howdy guys!!

my lovely boy got me a tank for valentines day!!
its a 4ft x 1.5ft x 2ft...and its beautiful
he got it so i could get over my oscar envy and finally get some of my own
[his baby oscars are still in their temporary 3ft home and his 6ft tank is still coming...]
im so disgustingly happy right now
i thought i would have to wait ages to get my tank...
but now all i have to do is buy my filter, light, heaters, and substrate
...and of course my fish.

i have a few questions though...
i have two holes in the bottom of my tank...presumably where the filter hoses go through...theyre covered and siliconed for the moment...is it better to put the filter hoses through the bottom? or put them over the top of the tank?

and speaking of filters...
ive been looking at several brands...fluval, eheim, and rena...
but am unsure what the "best" brand is [still researching this]
what i wanted to ask you guys is...
does anyone know which filter is the quietest?
the tank is possibly going next to a bedroom so i would need a very very quiet filter...
none of the information ive looked at so far doesnt really say which is the quietest.

aaaaand...
[last few questions for this post promise hehehehe]
i want to use black substrate
either black sand, or black silica.
is there a difference?
and which is safer to use with oscars?
and is it overly difficult to clean?
i usually use a gravel vac...and as ive never worked with sand im not sure if its going to get sucked up into the gravel vac or not...

hope this hasnt been TOO long...
and that you guys can help me


thanks!

congratz!
Remember to cycle your tank before getting your fish!
You'll still need some patience!
Here's some info on black sand:

www.oscarfishlover.com/oscar-fish-advice...imit=12&start=12

I am not allowed to keep fishtanks in the bedroom, all my tanks make noise.
Can't help you out there although i know airpumps are noisier than filters.

i know its going to take a while to cycle...
actually its going to take a while to set up.
were going to paint the cabinet and the top for the tank.
its plain pine at the moment and i want it black...
so its going to be quite sometime before i get it all up and running...
but i want to start organising things now...ish. hehehe

thanks for the link!
i cant find any black sand in the petshops/aquariums here in melbourne
[none of the ones ive been to anyway]
i can only find the silica based stuff
which im quite worried about as it looks somewhat sharpish.
*sigh*
i do want black sand...
but may end up having to settle for black gravel.
booooooooooo.

hehehehehe well the tank will be a fair bit away from my bedroom
but it will be near my parents room.
hence the looking for a quiet filter

glad to hear your on the way

www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7080

an excellent review of the fx5 and enheim and also mentiones noise
personally i like the over the top pipes, for movement of the water, and most O's like the water "fountain" lol

obviously the reviews mentioned are the expensive filters, but should give you an idea,
i have our Oscar tank in the living room and it runs an fx5 and a 305
and also have another tank in there running a 305, and noise is hardly noticed,

i also have a tank in the passageway by two bedrooms (bungalow, wooden floor) and that has a tetratec ex1200 and a fluval 405 and again never notice it,
i get more noise from the air pumps and wrap them in something,
good luck

congratz on the new tank, always a good day when u get new fish stuff!!

wo someone loves you then )))) what did he get ))))))))))))

COngrats on your new tank...i'd hang on to him...any man that gets you a tank for valentines day is worth keeping around! Haha

I have black sand as well and love it...well worth the extra money I had to pay for it in my opinion! Mine also does look a little more "sharp" but the O's love it and it looks nice in the tank. Also its a little heavier grained so it doesn't really cloud the water up at all like finer grain sands...the stuff I got is made by Caribsea and is their "Super Naturals Black Tahitian Moon Sand"...like I said I love it and will never go back to gravel!

Oh and make sure you post some pics of the new tank!

les_looking:

thanks!
i'll read it in a few...

askhammatt:

hehehe
it was an AWESOME day


marcus:


he got a fair few things...
all of which seem so inadequate after getting the tank -.-"
but he doesnt mind...
he loves all twelve presents i got him
[it was also our one year anniversary...so i gave him one present for every month]


ikkie:

hahahahaha i think i WILL hang on to him...
not everyday i get given a tank

i really really want black sand
but i keep reading conflicting stuff
some that say that the silica based stuff is too sharp and will hurt oscars etc
and some that say it doesnt matter...

so confusing!

Just checked and the company ikkie suggested dont have a distribution point in australia, so dont think you'll be able to get that particular brand..

I have a fluval 405 and its pretty much silent, very recommended (will do upto 400L so your tank would be ok with just this filter, altho a fluval FX5 would give you more overlap but is more expensive)

heres the review for the 405...

shop.aquakoiaquatics.com/fluval-405-exte...r---220-v-1450-p.asp

as has been said, its the air pump that makes the most noise, not the filter...

hope this helps, and congrats on the new tank, get some pics up when u can

T

thanks tony


ive seen another brand of black sand...its silica based...
"aqua one" i think it was...

actually i looked at an eheim review and it didnt seem bad.
so i may look at the different eheims.

The black sand I have is a little rougher...sharper...whatever you wanna call it but it seems to be fine with my little oscars and pictus cats who spend most of their time cruising around down at the bottom. I think the black sand is made from coarser rocks so maybe thats why its a little rougher...probably volcanic rocks that have been worn down...I'd say you'd be ok with it though.


The nice thing about it being coarser is it doesn't cloud your water like the really fine sand does...I can grab a handful and drop in back into the tank and falls right to the bottom with no clouding at all...at least I know it won't be getting in my filter!

ikkie...
is your sand glossy?
the one i looked at kinda is.
i worry about it being sharp...cos it looks sharp.
like teeny glass shards almost.