Setting up new tank.....

visaliaipa

visaliaipa

AC Members
Jul 17, 2008
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Central Valley (Visalia), California
Ok here goes first post. I got this tank last year for a hundred bucks. It came with a different stand that didn't look that good, so a me and a friend built this one and the canopy.

I'm going to be setting itup next month and decided on freshwater. Ive had aqauriums in the past (55 was the biggest). The ony thing I need are the glass covers and the lighting system. I plan on live plants as well so what kind of wattage am I looking at and will the lights from AHsupply be a good choice. It came with a Rena XP3 as well as a HOB filter which I will probably replace.

I was also thinking about cichlids but but not sure since I know they are aggressive and the wife wants some community fish as well. Is a cichlid specific tank difficult?

Any input would be great and thanks for reading.
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:welcome: to ac. very nice build

First off I am guessing that you have a 100 -120 tank lighting depends on the plants you are going to grow.

whether you are goning to go high tech (co2 injection with 3+ wpg) or low tech.
1.5 -2 watts per gallon will grow most plants.

For the most part plants with cichlids (not all) do not go together there are some that do.

Ahs lights are very good but bulbs are expensive to replace a lot of us are going with t5 lighting, bulb replacement is half of the compact florsent. You also could wire the lid with the walmart compact florsent bulbs they are even cheaper 3 for around $6.

Regardless you will need to add ventlation to you canopy 2 pc fans one on either end depending on the wattage you go with.

you will need another Xp3 IMHO you can sell the HOB as unless you modify your canopy you can't use it.

this should get you started you will need to ask more spicfic questions once you decided on plants etc.
 
Yeah I was going to modify the canopy and cut some of the back away for ventilation and to allow a HOB if I go that route. I had also planned on adding fans and will probably go low tech plants if at all. I really like the cichlids i.e. color and what not but know they don;t do well with plants...hmmm decisions decisions.

The dimensions are 60x18x22 tall.

Also having a problem finding a glass cover for it. Not sure who manufactured it but it had a rather large brace in the middle (15 inches) wide with 2 2-inch braces on the ends. I've seen some that will work, might just have to modify them a bit, but then thats half the fun.

Would a wet/dry filter be beneficial instead of an additional HOB.......

Sorry for the simple and redundant questins, just want to do it right as once its filled and set it aint moving....
 
A few things, lets start with Ah Supply- excellent place and here is what they sell:
Compact Fluorescent Lighting Kits
36Watt T5 - 55Watt T5 - 96Watt T6
Click to expand...
So the above post re AH is incorrect.

The price of bulbs is dependent on more factors than wattage. Bulb CRI, lifespan, spectrum, temp (K) are all involved. I buy the AH supply ones, and have for years. Compare them with others and the prices are comprable on comprable bulbs.

As to how many watts you want, as noted above, it depends on what you want to grow. The AH Supply kits with their superior reflectors put more light into a tank than other brands. You can get good results and grow many pnats with a tad under 1.5 wpg with their lighting. I get great results with 72 watts over my 45 gal- 1.6 wpg; 110 watts over my 75 gal- 1.46 wpg; and 144 watts on my co2 added 50 gal- 2.88 wpg. I would suggest you shoot for 1.5 ish if you opt for AH Supply.

Cichlids cover a lot of fish from all over the world. However, most are either African (Old World) or Central and South American )New World). Most Africans can't be kept with plants. New World cichlids you have to check- some are fine with plants and some are diggers. Of course you need to avoid plant eating fish as well.

Selecting fish shiuld really be done in terms of your tap water parameters. It is way easier to do fish that work in your water than to become a chemist and deal with altering one's water parameters. So you should get your tap water tested at your LFS/LPS. They should do this for free.

I would hang onto both filters until you decide exactly what you will do. An HOB is fine in a planted tank as long as you are not adding co2, which it will outgas. It is OK to run a canister and an HOB on the same tank.

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Just saw your above addition. The tank sounds liek it might be a 5ft Perfecto- AllGlass doesn't make a 5 ft tank to the best of my knowledge. Anyhow- look into their tops for your tank- they may fit perfectly.

Angels, rams and discus are example of SA cichlids which work great in planted tanks- discus are not a good 1st fish as they need more care etc than most fish.
 
I was looking at some African cichlids today at the LFS..I guess it would same money since no plants which would make my other half happy...LOL

I will have to look in the cichlid section. Have a friend who just got some cichlids and he was told to add a small amount of salt to the water. Didn;t sound right to me. I know they like the water a little harder than normal.
 
Where ever you get your water tested if they use strips those results are not reliable try some where else.

test it your self as you will need a test kit anyway for when you cycle the tank.

If you buy fish locally its not that big a deal anyway as they are already most likely in the same tap water as you anyway.

If you are going to go with a HOB I recommend a bio-wheel they are the best and if you PM petsmarts web price to their store you will get the best price going.

Looking at the picture it looks like the center brace was modified for some reason. have you filled this tank to test it?

you could do a diy glass tops that slide all you need is a f channel trim piece from Lowes and glass cut to size from a local glass shop
 
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