 350's which is giving me about 500gpg. But in the next 2 months I'm upgrading to the Fluval FX4.
What you can do if you don't want to get a bigger filter, is that you can just add another 206, and run two filters.

 

yeah sure take that... Its not everyday you get a tank with setup for free....
you can have lieasure to buy a bigger time when your budget is good..

 

yeah sure take that... Its not everyday you get a tank with setup for free....
you can have lieasure to buy a bigger time when your budget is good..

Haha! I was looking at a Rolex or Omega for myself as a graduation present. By the time I graduate the Rolex is going to turn into a 500 gal aquarium.

 

Haha! I was looking at a Rolex or Omega for myself as a graduation present. By the time I graduate the Rolex is going to turn into a 500 gal aquarium.

Naaaaa, I would go for a pond....

 

Rolex or Omega

You should check out Bremonts. Beautiful watches. Watches is another expensive taste that I have.

 

Hey I have a saying if it's free it's for me. Go get that tank, are you there yet.

 

You should check out Bremonts. Beautiful watches. Watches is another expensive taste that I have.

Bremont watches are nice, but I've always wanted a Speedmaster. That's going to be my first haha. "Dark Side of The Moon" Speedmaster, to be exact.

...And this isn't off topic because I will have to pick up my new tank at a specific time and I will be late, therefore, not getting the tank if I don't have a watch to keep track of the time.

Hey I have a saying if it's free it's for me. Go get that tank, are you there yet.

I just talked to the lady I will be picking the tank up from and I should be able to get it tonight, but I might have to wait until Tuesday. ughh

 

"Dark Side of The Moon"

Wow...I just checked them out...really nice.
Since you are in that price range, have you seen the Ball Collection?

 

Wow...I just checked them out...really nice.
Since you are in that price range, have you seen the Ball Collection?

Yeah, those are really nice. Definitely taking ques from the classic Hamilton design. I've been looking for a nice vintage Hamilton.

 

Looks very similar to my 36 gallon bow front.

 

I've been looking for a nice vintage Hamilton.

I had the chance to pick one up awhile back. They guy wanted 2800 for it. Wish I would've picked it up. At the time I didn't know about them, looked plain and wasn't interested in it.
Hopefully you will have that 36 gallon set up and running soon.

 

Looks very similar to my 36 gallon bow front.

Yeah, I can't really tell if it's a 28 or 36 gal. I guess I'll know when I see it.

 

To be honest..if you have the room for a 55...you may as well get a 75 gallon. Same length and height, with a little more width than the 55. There I go again being an enabler.
I may be mistaken, but I believe Petco will soon have their Dollar Per Gallon sale coming soon.
I will be very honest here. Get what you really really want, do not settle on a tank just because it's free. That's nice and all, but you will never be truly happy. You will always look at the bow front and replace it with the 40 in your mind every time you look at it, and wish you went with the 40. It's best to get what you want the first time. Once you get the bow fornt, I can almost promise that you will wish you went with the 40.
I'm a perfect example of that. I had a 55 gallon tank, and was so excited to finally get a big tank, but looking at the width of it, it was kinda narrow for such a large tank and wishing it was wider(?). Upon looking at 75 gallon tanks, and realizing that they both have the same footprint, with the 75 having about 5" more of width (insert joke here) made a big difference. I honestly don't think I would have been happy with the 55, and would kick myself for not getting g what I really wanted.

DPG sale is on now and going until August

Went there July 9 and got my 40 breeder for 50 and I'm so excited lol

 

I had the chance to pick one up awhile back. They guy wanted 2800 for it. Wish I would've picked it up.

I don't want to make the same mistake with this tank lol. Done that enough times with other things. An you always realize as soon as it's too late.

 

So... I got the tank home and have been working on cleaning it for about the last half hour or so and I'm noticing a lot of scratches...bad scratches. It looks like the previous owner has been cleaning this thing with a diamond studded brillo pad. Also, it's going to need to be resealed, which is no big deal.

What do you folks think? Is it worth moving forward or should I buy a new tank and just utilize the stand?

 

What size is the tank

Petco has a dollar a gallon tank sale going on till August 11.

 

It's a 26 bow front. I doubt they'll have that size and if they do, do you think it would be included in the sale?

What size is the tank

Guessing those scratches make this particular tank a no go?

 

Go look on line to check,and petsmart has a big sale on tanks too.

Wet sand the tank with 3000 grit to see if they will buff out? Just a thought.

 

Wet sand the tank with 3000 grit to see if they will buff out? Just a thought.

Yeah, I thought of wet sanding, but that's a lot of work. I'm going to go check the pet stores and see what they have available. If they don't have it, then I'm just going to clean it up and sell it on Craigslist

 

Its FREE, TAKE it and Purchase a 40, build a stand for it and place the Freebee beneath it.
Not much larger a footprint and you can have your cake and eat it too!

 

I have a similar looking tank - 30L x 12Wx 22H, 37 gallon. You can still have a variety of fish but if you plan on doing real plants it's a bit of a pain (short arms lol). It's really pretty to look at with the height though and I got it because I also live in a smaller space.

 

If it's a 26, that's a perfect size for a qt tank, since it's free. Then when you are done with stocking your big tank, you can seek it or store it. But I agree I wouldn't use it as your display tank. Especially since your were planning on a 40.

 

Hey everyone!

So...I got the tank home a few days ago, started cleaning it up and noticed that all of the glass was very scratched up (see pics in next post), so this definitely willl not become my display tank. I'm going to see if I can sell it on Craigslist with the stand and use the money to setup a QT for stocking.

That night, I decided to go for a drive and check out the $1 gallon sale at petco and browse a little due to my dismay of discovering the condition of the bow front. Long story short, I was talking to a store manager at Pet Supplies Plus and he had some 55 gal tanks leftover from a $1 gallon sale that he wanted to get rid of. In the end, I came home with a new 55 gal for $42 out the door! So my 40 L turned into a 55 haha! BluMan was right all along...

I'm now in the process of building the stand for my 55 gal. I'll update with pics and progress!

 

Brilliant move!

 

Good from a far, but for from good. Also, all of the seals are in need of being replaced...

 

Great pickup for $42. I have a 55 and love it. Have fun!

 

Great pickup for $42. I have a 55 and love it. Have fun!

Thanks!

This is my first tank above 5 gal, but I felt like $42 for a new 55 gal was a pretty **** good price and impossible to pass up!

 

42$ for a 55 is a great price. To be honest, I wouldn't even take the time to reseal the 26...too much time and hassle, plus you wouldn't get the money back in the time spent resealing it. Either clean it up and just use it as a quarantine tank, or clean it up and sell on Craigslist for cheap. Those scratches would drive me up the wall.
No matter what, you came out on top.
Only problem now........just don't look at a 75...you will wish you had that extra 5" in depth. Lol.