100 gal equipment questions

L

La Barbe

AC Members
Mar 13, 2009
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Hello Everybody! I'm new to the site (this is my first post), and relatively new to the hobby. I currently have a 30 gallon tank with a 3" convict, and a Green Terror and a pleco, both more than double that size. My girlfriend got them off of craigslist for me as a late Christmas present. They were in a 20 gal then. I know they need to be in a bigger tank, but the 30 gal was the biggest I could find in my price range until now.

Last night I purchased a 100 gal acrylic truvu tank for $100. I want to get them into it as soon as possible. I read up on cycling the tank, but before I can do that, I need to know what equipment I'll need to run it.

I currently have two whisper 10's and another power filter and a small heater. I'm not planning on using any of these in it and would greatly appreciate suggestions on what to buy. I'm thinking about canister filters, but what are the pros and cons versus mounted filters? Also, what kind of heater/heaters should I use for a tank this size? Oh, and if there is somewhere to get a light for cheap, that would be good to know, too. I have one, but it's too small for my 30gal.

Please keep in mind that I'm kind of on a budget. I do have a few hundred to spend, but I really just want my fish to be happy and healthy.
Thanks!
 
Oh, the tank has scratches and I heard about some acrylic buffing solution or something... my info was limited and given by a guy who had been drinking. Anyway, if anybody knows what I'm talking about, please let me know.
 
First, congrats on the new tank! Good for you for getting your fish a better home! As for the equipment, I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but I'll give it a shot.

Filters: Can you be more specific about the "other" power filter? Whatever you do, you'll want to move your old filter media to the new tank, along with as much of the old substrate, decorations, etc., to "instant cycle" the new tank.

Heaters: Here are some calculators for determining the heater wattage you'll need:

http://www.kernsanalysis.com/HeaterCalculator.cgi

http://www.aquariumlife.net/heatcalc.asp

Some people recommend using multiple smaller heaters instead of one large heater to reduce the chance of a major problem in the event of a malfunction. With multiple heaters, they're unlikely to go haywire all at once and only one of them failing (stuck on or off) won't swing the temperature too fast. Others swear by one large heater. Either way, it's worth it to get good heaters. Visitherm Stealths are a favorite. I'm sure there are other good brands as well.

Lights: The cheapest option, if you're handy, is DIY. Whether that's buying the sockets and ballasts and wiring up from scratch, or just altering some shop lights to suit your purposes, you'll avoid the "aquarium markup." On the other hand, a ready-made fixture that fits your tank is much less trouble.

Congrats and good luck!
 
The other is a penguin 550 power head. Thanks for the help so far, and for the welcome!
 
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Heaters
Depending on the noraml room temp. you will need between 3 watts per gallon if the room is heated and comfortable to 5 watts per gallon if the room is cooler.
for a tank that big i recomend 2 heaters folloeing the general guide i gave above
each should be between 150watts for the warmer room to 250watts for a cooler room.

Filters (depends on your budget)
i prefer canisters simply because they are a closed system with the water under pressure bieng forced thru the media a good canister has no bypass if the filter get
gunked up.H.O.B. filters well if the media gets gunked up there usually a way for the water to bypass the actual filter.-Anne
 
you are going to get alot of suggestions here.

As a relatively inexperienced aquarist, i would suggest a cannister filter. Wet/Dry is good for more experienced hobbyist and provide cons that i don't think you should worry yourself with in the beginning. Overall, the cannister will benefit you the most. Cannisters are a little expensive, less expensive then wet/dry but more expensive then power filters. They do not allow bypass like when a power filter gets clogged so everything is going through the media. They generally hold alot larger media capacities as well. I have an Eheim 2217 on my 72 and its awesome. Eheim is an excellent company and others swear by the rena, marineleand, and fluval cannisters as well.

As for heaters, i prefer eheim, alot of people on here swear by the marineland stealths whic are shatterproof and have been time tested, many will agree with me on this. I chose the eheim because it has a larger glass casing made of lab grade glass. The larger glass enclosure allows the heater to retain more heat because of more material.

Lights, well, do u plan on having plants?
 
I don't plan on having plants because, from what I've read, my African cichlids will tear them out.
 
I think I'll go with the 2 heater plan. Would it be okay to have heaters that aren't the same wattage? (i.e. 250W & 100W) Also, I think I could figure out how to make a light. I didn't even think about doing it from scratch! Thanks again for what you've given me so far!
 
in my 100 I run 2 heaters. For filtration I run a Aquaclear 110 and a DIY wet/dry. I have plec's and Oscars - two big and messy fish! I used to run 2 AC110's but as soon as I get a bigger overflow box it will be the wet/dry only. On my 90 I run 2 Emperor 400's and 2 heaters. For filters I use poly-fiber floss instead of the expensive cartridges. My water stays clean and clear in both tanks.

Other than the Oscars most of my fish are Malawi Cichlids. I don't do plants either (Plus I have a Silver Dollar that eats any plant I put in).
 
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