Back and ready for a better setup!

[USAFDave13]

Hello everyone,

You've all helped me amazingly in the past with my first "starter" 20 gal. setup. Wow I did not know what I had gotten myself into, but here I am a couple years later, tore down my old setup and moved. Perhaps the greatest regret I had was a 20 gal. tank, now I'm ready to go with a 29-45 gal. setup (space restricted) and I feel less inclined to buy a "starter" kit from the box store. On the same token, I don't want to drop $2K on the Ferrari of 45 gal setups. Assuming a good tank is a tank, where should I start?

Say I buy a 36 gal bow front and stand, what are the good brands and bad brands of accessories? Hang on back filter or canister or other? Etc. I'd like to build a long lasting and reliable setup for freshwater, suitable for live plants.

Any recommendations? Thanks!!!

 

[mikellewen]

No starter kit

Congrats on getting back into the hobby and upgrading your setup. I have been enjoying the hobby for many years now. My first tank was a 29 gallon; which I stocked with community fish. Then I gradually upgraded from there.

You are correct; don't buy a start up kit from the pet store. The only thing(s) you want to buy from a pet shop is a tank; stand and gravel. Everything else you can buy elsewhere and will save you money.

What I did was buy a 75 gal tank and stand from a aquarium fish store that was going out of business; I got a good deal! As far as filters; I added gradually; started with the basic under-gravel with power heads; then added overhead filters; then a cannister filter. There are many great brands of filters and accessories now available. Seems like the quality is improving and the cost is decreasing these days. Therefore I cannot recommend a particular brand. I have a mix match of everything and they all work great!

Good luck; Hope I helped some

Mike.

 

[USAFDave13]

Is there some way to know what is most appropriate for the situation? Like Over the back, canister or under-gravel filtration per size of tank? I have some local stores here in San Antonio I could visit and ask. But where do you guys get your stuff, I've read a lot about lighting wattage vs. plant type but the big box stores don't carry specialized lights or hoods, etc. I guess I wish I could find an "advanced" guide.

I am at the point of "what hood, what light, what plants, what filter, what heater?" for a setup.

 

[mikellewen]

All filters have a maximum gallon specification

An under gravel filter is a must in my opinion. This is where you get the most beneficial bacteria which will keep the ammonia and nitrates down. You will need to measure the bottom inside of your tank to get the correct size; (ie) in my case I needed two; both are 18 deep by 24 long. I would also recommend an overhead wet/dry filter. A cannister filter is optional; but you can never have enough filtration and might want to add at a later date.

As far as lighting is concerned I have a four bulb high output fixture - not cheap; but it is worth it in my opinion. Now they have LED lighting which seems popular; but I don't care for it; as the lighting is very dim and won't really show the tank as it should look.

Hope this helps

Mike.

 

[USAFDave13]

Absolutely everything helps, thank you! I've been reading more and more about the good old under gravel filtration! I don't know what to make of LED, it's difficult to know what's needed.