# Big Al's Coffee Table Aquarium



## dchow

I was wondering if anyone had purchased one and could give me a run down of the specs.

I was at the Big Al's and the guy seemed more confused than anything, and without getting them to disassemble and drain it there is no way I could see how it worked.

What kind of lighting are the fixtures above the tank under the glass? The rep told me they were T5s is anyone able to confirm this?

Is the lighting globe in the center of the piece removable? I'd much prefer if it were removable. I can live with it but I don't prefer it.

I was told it an undergravel filter was standard and that it drained up through a powerhead(?) and the return was hidden in the side of a table leg. Can anyone confirm this? There was an outflow from a table leg but I couldn't see where the inflow was from.

Are there any outlets (like a powerbar?) or a place to store a power bar hidden in any of the legs for accessories like a heater or additional internal filter?

I also forgot to take the dimensions but asked about the volume. One person told me 50G, the other 40G, and I was wondering which is closer?

Was also wondering about the general experience you got from using this piece.

Thank you for any information can provide.


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## ShrimpieLove

I think I saw this table at scarb big als.... Its like a glass table top with the tank underneath... Really pretty it caught my eye right away! I thought about it after though and figured since the idea is to see your fish thru the table top, what happens when the inside has moisture on it- would be kind of hard to view the fish. They had it near the doorway and the breeze was blowing from outside so the front of the tank was dry but the back part of the tank was wet inside... Still really eye catching though, sorry i cant help you with info about it


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## Zebrapl3co

Meh ... just a nice decoration. I bet that anyone who gets it will give up in 1/2 year and end up putting fake plants and glass fish (as it fish made of glass) in it.
Have you though about the trouble you'll have to go through just to change water? You have to do this on a weekly basis.

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## dchow

The glass top comes off and makes the entire tank readily accessible. It seems like it just has a larger footprint than most 50G tanks. So a bit of extra time gravel vacuuming.

The UG filter may become a problem and that is why I wanted to know how it worked and if any users had any experience with that particular system. I know as a kid I hated undergravel filters (emptying and then lifting out the squares was pretty gross) but I also never had a gravel vac then. I'm not sure how difficult they are to maintain with a gravel vac. I didn't plan on using the UG filter as the main filter anyways. Just planned on putting in and hiding some internal filters with decorations with pretty light stocking.

Thank you for your concern.


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## arktixan

I thought it was neat at first...
then I reliazed how silly it would be... you'd have to like lay on the ground to view it... Cleaning it would be annoying.. etcetc


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## Joeee

Truthbetold, I wanted it at first, but then I realized that if you do choose to put fish inside, it'll be very difficult to actually view the fish as you'd have to go at an angle that would be less than around 70 degrees. If you look at it from a bird's eye view, you will only see the top of the fish, imagine if you have guppies or neon tetras in there, you won't see their tail or the red and blue colouration on them, just their heads. You could try koi, but I think it's too big of a fish to put in that small thing.


The only thing that I see that table useful for to get back at inconsiderate people who like to rest their feet on coffee tables, a few piranha bites will teach them.;]


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## TBemba

make a great sting ray tank


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## KhuliLoachFan

I think fish-on-the-floor looks terrible. If I was going to put something in the living room, I think a classic stand, as a focal point, would be great. Or built-in to the wall. It's eye catching at first at BAs but I think it's a dumb idea.
As are those "globule" goldfish bowls that hold less than 3 gallons of water, and "perpetually" pour water out the side. Gimmick.

W


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## Tropicana

awesome water dish for animals?, lol.


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## Joeee

TBemba said:


> make a great sting ray tank


I've heard that stingrays need more than 75G, I don't think the coffee aquarium is more than 55G.


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## dchow

The space I am currently living in doesn't have room for me to set up a huge tank or throw one in a wall. It'd be lovely if I could put up a larger tank but I chose to live in a smaller downtown home rather than in a more suburban and spacious home. I'd love to throw up a huge tank but given the area constraints I would either have to sacrifice seating or entertainment in the area. 

I suppose I could re-plan/reorganize and make room for a decent sized tank along a wall or some such but I don't really mind the idea of having a tank of fish on the floor. Obviously because of the viewing angle I'd have to pick fish with strong colors over their dorsal region and a dorsal region that is quite large in dimension.

I have considered all that has been brought up over this thread and have already made up my mind on the piece. I just wanted to know about the plumbing and electrical and user reaction from anyone who has the piece. I ask this because my house at the moment is completely gutted and being rebuilt. So I do have a few options of where and how I want electrical outlets placed.

I do hate those goldfish bowls that you speak of. Every time my nephew walks by he stops and looks at them and I kind of scurry him along. Personally if I was five I'd be quite intrigued by them as well.

Water bowl comment was funny. My dog will literally sit and scratch his water bowl when he wants it. And he only drinks from the palm of my hand or his bowl


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## WiyRay

Wouldn't be too bad if you threw a betta in there. Maybe split the "tank" using dividers in an x or + like fashion and have 4 in there. 

I honestly wouldn't put anything else in there. Like everyone else have said, this doesn't look like something you should consider as a fish tank.


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## Philip.Chan.92

From what I heard about sting rays, they require pure surface area, if you have a 50 gallon that is 6 inches high, it is better than a 75 gal tall. Better filtration is required for these large but shallow aquariums. One day I want a room where the whole thing is a stingray rank and there are stepping stones to get from one side to the other.


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## BettaBeats

Oh, and have fun cleaning that tank.. It's a pain to siphon water from the floor. 
Gravity doesn't work like that.


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## TBemba

Joeee said:


> I've heard that stingrays need more than 75G, I don't think the coffee aquarium is more than 55G.


where did you hear that? How many years of keeping fresh water stingray experience do you have?


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## dchow

BettaBeats said:


> Oh, and have fun cleaning that tank.. It's a pain to siphon water from the floor.
> Gravity doesn't work like that.


Just, lol.


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## BettaBeats

dchow said:


> Just, lol.


I was living out in Calgary and traded some platys for a 20 gal. I set it up on a table top that was on the floor next to the wall.. It was a very slow water change. I ended up just making a scoop-bucket out of a 4 gal water jug. Even when I moved I couldn't get all the water out so I was holding a 20 gal over the toilet emptying the last bit of water.



noob mistake.


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## dchow

You just need to drain to somewhere that's lower. I'm not really sure where or what conditions around you were available. Maybe you lived in condo. I don't, I do have an area which is lower to drain to.


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## Zebrapl3co

dchow said:


> The space I am currently living in doesn't have room for me to set up a huge tank or throw one in a wall. It'd be lovely if I could put up a larger tank but I chose to live in a smaller downtown home rather than in a more suburban and spacious home. I'd love to throw up a huge tank but given the area constraints I would either have to sacrifice seating or entertainment in the area. ..


Heh heh, yup, we all know what you mean. It always seems like there is never enough space for tanks in your house.
I think you're only limited to gold fish though. I can't seem to think of another fish that is colourful from the top. Just about any other fish looks invisible from the top. It's their nature to blend in from the top.
Also, I deal with my low tank siphon problem with this:
http://aqmagic.com/store/product_in...-vacuum-clean-pump&cName=accessories-cleaning
It works great, and you can even manually pump the water out even if gravity doesn't work in your favour. My only complain is that it's made of cheap plastic and won't last. I usually order a couple instead of just one.

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