I'm picking up a new standard 75 gal tank to replace my oldy-moldy 55 gal in a couple of days. I will stick with the general "theme" of my original tank, but hopefully I will do a couple of upgrades and possibly do things a little better this time around. I enjoy the look and challenge of fancy goldfish and live plants. I have just 2 fish at the moment, a large black moor and a half-grown orange lionhead. I had been running a DIY CFL light fixture, until I went to change the bulbs and my wires and the fixture itself were melting under the heat of the bulbs. I want to upgrade lighting, and I really want moonlights. Has anyone had experience with this light?
http://www.aquatraders.com/48-inch-3x54W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Digi-Timer-Fixture-p/52315.htm
I like the legs on the fixture as well... I would like the top of my tank to be as open as possible. Would this be a reasonable amount of lighting for a 75gal?
I currently have pool sand as substrate and, honestly, I totally hate it. You can see EVERY little bit of poo and whatnot, and I'm just a little sick of it. I was thinking I would go with some good ol' natural colored aquarium gravel(I would possibly consider have a dirt sub layer, if that's gonna help my plants).
I was also thinking I would look into a pressurized CO2 system. I know very little about how it all works and any suggested CO2 for dummies-type units would be great...
I am currently keeping a few swords of different types, and not much else besides that, but in my tank's hey-day there were a multitude of plants growing harmoniously with my goldfish(they can only eat so much lol).
I wanna do it right the first time around, and I have the opportunity to really take my time and make it perfect... I really like the look of tanks with lights hanging or suspended in some way with the top of the tank open... I also want my plants to do well without having tons of algae to deal with. I don't really understand how to figure out LED lighting requirements and all this new-fangled stuff that's going on since the last time I set up a tank.
Any suggested reading or advice is much appreciated! Thanks
http://www.aquatraders.com/48-inch-3x54W-T5-Aquarium-Light-Digi-Timer-Fixture-p/52315.htm
I like the legs on the fixture as well... I would like the top of my tank to be as open as possible. Would this be a reasonable amount of lighting for a 75gal?
I currently have pool sand as substrate and, honestly, I totally hate it. You can see EVERY little bit of poo and whatnot, and I'm just a little sick of it. I was thinking I would go with some good ol' natural colored aquarium gravel(I would possibly consider have a dirt sub layer, if that's gonna help my plants).
I was also thinking I would look into a pressurized CO2 system. I know very little about how it all works and any suggested CO2 for dummies-type units would be great...
I am currently keeping a few swords of different types, and not much else besides that, but in my tank's hey-day there were a multitude of plants growing harmoniously with my goldfish(they can only eat so much lol).
I wanna do it right the first time around, and I have the opportunity to really take my time and make it perfect... I really like the look of tanks with lights hanging or suspended in some way with the top of the tank open... I also want my plants to do well without having tons of algae to deal with. I don't really understand how to figure out LED lighting requirements and all this new-fangled stuff that's going on since the last time I set up a tank.
Any suggested reading or advice is much appreciated! Thanks