Some General Beginner Questions Regarding the Tank/Filter/Lighting etc.

[NewbieFish]

I have kept fish before, but they were goldfish in pretty small tanks with primitive setups ie. 10/20g with a box filter. Recently, I have finally acquired the financial means to realize my long time dream to have a large tank with tropical fishes.

While I have done alot of reading on the subject I know that real life experience is irreplacable. So before I go out this Easter Weekend and plop down my savings on the 72g bowfront with stand + all equipment. I thought I should ask some questions that I still have as well as simply seek the wisdom of those with more experience. :grinyes:

1) What is the difference between clear and black silicone? Is it simply preference? Is black cheaper than clear? I cant seem to find the answer. I have seen more clear than black, but the 72g tank that I am looking at has black seals.

2) I was thinking of going with the Rena Filstar series of filters. People seem to say good things about them and they seem to be the most economical as well. I want a well planted tank well stocked with fish. The box suggests only one XP3, but it seems that I will probably need more. An XP4? 2 XP2s?

3) Heaters. Should I go with the fully submersible ones or the ones with the exposed thermstat on top? How big of one do I need assuming regular water changes from a cold tap.

4) Lighting. I want to be able to keep a relatively large amount of plants. That is what seems to make a tank look really nice. The commercial options seem somewhat cost prohibitive though. I was thinking of going down to home depot and getting some strip lights. I am somewhat handy but hardly skilled. I am a bit apprehensive about electrocution. How many T8 32watt Daylight tubes would I need if I go the Home Depot option?

 

[OldMan47]

I have kept fish before, but they were goldfish in pretty small tanks with primitive setups ie. 10/20g with a box filter. Recently, I have finally acquired the financial means to realize my long time dream to have a large tank with tropical fishes.

While I have done alot of reading on the subject I know that real life experience is irreplacable. So before I go out this Easter Weekend and plop down my savings on the 72g bowfront with stand + all equipment. I thought I should ask some questions that I still have as well as simply seek the wisdom of those with more experience. :grinyes:

1) What is the difference between clear and black silicone? Is it simply preference? Is black cheaper than clear? I cant seem to find the answer. I have seen more clear than black, but the 72g tank that I am looking at has black seals.
In my opinion, the biggest difference is the color.

2) I was thinking of going with the Rena Filstar series of filters. People seem to say good things about them and they seem to be the most economical as well. I want a well planted tank well stocked with fish. The box suggests only one XP3, but it seems that I will probably need more. An XP4? 2 XP2s?
The XP3 is plenty of filter for a tank that size. That said, 2 filters is always safer than 1. You could try a pair of XP2 filter but don't really need them.

3) Heaters. Should I go with the fully submersible ones or the ones with the exposed thermstat on top? How big of one do I need assuming regular water changes from a cold tap.
A 250W submersible is probably all you would need. The submersible can be positioned anywhere to improve the heat distribution in the tank. A hang on type would only be able to go in one or two spots in the tank. Do not use only the cold tap, try to match the temperature to the tank instead.

4) Lighting. I want to be able to keep a relatively large amount of plants. That is what seems to make a tank look really nice. The commercial options seem somewhat cost prohibitive though. I was thinking of going down to home depot and getting some strip lights. I am somewhat handy but hardly skilled. I am a bit apprehensive about electrocution. How many T8 32watt Daylight tubes would I need if I go the Home Depot option?

You could get away with 2 on low light plants but would probably be better off with 3 or 4 bulbs for medium / low light.

 

[jmhart]

1) What is the difference between clear and black silicone? Is it simply preference? Is black cheaper than clear? I cant seem to find the answer. I have seen more clear than black, but the 72g tank that I am looking at has black seals. This is simply a matter of personal preference. Some people think the black makes a sharper look, other people think differently. I have seen some manufacturers charge more for colored silicone, but for the most part not.

2) I was thinking of going with the Rena Filstar series of filters. People seem to say good things about them and they seem to be the most economical as well. I want a well planted tank well stocked with fish. The box suggests only one XP3, but it seems that I will probably need more. An XP4? 2 XP2s? 2 filters is always better than one. I would recommend going with the 2 XP2s. Honestly, if it's within your budget, I might recommend an XP3 AND a Magnum 350 for water polishing. The Magnum would add a certain level of biological filtration, and you would really appreciate the water polishing micron filter it offers.

3) Heaters. Should I go with the fully submersible ones or the ones with the exposed thermstat on top? How big of one do I need assuming regular water changes from a cold tap. If you haven't purchased a heater yet, why don't you check out an in-line heater by Hydor. They are a little more expenisve, but VERY nice. They run in-line with your cannister filter, external to the tank. This is a nice way to help minimize equipment visible in the tank. If I had known about these before I purchased my two Visi-Therm stealths, I would have gone with the Hydor. If you go with an in-tank heater, I recommend 2 150-200W heaters.

4) Lighting. I want to be able to keep a relatively large amount of plants. That is what seems to make a tank look really nice. The commercial options seem somewhat cost prohibitive though. I was thinking of going down to home depot and getting some strip lights. I am somewhat handy but hardly skilled. I am a bit apprehensive about electrocution. How many T8 32watt Daylight tubes would I need if I go the Home Depot option? What I would recommend is: Stay low tech, meaning, low lighting, no co2, no fertilizers. You're plant choices will be slightly limited, but you can still have a very nice tank. Therefore, I'd recommend trying to put 3 of those over a 72g.

Hope that helps.

 

[jmhart]

You could get away with 2 on low light plants but would probably be better off with 3 or 4 bulbs for medium / low light.

In order to go with a high light/high tech setup, you would need at least 5 or 5 of those bulbs.