Finaly got a new tank 80g need your advise

[Elpez]

I just got a used 80g tank. Came with a 20g sump tank but no pump.
The tank has an overflow and the plumbing seems to be complete. Any suggestions on pump type, brand and GPH?
Filter media?

Thanks

 

[Terrance]

Hello.

How many inches wide is the return line?
How far away is the return pump location from the spot where the water enters the display tank? Also how many elbows?

Pics of your system will help a lot.

 

[Elpez]

Hi Terrance,

The return pipe is a 1.25" ID.
The the tank is 30" high and the IN line is about 45" above the pump. There are no elbows. The out line goes straight down to the sump and the IN line is a flexible clear hose 1" ID.
I am attaching a picture. Today I ordered a Marineland 3000 which pumps 770 GPH for 58 bucks. I hope I didnt screwed it up.
Please let me know thoughts.

Thanks,
The fish.

 

[cfcheong]

Nice tank, btw if I were you I will get the Danner Mag-7 (700GPH), it's quality built. I have a Danner Mag-5 attached to my new Remora Pro-S skimmer.

 

[Elpez]

Thanks CF,

I think it's too late to cancel my order, but I'll consider your suggestion in the future if this one doesnt last.
About filter media, is there a rule I should follow? This will be a fresh water tank

Thanks

 

[Terrance]

Thanks CF,

I think it's too late to cancel my order, but I'll consider your suggestion in the future if this one doesnt last.
About filter media, is there a rule I should follow? This will be a fresh water tank

Thanks

Hopefully your new pump will be ok. You can use any kind of media. There is no general rule, but you should not spend a lot either. I paid $100 for 5g of Pond Matrix. I overdid my media for my sump. At least i have seeding media -_-

 

[Elpez]

Cool thanks! I think I am starting with 4lbs of carbon, amonia chips and some bio balls and ceramic rings. Lol, sounds like a salad!
Next debate, water!
Should I use my RO filter and take foreever to fill it?
Or tap water and treat it?

 

[Terrance]

Sorry i forgot to mention this: dont buy products that you need to replace. The carbon is good, but water changes are better. If you use the ammonia chips, then you will have to use it forever without problems. If you stop, then you run into a mini cycle but its easy to fix.

Most important thing you can do for your tank is the weekly water changes. You can get it straight from the tap. RO water isn't worth it in freshwater systems.

I cant imagine you spending more than $40 for biological media. Dont get the bioballs unless you have a trickle system. They dont work well submerged.

 

[Elpez]

Thanks Terrance,

In that case, I'll leave the bio balls out. What should I treat the tap water with? Since I'll be using tap I am sure I'll want to keep the minerals on it. Should be good for the plants. Will tap water take longer to cycle?

Fish

 

[RussellC]

Thanks Terrance,

In that case, I'll leave the bio balls out. What should I treat the tap water with? Since I'll be using tap I am sure I'll want to keep the minerals on it. Should be good for the plants. Will tap water take longer to cycle?

Fish

As far as treating the tap water, any water conditioner that removes chlorine and chloramine should do the trick. During cycling, though, you might consider using Prime as it helps to detoxify any ammonia and/or nitrite that might build up while your biological filter is establishing itself. I'd continue to use Prime if your tap water contains ammonia (some tap water does), as this should detoxify it long enough for your biological filter to clear it from the tank.

You're right about the minerals / buffers in tap water being good for not only the plants, but the fish too -- and I do not see any reason why conditioned tap water would take any longer to cycle.

Best!

 

[Elpez]

Thanks Russell!

That helps a lot. It makes things easier. Based on your comments I'll add amonia remover from the begining and also some rocks from a 5 gallon tank I have. That should speed up the process I hope. Now I am going shoping for water cond.

Thanks again for all your feedback
Fish

 

[RussellC]

Thanks Russell!

That helps a lot. It makes things easier. Based on your comments I'll add amonia remover from the begining and also some rocks from a 5 gallon tank I have. That should speed up the process I hope. Now I am going shoping for water cond.

Thanks again for all your feedback
Fish

You're welcome. For the record, Prime is a water conditioner (chlorine and chloramine remover), ammonia detoxifier and nitrite detoxifier all in one. While it certainly isn't a substitute for water changes, it's hard for me to imagine fish-in cycling a freshwater tank without it.

Best!

 

[Elpez]

Thanks again!
So how soon can I put my 5 gallon fish into the new tank after treating the water with prime?
Should I also use most of the 5 gallon tank water in the new tank? Or just the rocks will do?

 

[RussellC]

Thanks again!
So how soon can I put my 5 gallon fish into the new tank after treating the water with prime?
Should I also use most of the 5 gallon tank water in the new tank? Or just the rocks will do?

Prime (and all other dechlorinators) work pretty much instantaneously, so the water will be dechlorinated within just a few moments.

You can move the water if you choose, but beneficial bacteria generally don't reside in the water but rather adhere themselves to the substrate, decorations, filter media, etc..

The rocks as well as any plants, decorations, or substrate will help as there will likely be some bacteria on them, but if your 5 gallon is cycled, moving the filter media (or the whole filter) over to the larger tank will give your new tank the biggest jump-start in terms of cycling. You can run it concurrently with whatever filter you have planned for the larger tank and it will slowly seed the larger filter with bacteria, while still providing filtration itself.

If you can, I'd run them concurrently for about a month, but then, your new filter should be fairly well seeded. Of course, you can run them concurrently indefinitely if you choose.

Good luck!

 

[Elpez]

Great! Thats an excellent idea or suggestion. I will definitely do that.
Thanks a million