Setting up a new 90 Gallon freshwater tropical tank, the first tank in several years.

Hey everyone. I'm going to be setting up the first tank I've attempted since my disastrous run with a 10 gallon when I was 11, which could be effectively summarized as a comedy of errors interrupted by sporadic Chinese fire drills (Most of which is, unfortunately, documented in full incoherent walls-of-text on this very website). Tank is 90 gallons, fairly standard rectangular shape, never used after my purchase except as a brief sanctuary for a newt that was found wandering around in the snow several years ago, and completely unfurnished and undecorated.

I haven't tested the local water yet, and mostly forgot my tables anyway, but it's very clean well water with a high mineral content, so some kind of water softener will be a must.

Questions:

I'm planning on this being a planted tank, and I'm interested in using topsoil substrate. Any advice on decent, hardy plants for the 75-80 F temp range that would do well in a fairly heavily planted tank? Also looking for good light fixtures, as the room doesn't have any natural sunlight.

Are there any species of bamboo that do well mostly submerged?

I'm planning on stocking my tank to start with Neon Tetras, a pleco or two, and three or four freshwater fiddler crabs. Maybe some bamboo shrimp. What are some other good "beginner tier" community fish and invertebrates? I've read that having some blackworms and large snails is good for a topsoil substrate tank. Any specific types to recommend?

For the crabs and shrimp, is Aquarium salt or Marine Salt preferable? I've read that Marine Salt is better for invertebrates, but the "extra nutrients" bit sounds like it could fiddle with water quality a bit. How sensitive are most tropical fish to the contents of marine salt?

I read about something called a Moonlight, that provides soft lighting for the viewing of nocturnal fish. I don't plan on getting any for some time, but the concept is interesting. Does anyone have experience with these?

I'm most likely going to be covering three sides of the tank and the bottom with slate rock for a more natural look. I'm considering having the slate on the three sides roughened a bit so that Java Moss or other small clinging plants can attach more easily to the sides of the tank and the crabs can scuttle about on the side if they get bored of the driftwood. Is this going to go terribly wrong in some way?

Speaking of driftwood, what's a good supplier? I would normally find some in the woods around my house (Middle of absolute nowhere, about as much chance of random pesticides as there is of mind-controlling alien parasites), but this time of year I'd have to chip it out of the frozen ground and ice with a hammer and chisel. In particular, I'm looking for decorative driftwood that would be good for a pleco supplement and some roots that could be used to create hiding places near the bottom or a route to the surface.

Airstones: Do they actually do anything? I'm going to get a couple regardless purely for looks and fish entertainment, but I'd like to know if they have any kind of effect on oxygen levels.

Small critters: I like having breeding populations of small aquatic insects/snails around, mostly because they were some of the few things I didn't manage to kill during my previous stint. What are some harmless creatures that could maintain a population with fish snacking on them?

Last of all, recently in Wal mart I noticed a horribly inadequate display tank with a handful of fiddler crabs slowly asphyxiating within. Is it worth it to try and rescue however many are still alive/in stock when my tank finishes cycling, or am I just asking for seven biblical plagues to descend upon my newly stocked tank?

Thanks.

calivivarium1 said:

Sounds like you have alot going on... Off the top of my head, aren't fiddler crabs known to snack on other critters in their tank? If they are fully freshwater, I wouldn't add salt to the tank. And if they aren't fully freshwater, I wouldn't add the crabs to the tank (unless of course you want to go brackish...)

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Not from what I've read. So long as the tank isn't too overstocked, they should be fine.

There are actually a lot of fish that like a small amount of salt added to the water, like swordtail fish and mollies. I've read a lot of guides written by fiddler crab owners, and it doesn't seem to be a problem.