What's Your Dream Aquarium Set Up? 

You guys getting together and doing this podcast is the best thing that ever happened to FishTube

I'm a simple man who likes small fish. I want a 125 gal. with 50 each of Cardinal and Rummy Nose Tetras, 20 Sterbai Corydoras, 10 Kuhli Loaches and a couple of Bushynose Plecos. Fully planted of coarse with CO2 and High end lighting.

I just got my dream aquarium setup in February of this year. 240 gallons, 8 feet long, 2 feet tall, 2 feet wide. It is planted and stocked with a big super school of 25 denison barbs (roseline sharks), boesemani rainbows, congo tetras, siamese algae eaters, panda garras, cories, redtail shark, striped raphael catfish, a couple clown loaches, & pearl gouramis. Sounds pretty heavily stocked but there’s surprisingly still a decent amount of room.

I am recovering from knee replacement. I found your tank talk and am binging. This is such a great show! Thank you!

FYI via Bulk Reef's Aquarium Calculator, Jason's Dream Tank is... 144x18.5x24 is 276.78 (U.S Gallons)

A realistic fantasy, there’s a first time for everything lol great episode as always

oooh! John. you are so close to what I would build - community tank with angels as the centerpieces. And I love Jason's low-boy tank idea.

An amazing subject today. I told my wife and she told me not to get any ideas. Then she gave the look that could melt glass. But I don’t think I could do just one fantasy tank. My fantasy is multiple tanks in various sizes so that I can all sorts of different fish.

I built my own stand for my 29 gallon a few months ago. I was litigious in all my measurements, and leveled the tank once it was placed in its permanent home in my basement. Once I put in the substrate, rocks, and water, the entire stand was off in 3 corners. Luckily, I was able to lift one side of the whole setup while my wife shimmed the stand. We were able to get it pretty close, but it's still not perfectly level. Just goes to show that even when you take all the necessary steps, nothing in this hobby is guaranteed.

Potential future topic: John mentioned that he prefers to keep his tanks unlit as a default. Lighting has arguably made the biggest strides over the last 30 years in the hobby, and I am trying to take advantage of the enhanced functionality. I am using timers and a simulated sunrise and sunset in my community tanks, Just from my personal experience in the last five years I have noticed considerable behavioral changes in the tanks using this setting. Many tetras bread in the low light simulations and fish interactions are very different depending on the lighting. Could spark an interesting conversation.

Jeremy from Aquarium Domaine just built the exact tank John described as a lottery winner style tank. He finished up a 20ft long, 4500 gallon not long ago, so it's doable without the lottery, but it's probably still pricey.

I’m building my fantasy tank right now. It’s only my second tank, but it’s a 75, and I’m fully scaping it. Been watching stevescapes videos!

I wish I had filled my 125 with schools of Rummynose Tetras, Green Neons, Cherry Barbs, Hatchet Fish, lots of Kuhli Loaches and of course, Percy the Pleco! ❤ That or just one huge Flowerhorn. 😂❤

Dream aquarium ? a tiny house underwater with a coral reef view.... 'gardening' would be maintaining/restoring the coral reef as much as possible and enjoying the biodiversity :)

My dream tank is a planted 125 full of Gary Lange Rainbowfish

My dream would be a 90gallon corner tank with nano fish. Full walstad method and a canister filter. Riparium plants all into the corner of the room

I put a 300w inline heater on my fx6 line. Heats my 240 no problem. The water flow running through the heater makes it more efficient and out of the tank. I did have to get creative with pvc and epoxy to make it work with the fx6 lines 😂

I was so worry, thought there was no podcast today. Jason’s beard flawless as always. ❤

Ok. Fantasy tank time. I really like the tank that Jason described. But my fish would be very different. My Centerpiece fish would be a Black Ghost Knifefish. Throw in about 30-40 Corydora Eques, 4 Blue Phantom Pleco's, 4 Green Phantom Pleco's, 6-10 Garra rufa (Doctor fish) for algae control. Heavily planted with multiple Pleco caves and at least 2 clear PVC pipes for the Ghost to go into. Driftwood of course. Of course for a tank that long I would have to buy a new house but hey, its a fantasy.

For me personally, my dream would be to get a tank in the ballpark of 750 gallons (120x48x30). I just really, really want a South American species, biotype tank with arowana as the centerpiece fish.

Small Fish Only. Nothing over 6”. Tetra, Cory’s, Bristle Nose, Loaches, SAE, 1 Angel and 1 Electric Blue Acara, 135gal heavily planted.

Currently setting up my 300 gallon 8 foot tank. Already have 7 red head tapajos, then for the first time i saw the albinos, even more amazing

My dream tank is in my basement!

It’s got to be the impossible…. Ohio fish rescues ginormous 58000 gallon pool/pond. Already have big tanks I need something that will house MONSTERS! Seriously I have 2 ID sharks 16” long now. They swim like missiles and eat like cow, I’m gonna bend over backwards for them as is so it’s gotta be the best thing ever! Don’t do sharks if you can help yourself it becomes a battle of the heart and it does not help that they are so kind and gentle. I have kept everything from African cichlids to oranada goldfish and koi, they all are amazing. All need care but the added care just for the ID sharks is tremendous, feels make or break just because they can and do hurt themselves. They are currently in a 6 foot tank, it will not hold them for ever… this being said the conversatios about the tank set ups was very cool! Stay happy and healthy my friends!!! 😊❤

Not exactly a ''fantasy'' tank but something I'm working toward on. 180 gal tank (72 x 24 x25) hardscape, driftwood, rocks big and small and sand substrate. What I would do with it, every batch of Bristle nose pleco that I have I would throw 2-3 of them in there to grow and sell as full size.I have super reds, long and short fins, snow white, albino short and long fin, long fin blue eyed gold and teminkys short and long fin. I think it would be nice having a few exemples of each in there, beside my breeding adults. I'd throw a bunch of black neons too may 25-30 or so maybe more. Filtration ; sump. ..and the tank would be placed such a way that you can walk three side around it.

