55 gallon viquarium setup with live plants, fish, and amphibians.

Strouty

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 13, 2014
6
0
0
Maine
I have had this tank since early 2013. It is a 55 gallon tank with the viquarium waterfall setup so I have a portion that is land for the wood frog and oregon newt. I have an assortment of live plants, stupidly, I do not know what all of them are called. I have a Gurami, 2 cory cats, 2 algae eaters, and a pictus catfish.

Last night my JBJ heating system decided that it was no longer going to hold the temperature, even though it was reading 79 it was actually as low as 69, I am some glad I caught it before it killed the fish. I have put a 100 watt aqueon in there, but it can't keep the temp up. I took measurements and the tank only has 11 gallons of water that is open, there is more in the substrate and filtration area, but I am pretty sure it is not more than 15 gallons of water.

Can anyone recommend a good heater or pair of heaters that will fit in my tank? I really can't have vertical heaters since there is only 7" to 8" of water. I also am concerned that the newt may get burned on the glass heating element, my JBJ had a case around it.

The reviews that I saw for the JBJ were nothing but bad, I wish I had seen them prior to purchasing the heater system. It looks like the remote temperature probe exploded. I will try and post a picture later. I bought it last summer, so it is only like 8 months old, of course outside of any warranty. I am concerned now that even if I get a new probe it will just fail again.

Here is the tank.









 

Mist

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 19, 2013
6
0
1
Iceland
Your tank looks awesome, I've always wanted something similar with frogs.
 

Lyrek

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 29, 2013
63
1
6
Canada
I have to agree, your tank looks fantastic. Sadly I see big problems coming down the road.
My fear is your Gourami is going to grow up to be a minimum of 3 or 4+ inches, your Cory Cats 2 to 3.5 inches, and your Pictus will reach about 4 to 5 inches. The problem comes into play when you consider you only have a 55 gallon tank. 1/4 of that tank is lizard/frog/turtle habitat and the other 3/4 has perhaps a 1/3 the water depth the aquarium is capable of.
Love the design and layout, but I fear your headed for space/crowding problems when the fish grow. And this hasn't even taken into account plants and decor also taking up space.
 

Evz jardini

Jardini
MFK Member
May 19, 2010
4,761
591
120
42
manchester /uk
Very cool setup I can't ever let my son see this I've got enough tanks to deal with ;)

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Strouty

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 13, 2014
6
0
0
Maine
I have been thinking about adding a second level. My first wish is to get either a 75 gallon or 90 gallon tank. I agree that the water area will not be enough for the fish long term. The gourami is all ready 4" at least. He actually enjoys the shallow water and all the places to hide. I have this crazy idea about adding an upper section that has sliding glass doors like a display case. I could raise the waterfall a little more, but the newt tries to get out. I can also shrink the land a little more. I am just partial to the plants on the land area as well.
 

convict360

Potamotrygon
MFK Member
Dec 9, 2013
4,499
1,874
164
Scotland
Tank looks amazing, I'd also like to try something like this at some point :)

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FMA4ME

Probation Member
Probation Member
Aug 6, 2013
1,080
1,090
179
CA
Add me to the list of those wanting to try one of these, I even have a spare 60 :D
 

NYfan78

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 24, 2010
12
0
0
Maryland
Look I to a whole new tank called the Aquaplantarium. Pricey but amazing g. It will blow your mind!!!

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