New (to me) Marineland 60 Gal Tall Aquarium Set-Up

[red34]

This is my first post here. I am brand new to aquariums... I've wanted one forever and finally took the plunge. I have been keeping a small 6 gal Eclipse System but have been wanting a big one. I found this one on craigslist. It retails for $350 at PetSmart but I paid considerably less 8)

Anyway here it goes:

Marineland 60 Gallon Heartland tank and stand:

I have since removed the stickers and cleaned the tank up a little more.

Some plants from Michaels. It's amazing how much cheaper these are than at a pet shop!

And a few rocks from a local stone yard (Not washed yet)

In the near future:

This tank did not have the light hoods so I am adding the Sedona Canopy to make it more appealing as a fixture in the room.

I am also still deciding on filtration. This will be an African Cichlid tank so I'm leaning towards 2 Marineland Emperor 400 filters but that's still up in the air. I also need a heater or two. My Eclipse System pretty much stays between 79-80 on it's own, but I'm not sure how that'll change when it gets cooler outside.

I have added a few pieces of driftwood (Nice big center piece and a really cool piece of grapevine. Planning to use pool filter sand and some crushed shell as substrate.

Anyway, that's what I have going so far.

 

[spoonman]

Welcome to AA! Good pickup. Any questions, ask away. Quite a few cichlis enthusiasts here!

 

[Aquarium1]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard not to use floral silk plants because they may have something toxic as they don't have the same standards for safety as aquarium decor.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Welcome to AA Mbuna are my favorite What fish are you going to stock?

 

[red34]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard not to use floral silk plants because they may have something toxic as they don't have the same standards for safety as aquarium decor.

I actually have decided not to use any of the silk ones I picked up. All the ones that ended up working out are plastic. I assume those are all made the same??? They do have a metal shaping wire running through them. Will this hurt anything?

Anyway, I'm planning to base it on african cichlids. Haven't really made any decisions on which ones. I definately want a very bright color mix and some cool algae eaters.

 

[Aquarium1]

the metal inside could eventually corrode/rust which wouldn't be very good

 

[red34]

Here's a dry run without the equipment or substrate.

The tiles under the small Driftwood pieces are unglazed travertine and I used small zinc plated screws to attach. Will I be ok using these? I read that the travertine was similar to Texas holey rock in that it'll boost your pH a little. Correct?

I found these cool little tunnels in the turtle/reptile section at Petco for $2. Looks a little more natural than the pvc I was going to use.

I have ordered the canopy hood and I will install the Home Depot T8 light fixture when it arrives. Still need the filtration and probably a heater or 2 for later on in the year. I'm probably gonna go without a glass top over the tank until it poses a problem. The light fixture I bought has a cover so there's really no danger in water splashing onto the bulbs and breaking them.

The plan is to go with 2 Marineland Emperor 400's for filtration rather than a Rena xp3, which was my other choice. I think the 400's should circulate more water and with the customizable trays, should be able to do the majority of what the canister offers.

Feel free to throw out advice or comments.

 

[mfdrookie516]

If youre going with cichlids, youre going to need more "caves"... They will not do well with only a few hiding spots... one or more hiding spots or "caves" per fish...

 

[ezy33]

rust

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I've heard not to use floral silk plants because they may have something toxic as they don't have the same standards for safety as aquarium decor.

If your plants have wire inside it will rust. Causing toxins to released into your tank.

 

[Aquarium1]

If your plants have wire inside it will rust. Causing toxins to released into your tank.

Yeah thts what I was thinking.

 

[red34]

I'll scrap the hobby shop plants. Thought I had read some good advice about a way to save some $$... guess not

 

[Aquarium1]

Btw walmart/petsmart/petco usually have cheaper plastic aquarium plants in the fish section, at least here. Lfs plastic plants can be outrageously expensive. Or try and catch an lfs sale.

 

[red34]

With my having limited space for more caves, what types of things would you recommend to add into the tank?

DIY pvc? What are my other options?

 

[Zer0]

Also.. i would not use that wooden cave you got from the reptile section.. Don't really know how safe it is, or if they add anything to it. It may be reptile safe, but not aquarium safe. They have things like that cave that are aquarium safe, so i suggest going with the things that you know are safe, rather than going with ones that "might" be safe.

 

[red34]

The caves are some sort of resin like the aquarium decorations

 

[mfdrookie516]

i would suggest either getting a bunch of rocks and just piling them up, or go get several 4-6" clay pots and cut them in half, or you could do the pvc, but it doesnt look very good imo.

 

[red34]

Allright well I made a bunch of changes. I found a dealer here and got some great Texas holey rock in bulk. It's not all perfectly bleached, but I was able to pressure wash it to a great white and yellowish tone. I scrapped the hobby plants, the turtle caves, and the grapevine driftwood.

I'll post some pics when I get a chance but I'm really excited about my find. I got 60 lbs of Texas rock for $7!!!

 

[mfdrookie516]

wow, thats a super deal!!!

 

[InfernoST]

Welcome to AA! Good pickup. Any questions, ask away. Quite a few cichlis enthusiasts here!

SM what is cichlis?

 

[InfernoST]

Welcome to AA and good luck with the new tank.