Catalina Aquarium Light OR Nova Extreme??? Please Help!:)

Top three things you should get before setting up the tank (especially if you plan to have this med/high light) is 1- the light itself, 2- CO2, 3- good filtration. Only then would i consider setting it up, packing it with plants and purchasing other minor things along the way.
If you wont be providing co2, the plants cant take in the nutrients in the water efficiently and then thats where you have algae. With the sight of algae im sure your plan would be to cut down the lights, and with that you will just end up with weak, barely thriving plants.

Check local ebay for the co2 tank. If you are lucky you can pick one up for wayyy under $100. I personally came across a few 10-20lb co2 tanks that sold for $30.
As far as regulator you can go for some fancy shmancy one or get a simple milwaukee and it will do the job just fine (~$85 shipped).

If you are going to start something on this scale, its best to start it off right.
 
Bk718 said:
Top three things you should get before setting up the tank (especially if you plan to have this med/high light) is 1- the light itself, 2- CO2, 3- good filtration. Only then would i consider setting it up, packing it with plants and purchasing other minor things along the way.
If you wont be providing co2, the plants cant take in the nutrients in the water efficiently and then thats where you have algae. With the sight of algae im sure your plan would be to cut down the lights, and with that you will just end up with weak, barely thriving plants.

Check local ebay for the co2 tank. If you are lucky you can pick one up for wayyy under $100. I personally came across a few 10-20lb co2 tanks that sold for $30.
As far as regulator you can go for some fancy shmancy one or get a simple milwaukee and it will do the job just fine (~$85 shipped).

If you are going to start something on this scale, its best to start it off right.
Click to expand...

1. I am planning to buy the eheim 2075 Professional III Canister Filter for up to 100 gallons.

2. So far, I am planning to buy the catalina aquarium 3X54 t5HO 48" lighting fixture.

3. So far, I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CO2, WHAT SIZE CO2 TANK DO I NEED, WHAT REGULATOR, ETC. CAN ANYBODY TELL ME THE BASIC INFORMATION FOR KEEPING A CO2 SYSTEM?

THANKS


EDIT

IS THIS A GOOD Co2 SYSTEM???

http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-CO2-Gre...7?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1299303052&sr=1-7
 
Last edited:
TheFishBoss97 said:
1. I am planning to buy the eheim 2075 Professional III Canister Filter for up to 100 gallons.

2. So far, I am planning to buy the catalina aquarium 3X54 t5HO 48" lighting fixture.

3. So far, I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT CO2, WHAT SIZE CO2 TANK DO I NEED, WHAT REGULATOR, ETC. CAN ANYBODY TELL ME THE BASIC INFORMATION FOR KEEPING A CO2 SYSTEM?

THANKS


EDIT

IS THIS A GOOD Co2 SYSTEM???

http://www.amazon.com/Hydor-CO2-Gre...7?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1299303052&sr=1-7
Click to expand...

That filter will do but i would add maybe a powerhead on the other side of the tank to get good movement. I personally just got myself a koralia powerhead and am more than happy with its output..
For the light, thats a good choice. For bulbs you can go with either of the provided. The plant bulb is pink and it alone will give your tank a "different" look, but once coupled with a 10K bulb, the results are astounding. The pink brings out the color of the plants a bit better than just 6700 or 10,000 bulbs.

For CO2. For a beginner setup (on budget) you just need 3 things. CO2 tank, regulator, way to diffuse the co2 in the tank. All of this you can find relatively cheap if you really look around.
For the link you provided, its for a paintball like setup.
So lets start with the tank. I would stick to anything from 5-10-20lb tank for your 75g. (aim for the larger ones). You can find a cheap one in a few places. The two places which I kept an eye out when i was in need of a co2 tank was craigslist and local ebay auctions. After about a month of looking I managed to pick up a 20lb tank for less than $45. On that same day stopped by a welding shop and had it filled for $24.
Two things about filling tanks. You have two options, one is to refill your current co2 cylinder and the other is to trade your empty for their full. From personal experience there are more places that will trade than refill. So this is one thing you should consider before paying extra for that shiny tank.

For the regulator. For a decent price and for one that comes as the total package, you should look into a milwaukee regulator. It comes with regulator, solenoid (connects to timer to turn the co2 on/off) and a bubble counter. For this regulator you will pay about $85+ (heres a place where i got mine http://www.water-testers.com/contents/en-us/d100_milwaukee-ma957-co2-regulator.html they have free shipping and you can ask them for free co2 proof tubing)

Diffusing co2 in the tank. You can do this in a few ways and the cheapest is probably to place the airline tubing directly into the filters intake (many will argue this may damage filter but i havent seen any with actual damage). Another option is the glass diffuser. These cost about $5-10 and have been pretty popular in the plant hobby. Then theres building a co2 reactor but i will refrain from going into it since you are just starting.

With all that put together you are looking at about AT MOST $200 you will spend.
After your tank is set up with good lights/co2 and the plants begin to take off, you can quickly make the money back through plant sales.

Good luck
 
Actually the filter is for aquariums up to 160 gallons.
 
I think I will just buy a 4X54 watt fixture so that way if i upgrade my tank, I won't have to buy a new fixture. 4X54 watt will be good for anything between 72G-120G.

Here are 2 links, which one should I choose.

http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=71_136&products_id=1652
OR
http://www.catalinaaquarium.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=71_136&products_id=1423



The 1234 fixture allows me to run 1,2,3, or 4 bulbs at once, and the other fixture allows me to run 2, or 4 bulbs at once.

The bulbs that come with the 1234 fixture are 2 plant grow, 1 10K, and 1 6500K.

The other fixture comes with 4 6500K bulbs(I could order different ones). The other fixture also has a heat sync design, and the highest quality advanced ballast.

The 1234 fixture looks worse than the other fixture in terms of looks(looks don't really matter for me)

SAME PRICE RANGE ~$190-$210

thanks

EDIT:
I AM GETTING CO2 FOR SURE.
 
Bk718 said:
either choice will do. The 1234 fixture does look too.. umm plastic like and i dont see much room for ventilation.
Click to expand...


That is what I thought too. I am just going to get the other fixture. Catalina Aquarium might be able to give me 2 plant grow bulbs, 1 10K, and 1 6500K bulb instead of giving me 4 6500K bulbs.
 
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