new tank

[ryry123]

i just recently got a 180 gallon acrylic aquarium with a built in overflow for $200 and its in good shape. i just had to buff out a couple scratches. so all my stuff is on the way that i ordered. ( filter, pumps, heaters, powerheads and so on...) i really dont know what to do as far a decorating. its so big. i have 4 oscars a pacu. a bala shark, a catfish, and, 2 convicts i will probably get rid of. the tank has a black background and i bought a brownish red amazon gravel and if anyone has any suggestions on decorations or moss i should use that would be great. i also am going to be using a 20 gallon freshwater refugium and want to know whats best to put in it as far as plants and maybe some fish. so if anyone has any suggestions.... but other than that i think i got a good deal on the tank, no?

 

[Nolapete]

Sounds like you got a good deal. I wouldn't so much use the 20 gallon as a refugium, but moreso as a large external filter. You could layer media of various types in it or simply put a bunch of Chemi-Pures in it. It would make it nice not to have any filter parts in the display. You could put your heater in there as well.

 

[Notophthalmus]

That'll be a sweet setup! Just remember, big tanks need big decorations to achieve their full glory. If it were my tank, I would try to find a 4-foot-long or so hunk of driftwood or roots to act as the centerpiece, then use smaller pieces of driftwood and plenty of plants (including impressive big-leaved plants like Amazon swords) to round it out. All those big South American fish would look nice against the red gravel, brown wood, and green plants.

 

[Mgamer20o0]

i would put guppy grass in the 20 gal. it should suck up a lot of the nitrates.

 

[barnsaw]

I hate you... congrats on the tank. Hygrophelia works great as a nitrate sponge in my tanks, might be banned where you're at though. It grows so well that it's been labeled an invasive plant in some areas.