# Need equipment advice for 75 gallon tank



## AuraBoyX (Feb 25, 2011)

Hello all… I am new to the hobby and need some advice in choosing equipment for my 75 gallon tank.
Basically I work at a Pet supply store and though we mostly deal in dog, cat and small animal supplies we do sell limited fish supplies as well. I do have access to my discount and am restricted only to brands my distributor carries.
While I acquire my tank components I have set up a temporary 12 gallon tank that seems to be doing well. My plan is to transfer the inhabitants of this smaller tank into the larger 75 gallon tank. The residents of this 12 gallon include (all juvinille); 1 Moonlight Gourami, 3 Balloon Mollies, 2 Cherry Barbs, 1 Zebra Shrimp and 1 Twig Catfish. They all seem to be doing well and I want to make the setup of the new tank the best possible for them to coexist in.
This is what I have so far.
1 75 Gallon Tank
1 Tank stand
1 Marineland C-530 Canister Filter
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I still need a canopy and a lighting unit. I would like to get a nice lighting fixture that has a timer AND live plant capabilities as well as a night/moon light. I looked online for reviews but have found nothing. This is where I need the most advice as I want to buy something superior and I don’t want to make a poor choice. I have Coralife, Current-USA, Deep Blue, Marineland, Wavepoint & Zoo Med as available brands to chose from. 
What kind of Air pump would I need for a 75 gallon - how many airstones? I heard that Twig Catfish like currents – how would I establish this?
I would also like to have both gravel and sand… Is this commonly done?
Any other advice would be much appreciated!
Thanks!


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## Grimmjow (Jul 22, 2009)

Zero airstones if you want plants and I dont think night lights are good.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Agree with Grimmjow on both points. A timer for the lights is good, either built in or one you can purchase at a hardware store. Fish and plants need total darkness, that means no room lights either, for their rest period which should be 8-10 hours daily (or nightly I guess). Over a 75g, presumably a 4-foot tank, I would suggest a dual tube T8 fixture. T5 HO with two tubes will be far too intense [unless you are going high-tech planted, a very different issue]. Dual T8 tubes will allow you the option of combining two different tubes for good plant light and good colour rendition.

Which "Twig" is it? The one in our profiles [click on shaded names to see profiles, example Twig Catfish] is Farlowella vittata, the smaller species. As noted in the profile, under "Origin," currents are not necessary, beyond normal water movement in a 75g with a canister filter. I have this species and even spawned them.

The nice thing about canisters is being able to direct the outflow against the end wall via spigot or a spraybar, and thus create a weaker current down and through the tank.

On the substrate, mixing gravel and sand is not in my view a good idea. If you want to have areas of just gravel and other areas of just sand, you will need some form of divider, and water movement and fish actions tend to dislodge these unless they are somehow permanently attached (siliconed to the glass). If you mean mixing together gravel and sand, also not good because the sand being smaller will drop to the bottom, and the danger here is that it will not bet moved about enough and compact. For planted tanks the best substrate is either small-grain gravel (each grain 1-3 mm) in a dark shade (black, dark brown, buff mixed, or dark gray mix) or an enriched substrate like Flourite or Eco-complete.

The above is general to get you started thinking, we can elaborate on points. And, welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.

Byron.


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## AuraBoyX (Feb 25, 2011)

Thanks everyone for the kind advice… I figured I would give an update as we zero in on my final 75 gallon tank…

When posting my original post we had (all residing in a 12 Gallon Eclipse tank):

*1 Moonlight Gourami named Wendyl*

*3 Balloon Molllies (Black, White & Orange) named Cookie, Cream & Peaches*

*2 Cherry Barbs named Bleep (female, I think) and Bloop (male, I think)*

*1 Farowella Twig Catfish named appropriately Twig*

And *1 EXTREMELY reclusive (I keep thinking he’s dead but he keeps reappearing) Zebra Shrimp named Houdini-Hoo*

Since my original post we have added an extra 10 Gallon Tetra Whisper filter (10i) to help with the fish load. On the top of the hood is the filter that came with the Eclipse system. They are working in concert together.
I have added AquaClear ammonia remover in the main filter as well as a layer of Ceramic Bio cylinders I purchased. On top of that I have added (under advisement from a local fish store in the area) a weeks round of Seachem Stability to get the bio process going (I now know we added to many fish to soon).

Just prior to my first post Cookie the black Molly had babies – we collected 13 small fry into their own net/tank insert. I am not sure if she was pregnant when we got her or if it happened here… But they are doing well. One of the fry was deformed and had white spot on it. We were unsure if he had fungus on him or if the White Balloon Molly cream was the father and this was some odd deformed fry between white and black parents (all the remaining fry are solid black). He was swimming erratically and was always at the top/surface… In fear that he DID have fungus we removed him from the tank and (since we had no backup tank) froze him in the freezer then flushed him the day after. I hope we did the right thing.

