# 33 Gallon Long Setup ideas?



## wolfemitch

I have an idea that I am working through and I wanted to see if anyone had a 33 Gallon Long Tanganyika Shell Dweller Tank they would like to share to show the setup. Because of the category I am posting in I will try to stay away from stocking ideas at the moment, however if you would like to add the species of shellies and/or any additional species of fish that have worked out well along with the shell dwellers still from the same lake that would be great for ideas!

Thank you in advance!


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## fmueller

33G is kind of an odd size. Maybe have a look through the Aquarium Gallery for 29G and 30G BR setups with shellies. A lot depends on the species you want to keep - some prefer lots of shells, others will not rest until they have buried all shells but the one they are using. Then you could also have rocks, and/or you could have some life plants like Anubias. Lots of options!

Unfortunately I have no pictures of shellie tanks that size, but whenever I post pictures of this 5G, there are at least some people who like it 










See here for details of this setup.


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## jcabage

A 33 long is quite a large tank for shellies. I would definitely go for a more tang community feel with a 4' footprint.

We love our multi tank (20L).

You can't go wrong with fmueller's writeup. Sand, shells, and a filter! :thumb:


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## Deeda

I actually have six 33G long aquariums set up at the moment though only 3 of them actually have shell dwellers in them. Sorry I don't have any pics of them but Frank's 5G picture above is a great layout and mine just have more shells and plants.

I have 'Lamprologus' multifasciatus with Cyprichromis leptosoma 'Utinta' orange tail in one of the tanks since 2012 and they do well together. Another tank has only 'Lamprologus' similis. The 3rd tank has Altolamprologus compressiceps 'sumbu shell' with Melanotaenia parva (a Rainbowfish).

I love the 48" length of the 33L tanks and highly recommend them for shell dweller tanks! You definitely need to have tight fitting lids on these shorter tanks to avoid losing fish through the tiniest openings, especially when you have fish that are very active or when they are establishing their dominance during courtship.


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## wolfemitch

Thank you very much everyone. I will keep you updated on this tank as time goes on!


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## CrypticLifeStyle

Just wanted to say great tank. I love the dimensions of a 33l, harder, and hard to find these days. Good luck~>


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## wolfemitch

Well, I decided to go ahead with this idea! Picked up my 33 Gallon Long tank yesterday. Went shopping for substrate, picked up some vinyl, came home and ordered the filter, heater and started re-soaking my collection of escargot shells! Here are some photos!



Started with the black vinyl background

Misted tank with water



Applied the black vinyl wet with a squeegee
 


Trimmed off excess vinyl


Stay tuned! Will update soon!


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## wolfemitch

I was going to stop for the day, but.....

Pool filter sand (20/40) and some rock from the LFS.


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## zimmy

That looks great! I've been thinking of setting up a 33L. This thread is inspiring me.

How are you going to filter it?


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## wolfemitch

That's awesome! Glad to hear of another wanting to work with a 33L...they are decently tough to track down around where I am!

Currently I am a fan of the Imagine BioSystem power filter with the surface skimmer. I am planning on using the 55 rated for 55 gallons to start with.


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## boomer92

Lookin forward to following your thread! Picked up this same tank about a month ago. First cichlid tank, can't wait. Hoping to do 2 breeding groups of dwarf mbunas. Still need to paint background, cut eggcrate, and get to landscape supply to shop for limestone. Will start thread in Malawi section for stocking questions when I'm finally cycling.


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## wolfemitch

The shell collection! 


I have 90% decided on an LED setup for the lighting, the Satellite Freshwater LED Plus Strip Light.








Anyone have any experience?


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## Iggy Newcastle

I have the 4' model. I like the light a lot. Some of the 'effects' like lightning are enough to give your fish a heart attack. But some of the softer fades are really cool. The presets have their place as well. Customization is nice. I cannot speak to it's durability, as I have not had the light but a few weeks. The price and sleek profile are great. No 'beaming' effect that I've noticed.


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## wolfemitch

Got home today to find the filter and the heater waiting for me so I started right away! Since I have not decided on the lighting yet, I put on two hoods I had lying around! Here are the results. Not totally thrilled with the aquascape, but it's getting close to what I want to accomplish! Moving ahead the rocks are being moved forward a bit to slide the heater and filter behind. By the way, just a heads up, a 200 watt ViaAqua Heater is to tall for a 33L tank to stand vertically.


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## zimmy

Great looking aquascape. I love the rocks. What kind are they?

I went to my LFS to check on 33L tanks today. They just happen to have two on order. I'm going to have to get one and try using a mattenfilter.


