Setting Up 75 Gallon Tank

joylynn

AC Members
Jun 12, 2006
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Thornton, CO
I just got a great deal on a 75 Gallon tank, stand, hood, undergravel filter, emporer filter (no idea what size) and heater, plus if I want the gravel, rocks, and fake plants that were in it I can have them too - all for $150! I will be picking up the tank on sunday and the current owner is draining it today or tomorrow.

Below are the list of what I plan to do with the tank and would appreciate any feedback to make the set up better (I am still very new to this hobby and need a lot of HELP! :D )

Fish that will eventually go in the tank:
3 Pictus Cats (already have)
1 Albino Rainbow Shark (already have)
2 Peacock Eels ( I have one already and love him!)
1 Spotted Pleco (already have)
the rest of the fish will be Opaline Gouramis (I need advice on how many I can add, I have 3 already in another tank I will be moving to this one after it cycles)

-I will clean out the tank and clean off all the rocks and decor with mild bleach solution before starting the cycle.

-I want to not take the gravel and use either a sand substrate or very fine gravel instead, as my eels need it to burrow in.

-I plan on ditching the undergravel filter and adding at least one more HOB instead.

-I also want to add second heater, as I have read this is a good idea for larger tanks.

-I will be keeping live plants and adding them probably next weekend to start a fishless cycle.

Any glaring mistakes or omissions? I have set up two smaller tanks previously and done it all wrong, this one I want to try and do right from the start and save myself some headaches.

Thanks!
 
looks good, good idea to have two heaters and filters for redundancy.

Since you're keeping plants, what kind of light setup do you have?
 
Lighting

Honestly, I am not sure what the current setup is since I haven't actually seen the tank, I just knew the price was too good to pass up, so I will probably need to buy a different light set up too.
 
The lighting will play a huge role in what kinds of plants you can keep, and will also determine how much work you'll need in order to maintain the tank. For a low light, low maintenance tank, look for a light fixture that will support 90-150 watts.

Opaline gouramis are territorial so I wouldn't get too many of them, no more than 4-5 in a 75g tank.
 
Opaline Gouramis

I currently have 3 in a 35G with no problem, I am having more issues with the albino rainbow shark! If I can only have 4-5 Opaline Gouramis are there other fish that soemone could recommend that would fill out what I am planning on having? I don't want to overstock, but also don't want the 75G to look too empty either.
 
I'd recommend a schooling fish that isn't small enough to get eaten by the catfishes, like 6-10 rainbowfishes or congo tetras.
 
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