Fish tanks and divers

[Superlyte27]

Well, now that the tank is cracked... Some advice......
Buy the biggest freakin tank you can afford. Trust me on this. Fish Tanks are the one thing in life where bigger is easier. Then, fill it with as much live rock as you can possibly afford.

If you do this, having a fish tank is nearly effortless. I had a 55, 90 and 120 Saltwater tank for years. Loved them. But I move too much to do it again.

 

[agilis]

I've had marine aquaria since the 1960s. I have two set up now, basically fish with a few invertebrates. Everything I have in the way of livestock Ive caught myself, mostly here in NJ. We, along with a number other areas from the N.C. Outer Banks north to Cape Cod, are close to the Gulf Stream, which deposits many juvenile tropicals every summer in local inlets and jetties, including tiny angelfish, butterfly fish, and a few deep water rarities. I have a couple of Clownfish I brought back from the Pacific, but that was before 9/11, when it was relatively simple to bring back a few small aquarium fish in carry on luggage. I'm a firm believer in understocking marine aquaria, so I have only about a dozen fish in my two tanks, one 90 gallon and the other a 260. The mated pair of Clowns are the longest residents.

 

[SeaHawk12]

Bummer...sorry to hear about that. I guess it is better than cracking at the end of the cycle though.

Bigger is better for reefs. I have a 20 gallon thank, and boy is it fickle! Anything out of the norm screws up the parameters!

 

[agilis]

Most tanks crack because they are not absolutely level. They must be solid, stable, and as level as a competition pool table. The higher the sides, the more that being level is important. Too thin glass and unlevel tanks will crack. Trying to move a tank with any serious amout of water in it will likely crack it. a 55 gallon tank weighs nearly 500 lbs when full, and can cause weak stands to go out of level enough to crack glass. Many tanks from fly by night manufacturers are made of too thin glass. You can see the glass bulge when they are filled. Many others are damaged in transit. Beware of most used tanks. Initial physical set up is the most vital element in creating a stable secure aquarium. There are excellent books (not internet sites) that explain all these things.Internet sites are excellent if you like to have tanks crack and experience failures. If you want to be successful, read a book.. or two. Them read them again. Then plan your tank and go slowly and carefully.