Stocking and Plant suggestions for 75 Gal?

[kr1st3n]

I have a 75 gal. tank that I am going to start setting up once I get a stand for it. Does anyone have any good recommendations for stocking with live plants and the fish? I was thinking about having 4 angelfish as the main attraction, but I'm not sure, (I've heard they can be pretty fiesty). I love the look of hairgrass (thinking maybe doing a carpet of it?) and any broad-leaved plants, (java fern, anubias, etc...), but I'm open to anything that looks nice.

Also, what would be needed for a tank that size? I know the standard heater, filters, lighting, substrate, etc... But like, do I need a full CO2 system? I just want to be prepared for the costs and maintenance.

 

[fish wrangler]

Amazon sword might look good in there. What kind of lighting are you planning on?

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[kr1st3n]

Amazon sword might look good in there. What kind of lighting are you planning on?

I was thinking about going with an LED strip, but they seem really pricey. I'd be willing to pay the extra, I think, if I knew it would be worth it.

 

[Kristian Tombs]

LEDs vary in quality substantially usually the best LEDs are the most expensive. Unless you can find an LED someone recommends for a tank that size, I wouldn't risk it. Just go for some bulbs.
For example, I have two LED stripes one is really bright and one, not so much.

 

[fish wrangler]

A trusted LFS owner by me reccomended elive LEDs for my tank. You can add more modules to the fixture for added growth and brightness. The 30 inch model was around $70 at his store. Might be something to look into.

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[Kristian Tombs]

Well if fish wrangler is confident they'll be suitable for a tank then size. I say go for It! Although expensive in initial cost, you will save money in the long run from not having to replace bulbs every 6 months to a year.

 

[fish wrangler]

I can not say how the elives work for the plants, but I do like the idea behind them. You buy the fixture and it comes with X pod (5 for the 30 inch, 3 for 18 inch, etc). Additional pods can be bought for under $10 by me, and after looking at the elive website they have a range of pods for different purposes. Some for plant growth, moonlight, whitelight, and alot more. I think there were 18 different pod types if I remember right

Edit: This way if one module dies you just replace that pod, and not the entire fixture which would get expensive imo

Here is their website http://elivepet.com/fish/lighting/led-module-track-light/
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[Kristian Tombs]

That's doing really intuitive. Buy a 30 inch one and more sure the five modules are the plant growth modules. $70 initial cost and you can double the lighting for an extra $50 essentially. Definitely worth considering.

 

[jetajockey]

I'd just go with the planted+ or ray2 and call it a day. The elive thing seems cool but I don't know if they've really geared it towards serious planted tank stuff just yet.

As far as plants go, if you want bulk, go with various sword plants. Amazons grow like crazy once they get settled in. And then just go with some bunch deals, I know a guy who does 10 bunches for $18, usually 4-6 stems per bunch, 5 or so different species, usually several of the larger hygro species. Dwarf sag is also a pretty standard but easy to grow plant that can work as a mid or carpet depending on how you tame it. Vals are always a good choice unless you plan to dose excel regularly.

 

[kr1st3n]

Thank you all so much for the advice so far! I'll have to look into lighting a bit more then, because I would rather pay a lot initially for a kick butt system, then have to go back again and again to replace bulbs.

As for the plants, is there anything that kind of stands out? Like, if I were to get one centerpiece to go behind my castle decoration, what would be the most striking?

 

[jetajockey]

My favorite is red tiger lotus. It takes a while and takes a lot of trimming to get one to bulk up, but they definitely make a great centerpiece.

Most swords can make great centerpiece plants also, amazons are pretty commonly used. I really like marble queen radicans, indian red sword, and red ozelots.

 

[kr1st3n]

My favorite is red tiger lotus. It takes a while and takes a lot of trimming to get one to bulk up, but they definitely make a great centerpiece.

Most swords can make great centerpiece plants also, amazons are pretty commonly used. I really like marble queen radicans, indian red sword, and red ozelots.

I'm kind of liking the look of the amazons. Do they typically fan out?

 

[jetajockey]

Amazon swords get very large, the leaves can be as much as 3-4" wide and the plant definitely spreads out as the leaves get near the surface and start to lay over.

 

[Kristian Tombs]

Love me some crinum (calastratum or natans)