Habitat - Indoor :: New year, new tank

Turtle tank setups and other indoor configurations.

Post Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2018 1:29 pm   New year, new tank

Well someone was getting rid of a 55 gallon tank on CL and I picked it up a couple weeks ago. It needs some scrubbing and I'm working on finding a stand, but it looks like after this winter, Sedge is getting an upgrade! Tank still won't be very deep (front to back), but I think this is the biggest I can go in the current space.

Anybody had much luck getting that white frost off of glass? I'm going to be scrubbing lots with vinegar solution...

I'll have two Fluval 306s so hopefully that will work well. Right now I have a 100 watt and 50 watt heater, so I'll need something else. Probably 250-300 watts total, I think.

Excited to get it all set up and share pics. Won't be for 2-3 months probably though, when it warms up a bit.
User avatar
Kingbird44
 
Posts: 256
Joined: May 2, 2016
Location: Northeast USA
Gender: Female

Post Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2018 4:05 pm   Re: New year, new tank

Nice find! You can try a mr clean eraser with the frost. Most importantly, you will need to check the seals. Even if there is a little bit of compromise, it will lead to leaks.
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2018 6:26 pm   Re: New year, new tank

Oh I'll try that. Yeah, I'll test it out, but as far as I know it was working fine as a fish tank when last used.
User avatar
Kingbird44
 
Posts: 256
Joined: May 2, 2016
Location: Northeast USA
Gender: Female

Post Posted: Tue Jan 02, 2018 8:59 pm   Re: New year, new tank

Testing is fine, but you need to really visually check for any missing or lifting parts. Silicone with a lot of frost or algae need extra scrutiny. Thats actually how my tank developed a leak.
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 10:12 pm   Re: New year, new tank

Well, now I'm having second thoughts about upgrading. I am supposed to pick up a stand for 40 bucks in a couple days.

The main reason for upgrading is obviously to give Sedge more space, as he's about 4 inches now (he's in a 29 gal full with ATBA). I think I feel extra bad because he's been so mopey this winter, but that probably (??) has nothing to do with tank size / boredom (or does it?)

Of course, the people on this forum probably think it's good to upgrade. Most people IRL think I'm crazy :-P

Thing is, the 55 gal I picked up will need some cleaning and I think I might not be able to get it totally clear. The stand is 30 or 45 mins away, so all this stuff ends up taking lots of time initially! Then I'm worried about extra maintenance (probably not that much, I'll have 2 306s running) and cost / waste of additional energy use.

I was kind of planning on waiting to upgrade for another year or two, since I'm a grad student in an apartment, and I'm hopefully finishing my phd in that period of time. So then, if I move, I'd have to deal with a lot more stress if I upgrade now...

I always have too many projects *sigh*. Most of them involve my animals. And I need to write my dissertation :-P

Thoughts? Dissuade my guilt for leaving him in the 29 for now, or convince me that upgrading is really worth doing now?
User avatar
Kingbird44
 
Posts: 256
Joined: May 2, 2016
Location: Northeast USA
Gender: Female

Post Posted: Thu Jan 04, 2018 11:53 pm   Re: New year, new tank

You can go ahead clean it up and sell it.... wait for the $1 per gallon sale for a new tank. Stands can be made easily (depending on the style and functionality). Getting a "forever" home out of the way is a big accomplishment though :P

As for cleaning, you just need to find an easy and convenient way to do it, but its different for everyone.
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Sun Jan 07, 2018 2:34 pm   Re: New year, new tank

Yeah I think right now I'm going to focus on enrichment in the current tank, and wait to upgrade till I'm ready...
User avatar
Kingbird44
 
Posts: 256
Joined: May 2, 2016
Location: Northeast USA
Gender: Female

Post Posted: Mon Jan 08, 2018 12:24 am   Re: New year, new tank

Sounds good to me :)
User avatar
steve
Site Admin
 
Posts: 31430
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: New York, NY
Gender: Male


Return to Habitat - Indoor

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 16 guests