There has also been one death of the main fish. The white Balloon Molly named Cream was found under an airstone when we were doing a water change (which we have been doing 20% daily). He was still alive but was at the bottom of the tank swimming upside down. We tried to nurse him back to health and feed him peas but he died upon coming back from the store with the actual peas. (CONT IN NEXT POST - 10733 CHARACTER TEXT LIMIT)...


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## AuraBoyX (Feb 25, 2011)

(CONTINUED FROM ABOVE)...

When he was down at the bottom one of the fish in the tank attacked him (or I guess, someone COULD have originally attacked him in the first place). We know this because some of his fins had bits removed… I wish I had seen what had happened…

Could it have been Wendyl the Moonlight Gourami that originally did him in? Was it the Orange Molly (also a male as the white one was) that contested him? Or was it plainly attacked because it got trapped in the current under an airstone and was weak? I would really like to hear everyone’s comments on what could have led to his demise as he seemed VERY robust just hours before. (Since his demise I only keep the airstone on when I am home and able to monitor the tank).

Overall since Cream left us the tank seems active and healthy… Under recommendation of the local fish store and stuff I have read in my newly subscribed TFH, we have been doing religious daily small water changes AND weekly 50% water changes. I am confident this is helping them because last night after doing a 50% water change the fish seem more active AND the water clouded back heavily after less then 6 hours (is the bacteria finally taking hold???)
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The new 75 Gallon 48” x 18” x 20” is finally home on it’s stand. I have the Marineland C-530 canister filter in its box ready to go and this week I am purchasing a 48” Deep Blue duel T5 light(with moonlights – though I may not use them under people here seem to frown on their use). Next week I shall order my substrate so I can begin to fill and cycle the 75 Gallon tank.
After reading MANY online stuff on substrates, we have decided on ECO-COMPLETE. Unfortunately my distributor only carries certain types of ECO-COMPLETE. This is what the distributor from my job carries:

*“Carib Sea - Eco-Complete Planted Aquarium **20 LB - 2/CS*
*UPC: 008479007704*
*Vendor: Carib Sea*
Eco-Complete™ Planted Aquarium Substrate-The complete planted aquarium substrate! Mineralogically complete! Contains iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur plus over 25 other elements to nourish your aquatic plants. Eco-Complete™ Planted Aquarium Substrate contains all the mineral nutrients needed for luxuriant aquatic plant growth without nuisance algae! Iron rich Eco-Complete™ eliminates the need for laterite. Nitrate and carbonate free - will not increase pH or carbonate hardness in the long term. It's real! No artificial dyes, paints, or chemical coatings. Natural black substrate encourages the most vibrant coloration in fishes and reduces fish stress. Spherical grains for optimum diffusion performance. Supplies Calcium without raising pH. Lead free. Biologically Complete! Eco-Complete™ contains live Heterotrophic bacteria to rapidly convert fish waste into natural food for your aquatic plants. It establishes a natural biological balance which makes cycling a new aquarium faster and safer. Eco-Complete™ is packed in Liquid Amazon™ buffered "Black Water" solution for immediate organic water conditioning. Unsurpassed macroporosity for healthy roots and bacterial efficiency. You would have to buy 4 bags of ordinary gravel to equal the surface area of this one bag of Eco-Complete™ Planted Aquarium Substrate.”
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*“CARIB SEA INC - CARIB SEA ECO-COMPLETE PLANTED AQUARIUM SUBSTRATE RED 20 LB - 2/CS*

*UPC: 008479007711*

*Vendor: CARIB SEA INC*

Eco-Complete™ Planted - Mineralogically complete! Contains iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur plus over 25 other elements to nourish your aquatic plants. Eco-Complete™ Planted Aquarium Substrate contains all the mineral nutrients needed for luxuriant aquatic plant growth without nuisance algae! Iron rich Eco-Complete™ eliminates the need for laterite. No artificial dyes, paints, or chemical coatings. Highly porous spherical grains for optimum diffusion performance. Eco-Complete™ contains live Heterotrophic bacteria to rapidly convert fish waste into natural food for your aquatic plants. It establishes a natural biological balance; which makes cycling a new aquarium faster and safer.”

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I believe one of the above substrates has bio properties and one doesn’t… Which should I get? I DO intend to have plants and an acquaintance has some he can give to me (not sure what types yet). My distributor also has some ECO-COMPLETE ciclid varieties… But I assume I do not need these… Am I correct in this assumption??? (CONT IN NEXT POST)...


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## AuraBoyX (Feb 25, 2011)

All in all my current fish seem happy... I am (again, under advisement from the local fish store) not feeding my fish a lot… I am feeding them about once every two days with a VERY LIGHT snack the day in between. This, in conjunction with the Seachem Stability AND the water changes, has brought the Ammonia from a 4.0 down to a solid 1.0. This seems to be remaining solid/decreasing steadily. Have we made the right choices?
Also I believe I have purchased every type of food my store carries. I mix together a potpourri of them all and crush them up and feed them that in addition to frozen blood worms. This seems to ensure all fish in the tank go for the food – whereas before only certain fish were responding to certain foods.


