# 200 gallon stocking suggestion



## Tryin2fish89 (Jan 3, 2011)

Hah! so i got this 200 gallon fish tank and stand used for 47 dollars. Its in great shape and i scored it off a buddy so i know it works. Just have no idea what 2 put in it lol. Any suggestions would be helpful... Thanks!!!


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

densely planted


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## mcb5522 (Aug 26, 2010)

Tryin2fish89 said:


> Hah! so i got this 200 gallon fish tank and stand used for 47 dollars. Its in great shape and i scored it off a buddy so i know it works. Just have no idea what 2 put in it lol. Any suggestions would be helpful... Thanks!!!


Hmmm would make an interesting community tank to have that many fish together along with plants.

For larger things, I would put in a stingray or a arowana as long as the dimensions provide ample room to swim.


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## SeaHorse (Dec 27, 2010)

OMG how big is that? Have you figured out where you are going to put it... along an outside wall, not an inside wall. Water is heavy... or basement floor?
We would love to see a picture... and a play by play as you set it up. We're kind of addicted to that sort of thing. lol


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## Tryin2fish89 (Jan 3, 2011)

outside wall, and yeah i have a basement floor... my house is pretty old though... this was kind of an impulse buy lol. Any suggestions on what to do?


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## Tryin2fish89 (Jan 3, 2011)

but its not going in the basement


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## deman3 (Feb 17, 2011)

Well just to put the weight into perspective for you. I have my 55 gallon sitting on a solid wood buffet cabinet, all together weighs about 1000lbs. Just imagine 200 gallon full of water, on an older house it could quite possibly cave a floor in if not on a load bearing wall or basement floor.

I have always thought the rays were awesome thats what I would do if I had the room.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

I agree it is a bit risky to put that tank anywhere but the basement. Especially in an older house. Unless you have some professional come by and verify that your floors can hold that weight. The tank glass/frame filled with only water will weigh about 2000lb. You need an stand of some sort to support that weight(which will add weight of its own) then things like gravel will greatly increase weight. Basement floors are generally cement underneath. There would be no worries there. 

What are its dimensions?


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## Tryin2fish89 (Jan 3, 2011)

the dimensions are 72x24


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## Tryin2fish89 (Jan 3, 2011)

and i know this probably is wrong, but seems logical. If my stand can hold the weight of my tank... then why couldnt the floor that supports my roof??


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

Tryin2fish89 said:


> and i know this probably is wrong, but seems logical. If my stand can hold the weight of my tank... then why couldnt the floor that supports my roof??


Your walls support your roof not your floor. Your floor transfers weight to the walls. How you place a large tank is very important when your are dealing with a floor made of wood. Placing a tank running against one wall can be very dangerous compared to placing it against another wall. The support beams(joists) for example under the floor run across the floor in only one direction. In my parents 30 year old house these beams are 9"x2"s and are placed about 15" apart. Placing a tank( even a 55) so it is parallel to the joists is not suggested as it places a lot of weight on only a couple support joists the floor will spread it out some). Placing the tank so it is perpendicular to the support beams spreads the weight out because there are now more joists running under the tank. 

When there are heavy objects built into a home like a bath tub, the floor beams are often reinforced. A bathtub is not even that heavy.

Every house is different though. There are key supports in every house. The outside walls are are important I know that. Not ALL the inside ones are though. Some are key supports though. Example would be my old house had a large basement with not many walls. There was a cement pillar from floor to ceiling, pretty sure that was important lol. 

Here is a good link for you: how large an aquarium can my floor support

Also an additional reason why basement is better. Even if the floor holds and doesn't sag or anything. Disasters can happen and 200gallons is A LOT of water. If your tank ever did(even though the chances are slim) fail significantly the damage will be serious. Carpet would be your least concern. The wood under your carpet and the floor joists are not treated wood they will absorb water. Basement is carpet, maybe some sheet wood, then its concrete.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

To put it in perspective a bit more your tank, filled w/ gravel would weigh close to the same amount that my car does. Its not a compact either lol!


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## HMlairy (Jan 22, 2011)

Definitely should put 100 goldfish in it


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## SeaHorse (Dec 27, 2010)

I had 3 Oscars and 2 Bala sharks in a 90 and that was tight when full grown. You have an incredible opportunity here! Research... visit the LFS and reasearch some more. We are only going to tell you what we like and for our own reasons. What do you like? Raising fry, aggressive fish, community, fast swimmer or slow swimmers, loners? Think also about do you want plants or rocks? The fish you pick with deterimin what will end up in there soemtimes. 
ps my 45 leaked all over my hardwood floor while we were on vacation so it does happen.