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## wolfemitch

To my knowledge the rocks are limestone....great to hear on the 33L! You should definetly get one, I have had fun setting this one up


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## boomer92

Love how those rocks look


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## Iggy Newcastle

I think it looks good! The shell bed is sweet.

One thing I would change is the location of the heater. Slide it all the way to the right behind the largest rock(if possible) so it is not so visible. Also, 200 watts is way overkill for 30 gallons. I use a 250 watt on a 125 and the temp is dead nuts on.


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## wolfemitch

Here is the filter I ended up going with. I liked the filter so much from using it on my other tank I had to stick with it. I have heard that these are not being made anymore, which is a sad thought. I feel that everything great about any filter out there is in this one! I really appreciate the surface skimmer, mid range intake and bottom intake plus the setup of the filters. It's very quiet and also has an adjustable skimmer valve that adjust the intake of all three levels and an you can control the flow. It's quite odd to appreciate a clear dust cover, I know, but it's simple for a quick glance at things without lifting the cover. I went with the 55 rated for same number of gallons and runs at 250 gph. I guess get them while you still can!

I ended up taking the front two of the 4 cartridges from the filter currently running my 55 gallon and placed them in the back two slots on either side of this new filter running the 33L to get things kick-started.


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## wolfemitch

Iggy Newcastle said:


> One thing I would change is the location of the heater. Slide it all the way to the right behind the largest rock(if possible) so it is not so visible. Also, 200 watts is way overkill for 30 gallons. I use a 250 watt on a 125 and the temp is dead nuts on.


Thank you and absolutely dead on! I do have plans of moving the heater behind the largest rock to the right of the tank....Also, totally agree with way overkill on the heater. I usually follow the 4 watts per gallon rule when buying heaters and my choices were 100 or 200 watt. When I did the math 100 came in too short. Couldn't get a 150 watt in that line of heaters or at least I couldn't find one anywhere.


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## wolfemitch

After a couple more rocks and moving the equipment around, I believe the Tanganyikan Tank is set! Thoughts?


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## Iggy Newcastle

Nice job. Plans to add an additional filter?


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## wolfemitch

Iggy Newcastle said:


> Plans to add an additional filter?


Wasn't planning on it at all, but what are your thoughts? Current filter is rated for a 55 gallon, and is running 250 gph. What do you think I need on top of that and what problems would I run into if I didn't?


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## Iggy Newcastle

From the photos it appears that you have little surface agitation. The gph rating on a filter is when it is empty (no media/sponges). You'll probably find that you're left side of the tank is a big 'dead spot' for flow and will have a lot of detritus settling there. Plus, an extra filter is always a good idea simply for a backup.


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## wolfemitch

Think a power head would do the trick?


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## Iggy Newcastle

A powerhead will agitate the surface and aid in keeping things from settling.


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## CjCichlid

Looking good! I'd add a few shells over to the right side to help tie things together, as it looks a bit segregated now (at least to me).

More filtration is always nice, but in all honestly with regular water changes I think you'll be just fine. A powerhead on the left side wouldn't be a bad idea though..


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## wolfemitch

Just wanted to share something that could either go either way in terms of a response. This is my first time setting up a brand new tank without the use of any chemicals or water testing in regards to the cycling except dechlorinator....just to, I guess, test myself. Let me know your thoughts on the steps...

1) Filled tank with water straight from the hose and added the appropriate amount of "Start Right" while filling to take care of the chlorine
2) As posted before I took two of the four filter cartridges from the filter currently running my 55 gallon and placed them in the back of the new filter
3) Left the hoods off of the tank while water was heating up to naturally evaporate. I let this go on for 4 days. 
4.) Day 5, when the tank reached 80 degrees and stayed consistent, I siphoned approximately 3 gallons from very close to the substrate of my 55. I replaced the naturally evaporated water in the 33L with this siphoned water. 
5.) When I felt comfortable with the new tank, by purely talking myself into it, because I am not a fan of cycling with fish, I worked out a small deal with a fish store to purchase 5 good sized flame tetras for $1 each. The understanding was, I bring back the fish with my water parameters when done cycling. Who can say no to a deal like that, sell the fish, have them brought back with no refund and sell them again...they didn't mind. I felt I had to get some fish in the tank because I new there was no new ammonia present and didn't want the work so far to end and the cycle to die off, this is really what I sold myself on. 
6.) It is now Day 9. No issues at all, Tetras are eating, active, have good coloring and no signs of stress. Fully cycled, not for sure. I am itching to test but I am going to allow it to keep going for a bit.

I understand there are probably some unnecessary steps in there, but all looks good so far! :fish:


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## Deeda

If you have the test kit available, there is no reason not to test.


