Calling all "EXPERTS"

[HKat]

Hi guys......I am new to this forum and very new to the aquarium hobby. Please let me clarify by saying that when I say "EXPERTS" I mean everybody but me......cause I am very new to this.

I started with my 1st 10 gallon and moved to a 29 gallon (tall) within a week. Things are going well with all tanks now!!

OK....here is my issue....I am in love with the hobby and love raising fish....I just purchased a 70g (48"L x 18"W x 20"H). I am doing alot of research in trying to set this tank up and preparing for the future at the same time. I have a bunch of questions that I hope people with alot more knowledge can help me with:

My plan for this tank right now again is community fish only (non-planted).......but there is a very good possibility I will be moving to Africans and planted shortly down the road and moving the communities to another tank. I like to keep my options open. So here goes:

Tank: 70g (48"L x 18"W x 20"H)

Lighting: For freshwater, how much lumination would I need? For community I know it should be simple fluorescent but in planning for a future planted tank with Africans.....I would need to move to higher output. Can I get the higher output lighting now and use it with the non-planted community tank? Will it harm anything or cause bacterial blooms? Also, as far as the moonlighting....I just love the thought of it....keeping it on at night....will this bother anything? And finally, do I need to buy a fixture with them already installed or can I install the LED's after the fact....and if so......how difficult is it to install them? And just to clarify.....I prefer the full hood fixtures (not canopies) can I find a hood that would give me the proper higher output lighting and the moonlighting and still be a full hood-type fixture? Could I be so bold as to ask for a specific make and model of a fixture for my size tank!!

Filtration: For the 70g I was looking at the new Marineland C-360 rated for tanks up to 100 gallons. Is this a good canister filter? Would this be sufficient to adequately filter my tank....I would rather go WAAAYY overboard than not have enough and cause a toxic environment. Ok, yes I know that I am not raising Salmon......and I do not want to go too overboard.....but maybe 2 canisters would be better than 1?? Again, can someone even recommend something to me??

Part 2 of filtration........would a sump work better.........I have no idea how they work and what the good and bad are about sumps. I was told that sumps will overflow if you lose power and flood out!! Is this true? It kind of makes sense from a gravity sense!

UV Fixture: How beneficial is a UV light? Would I need it for a tank my size and what I plan to stock my tank with (Community and/or Africans).

Aeration: I enjoy aerating my tanks well and watching the bubbling action and the fish playing in the bubbles. So my 29g tank has an enormous amount of aeration. For my 75g that I will be setting up.....if I go non-planted then I suppose alot of aeration is no problem......if I change to a planted tank......then I should not have so much due to the loss of C02. Is this correct??

Media: Is the use of Purigen as opposed to Carbon a good idea?? Or should both be used?

With all these questions......I know their are 1000 theories to support all these questions......I am just looking for some good information to make my own decisions......while avoiding killing fish at the same time!!!

Aquarium Salt: I have heard that the use of aquarium salt is beneficial when cycling and for creating an "easier" environment for the fish....meaning....the salt aids by balancing the salinity levels of the water to the fish so as to ease the stress of fish processing the water coming in......so that it is less taxing on critical functions........again the question is......is this true? And....does anyone else here utilize aquarium salt for their freshwater fish?

Please accept my apologies for this long, ridiculous quest for information....I just don't want to kill any fish.....and I want to make a stress free environment for my "babies" as possible so that they can flourish!!

Thanks, again, to all in advance for any advise or information you could provide me!!


Harris

[AngelfishGirl19]

FILTRATION: You might want to use 2 filters. Maybe 2 40 gallon filters would be good. I would get an external power filter though, they're easier to maintain than canisters... If your local pet store has a brand called Top Fin, get that. It's a good brand. I have a 20g filter for my tank and it runs perfectly!

AERATION: Probably not.

MEDIA: I would recommend carbon. Plus it goes with the external power filters.

I used it also when I was starting my 18 gallon tank. It works well when your fish get sick too.

So sorry for the questions I couldn't answer:

UV FIXTURE, PART 2 FILTER, and LIGHTING: I have no idea what a sump or a canister is. Well I know what a canister is, but I use external power filters. I've never used UV Fixtures, and I have no idea what moonlighting is.

