Setting up a Used 75-Gallon Tank

[ct-death]

I have a 30 Gallon Tank currently, but a friend just dropped off his 75 Gallon Glass Tank w/ 2 5-gallon buckets of gravel and a 65W single light strip (6700K bulb). That's it. The tank has been broken down and in a dry dark room in his house for 4-5 months now. I just finished making a decorative fish stand (I'm an amateur finish carpenter), and now I need to apply the finish.

So... I went out and purchased a Pengiun 350 Boi-Wheel Filter and a 350W submersible heater. I have NO desire to rush things and I can happily take my time to set this up.

I would LOVE to hear any suggestions and/or how-to's. I am open to any suggestions and criticism and ideas. One thing that I am shying away from are live plants. Perhaps I could be convinced, but I don't know...

- How much aeration should I use/get?
- Should I get more light?
- Do I need more filtration?
- How would you suggest breaking in this tank?
- What am I missing (it's one thing to keep a 30 gallon tank, another to keep a 75)?
- What species work well together (looking for a Community type tank) especially to show-off the size of this tank? i.e. I would like to focus on diversity.

Obviously this is for my love of the hobby and pure joy of simply watching these beautify creatures. I do have a wife and lots of friends (maybe some kids shortly). So, I do want to offer some of the 'flashy' fish types, but my favorite species are 1st the Cory and 2nd the Guppies (Although I should point out that I am new to this hobby, although I have had a life-long interest, my exposure to species is extremely limited). To me these two species classes just love life and bring a smile to my face. Aside from these, I'm open to any species so long as they live happily together. For example, if I could do it again I would not have purchased the 2 Sepea tetras for my 30-gallon setup b/c of their fin nipping and harassing.

Oh, I started getting into this very heavily about 5-6 months ago (research) and I have had a new 30G tank up for 3 months now, which is nothing I know. Having a great time reading this forum BTW!

Thank you all for your input and support - I just want to do this right

 

[Mgamer20o0]

- How much aeration should I use/get? with hobs you most likely dont need air pumps or anything
- Should I get more light? no if your not going to have plants
- Do I need more filtration? yes i would. filters should at lest cut in half. plus its a good idea to always have 2 filters on a tank just in case.
- How would you suggest breaking in this tank?
- What am I missing (it's one thing to keep a 30 gallon tank, another to keep a 75)? i would go with another filter and heater.
- What species work well together (looking for a Community type tank) especially to show-off the size of this tank? i.e. I would like to focus on diversity. i am a big fan of angels... as for stocking you ahve a lot of options.

 

[Malbri]

What do you have in the 30 gallon?

Im a huge fan of livebearers, especially swordtails, I think they are beutiful, if I ever get a tank that big im sure it will have swordtails

 

[Hound]

For a 75g aquarium I'd consider using a pair of 150w stealth heaters and something along the lines of a rena xp-3 cannister filter. If this aquarium is going to be fish only however you can just get a second HOB type filter and the lighting you have should be sufficient for viewing. Should you decide to go planted I'd go for a cannister filter and increase lighting into the 150w range for a low / medium light set up. Much over 150w you'll end up needing injected co2.

If at all possible you can set up the penguin 350 filter on your 30g for a couple of weeks prior to switching it over to the 75g. This way once you have the 75g set up you can buy your first fish and possibly have an instant cycle going. Something like 6 of your choice of tetra to start should be good. From there you can build up the aquarium in stages about 4 weeks apart. Keep in mind to test water daily after adding new fish to make certain things are working well. If you can't set up the penguin on your 30g you can place a sponge or bag of filter floss into the filter on your 30g and transfer it to the penguin 350 when the time comes.

Fish stocking is largely in the eye of the beholder. I'd probably consider something like 2-3 angelfish, 9-12 tetra of a single species, 5 cories, and a bristlenose pleco. If the bristlenose is out of the question then I'd go with closer to 9 cories.

 

[Mgamer20o0]

didnt even tell them about filters opps.

rena xp3 hot magnum or 350 magnum would be good... basically any canister filter should be good.