I'd go for the tank size first like Jason did and go with 180 gallons; I want the 6' length and 2' width, but not so deep that I would have to climb inside to reach the bottom, so 24" deep is about my max. With that width I can scape with rocks and driftwood and reasonably thick planting but still have enough room in the front of the tank so the fish can be on display (provided the fish cooperate and don't hide all the time). Schools of cherry barbs, harlequin rasboras, corys, a couple of bristlenose plecos, still undecided on a centerpiece fish.

Well my next step will be a indoor 300 gallon garage pond. I set up a 150 gallon stock tank and we all know how that goes...I should have known better and just got the 300 to begin with

Just got a 55. Setting it up now. Fully planted with a fx6 and two hang on the back tid55. Going to be a nano community tank with tons of special little guys.

My dream tank today might not be the same dream tank tomorrow…😂 I’m saving for my next tank - UNS 120S - 47.24 in long, 23.62 in wide, and 14.17 in high - $879.99. CPD’s and Pygmy cories… This would really be about the plants though with a ton of emersed growth.

Kinda funny that impulse buying fish is part of the dream 😂

Dream tanks are always never ending because imagine when/if you did it... you'd just think of the next amazing dream tank to do... low and behold... a whole gallery appears! I'm surprised Jason didn't go with something like really soft water species because if we're talking fantasy tanks wouldn't you just love to keep fish that don't suit your 'non fantasy real life water parameters' ?! 😊

I could never have a dream tank, there's always that other fish, that newer, better piece of equipment, always another rock or driftwood.

Skittles tank 🦐 And rainbow platy tank

This was a great podcast. But, come on Jason. SERIOUSLY? No Green Neons to put a big smile on Joanna's face?

If I had the space and not an apartment would go no doubt with a big Chichlid tank, big colorfull chichlids is the dream.

I just built my dream setup.

A large reef aquarium with top end tangs

Cool fantasy tanks! Question regarding remote automatic water changes, how would/do folks deal with clorinated water?

Happy belated birthday John 😊

Happy belated Birthday John!!! Welcome to the 50s club. 😂

My dream setup is a tank big enough for a florida gar, and by big enough, i mean BIG enough! Like bass pro shops aquarium size.

I'd go for a 6 foot tank, at least a 125, so i could try my hand at some discus 🙂

For my ideal set up building something that will grow into the tank setup is my aim. I don't want to begin with an already maximized community. Prefer to let the fish grow into the tank along with the plants and anything else taking root in the biotope. Problem is I probably have more than 10 ideas and lack the time and resources to bring them to fruition! One by one - I will get there.

I honestly like both ideas. Jason’s tank id honestly have to fight the urge to just go all cories. Just a big snuggle party of like 100 pandas

Ok so I've been fantasizing recently. I think it would be so much fun to do a 50 gallon rummy nose tank, and similar to a sump I would send the water through a wetland indoor pond setup, and it trickles down a low waterfall into the tank. 😍

My dream aquarium would be a 3-4 ft rimless, heavily and colorfully planted. Showcasing blue striped and koi angel fish, orange laser cory's and some community fish. Maybe an apistogramma if they work well with the angels. Easy water change system. Driftwood that rises up out of the tank with air plants attached to it. I could go on and on. Or an indoor pond with glass front filled with common and comet gold fish and shubunkins.

Red Asian Arowana with stingrays for me

10ft long by 3ftx3ft tank 3 natural color kissing gourami 2 sailfins plecos Group of jewel cichlids with rockpile in front Pump for water changes Dedicated tankless for water changes Dream tank shouldn't need conditioner just use appropriate inline filter(s) before heater will help longevity of heater and remove need for the conditioner. Told wife my idea she asked what she needed to move to fit it thought shed tell me im crazy 😂

Even when I do 50% water change I still don’t treat the water. I’ve never seen any issue once the tank is established. ALSO my tap water NEVER reads any chlorine or chloramine and i check in the spring and fall

Would love to find out how to get some cpd’s Jason!

My dream tank is a smaller version of the 1000 gallon Rasbora tank set up by Ricky Vargas. The plant selection is incredible. I can't imagine trying to maintain a tank that size, but if money wasn't a factor I'd keep that stocked with longfin cherry barbs, yellow fin white cloud mountain minnows, harlequins, chili rasboras, cherry shrimp, Nerites, mystery snails, and many many Corys. If I couldn't do that, I'd have more nano tanks full of various crypts, anubias, and red tiger lotus.

Have a 72 gallon to set up just have to figure out where we are putting it planning on rainbow shark syill contemplating on other fish wanting more than less so sticking to smaller fish any thought or ideas.

❤❤

John, please stop making yourself old before your time. I'm twenty years older than you, and I enjoy the time I spend "messing" with my tanks. I wouldn't want a tank that I wouldn't have to interact with. I figure when I hit 80 then I might stop tinkering.