Betta fish questions

[Devyn Nagy]

BIG NEWS BIG NEWS
I WAS TALKING ABOUT FISH WITH MY SCIENCE TEACHER
AND SHE SAID SHE"S MOVING
SO SHE OFFERED ME HER EMPTY 75 GALLON TANK

Yaaaay!

 

[NatJ]

BIG NEWS BIG NEWS
I WAS TALKING ABOUT FISH WITH MY SCIENCE TEACHER
AND SHE SAID SHE"S MOVING
SO SHE OFFERED ME HER EMPTY 75 GALLON TANK

Good news!

With stand, I hope? Do think about where in the house to put it, because it will be heavy.

Counting tank, stand, water, gravel, and so forth, it will probably be between 750 pounds and a thousand pounds when full.

 

[black_cat]

Good news!

With stand, I hope? Do think about where in the house to put it, because it will be heavy.

Counting tank, stand, water, gravel, and so forth, it will probably be between 750 pounds and a thousand pounds when full.

It does not have a stand. She has this one (empty) and another one (full, with tetras and a couple corys) on one of those sturdy school counters. We have a huge table in the basement (not like a movable table, like a large island attached to the floor) that I'm pretty sure is sturdy enough. I do wish that I could have it in my room, but 10 gallons is probably all my bedside table could support.

 

[NatJ]

It does not have a stand. She has this one (empty) and another one (full, with tetras and a couple corys) on one of those sturdy school counters. We have a huge table in the basement (not like a movable table, like a large island attached to the floor) that I'm pretty sure is sturdy enough.

I assume you'll check with your parents, but be sure to consider how VERY heavy an aquarium is when full of water!

 

[black_cat]

In the tank is some substrate, some fake plants, a rocky thing, a background, a lighting hood, and a heater. She says it needs a new filter.

 

[black_cat]

I assume you'll check with your parents, but be sure to consider how VERY heavy an aquarium is when full of water!

Of course I'll check!!!! I can't just bring a giant tank home lol
Worst case scenario it just goes on the floor, or I can't accept the offer.

 

[NatJ]

Of course I'll check!!!! I can't just bring a giant tank home lol
Worst case scenario it just goes on the floor, or I can't accept the offer.

I meant, specifically check with your parents about how much weight on that table.
It's easy to forget how the weight adds up when you're putting in buckets of water or running a hose, because you never have to lift it all at once. But if the table did break, you would have quite a mess!

I knew you couldn't just put a 75 gallon tank in your pocket and bring it home unexpectedly

Edit to add: on a concrete basement floor is fine. But for any other floor, you may need to consider the location of the floor joists and other supports, because there are places in most houses where that size tank can cause the floor to bow or maybe even break.

 

[black_cat]

I meant, specifically check with your parents about how much weight on that table.
It's easy to forget how the weight adds up when you're putting in buckets of water or running a hose, because you never have to lift it all at once. But if the table did break, you would have quite a mess!

I knew you couldn't just put a 75 gallon tank in your pocket and bring it home unexpectedly

Oooooooooooooh
Yeah I"d have to ask them before even starting this operation lol

 

[black_cat]

In the tank is some substrate, some fake plants, a rocky thing, a background, a lighting hood, and a heater. She says it needs a new filter. The substrate is little rocks, so not so good for live plants. I have some play sand that I can put under it to plant in.

 

[Chickstarrs]

Wow, a free tank! That's awesome!

Research filters before you buy. You will need a large filter to handle that much water. Get one that is rated for at least 100gal. Canister filters are great but expensive. They can filter a lot of water but are hidden under the tank.

For my planted tank, I used nylon stocking as little dirt bags. Filled them with soil and placed them on the bottom of the tank. Then covered them with very fine gravel. To insert the plants, I cut a little hole in the nylon and gently put the roots through and into the soil. Worked great. I will try to find the pictures I took of the process.