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## wolfemitch

The first fish have been added! I ended up going with a pair of Multis!


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## wolfemitch

Just wanted to post a quick update. After much research, many phone calls, and a few hours of driving I finally was able to add three Altolamprologus calvus (Black) to my Tanganyika Tank!





Update on the Multis! They have produced a good 20 - 30 fry in the last 3 weeks and I have been able to catch a quick glimpse of the free swimmers on just a couple occasions!


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## hose91

Great tank, congrats on the new Calvus and the multi fry! I really like the concept of this tank. What kind of activity do you get out of it, and do you have room for a set of top dwellers like cyps or paracyps, or do you think you're done stocking it?


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## wolfemitch

hose91 said:


> Great tank, congrats on the new Calvus and the multi fry! I really like the concept of this tank. What kind of activity do you get out of it, and do you have room for a set of top dwellers like cyps or paracyps, or do you think you're done stocking it?


Thank you hose91, I have not fully decided on adding an additional species or not. I would like to and I think it needs it. The conflicting thoughts to hold off or move forward are based on the Multis. I would like to see them colonize and stock the tank themselves and to do this I think I need to give them room to do it. With that said, the addition of the Calvus may not allow the Multis to have an easy time raising their young anyway. So....

...If I go with another species it will definitely be cyps! My two personal choices at the moment are:

"Blue Flash"


"Neonback"


I understand that both of these choices do their best in groups of 8-12 to really bring out their color and natural schooling effect, but I think this is a stretch in a 33L. If I ignore that and do the group of cyps what I would do is shorten the height of the rock section on the right side of the tank, add more (smaller) rocks to create more caves and crevices for the Calvus and give the cyps an extra 2' of open water above the rocky section.

Time will tell....Anybody have any thoughts on this?


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## Iggy Newcastle

Tank, fish and photos look great!

I'd head over to the Lake Tang section and ask the folks over there. Cyps need open water and benefit from height in the tank, which the 33 long does not really provide.


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## wolfemitch

Did a little rework on the tank over the weekend...

After sitting back and looking at the rocks, the whole tank overall just felt a bit too simple and maybe the right word for it was "flat". Working with a 33L is a bit different than other tanks I have hardscaped, a person really doesn't have a lot of room to work with to get the movement and natural look we all strive for with our tanks.

My goal, during the rework, was to add much more natural shadowing to gain a bit more depth and contrast within the tank. Any thoughts?

*Before:*



*After:*


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## Iggy Newcastle

Looks better! Mission accomplished.


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## hose91

I like it in general. Still feels a little unbalanced, though. What if you ended the rockpile a couple inches short of the right side? A little space there would balance the tank for me. What about one or two small rocks in the far left, behind the shell bed? Just enough to give a little depth to that end, not enough to tempt the calvus to take it?

I still love this tank idea. There are quite a few threads about using Danio or tetras or rainbow fish instead of cyps. I know it's non tang, but do you think it would improve the tank, or are the multi and calvus enough?


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## thomas21

wolfemitch said:


> Well, I decided to go ahead with this idea! Picked up my 33 Gallon Long tank yesterday. Went shopping for substrate, picked up some vinyl, came home and ordered the filter, heater and started re-soaking my collection of escargot shells! Here are some photos!
> 
> 
> 
> Started with the black vinyl background
> 
> Misted tank with water
> 
> 
> 
> Applied the black vinyl wet with a squeegee
> 
> 
> 
> Trimmed off excess vinyl
> 
> 
> Stay tuned! Will update soon!


where did you get uour 33 g long tank from?


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## DJRansome

Welcome to Cichlid-forum!

This thread is from 2014. I have 4 of the 33G long tanks, it is a size Aqueon offers and I ordered them from the LFS.


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## SUP3RB1RD

I had one too, they are actually great tanks at 4' long. Mine was called a 35g long but the volume was actually 33g. I think some companies round up or down on the numbers. If you can't find an actual 33g, try looking for 30 or 35. 
Hope that helps ya!


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## Auballagh

The benefit to the 33 gallon long, is that it may be the longest production made tank at 120 cm - 48 inches, with the smallest volume of water (it's shallow in depth). The single Tanganyikan themed tank I set up, was a 33 gallon long and it worked beautifully. A very good aquarium - a classic!


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## DJRansome

FWIW the 33L is not in much demand so it costs more and takes longer to come in (must be ordered) than the standard 20L or 55G or 75G, etc.

Great tank for fish racks. 
(7) Four Tank Rack | Page 2 | Cichlid Fish Forum (cichlid-forum.com)


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