 

[ct-death]

Wow, great ideas! I really appreciate this help.

Although I can't attach the 350 to my 30G, I sure as heck can expose the filters. Great idea! I was also thinking of adding some gravel to help as well.

As for the 30G it is an Eclipse II acrylic tank with 100W heater, a dual air-pump (1 line is on a treasure chest and the other is on an 18" aeration stick under the gravel), and standard gravel ~2" deep.

As for fish it has (Maxed on fish I know):
1 Oto
1 Albino Cory
2 Neon Gouramis
2 High-Fin Black Tetras
5 Neon Tetras
2 Sepea Tetras
1 Molly
2 Pengiun Tetras
3 Guppies
*I love livebearers as you can see, but no Platys yet

A general question that I have is, is there a rule of thumb for catfish/algae eaters for a given tank size and if so, does this work into the 1" of fish to 1 gallon rule??? As you can see above, the fish I have fill my tank nicely, but 1) are a single Cory and Oto enough, and if not what would be adequate? 2) If I need more, am I over-crowding?

As to the suggestions of other filters, it also came with 2@ Hartz Crystal Clean III filters (made for 29G systems) and a 100W submersible heater. I could easily include these into my system. FYI - My friend had cold-water goldfish in this tank; about 40-50 or so which looked very crowded.

I can't tell you all how much I have really enjoyed this whole experience. To say I'm hooked would be grossly underestimating my feelings.

Thanks again for the great feedback, and keep them coming!

 

[Malbri]

Wow, great ideas! I really appreciate this help.

As for the 30G it is an Eclipse acrylic tank with 100W heater, a dual air-pump (1 line is on a treasure chest and the other is on an 18" aeration stick under the gravel), and standard gravel ~2" deep.

As for fish it has (Maxed on fish I know):
1 Oto
1 Albino Cory
2 Neon Gouramis
2 High-Fin Black Tetras
5 Neon Tetras
2 Sepea Tetras
1 Molly
2 Pengiun Tetras
3 Guppies
*I love livebearers as you can see, but no Platys yet

As to the suggestions of other filters, it also came with 2@ Hartz Crystal Clean III filters (made for 29G systems) and a 100W submersible heater. I could easily include these into my system.

I can't tell you all how much I have really enjoyed this whole experience. To say I'm hooked would be grossly underestimating my feelings.

Thanks again for the great feedback, and keep them coming!

I would move those into the bigger tank then you can add to the schools

 

[Mgamer20o0]

I would move those into the bigger tank then you can add to the schools

that is a very good idea. you could also move some over. get more ottos cories and fill out the different schools of Tetras

 

[ct-death]

Okay, I have my tank up and running now for 48+hrs. I am attempting a fishless cycle for my tank by following the guidance from this thread: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=88796

I have 2 heaters (300W & 100W), 2 filters (Penguin 350 and a Cystal Clean III filter running- the latter is made for a 29G), and a dual 4.5W aeration (Whisper 100? I think it is) running a lrg wand and 2 sm stones.

Here is the sequence so far:
- Added gravel (rinsed thoroughly) and water
- 10 hours did a 50% water change; turned heat up to over 85
- 36 hrs did a 85% water change added decorations (new and rinsed)
- Added pure ammonia (~4ppm or ~1.25ml/75G) <- someone correct me if I am wrong w/ this conversion
- Added 8 drops of pH Down
- 40 hrs Squeezed existing filter from other tank into the water
- 48 hrs Tested the water:
NitrAtes - 20
NitrItes - 0
Ammonia - Getting test kit today!
Hardness - between 80-125
Alkalinity - 40
pH - 7.8

Tonight I plan on adding an item from my old tank (I also have a sponge in my 30G filter system to add to my 75G tonight as well. I'm running out today to get an ammonia test kit ASAP after work!

 

[Malbri]

I wouldnt be putting in anything that messes with the ph, itll swing, and a stable one is much better, most fish will adapt fine to a higher ph