I don't mind the many questions. I like teaching newbies about their fish tanks. :)

[Hooked Newbie]

Hi guys......I am new to this forum and very new to the aquarium hobby. Please let me clarify by saying that when I say "EXPERTS" I mean everybody but me......cause I am very new to this.

:welcome:

I started with my 1st 10 gallon and moved to a 29 gallon (tall) within a week. Things are going well with all tanks now!!

OK....here is my issue....I am in love with the hobby and love raising fish....I just purchased a 70g (48"L x 18"W x 20"H). I am doing alot of research in trying to set this tank up and preparing for the future at the same time. I have a bunch of questions that I hope people with alot more knowledge can help me with:

My plan for this tank right now again is community fish only (non-planted).......but there is a very good possibility I will be moving to Africans and planted shortly down the road and moving the communities to another tank. I like to keep my options open. So here goes:

I've not kept Africans, but I believe they would prefer no plants (wreak havok).

Tank: 70g (48"L x 18"W x 20"H)

Lighting: For freshwater, how much lumination would I need? For community I know it should be simple fluorescent but in planning for a future planted tank with Africans.....I would need to move to higher output. The only thing that should require more lighting would be if you chose to go planted. Can I get the higher output lighting now and use it with the non-planted community tank? Will it harm anything or cause bacterial blooms? Higher light in a non-planted tank would probably lead to algal problems. Also, as far as the moonlighting....I just love the thought of it....keeping it on at night....will this bother anything? And finally, do I need to buy a fixture with them already installed or can I install the LED's after the fact....and if so......how difficult is it to install them? And just to clarify.....I prefer the full hood fixtures (not canopies) can I find a hood that would give me the proper higher output lighting and the moonlighting and still be a full hood-type fixture? Could I be so bold as to ask for a specific make and model of a fixture for my size tank!!

Search and compare the lighting options available on www.bigalsonline.com (http://www.bigalsonline.com). "Hoods" tend to be a bit limiting, but you can get glass canopies and mount your lighting fixture above it. Can be someone unattractive without a covering canopy.

Filtration: For the 70g I was looking at the new Marineland C-360 rated for tanks up to 100 gallons. Is this a good canister filter? Would this be sufficient to adequately filter my tank....I would rather go WAAAYY overboard than not have enough and cause a toxic environment. Ok, yes I know that I am not raising Salmon......and I do not want to go too overboard.....but maybe 2 canisters would be better than 1?? Again, can someone even recommend something to me?? I'm not familiar with the Marineland canisters, but more is better IMO with the limiting factor being output flow based on the fish you keep. I have a canister filter and HOB filter on all my tanks save my shrimp tank.

Part 2 of filtration........would a sump work better.........I have no idea how they work and what the good and bad are about sumps. I was told that sumps will overflow if you lose power and flood out!! Is this true? It kind of makes sense from a gravity sense! I'm not familiar enough myself to comment other than saying they're not commonly used with single FW tanks.

UV Fixture: How beneficial is a UV light? Would I need it for a tank my size and what I plan to stock my tank with (Community and/or Africans). You shouldn't need one.

Aeration: I enjoy aerating my tanks well and watching the bubbling action and the fish playing in the bubbles. So my 29g tank has an enormous amount of aeration. For my 75g that I will be setting up.....if I go non-planted then I suppose alot of aeration is no problem......if I change to a planted tank......then I should not have so much due to the loss of C02. Is this correct?? Yes, but you can compensate.

Media: Is the use of Purigen as opposed to Carbon a good idea?? Or should both be used? Purigen (not real familiar) shouldn't be needed if the tank is cycled and balanced properly.

With all these questions......I know their are 1000 theories to support all these questions......I am just looking for some good information to make my own decisions......while avoiding killing fish at the same time!!! ALOT more than 1000! lol

Aquarium Salt: I have heard that the use of aquarium salt is beneficial when cycling and for creating an "easier" environment for the fish....meaning....the salt aids by balancing the salinity levels of the water to the fish so as to ease the stress of fish processing the water coming in......so that it is less taxing on critical functions........again the question is......is this true? And....does anyone else here utilize aquarium salt for their freshwater fish?

