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ImagineAquatics · 08-02-2005, 05:16 PM

LawLadyKerri sent me an email directing me to this forum. I've read all of the suggestions and understand the issues that give most people pause. I am responding to her email here so I can also answer some of your questions as well.

We're a very small company that has put a lot of thought into our aquarium, so most of the issues that I have read about on this thread have been addressed in our design. Let me know what you think about our aquarium.

I'll start by covering the limitations of this aquarium (this is not intended to be an advertisement, so I won't suger coat anything.) I will only be covering freshwater in this reply, as we are still experimenting with our salt water recommendations.

The aquarium is only 5" wide (5.5" outside width), but has 18 inches of length. Any fish that cannot turn around (with some very limited exceptions) is not suitable for this aquarium. We have found that fish grow rapidly after we initially place them into our aquariums, but the growth tends to slow quite a bit as they reach 5" or so (this does NOT seem to be true for most catfish, plecos, and a several other types of fish). We usually sell our grown fish to our friends with larger tanks, or back to the petstore. I usually get my replacement fish free with some change to spare. Some pet stores are picky about what they will purchase, so buyers beware! There are also plenty of fish that will never outgrow a tank of this size. A good aquarium book will have a max size for most fish.

Heat is an issue in any small aquarium with decent circulation and adequate lighting. Our aquariums are no exception. They are made of acrylic, which is a good insulator, so they tend to hold more heat inside. Also, we have an acrylic lid that sits inside of the top of the aquarium that pretty much seals water in. The upside is that this prevents almost all evaporation from the aquarium (about one cup per month depending on the ambient heat and humidity). The downside is that it prevents heat from escaping. With 12 hours of light and a room temp of 74F, our aquariums will be around 78F-80F. Some coldwater fish will not tolerate this temp for long. I don't recommend goldfish or the like in our aquariums. Some fish will survive in warmer water but will not thrive. Most tropical fish do very well. Again, most good fish books have very good temp range requirements.

Algae grows in most aquariums and ours is no exception. We equip them with compact flourescent lighting which is good for plants and algae alike. A good pleco and a magnetic scrubber usually keep this under control. But our system does not elliminate algae. Again, a pleco is suitable to add only AFTER the algae starts to grow. Most small plecos won't eat fish food, and if they do, they tend to stop eating algae. So wait until the algae is established before adding a pleco.

As far as quantity goes, the upside is that the tank pumps enough oxygen into the water for LOTS of fish. It has dual overflows and dual wet/dry filtration, and a post reverse flow undergravel filter. Plenty filteration and oxygen for tons of fish. LawLadyKerri mentioned 30 inches of fish as a maximum, and that is our recommendation. The reasons behind this are not what you might think. We have had WAY more fish than this with no problems (I can supply you with pics, and we will soon have a live webcam), but users tend to overfeed tanks with this many fish. That leads to messy gravel, which requires maintenance. We HATE maintenance, and the reverse flow usually keeps the gravel clean if feeding is not too excessive. When feeding, make sure that all your fish eat, and that there are no pieces of food of any substantial size left in the tank after three minutes. If floating food is to be used, you will need to turn off the pump, or use the supplied feeding ring. Otherwise the food will simply overflow into the filter. If you always use the feeding ring, you will not have problems.

Power failures are big problems for small tanks. Especially ours. The oxygen exchange relies on the pump, and there is not enough surface area without the dual overflows to provide adequate oxygen exchange. If you fully stock your aquarium (20"-50"), make sure you have a UPS attached to your pump. If the power goes out in a highly stocked tank, they will suffocate in a hurry. Keep that in mind when deciding how many fish to add to your aquarium. By the way, I know no one will believe that we got 50" into a 6 actual gallons of water. I don't expect you to.

If you purchase any schooling fish (danios included) purchase them in odd numbered pairs. Three or more per species seems to work well. We have had lots of success with schooling fish. Danios, neons, bloodfin tetras, cardinals, barbs, etc. tend to school quite nicely. A tank with a few dozen neons and a couple of rainbows is absolutely amazing. I highly recommend it. Use plenty of decorations with hiding spots if you have really small fish like neons.

Also, before adding any substantial number of fish, make sure that your filter has cycled fully. Wet/dry filters have been known to take up to three months to cycle from time to time, so be patient. If you restrain yourself, only add three or four small fish at a time every other week until your tank is sufficiently full for your taste. With proper selection and a bit of patience, your losses will be very minimal.

You can check out our manual at:
http://www.imagineaquatics.com/Imagi...r%20Manual.htm
if you have any more questions. Or feel free to post a reply, or send me an email.