Lastly the acquaintance that is offering the plants (who I do not know well) – also wants to get rid of a breeding pair of cichlids he has had for some time… Warning bells immediately went up because he said “I want them out of my tank”… But he ensures me they are tame cichlids and are one of the more peaceful varieties. I will further investigate the type of cichlids they are – as this all happened very recently. I will let you all know what they are and please let me know if it is a good idea. I really like Wendyl our Moonlight Gourami (who seems to be king of the tank – peacefully) and do not want to see him injured or killed.
I eventually want to find Wendyl a mate… Which Gouramis can safely breed with Moonlights? I believe I have a female due to its lack of any color.


Again thanks for all your help!!!


_P.S. Many sites say that keeping a Twig (Farowella) Catfish is difficult… Yet ours seems active and content… Is this good news or is it just a matter of time before he dies? We am ensuring there is a current for him through an airstone which is on at least half of the day, we have supplied him with a nice piece if driftwood (which we boiled for 3 hours – changing water every 30 min), and have been making sure algae wafers are on the tank floor. Any advice would be appreciated._

Thanks again - Sorry for the long winded post - but I am new to this!!!

Chris! :lol:


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## jgregg1 (Mar 2, 2011)

why cant you have airstones and plants?


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## Grimmjow (Jul 22, 2009)

Airstones disturb the surface which speeds up the gas exchange, changing out CO2 for oxygen. The plants use the CO2 and airstones only drive it out.


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## marinelover (Feb 27, 2011)

what do you like to put on your tank... I suggest you need some aquarium filter and some of the corals and canister filter


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## Grimmjow (Jul 22, 2009)

Im gonna say no to the coral in a freshwater tank.


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## jgregg1 (Mar 2, 2011)

but at night the oxygen from the airstone is used by the plants so its cancelled out. regardless, i have some in my tanks with 0 problems from any of the thriving plants... (i just have the small .79 ones).


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## DKRST (Jan 11, 2011)

If you decide to use a carbon source for your plants like Flourish Excel (which admittedly can get $$), you can use an air stone with little detriment to plant growth rates. According to the manufacturer, Excel does not get driven off like gaseous CO2. However, everything you add beyond the basics, like this chemical, adds one more layer of complexity and $$ to the tank maintenance. Less CO2 doesn't mean plants won't grow, they just grow more slowly.

Having purchased a two-tube T5HO, I finally and reluctantly admit that Byron is correct on the T8 lighting ;-). There is such a thing as too much light! 

I use the ecocomplete plant substrate and have been very pleased with it.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

Chris, i will try to respond to the questions/issues in your three earlier posts.

First, light. What do you mean by "Deep Blue" twin T5? Be specific please. This does not sound good for a planted tank, but I will wait until I know more before continuing (or changing my view).

S|substrate: unless you want a specific "iron" clay look, don't get the red Eco-complete. CarribSea make two substrates in this line, Eco-complete Black and Eco-complete red. As far as I know they are identical except in colour. Black is fine for a planted tank, ideal actually. Red will work but it will make a very different tank appearance, and unless you are after a biotope effect (replicating a SE Asian iron-substrate stream) i would avoid it. Get the black.

Cichlid pair: make sure you know exactly the species. This could be a disaster. Always, please, always research a fish before acquiring (or agreeing to take) a fish. Not all fish are "compatible" and I mean more than just behaviour. Compatible means they share identical needs respecting light, plant types, filter flow, substrate, water parameters, environment (rock, wood...)--and they must be well behaved. A community tank has to be well thought out from square one in order to have not just a beautiful display but one that has healthy fish. All the things i mentioned above can cause stress, and that weakens a fish's immune system which makes it more susceptible to disease and probably results in a much shorter lifespan.

Twig catfish: You still haven't told me the species [one is in our profiles, is that it? Or is it a large "Royal" type?] so this is difficult to answer. I have a trio of Farlowella vittata that have spawned several times and I have successfully raised a few of the fry. If this is your fish [as the one in the profile] it does not need currents; mine seldom remain close to the spraybar, except when they spawn, they have always laid the eggs just under it. It does like plants and wood over which it will spend all day grazing algae. It will learn to feed from sinking foods (tablets, disks, pellets). It does not like any change to its environment, so it needs stable water conditions. And don't move it to another tank unnecessarily, this it certainly does not appreciate. Wait until the new 75g is well established, then move it. Mine always go into withdrawal for several days after being moved; I've only done it twice, due to moving the tank.

There is no benefit to airstones in a planted tank, and they are detrimental during daylight. At night is fine, but again, there is no benefit so why bother? Provided the tank is not overstocked, there will never be an oxygen shortage with live plants and a balanced fish load.

Excel was mentioned; this is something i would not advise. A|dding carbon sets up a higher level of balance, which means light and the other nutrients have to be increased. Keep it simple, there is less to go wrong and nature is better able to manage things anyway.

Byron.


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