I'm sure someone here does, but IMO it is NOT needed unless treating for disease.

Please accept my apologies for this long, ridiculous quest for information....I just don't want to kill any fish.....and I want to make a stress free environment for my "babies" as possible so that they can flourish!!

No apologies are needed for doing research beforehand!

Thanks, again, to all in advance for any advise or information you could provide me!!


Harris

My two cents in red above. Have you read the sticky on Cycling?

[OldMan1947]

Tank: 70g (48"L x 18"W x 20"H)

Lighting: For freshwater, how much lumination would I need? For community I know it should be simple fluorescent but in planning for a future planted tank with Africans.....I would need to move to higher output. Can I get the higher output lighting now and use it with the non-planted community tank? Will it harm anything or cause bacterial blooms? Also, as far as the moonlighting....I just love the thought of it....keeping it on at night....will this bother anything? And finally, do I need to buy a fixture with them already installed or can I install the LED's after the fact....and if so......how difficult is it to install them? And just to clarify.....I prefer the full hood fixtures (not canopies) can I find a hood that would give me the proper higher output lighting and the moonlighting and still be a full hood-type fixture? Could I be so bold as to ask for a specific make and model of a fixture for my size tank!!

The lighting for typical planted tanks will run at about 2 watts / gallon or abot 150W in your case. Much more and you are committed to high tech plant maintenance methods, much less and few plants will thrive.As far as the moon lights, I know kits are available and it appeals to me too but I haven't tried it yet so no info.

Filtration: For the 70g I was looking at the new Marineland C-360 rated for tanks up to 100 gallons. Is this a good canister filter? Would this be sufficient to adequately filter my tank....I would rather go WAAAYY overboard than not have enough and cause a toxic environment. Ok, yes I know that I am not raising Salmon......and I do not want to go too overboard.....but maybe 2 canisters would be better than 1?? Again, can someone even recommend something to me??

I am running a marineland C-220 on my 45 and it seems to be working fine. I have Rena XP series on most of my other tanks and they have proven to also be good filters. As you are likely to notice, most people will tell you to go one size larger than the manufacturers recommend if you get a single filter.

Part 2 of filtration........would a sump work better.........I have no idea how they work and what the good and bad are about sumps. I was told that sumps will overflow if you lose power and flood out!! Is this true? It kind of makes sense from a gravity sense!

A sump will definitely give you better filtration than most other methods for biological filtration. They can be hard to set up and can be somewhat noisy so they are definitely out at my house.

UV Fixture: How beneficial is a UV light? Would I need it for a tank my size and what I plan to stock my tank with (Community and/or Africans).

Aeration: I enjoy aerating my tanks well and watching the bubbling action and the fish playing in the bubbles. So my 29g tank has an enormous amount of aeration. For my 75g that I will be setting up.....if I go non-planted then I suppose alot of aeration is no problem......if I change to a planted tank......then I should not have so much due to the loss of C02. Is this correct??

Aeration will impact your ability to use CO2 effectively in a planted tank. It depends on if you want the high tech plant approach that needs CO2 added. If you are going low tech on plants, the aeration will bring in the room air's CO2 and would be a plus. Depends howe far you want to go with plant maintenance.

Media: Is the use of Purigen as opposed to Carbon a good idea?? Or should both be used?

With all these questions......I know their are 1000 theories to support all these questions......I am just looking for some good information to make my own decisions......while avoiding killing fish at the same time!!!

Aquarium Salt: I have heard that the use of aquarium salt is beneficial when cycling and for creating an "easier" environment for the fish....meaning....the salt aids by balancing the salinity levels of the water to the fish so as to ease the stress of fish processing the water coming in......so that it is less taxing on critical functions........again the question is......is this true? And....does anyone else here utilize aquarium salt for their freshwater fish?
Don't even ask me about salt. It can set me off on a not very nice rant

[msjinkzd]

