# NEW 100+ gallon tank setup



## m4d1 (Jan 23, 2010)

!I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE FOR NOOB-NESS AND THE LENGTH OF THIS MSG, YOU MAY CRITIQUE ALL YOU WANT CAUSE I NEED THE HELP!

I think the tank is over 100 gallons, like 112 or so. Anyway I currently have a tank, with water in it >.>; I haven't cycled it yet nor do I have it setup yet. I just have a HOB filter running and and air pump making bubbles, and a powerhead (pump?) going. I was just checking all the equipment to see if it worked and I left them on cause it sounds pretty. The filter is filtering bio stuff, just some foam inserts collecting all the cat hair floating around ( I don't have the hood on the aquarium yet ). 

SO... I have another Filter coming through the mail a Marineland Emperor 400, I think the other one is the same thing its just older and doesn't have the bio-wheels. All the equipment I currently have is previously owned btw. And i'll be getting all the other equipment I need within 7 business days. Now for the fish questions (if I missed anything let me know)

I want two peacock eels  The husband wants oscar(s) and maybe some plecos.
Is that too many fish? will the oscars be ok with the other fish? and would rubber lipped pleco be too small to put with oscars?(I didn't want anything too spiney) If you have any other suggestions on similar fish im up for it!

I've read alot about all those fish and aquariums and alot of stuff @[email protected] I've had the tank with my imaginary fish in it for like 3 months now, I'm ready to get down to business and finish setup and cycle.

Also should I keep the power head in? I know they are good for dead spots. 

THANK YOU SO MUCH! ANY INFORMATION IS EXTREMELY VALUABLE PLEASE TELL ME IF I MISSED ANYTHING OR YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS!


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## Silverthorne (Jan 20, 2010)

112gal = 420l. That's quite a big tank you got there! 

What substrate have you got and perhaps a larger canister filter would be good for filtration. Power heads are usually used in marine tanks but with that volume and angled properly i guess it'll be good to have! Just see if you can find an attachment for it that can hold filter media. 

If you've got your tank running with pumps and substrate it will cycle as long as you add a little food to decompose. 

Oscars are agro fish and will eat almost anything that will fit in its mouth. Pleco's should be safe though imho.


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## m4d1 (Jan 23, 2010)

Thanks! I've looked into canister filters but they don't really seem like they would work for me? I really new at having a larger tank, the HOBs seemed like the best choice for right now though ill probably switch them out later once i get used to everything. And i dont have any substrate or plants yet, but ill get those within this next week


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

Welcome to the forum!

For starers I'm gonna give you a few links on hand that I'd recommend reading (rather then me repeating it all here).

For one, be SURE what tank size you have, measure all 3 sides of the tank and calculate the volume here Aquarium System Volume Calculator

Peacock eels are reported sizes of 15" in the wilderness, but apparently don't get much bigger then 6" in captivity. That said and a adult Oscar or two growing to be 12-14"...I'm very unsure they wouldn't wind up as a snack once your Oscars are adults.

A possibility for you (obviously liking larger fish) may be more colorful fish such as cichlids which you can house in large groups in your tank, so then you could have a verity of fish, not only 2 Oscar?
See Cichlid photo examples here https://www.liveaquaria.com/product...fm?c=830+831&s=ts&count=24&start=1&page_num=1


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## Angel079 (Feb 14, 2007)

For plants...as far as substrate, lighting and nutrition...if you go to this sub-folder to the very top you'll find 4 Sticky notes that cover the needs of plants for a set up that won't fail you 
http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/aquarium-plants/


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## m4d1 (Jan 23, 2010)

Thanks for all the info, I'm pretty sure my tank is 48x18x30. I've read that its better to have 1 oscar or many oscars, not just a few. But as far as getting another cichlid im afraid its probably going to be 1 oscar or no oscars. The first that I will probably get is the peacock eel, and I night not get anything else if I fall inlove lol. Thanks for the links too, they were very helpful!


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

That tank sounds like 110 high.

Honestly, even if you went with a larger species of eel such as the fire eel, I'm not sure it would be a good idea to keep them with larger cichlids. Eels tend to be pretty shy creatures and might be even more reclusive if big rowdy cichlids are around (even if the cichlids don't actually cause them any harm). Also, eels are pretty picky eaters; many will only eat live foods and can take some encouragement, which would be quite difficult in a tank full of oscars, which are like aquatic garbage disposals.


