thecuttywren

Anyone have experience with the larger (than peacock) gudgeon species, such as Mogurnda cingulata, Mogurnda mogurnda, or Giuris margaritacea? Thinking about larger oddball fish for a 60g planted with rainbowfish.

Check if your local petco has an aqueon 60 breeder. Same footprint as a 75 but shorter. I just got one on sale for 100 on sale (plus another 15% off with the rewards program)

Update to anyone interested. Used Novus 3 and 2 (the heavier and medium scratch removers) with a sponge attachment to a drill. Worked very well on the scuffs and scrapes, and some of the lighter scratches. I probably could have spent another few hours to get the deeper scratches, but didn't bother. Bought a 60g aqueon from petco for $85. Pretty low quality control. They used a huge amount of silicone, and there are blobs and strings of silicone and silicone residue that I spent a couple hours cleaning off with a razor blade and a melamine foam eraser. Almost made me want to buy a new acrylic tank with the same dimensions as the 60g, but for $85, I can't complain.

On the contrary, in my opinion, rainbows are definitely an option. For one, there are many species of various sizes. Your 75g is plenty big enough (that is 120cm tank), even for the larger ones, but maybe not with all your current fish. In my experience, rainbows are fine as singles or pairs in mixed rainbow groups. If you are worried about them being too big for the tank, considering your current fish, you can look into the smaller species. see the article: https://www.aquariumcoop.com/blogs/aquarium/top-10-rainbowfish. If you like the classic rainbow behavior and shape, the dwarf neon rainbows are great fish that only get ~3 inches long. Mine are very active and the males will "dance fight", but never physically hurt each other or bully each other to the point of detrimental stress. One consideration though, is that the dwarf neons and the larger rainbows are very fast, strong fish, and go crazy for food, so you would want to make sure that your other fish are getting enough to eat.

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. I'm still wavering, as it's a tough decision, but i think I will try to restore the acrylic 55g (48" L x 13" D x 21" H) and sell it, and buy a 60 breeder (48" L X 18" W X 16") which is $100 at my local petco right now, to replace my 46g bowfront (36" x 12-16 "x 21"). Though this tank is undeniably a couple classes above an aqueon glass tank in terms of aesthetics and weight, I like the dimensions of the 60 breeder better, as it has more depth and is shallower. Additionally, I want to start by using the same 36" light I'm using, and only upgrading if the plants need it, so the tinted top of the 55 would be a problem. I'm constrained from living in an apartment, so I don't have a real workspace or room for power tools, so I don't have the ideal tools for cutting the top opening larger, plus I'm technically not supposed to have a tank larger than 50 gallons, otherwise I'd absolutely go up to a 75g.

Beautiful tank! Interesting how different individual fish can be. My tretocephalus is the most bullied fish in a 46h with multies, a leleupi, a juli ornatus and a bunch of rainbows. Are your rocks glued together or just stacked strategically?

Thanks for the advice, I think I will try to fix the scratches and sell the tank on cl. Seems like it would be better for someone who doesn't want plants, as the lighting will be complicated by the tinted top. I'll update with results of the scratch repair. @Biotope Biologist what kind of polisher would you recommend? I was just planning on using a drill.

Hi all, First post here. Just picked up a 55 gallon (standard dimensions) acrylic tank from a neighbor who left it on the corner. I'm considering transferring my existing 46 gallon bowfront to the 55, as the 46 was bought used and is pretty scratched up, and the old owner took off the center brace, which I replaced with a couple strips of acrylic epoxied onto the rim (it's worked for a few years but has always scared me). However, the 55 is a little odd, and there are some potential problems. Acrylic tank. Seems like a really nice tank, but it has deep scratches on the outside of the side panels from being left on the curb The top is heavily tinted black. Not sure how this will effect lighting The top has very small openings. Largest are 4.75" x 14.5". Probably great for ropefish or octopus, but less than ideal for planting and putting in rocks and wood. I've done some research, and (once I leak test) plan to use an auto headlight scratch removal drill kit, like Zenzo did in this video: Removing Scratches from Acrylic Aquarium. Luckily, there don't seem to be any scratches on the front panel, so I'm not too worried about making it perfect. My questions for the community: Any tips on scratch removal? Will the tinted top be too difficult for lighting a low tech tank? What tools would I need to enlarge the openings on top? I'm a renter with limited space, so I am not able to buy any large power tools. I am looking at the cheaper metal / particle board stands on amazon like this one, as I'm on a budget and don't have the tools to make a stand. Anyone have any personal experience with these? What do people use for lids for acrylic aquarium? Is this all too much trouble and should I just buy a new glass tank for ~$150? Pictures of the 46 and the new tank.