Lighting: For freshwater, how much lumination would I need? For community I know it should be simple fluorescent but in planning for a future planted tank with Africans.....I would need to move to higher output. Can I get the higher output lighting now and use it with the non-planted community tank? Will it harm anything or cause bacterial blooms? Also, as far as the moonlighting....I just love the thought of it....keeping it on at night....will this bother anything? And finally, do I need to buy a fixture with them already installed or can I install the LED's after the fact....and if so......how difficult is it to install them? And just to clarify.....I prefer the full hood fixtures (not canopies) can I find a hood that would give me the proper higher output lighting and the moonlighting and still be a full hood-type fixture? Could I be so bold as to ask for a specific make and model of a fixture for my size tank!!
There is a DIY link somewhere around this forum about making your own moonlights...I believe Darksoul is the author. As for normal lighting, if you go planted it depends on what plants you want to keep. For low light 1-2 wpg is more than sufficient. Many of us go low-tech with around 1 wpg and there are a variety of plants available.

Filtration: For the 70g I was looking at the new Marineland C-360 rated for tanks up to 100 gallons. Is this a good canister filter? Would this be sufficient to adequately filter my tank....I would rather go WAAAYY overboard than not have enough and cause a toxic environment. Ok, yes I know that I am not raising Salmon......and I do not want to go too overboard.....but maybe 2 canisters would be better than 1?? Again, can someone even recommend something to me??
I haven't even used the Marineland canister filters, I have a rena xp2 on my 36g and I love it. I usually prefer two filters on a tank (I have a canister and a HOB on mine except my invert tanks). You can't have too much filtration. With multiple filters you have alot of versatility in media and also have the ability to seed new tanks by moving one over.

Part 2 of filtration........would a sump work better.........I have no idea how they work and what the good and bad are about sumps. I was told that sumps will overflow if you lose power and flood out!! Is this true? It kind of makes sense from a gravity sense!

UV Fixture: How beneficial is a UV light? Would I need it for a tank my size and what I plan to stock my tank with (Community and/or Africans).
Uv is not really necessary, I have one but never use it except occasionally on qt or it can be useful to treat a unicellular algae bloom.

Aeration: I enjoy aerating my tanks well and watching the bubbling action and the fish playing in the bubbles. So my 29g tank has an enormous amount of aeration. For my 75g that I will be setting up.....if I go non-planted then I suppose alot of aeration is no problem......if I change to a planted tank......then I should not have so much due to the loss of C02. Is this correct??
If you are going hi-tech with co2 increased surface agitation would gas off your co2 whihc is less than desirable. If you go low tech I don't know if it would have much impact.

Media: Is the use of Purigen as opposed to Carbon a good idea?? Or should both be used?
I don't use either. I just have sponges, ceramic rings, and polyfill. Its cheap and gets the job done. I only run things like carbon if I am removing meds. Also, if you decide to go planted, the carbon will remove any nutrients (fertilizers) you dose your tank with for the plants.

With all these questions......I know their are 1000 theories to support all these questions......I am just looking for some good information to make my own decisions......while avoiding killing fish at the same time!!!

Aquarium Salt: I have heard that the use of aquarium salt is beneficial when cycling and for creating an "easier" environment for the fish....meaning....the salt aids by balancing the salinity levels of the water to the fish so as to ease the stress of fish processing the water coming in......so that it is less taxing on critical functions........again the question is......is this true? And....does anyone else here utilize aquarium salt for their freshwater fish?
I only use salt to treat disease...it also has benefits for livebearers, beyond that I know no real reason to keep a freshwater tank salted.



Hope this helps and welcome to AC!

[msjinkzd]

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=103075 a diy moonlight thread...there is another one around here somewhere too

[Dwarf Puffers]

My plan for this tank right now again is community fish only (non-planted).......but there is a very good possibility I will be moving to Africans and planted shortly down the road and moving the communities to another tank. I like to keep my options open. So here goes:

Tank: 70g (48"L x 18"W x 20"H)

Lighting: For freshwater, how much lumination would I need? For community I know it should be simple fluorescent but in planning for a future planted tank with Africans.....I would need to move to higher output. Can I get the higher output lighting now and use it with the non-planted community tank? Will it harm anything or cause bacterial blooms? Also, as far as the moonlighting....I just love the thought of it....keeping it on at night....will this bother anything?

