Which would you pick - new tank for my brother

[ingg]

Keep in mind he is not an aquascaper, he just wants a nice tank. I'll be stting it up with loads of anubias and java ferns, totally low light. School of cardinals, cherry shrimp, and some algae crew.

He's really leaning 46g bowfront. He likes the leaner profile off the wall.

We stopped at Exotic Aquatics. They have the Marineland cubes.

Option B is a 2'x2'x18" cube, reef ready, on a furniture grade stand (tough to do on bowfronts). This would be a dream for me to make nice looking for him.



My dilemma:

I remember my first tanks - all lean profiles. I remember how many of those I still have - 1, and soon to be torn down. I tried explaining that when he sees my tanks, they are all 18"+ front to back, which makes it easier to scape and give depth... but he's really stuck on that bowfront's leaner profile.




Ignore how great that cube is to scape from a pure scaping potential (omfg I want it for ME!), but rather from a useful standpoint..... which would you pick for a beginner, or as a beginner?

And, how would you point out the benefits of the cube, or would you just let him go on sorta unguided?

[SCMurphy]

Dave it has to fit his house first. Let him pick the tank he wants to go in his house. If he's not going to get as passionate as you there is no point twisting his arm with your experience. He'll never be upset with the 'drawbacks' that you see.

[Ben Belton]

I've always been frustrated with bow fronts because it seems there is never an angle from where you can look in and everything is not distorted. It gets old.

[PaulS]

I say go with the bigger tank, in this case, the bowfront. One beginner mistake I made was starting with a tank too small and then wanting something bigger.

[ddavila06]

Dave it has to fit his house first. Let him pick the tank he wants to go in his house. If he's not going to get as passionate as you there is no point twisting his arm with your experience. He'll never be upset with the 'drawbacks' that you see.

i will have to dissagree with that, im the family freak, the one that works in the pet store and has animals everywhere since ever, and trust me, when you get someone into it, not allways, but when they get caught up on it!!! yup, he could like it.

i would personally would choose one of the cubes to try something different. i have seen very nice set ups here and there and wish i had space for one. the bowfrot thing just gets old...maybe a wave shape tank, but too spensive?

[ingg]

We may have hit a middle ground, he likes the Osaka's from Fluval too.



Paul - same gallons, cube is 45 vs. bowfront's 46. I will figure out a way to get me one of those cubes, things are just sweeeeet!

[ddavila06]

oh man! the osakas are nii-----ceeeee! congrats to both of you

[Judi]

I'm with Sean on this one. It's his house, his tank --let him get what he wants. Certainly nothing wrong with telling him why you think something else is a better choice for aquascaping --but as you said, he's not an aquascaper.

The 46 bowfront isn't such a bad tank, really. It's certainly a better choice than an itty bitty overstocked 10 gallon, like many beginners start with and get discouraged with!

[jcali10]

I bet he would like this 58G Oceanic. I'm not big on canopies though.

[ingg]

Talk about a steal.

So I send him over to talk to TFW.

He walks in, calls me while he's there. (I'm filthy and rescaping the 180g meanwhile, up to my armpits in dirty water all morning long....wanting him off the phone but excited for him to get a tank, too.)

He sees the Osaka, says nice but a little small... I ask him to check out the trimless tank in the front window.

It is the Oceanic Illuminata, a 57g trimless tank. Think ADA tank with a bottom trim piece.

Bang, I finally pointed him to something he glommed to.

He ends up with a super steal (thanks guys at TFW!) of that tank, an Eheim Pro2, Glo T5 light 2x39, Modern series stand..... I R jealous!

Funny thing was he was moaning about the setup costs... and I know what a steal he got. I mentioned it to Jeff and Ghazanfar over the weekend... both of them are like Holy crap, what a deal!!.... poor kid has no idea what a great setup he just got. It was funny/enlightening, how people new to the hobby have no idea what these things cost.

Have mountains of Anubias, Java ferns, and crypts to set this thing with, going to love putting it together! Pics, of the horrid and blurry variety of course, this weekend.