New Tank - ideas/suggestions needed

pedzola

pedzola

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Aug 26, 2005
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So, while AC was down I purchased a new tank.

I got a 75-gallon (48x18x20) Perfecto glass aquarium, w/"prestige" series stand, glass top and strip light.

I also ordered an Eheim 2128 thermofilter, filter media, largish air pump, and accessories. (should be delivered today).

Total came out a little over $1000.

This setup is going to be primarily for my loaches (clowns, yo-yos) and my red tail shark. I will probably need some kind of "dither fish" school as well, to make the loaches happier. Something the shark wont attack. (tiger barbs?)


Anywho... the tank is set up, empty. I need to pick the decor.

1) I need to figure out how to get the back of the tank black (paint? fabric? window tint? painted cardboard?)

2) I need to pick a substrate.

3) I need to find some nice driftwood and/or rocks.

4) I need to find fake plants that will look good and work w/the rest of the decor.


Obviously I am going for a natural look... but with the low light conditions that loaches prefer, I will not be having a planted tank.

Can anyone make some recommendations for me? I will try to take pictures from empty through to the final setup. None yet... maybe tonight or this weekend.

Also... what do you think about my choice of equipment? Hope I did alright...


Thanks.
 
Have you considered using some very easy to grow low-light plants such as Anubias and Java Fern? Mine grew great under just one 48" tube. I use fishing line to tie pieces of both to driftwood/rocks until they grab hold. The Java fern will reproduce little plantlets and you can then attach them elsewhere until you have a nice low-light planted tank that takes very little work where plants are concerned.

Your new Eheim will be great, but I would still suggest adding a single HOB type filter just to add some redundancy and ensure that you have adequate filtrationa in the event that something goes wrong with the canister. You could buy just an AquaClear 110 for $33 at Petsmart if you bring in a printed copy of their website price (it is almost half off that way).

As for driftwood, I would suggest getting some massive branchy pieces. I find mine in lakes/streams, but I've seen some great stuff at one particulay LFS. . .

I plan on painting the back of a tank black in the future. Probably with just simple latex paint.

I'd pick a medium to dark colored substrate with small particle size.
 
I wanted to find this gravel called "deep river." The LFS that I bought the tank from only has the larger pebble-sized stuff. I want very small gravel for my loaches of course. So I'll see if I can find it @ petsmart, petco.

Here is a link to a picture of the gravel along w/some others in the same product line: Gravel Picture

I will have to look into java fern. I dunno where I will get it. Hard to find nice driftwood also.... I guess I will have to make some fish store expeditions to find good stuff.
 
Just a suggestion. If its to be a loach tank, you may want a lot more water movement that the cannister filter will supply. I don't have bettas or any other of the "big fin" fancy fish, but my loaches, tetras, rainbowfish,cories, and rasboras seem to do a lot better with at least moderate water movement, and some of them deliberately stay in the stream of my powerheads.
 
In a 75 gallon tank with a cannister filter rated for 150 gallons, don't you think the outflow will be enough?

I mean... I don't know... I haven't set it up yet!

I also bought an air pump because my clowns like to "surf" in air bubbles. This helps w/the circulation somewhat as well.

So do you think in a 48x18x20 tank that I will need an extra powerhead, even with a large cannister filter and air bubbles?

:\
 
I would not want to paint the tank, I would opt for a piece of stuff you can tape to the back, just in case, be it cardboard, or stuff you buy from the store. The silk plants from www.drsfostersmith.com are pretty nice, I bought a bunch from there and like them quite a bit. I got my driftwood from www.bigalsonline.com, and my pleco seems to like it so I'm happy!! Congrats on the new tank! Have fun
 
Well... I painted the tank tonight.

Petco and Petsmart did not have the gravel I wanted either.

I have 2 more LFS's to check tomorrow.... hopefully I will get the tank set up this weekend!

I will try to take some digi pics.

Tomorrow will be my hunt for decor day.


So... anyone have ideas what to put in my Eheim cannister filter 2128 for media?? I bought a pack of ehfimech and efhisubstrat, and I got a container of "black diamond" w/some media bags.... It sounds like I might need some more efhisubstrat or something similar tho... from what I've read... I dunno... what does everyone else put in their cannister? What abou tthe filter pads? Where do those go?

Never had a cannister filter before.

Filling the tank w/water tomorrow.... i will try to remember to take pictures!
 
It's a little late, but another thing I like for backgrounds is to take aluminum foil, crumple it a bit, uncrumple it, and then spray paint it and attach it to the back of the tank. You can do it plain black or do do layers of different colors. Also, when you attach it you can form it and make little "caves" and hollows.
 
That sounds like a neat idea!

I think I like the black. I did a few layers of regular black acrylic paint. I put it on w/a foam roller. I think it'll look nice.

I am really anxious to get some gravel and decor and fill this thing up w/water tomorrow!


I really want it to look nice, I hope that I can find some nice rocks & driftwood.
 
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