In a planted tank, low to medium-low light plants require 2 wpg (watts per gallon), which would translate into 150 watts. In an african tank, almost all plants would be demolished, so unless you're thinking of keeping java fern (if so, 1.5 wpg would probably cut it), the lighting doesn't matter. I doubt moonlighting would harm the fish, they may even like it.

Filtration: For the 70g I was looking at the new Marineland C-360 rated for tanks up to 100 gallons. Is this a good canister filter? Would this be sufficient to adequately filter my tank....I would rather go WAAAYY overboard than not have enough and cause a toxic environment. Ok, yes I know that I am not raising Salmon......and I do not want to go too overboard.....but maybe 2 canisters would be better than 1?? Again, can someone even recommend something to me??

You could go with one big filter or 2 smaller ones. It is usually suggested you get a filter that filters around twice the water that it's rated for, so you could go with 1 140-150g filter or 2 60-70g filters. They have their ups and downs (the up side with 1 is that there's only one big one to clean, up side with 2 is that there is more filtration spread over the tank and a more natural flow, etc), but either would be fine.

Part 2 of filtration........would a sump work better.........I have no idea how they work and what the good and bad are about sumps. I was told that sumps will overflow if you lose power and flood out!! Is this true? It kind of makes sense from a gravity sense!

Sorry, can't anwser that one. The only thing I know of sumps is that they provide greater water volume for the tank, which is always good.

UV Fixture: How beneficial is a UV light? Would I need it for a tank my size and what I plan to stock my tank with (Community and/or Africans).

I'm not very familiar with specific kinds of aquarium lights, sorry.

Aeration: I enjoy aerating my tanks well and watching the bubbling action and the fish playing in the bubbles. So my 29g tank has an enormous amount of aeration. For my 75g that I will be setting up.....if I go non-planted then I suppose alot of aeration is no problem......if I change to a planted tank......then I should not have so much due to the loss of C02. Is this correct??

I haven't used ferts before, but I'd place my bet that the bubbles would carry the C02 from the tank and into the air, although this is just a guess.

Media: Is the use of Purigen as opposed to Carbon a good idea?? Or should both be used?

I only use filtration material and carbon, I don't think you'd need purigen, which is probably one of those filter medias that is supposed to help bacteria grow. Those can also cause nitrate spikes.

With all these questions......I know their are 1000 theories to support all these questions......I am just looking for some good information to make my own decisions......while avoiding killing fish at the same time!!!

:thumbsup: Good for you for doing your research and carring for the fish, and I agree with HN; There are a LOT more than 1000 theories!! :grinyes:

Aquarium Salt: I have heard that the use of aquarium salt is beneficial when cycling and for creating an "easier" environment for the fish....meaning....the salt aids by balancing the salinity levels of the water to the fish so as to ease the stress of fish processing the water coming in......so that it is less taxing on critical functions........again the question is......is this true? And....does anyone else here utilize aquarium salt for their freshwater fish?

A few chains claim salt helps in aquariums, but in all seriousness it should only ever be used when diagnosed to exterminate a disease, parasite, or other form of illness. It damages fish when used continously, instead of at the appropriate time.

Please accept my apologies for this long, ridiculous quest for information....I just don't want to kill any fish.....and I want to make a stress free environment for my "babies" as possible so that they can flourish!!

Not a ridiculous "quest" at all! 95% of people I know and/or see at pet stores haven't a clue about fish, and don't give a thought about them. They are mere objects to be bought for a decoration or to appease a child, and then to be discarded or replaced.

Thanks, again, to all in advance for any advise or information you could provide me!!

No problem at all, our pleasure to be helping a new aquarist.

Harris

My writing is in blue, of course.

[HKat]

Hi everybody.........I would really like to thank you all very much for taking the time out to assist me with your knowledge and experiences.

I hope someday I can assist some of you!!!


Thanks again!!


Harris

[GirlieGirl8521]

Just wanted to add that depending on the African cichlids you will be looking at, many of them like to dig and/or are herbivores, so generally planted tanks are not recommended for them. It can be done, but its not recommended. ;)

I suggest going with a canister filter and a HOB. I like the Rena XP series myself and find them very easy to maintain. For powerfilters, Marineland and Aquaclear are excellent brands. I'd go with a Rena Xp3 and an Aquaclear 70. Everyone has their favorite brands though.