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## m4d1 (Jan 23, 2010)

So i'll just get the eel and plecos for now then, and maybe some gouramis? Should I add the plecos first or does it matter?


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

What species of pleco were you considering?

Many types of pleco are pretty hardy fish so I would probably add the plecos before the eels. Gouramis would probably work well with eels as they tend to stay up top and aren't typically aggressive to other types of fish. Other sorts of shy oddball predators might also make good companions (bushfish, African brown knives, etc.).

Remember that you'll want a soft substrate (very smooth gravel or sand) for eels as they like to burrow and you don't want them getting scratched up.


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## m4d1 (Jan 23, 2010)

Those are just the fish available at petsmart, I don't think they have any of the other fish you named. (petsmart is the only supplier we have -.-) I asked what type of substrate i need for the eels and they told me the regular triangular colored rocks would be ok ; Thats before I came home and researched them and learned alot about peacock eels. They actually do have them in soft substrate though so idk why they didn't tell me the same kind. And I was thinking about a bristlenose pleco, female.


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## Bluetangclan (Jan 23, 2010)

A bristlenose will stay smallish. You have plenty of space in that tank for cool stuff if you wanted it. When I had eels years ago i kept them in very small grain pea gravel and they loved it. I would see heads poking out when they thought no one was looking. I had a yellow spiny kind though and not the bigger ones. You will need driftwood for the the plecos as they require to have some to munch on, although I have never noticed the wood deteriorate from this. The bristlenoses in my African cichlid tank certainly seemed happier when I got a small piece and hid it in the back.

There are some beautiful South American cichlids out there besides the fish you find at Petsmart, and maybe a few that are at PS. Amoung the more common ones you find there, Angels while ok as young, really come into their own as adults with very bold colors and size. They are also sedate and peaceful enough to not spook the eels. I would avoid oscars like the plague if i were you. They really dont have anything going for them, and if I had a fish to call above all others a trash fish, it would be an oscar.

As to why the PS people gave you bad info, they really arent trained. I used to work there back in college and there is no training program. They have no say on what goes in what tanks as well because corp comes in and tells the stores what goes where and god forbid they do a pop inspection and a fish is out of place regardless of whether its better for the fish or not because corporate "knows" better. They are basically told to tell you, "these are community fish and go well together, these are semi-aggressive and go well together, these are mean cichlids and they fight each other"(lol I am actually picturing one of my old co-workers saying that in a chippery voice.) Occassionally you will run into someone who actually knows what they are doing but you have to get that out of them because they are jaded from answering one hundred times a day "why did my fish die? I want 20 more neons to replace them with." I was a bad employee, I knew African cichlids well, not so much on the South American, and knew normal joe fish well, but I quickly got tired of telling people why their fish died and then they would go ask another employee the same question to get an answer they liked and get them to give them twenty more fish for their "big" 10 gallon. I'll get off my soapbox now.

You can always order fish online, some places have some pretty good deals. I havent checked but i imagine the sponsors of this website can help you with some good fish not found at PS and they will probably arrive healthier with as good a garauntee(sp).


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

I have seen African brown knives at a few Petsmarts, but the Leopard Bushfish (they might call them African Spotted Leaf Fish there, or something like that) are usually pretty common at Petsmarts.


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## m4d1 (Jan 23, 2010)

I did see the African brown knives today ( I guess i didn't notice them last time or they didnt have any ) And they have African spotted leaf fish, which I'm sure they didn't have before. It seems weird to me to order fish online? How do they stay alive? I've heard of it, just never put much thought into it.


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Usually fish are shipped with oxygen in the bags and heat packs to keep them warm. Sometimes sellers won't ship during cold winter weather, though. Shipping is pretty expensive so it's best if you're placing a big order so that you don't spend more on the shipping than the fish. Better sellers have a live arrival guarantee and will replace fish that arrive dead.

That said, you might also be able to order fish through a store. Most LFS's will let you do this and I believe it's possible through Petsmart as well. Talk to the person in charge of their fish department and they might be able to order fish that they don't usually stock from their supplier and let you know when they come in. The advantage to doing this is that you don't have to pay for shipping and if the fish are DOA or really sick or something like that, the store can deal with their suppliers instead of forcing you to return fish or try to get a refund.


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## m4d1 (Jan 23, 2010)

I really don't want to spend a load of cash on a gravel cleaner, any suggestions?


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