08-02-2005, 05:16 PM	#12
ImagineAquatics Fishy Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Age: 29 Posts: 27	From the Inventor LawLadyKerri sent me an email directing me to this forum. I've read all of the suggestions and understand the issues that give most people pause. I am responding to her email here so I can also answer some of your questions as well. We're a very small company that has put a lot of thought into our aquarium, so most of the issues that I have read about on this thread have been addressed in our design. Let me know what you think about our aquarium. I'll start by covering the limitations of this aquarium (this is not intended to be an advertisement, so I won't suger coat anything.) I will only be covering freshwater in this reply, as we are still experimenting with our salt water recommendations. The aquarium is only 5" wide (5.5" outside width), but has 18 inches of length. Any fish that cannot turn around (with some very limited exceptions) is not suitable for this aquarium. We have found that fish grow rapidly after we initially place them into our aquariums, but the growth tends to slow quite a bit as they reach 5" or so (this does NOT seem to be true for most catfish, plecos, and a several other types of fish). We usually sell our grown fish to our friends with larger tanks, or back to the petstore. I usually get my replacement fish free with some change to spare. Some pet stores are picky about what they will purchase, so buyers beware! There are also plenty of fish that will never outgrow a tank of this size. A good aquarium book will have a max size for most fish. Heat is an issue in any small aquarium with decent circulation and adequate lighting. Our aquariums are no exception. They are made of acrylic, which is a good insulator, so they tend to hold more heat inside. Also, we have an acrylic lid that sits inside of the top of the aquarium that pretty much seals water in. The upside is that this prevents almost all evaporation from the aquarium (about one cup per month depending on the ambient heat and humidity). The downside is that it prevents heat from escaping. With 12 hours of light and a room temp of 74F, our aquariums will be around 78F-80F. Some coldwater fish will not tolerate this temp for long. I don't recommend goldfish or the like in our aquariums. Some fish will survive in warmer water but will not thrive. Most tropical fish do very well. Again, most good fish books have very good temp range requirements. Algae grows in most aquariums and ours is no exception. We equip them with compact flourescent lighting which is good for plants and algae alike. A good pleco and a magnetic scrubber usually keep this under control. But our system does not elliminate algae. Again, a pleco is suitable to add only AFTER the algae starts to grow. Most small plecos won't eat fish food, and if they do, they tend to stop eating algae. So wait until the algae is established before adding a pleco. As far as quantity goes, the upside is that the tank pumps enough oxygen into the water for LOTS of fish. It has dual overflows and dual wet/dry filtration, and a post reverse flow undergravel filter. Plenty filteration and oxygen for tons of fish. LawLadyKerri mentioned 30 inches of fish as a maximum, and that is our recommendation. The reasons behind this are not what you might think. We have had WAY more fish than this with no problems (I can supply you with pics, and we will soon have a live webcam), but users tend to overfeed tanks with this many fish. That leads to messy gravel, which requires maintenance. We HATE maintenance, and the reverse flow usually keeps the gravel clean if feeding is not too excessive. When feeding, make sure that all your fish eat, and that there are no pieces of food of any substantial size left in the tank after three minutes. If floating food is to be used, you will need to turn off the pump, or use the supplied feeding ring. Otherwise the food will simply overflow into the filter. If you always use the feeding ring, you will not have problems. Power failures are big problems for small tanks. Especially ours. The oxygen exchange relies on the pump, and there is not enough surface area without the dual overflows to provide adequate oxygen exchange. If you fully stock your aquarium (20"-50"), make sure you have a UPS attached to your pump. If the power goes out in a highly stocked tank, they will suffocate in a hurry. Keep that in mind when deciding how many fish to add to your aquarium. By the way, I know no one will believe that we got 50" into a 6 actual gallons of water. I don't expect you to. If you purchase any schooling fish (danios included) purchase them in odd numbered pairs. Three or more per species seems to work well. We have had lots of success with schooling fish. Danios, neons, bloodfin tetras, cardinals, barbs, etc. tend to school quite nicely. A tank with a few dozen neons and a couple of rainbows is absolutely amazing. I highly recommend it. Use plenty of decorations with hiding spots if you have really small fish like neons. Also, before adding any substantial number of fish, make sure that your filter has cycled fully. Wet/dry filters have been known to take up to three months to cycle from time to time, so be patient. If you restrain yourself, only add three or four small fish at a time every other week until your tank is sufficiently full for your taste. With proper selection and a bit of patience, your losses will be very minimal. You can check out our manual at: http://www.imagineaquatics.com/Imagi...r%20Manual.htm if you have any more questions. Or feel free to post a reply, or send me an email.