Carbon is good for taking medications out of the water and clearing up the tank if its cloudy. I wouldn't use it all the time. Purigen is good for taking ammonia out of the water. I wouldn't use it all the time either.

As for lighting, you could easily get a 260 watt compact fluorescent fixture (if the tank is 4ft) and just use half of the lights (130w). With that lighting you could start with some low light plants and not have to do anything. They should grow (slowly) and won't need much attention. Then later on, you could increase the lighting if you wished to go higher. Using all the light (260w) you'd need carbon dioxide injection and a fertilizing schedule. With that light fixture you'd have the option of going with higher light if you wanted, in the future.

Another option would be to just get a single or double fluorescent fixture to use now (they are pretty cheap) and then just buy a higher wattage fixture in the future.

[Star_Rider]

I think many of your questions have been answered.
I will add tho

aquarium salt is usualy not needed but it does have benefit in some aspects of fish keeping.
it is useful in the treatment of disease and infections and what you heard about it in cyclgin is partly true.
adding salt to the aquarium when nitrite is present will hind the absorption of nitrite.
it(salt) will change the osmotic pressures in the gills allowing less absorption of nitrite into the blood stream.


this same change in osmotic pressure is what makes salt effective in many ich treatments. for freshwater species

BTW UV light is used in treatment of tanks for parasites, bacteria and algae blooms. the detrimental side of UV is that it is indiscriminant of the bacteria it kills this will include beneficial bacteria.
UV also needs to have the proper flow as the time the lil nasties you are trying to get rid of is critical in the effectiveness of the UV. if the exposure time is not long enough the nasty won't get killed.

[tankboy_taylor]

the diy moonlights from the above link are awesome I made them for my 75 for about 20 bucks alot better than anything ive seen for a low cost solution.

[HKat]

Thanks again everybody.........quick question though......

the link that was posted said that upon starting the moonlights....it was actually a lot brighter than actual.......can anyone else confirm or deny this....what I am looking for is a nice deep dark blue hue for the tank.


Harris

[tankboy_taylor]

the light cast on by the moonlights isnt to bright its definatly a nightlight. I would say using one kit on my 75g was perfect. It spreads light evenly.

One blue kit would do it for you youll be suprised how great it looks. Ive spent money on other moonlights then returned them cause they didnt work a fraction as good as this set-up

[HKat]

Fantastic..........thanks tankboy.........boy......what a an amazing source of information........all of you really are helpful!!

I just hope I can help someday!!


Harris

[Squawkbert]

Not much to add - Except

1) HOBs make keeping CO2 in water tough - like aeration does

2) You can do a planted Cichlid tank, but it takes some planning - choose plants that they don't like to eat and that develop enough of a root system that they can't be uprooted. Get plants going at least a month before adding your first (baby) Cichlids.

3) First read the Concise guide to planted tanks at www.RexGrigg.com. Then read the NPT & El Natural stickies over at AquaticPlantCentral.com. You will find that there is a basic choice to be made between high-tech and Natural Planted methods. Since you're interested in African Cichlids, I'm guessing that you'll wind up going high tech as it will be a bit easier to maintain hard water that way (yes, this is another minor consideration when choosing plants - there are a very few that don't do well in hard water - many more won't do as well in very soft water - I hope I've got that the right way-).

3a) If you like what you read with respect to the advantages of NPT, read Diana Walstad's book The Ecology of the Planted Aquarium (heck - read it if you're interested in any type of planted tank).

4) Eheim Classics rock and they're on sale at BigAlsonline.com. For a 70g, I'd look seriously at a 2217. Once you're heavily planted, circulation becomes very important as having more plants tends to impede currents. Eheim classics are tough to beat with respect to circulation. C-seris may be great, I haven't tried one & I'm still annoyed that Marineland won't publish a list of winners for a contest they had when they introduced them and allegedly gave some away. If you want Rena, I'd look at XP-4. I've heard good things about Via Aqua too - but they are not as widely available.