What tank is more ideal for L046?

TiGrInUs · Post by **TiGrInUs** » 18 Jul 2004, 04:05

A 2ft Long x 2ft High x 12" wide or a 3ft Long x 12" high x12" wide? I think the first is a 29g and the second is a 20g.

Also im not used to smaller fish and im used to having 10x the necessary filteration. What type of filters do you run on your zebra tanks? (sorry if this was already discussed 100times. I just thought I would quickly ask in this thread)

blazespecv · Post by **blazespecv** » 18 Jul 2004, 08:25

I would say go for the longer tank, the bigger the footprint the better usually...... As for dealing with filtration, since I only keep african cichlids and plecos, I usually am the same about filtration. I generally try to have enough filtration to cycle the water through the tank 8X or more per hour. In all honesty, I have no problem slapping Aquaclear 500s on 20 longs, but that indeed can be overkill. Whatever you do for the zebras, try to create some nice hiding spots. A pretty strong HOB filter should be fine, and I would add a small powerhead since they really do benefit from current. Hopefully some other suggestions will be listed too.

Yann · Post by **Yann** » 18 Jul 2004, 10:39

Hi!

I would go with the 20 gallon as it offer more surface but usually you should prefer the biggest volume, as it is more stable...
but they should do fine with the 20 g

Cheers
Yann

doctorzeb · Post by **doctorzeb** » 18 Jul 2004, 11:06

Hi TiGrInUs

Personally I would go for the 3ft long tank. We'll never be able to re-create the depth that they are used to so you might as well try and re-create the river bed. By having the longer tank, you should be able to get more of a directional flow with your filtration.

The filters I use, are Fluval 4 plus, internal filters. Easy to clean, and very high flow rate with venture attached. You can also attach a tube to the outlet and create a spray bar for a uniform flow accross the water.

Good luck

rob
<a href="http://www.qems.biz/zebra.htm">www.zebrapleco.com</a> (replace the * with an e)

pleco_farmer · Post by **pleco_farmer** » 19 Jul 2004, 14:27

I've had success in a 40BR, which is 36"X18", 16" deep, using an AquaClear 500. I would hang the filter off of one end, and route the intake through PVC under the gravel to the opposite end. Then bring the pipe up through the gravel about an inch and add a sponge filter to screen the intake. In this fashion you get a nice current that runs the length of the tank. For covers, I usually cut 1/4" acrylic and stiffen it with some crossbars. This was enough room to support a breeding group of 5 zebras. I would add additional flow with powerheads when the rainy season arrived.

So, I imagine that you would meet with success in the 3' tank. The fish will gravitate towards the center, avoiding the downdraft from the filter output, so two feet doesn't give then too much room. A strong steady current is more effective than just turbulence and the 500 is easy to maintain.

My current setups are eight foot long plywood/epoxy tanks, filtered by two 500's, with a similar intake setup. Each tank is divided into four compartments which allows breeding groups to be segregated. They are productive in a two foot square cell, but the current flows from cell to cell though slots just above the gravel line, so there is little turbulence from the downsplash, just a nice steady flow.