# AGA 16 Gallon Bowfront, need help!



## Jlennon (Mar 2, 2007)

Hi,

I have an All-Glass Aquarium 16 gallon bowfront. I'm looking to getting into some type of plants. Its very bland without any. At one point I gave up on the plants because of a snail infestation. That problem was immediately taken care of by the addition of my clown loach. He demolished 39 snails (or more, all i counted) in 1 1/2 days, so I'm not worried about clingers when I buy plants now!  

Here is the list of residents (also in my profile) :

1 Panda Cory Cat
1 Honey Gourami
2 Otocinclus Cats
1 Pearl Gourami
1 Neon Teta
3 Blood-fin Tetra
3 Rummy nose Tetra
1 Clown Loach

I'm in the market for a new filter. The one I have, Whisper 20-30, is okay but I just feel its not working as good as I would like. The filters I am thinking about are:

Hagen Aquaclear 30/150
Marineland Penguin 30/150

I don't know what kind of lights I should have for my size tank to sustain any decent amount of plants, but the hood that came with it has a 15w florescent bulb in it, and the label rates it as a 20" 19w. Is there any higher watt 20" bulbs that I am able to fit in this or am I going to have to buy something else.

Since this is a small tank, I'm not really looking to spend all too much to upgrade any lighting just for a few plants. Tank measures 18" wide by 13" deep by 20" tall.

Please, let me know any comments, suggestions, possibilities, etc.

Thanks for your help!


----------



## trenac (Jul 16, 2004)

The AquaClear and Penquin are both good filters. The one thing I like about the AC is that it has more room for media.

You will not be able to get a higher watt bulb for your fixture. The only option is a fixture upgrade. You could go with a Coralife fixture or if you are good with your hands a retro-fit kit from AH Supply. This is probably your best bet due to the size of your tank. To grow low light plants you will need at least 32 watts of light.

Just to let you know that the Clown loach will outgrow your tank. They also better when kept in groups.


----------



## meglet (Oct 12, 2005)

I have the same 16 bow tank. I am running a Coralife Freshwater Aqualight that I had left over from an old 10 Gal. Those can be pricey, so you might want to look at the Coralife T-5 Aqualights. I have them on 2 other tanks, and I LOVE them. The lighting looks a bit pinker to me, and looks really nice with blue and red fish. 

I have switched the filter on my 16 bow to a Fluval 105 canister filter with skimmer and spraybar, and that works really well. In the past I have run Penguin HOB filters, including the 30/150 and really liked them. I used Aquaclear sponges as the media for the Penguins, which slows the flow down a bit but seems to filter better than the standard cartridges.


----------



## Jlennon (Mar 2, 2007)

Well it looks like I don't have much choices with the lighting. I can get the 1 x 36 Watt Bright Kit and be about the same size as the fixture I'm running now, but I don't have enough room for the 2 x 36 watt kit that comes out to 7" wide. I just don't have the room on this tank for the 7" wide kit. 

Currently, I am using the stock hood and lamp. My 7 month old kitten decided to take it upon himself to attempt to play with my fish since all his toys aren't fun enough. And broke the lid in the process. Now i'm replacing the lid with an AGA 16 gallon bowfront glass cover. (19.99 for this cover as opposed to 45.99 for an exact replacement of the plastic) Here i thought glass is more expensive but whatever. I'm not buying another plastic for him to break!

Seems with my limited space with this tank my only option is to get the 1 x 36watt kit or get a bigger tank!  While I would love to buy another larger thank, I think my fiancee would have a bit of a fit about this since we already have a fish tank. Sometimes they just don't understand. lol And of course someone had to rub it in my face when we bought this tank. Not two weeks later, Walmart had a 46 gallon bowfront on sale with a stand for like $190.00. If I didnt already have the tank set up I would have returned it to petsmart and bought the larger one.

I seem to be rambling, sorry about that! I'm going to have to think about the 1x36 watt. I'm not the best DIY person, but I should be able to do this. Build a box install the lamp.


----------

