My friends make fun of me...

[Liz]

I have a 40 gallon (36"L, 17"H, 18"W) tank that houses one 3-4" GSP (and 3 uneaten feeder fish friends). Friends tease because I have a massive tank with one lonely little fishy. Because my tank is longer for more swimming area and surface area, is there anything I could stick in there with my GSP? In my experience he is very peaceful except when without food for several days & hungry.

[RTR]

By 3-4" his salinity should be up way beyond goldfish range - prhaps they should come out?

GSPs are not known for being reliable tankmates. They do get hungry.

[Liz]

They are mollies, and they tolerated an overly-fast SG heightening better than he did (hospital page, pics of him with sunken eyes). I got it up to 1.012 but I guess it was too rapid....
After that I took his sg down to like 1.004 and he is happy again, but I got an actual bucket to actually mix actual salt in. I'm going to be a lot more careful about it now... but yeah I would like to eventually take him full marine, if I can get my stupid protein skimmer working...

[tekknoschtev]

You dont need a skimmer to go marine - but its a good idea

As for tank mates - mine is in full marine and has a little ()*#^$ of a chromis for a friend (a yellow tailed black chromis). They get along but only because each packs as strong of a bite as the other.

For what its worth, I'll likely be laughed at or criticized (wait, already have been by my parents) when I upgrade my puffer to her 60 cube. She'll be all alone in paradise. That chromis - he might go in the sump of my frag system - hahaha.

Things to counteract the "alone-ness" perhaps some clever aquascaping can be done. Plant for the most part wont tolerate the salinity but when you are in full marine, you can try some macro algaes and some clever rock work.

As for having a true tank-mate, I'd err on the side of caution and not risk it. I personally think tanks with fewer fish can be just as attractive as ones stocked to the gills with fish (and generally, the former is easier to maintain).

[ChesapeakeSwellfish]

Liz - I really like the dimensions of your tank. I think its an excellent alternative to a 30 long - same length and height, but 50% more width makes it more like 45 gal. Sometimes called "breeder" tanks, they have large surface area and are not so deep as to get yourself too wet when arranging things. It also takes up only 6" more room than a 30 Long, yet you gain so much more water volume. These are not usually easy to find in stock ("special order item") - don't ever get rid of yours!

I think 1 GSP is plenty in that tank. I'm sure you have some good ideas about decorating it!

[Liz]

Yeah I have ideas but no money.

It's IMPOSSIBLE to find a lid for my tank though! The only lids I can find with those dimensions are for center-braced models, which mine is not. Companies make 36"x12"(?) single-pane tops, and then 36"x18" 2-pane tops.

I bought my tank used out of the classifieds.... $80 for wrought iron stand and 2 tanks, mine and then another smaller shallow tank which my mom uses for her "baby" tortoises. It was listed as a "reptile cage" and the glass doesn't seem very thick but no problems so far. I've heard my tank would make a good reef tank....

EDIT: heyyy I used an aquarium gallons calculator and yeah, the tank is closer to 50 gallons... like 47.5 gallons. It's bigger than I thought.

[monsterpuffer]

You can try to make your own lid out of plexiglas. You can go to Lowe's or Home Depot and have them cut a piece to fit your tank. The only problem is trying to work out how you would do feedings if you get a solid piece. I suppose you could buy the 36x12 pane from Marineland or All-Glass and then get a 36x6 section of plexi.

My 2 cents

MP

[monsterpuffer]

I just looked at aquriumguys.com and they do have a 72x18 lid for 44.99 that has two 36x18 panes. Only thing I could find.

MP

[Liz]

yeah, two panes are no good.

I thought about the plexiglass, but I didn't know they cut it for you.

I guess I could go with 36x12, it would leave space for feeding and the heater and powerhead cords.

[tekknoschtev]

I use egg crate (light diffuser) for my puffers tank. Not because I couldnt find covers, but because I didnt like them :p WOrks great, lets light and air transfer

[Myaj]

Or check out a local glass store. I've had them cut me custom made lids for my fish tanks, and it was always very cheap, only a few dollars at the most.

Then I order the hinge(s) and the back strip of plastic online and there we go.

[ChesapeakeSwellfish]

Liz - If you go this route, I suggest getting the hinge and backstrip first, and then take them to the glass place with a drawing of what you want. I found the 3/16 x 36" hinge at http://www.aquariumguys.com for 6.99. Unfortunately, their backstrips appear to be too short at 25" (made to fit hoods in which the plastic backstrip fits into a center section. So another alternative (if you can't find a 36" backstrip - you know, they must be out there somewhere...) is to buy the 36"x13" glass hinged top which comes with both the hinge and the backstrip - but would require you to replace the center section of glass at a glass shop. Those tops cost about $20.

If you go the plexiglass route - don't get the thinnest stuff - it will sag in the middle, maybe enough to fall in. And don't try cutting it yourself unless you've got a pile of free stuff to play with. I find glass to be much easier to cut than plexiglass.

[ChesapeakeSwellfish]

I've done some pretty ugly, but effective things with duct tape before, too. I don't like any openings that would allow a fish to jump out. I've caught my F8 twice during water changes (he hasn't hit the floor) - that old baseball experience helped! My GSP is no Michael Jordan, but I still don't want to take a chance.

[ChesapeakeSwellfish]

Ha! Found the 36" backstrip, also at http://www.aquariumguys.com - Perfecto Lg Glass Canopy backstrip 36" x 3/16, $2.99, item F18 0302 0139. You want the backstrip (can be cut) rather than an open space in back to reign in leapers.

[rainmaker69]

For my 72g (48 X 18 footprint), I went to the glass shop and got 2 strips of 1/4" glass cut at a 8 1/2" width. The first piece sits back against the Aqua clear filter and holds the light, while the second strip sits at the front of the tank with a little overhang. I glued a seashell on it for a handle and have found no need for a hinge. Works great for minor decorating as the front piece easily lifts off and allows access to the tank while still having the lights on.