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## Grimmjow (Jul 22, 2009)

Do you like big fish or small fish and whats your tap water like? ph and hardness and all that

I much prefer small fish and put my focus on the scenery, if there was any possibility of me getting another big tank Id like to do cichlids. With the ton of money you saved you could get some nice rocks and some demasoni, which was what I had planned to do.

Whatever you choose, enjoy the water changes.


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## Tryin2fish89 (Jan 3, 2011)

well im gonna get a professional come look at my house lol. Because i am now afraid haha. Thanks guys for all the help and comments. If i can actually set it up ill def do some kinda picture journal on here


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## Tryin2fish89 (Jan 3, 2011)

And p.s IM SO FRICKIN EXCITED... haha and if i cant have fish i think im gonna get some chameleons


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## Tryin2fish89 (Jan 3, 2011)

and my tap waters ph is a little low (6.5) and the hardness is low. Atleast that is how my 20 gallon is


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

That still leaves a lot of options, you could have a south-american cichlid tank
(green terrors, oscars, uropthalmus, managuense, red devils, midas, pike cichlids, dovii, vieja)

Or a massive community tank-
(6 angelfish, 30 neon tetras, 30 black neons, 15 dwarf chain loach or corydoras, a pair of bolivian rams, and some huge plants)


You have a ton of options... You could even go simple, with 200 or so of a single small tetra... (black neons seem to shoal more)


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## mcb5522 (Aug 26, 2010)

Ok I just wana know, how was the price only 47 dollars for both the tank and stand?

and you can always split the tank go with cichlid and community with s 150 to 50 gallon ratio or a 100 100 ratio.

also Im not sure how everyone else feels about this but you can put a arowana and a stingray in the same tank. Both would never come close to contact since the arowana is a top swimmer and the stingray is a bottom dweller.


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## Christople (Sep 7, 2010)

mcb5522 said:


> Ok I just wana know, how was the price only 47 dollars for both the tank and stand?
> 
> and you can always split the tank go with cichlid and community with s 150 to 50 gallon ratio or a 100 100 ratio.
> 
> also Im not sure how everyone else feels about this but you can put a arowana and a stingray in the same tank. Both would never come close to contact since the arowana is a top swimmer and the stingray is a bottom dweller.


I seriously agree with that. I would love to have both of those. A good rule of thumb is 2 pounds per gallon for substrate. If you do get a stingray I suggest sand so it is softer on the underside. I wan't that tank really bad. Hahahaha when I was a kid I wanted a under ground pool and to fill it with fish and stuff and swim with them. Good luck and keep us posted.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

If it was mine it would become a giant paludarium for the guys in my avatar:lol:. I intend to make one in a year or two when I have the room and $$ for a 100+ tank. Setting the hardscaping on that is gonna be a %$^@! though:|. Your gonna need like pounds of silicone.... then the size of the tank and angle you have to work from is awful. HAHA, it should still be done though!


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## Christople (Sep 7, 2010)

Mikaila31 said:


> If it was mine it would become a giant paludarium for the guys in my avatar:lol:. I intend to make one in a year or two when I have the room and $$ for a 100+ tank. Setting the hardscaping on that is gonna be a %$^@! though:|. Your gonna need like pounds of silicone.... then the size of the tank and angle you have to work from is awful. HAHA, it should still be done though!


to aqua scape just hang yourself with a steel wire. I am sure I might have some left from my spy days.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

Christople said:


> to aqua scape just hang yourself with a steel wire. I am sure I might have some left from my spy days.


Could always cheat and set up a table level with the top of the tank. Put all the rocks you are working with there. Throw some foam on one side of the tank then just sit/kneel on the one side that is to be water and work from there... tank is 6'x2' so should be enough room(for me at least). A tank meant to hold 1000's of pounds of water isn't going to be bothered my a person being inside of it. In the end no matter how you do it tank will hurt you more then you hurt it lol. Unless its really old a 200 gallon is likely to be acrylic not glass.


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## turtle10 (Dec 30, 2010)

HMlairy said:


> Definitely should put 100 goldfish in it


200 gallons isn't big enough for 100 goldfish.


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## Christople (Sep 7, 2010)

that would work but you need a way out. Also you could glue the rocks together and slwly lower them in. For the sustrate just dump it in and there on. For glue I would use silicone or something


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## marian1949 (May 22, 2011)

Do you realize a 200 gallon tank weighs about 2,000 pounds? Will your floor boards hold that much weight?


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