Random one this – my parents have decided that they would like a new fish tank, and reckon that I must know about them… their requirements are thus:

– Minimal changing of gravel etc
– Glass that stays clean with minimal cleaning
– Cold water
– Looks pretty
– Can handle a couple of mid sized gold fish

This being 2011 (almost) someone must have invented a self cleaning fish tank or at least one with a filter that is better than the one on their current 20 year old tank…

Any advice is welcome!

I have one of these.

http://www.reef-one.com/biUbe-Pure

Its made of very tough plastic/perspex.Has a filter unit underneath the bubble tower,Filter need changing every few months.Filter pack comes with cleaner pads and water additive.
Its very easy.
I have the auto light unit that haas a built in timer.

Why cold water? If you go with warm water, not too many fish, and some plants the maintenance is minimal. Stick in a couple of fresh water shrimp to eat up the scraps, and all you’ll really need to do is clear out the filter every now and then.

A tank containing a couple of mid sized goldfish and a tank which requires little cleaning don’t really go together, how about some fish that aren’t supposed to live in a pond?

http://www.tropicalfishfinder.co.uk/article_detail.asp?id=44
or
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/cyprinids2/p/zebradanio.htm

For example. You can keep 10-15 of those instead of 2 goldfish and they are much less messy and look so much better.

Ah, re-reading the OP I’m guessing it’s to replace the 20yr old tank which already has occupants…

That biUbe tank looks pretty cool!

Edit: it’s only 35l, doesn’t look so cool now…

Well it doesn’t have to be cold water fish I guess – the last of my parents gold fish died last week after 10 years (!). My dad is quite tight tho, so he’ll hear ‘warm water’ and decide it’ll cost more money….

Do warm water fish need less cleaning then?

I think cold water fish pooh more than tropical, but besides that tropical show a bit more interesting behaviour. Get a nice size tank with some cichlids and plenty of rock for hiding places and that’s it for a low maint setup.

Be wary of the Biorbs or any other Reef One variety. They’re a bit gimmicky and not really for serious aquarists. I believe they’re also unsuitable for goldfish as the filters are not brill and gf create a lot if cr@p. I have one myself with a handful of tropicals and it’s fine for that. Never come across self cleaning glass but (as above) there are several algae eating critters out there that will help you.

Have you looked at Fluval? Look nice and i believe they are pretty popular??

If you go tropical you can get ‘plecs’ which happily eat all the algae on the glass.

Any tank will need cleaning though but spend more on an active filter, don’t overfeed and make sure lighting (natural and tank) are controlled – too much and you will get more algae problems.

Goldfish are very messy fish and do require a lot of cleaning out. If you mean Rift Lake cichlids then I’m afraid they really do require weekly large water changes to thrive but apart from that they great. If you have a combi boiler that makes water changes very easy as there’s no need boil the water to a similar temperature when changing it. I love Malawi’s – nice 4ft or bigger tank, over-stock them to reduce bullying and their behaviour is fantastic

Do warm water fish need less cleaning then?

No, they need more cleaning. Warm water holds considerably less oxygen than cold water, and is therefore even more sensitive to organic pollution – which also effects oxygen content. Plus everything happens a little quicker in warmer water with regards to decomposition, therefore removing a dead fish or any uneaten food is more critical in warmer water. Ideally a partial weekly water change should be carried out, 10% – 20% depending on stocking levels, type of fish, diet, etc.

Whilst the fishes waste products do get broken down to an extent, you will never replicate an entire ecosystem in the enclosed confines of a small aquarium. Ultimately, your fish will be swimming in their own piss and shit.

To be honest if regular cleaning is such a issue, then you would probably be better off not getting them a fish. Or any other pet for that matter. Do they like plants ?

Well i’m not getting them a pet – they’re buying more fish to replace the ones that died… I just figured that there must have been some developments in the world of fish stuff that meant you didn’t have to clean it out every week.

Guess not 🙁

I just figured that there must have been some developments in the world of fish stuff that meant you didn’t have to clean it out every week.

Well they haven’t figured out a way of stopping fish from needing to eat and shit, if that’s what you mean. Although videos of fish swimming round and round have been out for quite a while. So you could replace their fish with a CD and they could sit looking at the telly, rather than an aquarium which needs weekly maintenance.

Fish tanks, yeah its a tank you keep fish in.

Good film.

What was said above – get some danios or minnows, they shoal & look better than just a couple of goldfish.
I’ve got a ~60L tank, and ended up with one massive fantail, one goldfish that’s catching up fast & a couple of different loaches but when this lot pack in i’ll get little ones as suggested. I did have a couple of rosy barbs in there but had to give them back to the shop as they were agressive.

Over-feeding is the usual reason the filter blocks up quickly, the Eheim Powerball filter is pretty easy to clean compared to others, i’ll probably change to one myself soon as i’m fed up with the one i’ve got now.

I have a biube pure and its been excellent.
5 Neon tetras and 6 black phantom tetras and 4 shrimp.
They have been in there about a year and a half,change water and filters every few months.clean tank monthly,Easy.