Hello everyone,
I have very recently acquired a 75 gallon oak aquarium and stand. I am looking for advice on both which I will outline as I go along. I will start by saying that the opportunity to score a tank of this size along with an oak stand for just $100 was too good to pass up. The guy who was selling it had no idea what he was dealing with. The setup belonged to his grandmother who passed away and he basically wanted to make a few bucks on the stuff he needs to get rid of. I feel sorry for his lost but am thankful for my good fortune on scoring this deal.
The tank itself could possibly use some resealing on 2 of the corners but I will not be sure until I get it cleaned out and filled for a stress test and to check for leaks. It is made out of 1/2 inch thick glass and there are no braces. The first 2 things I checked on was the glass thickness and to see if there were cracks on the frame or braces or if there was any sign that there should ever had been braces. From what I can tell this is a good solid build.
As for the stand itself, I had to disassemble it to fit it in the car to get it home. As it turns out that is not a bad thing since I found a couple of screws that were either stripped and need to be moved slightly and have a new hole drilled for or even missing. I would like to sand this stand and restain it and then apply a waterproof coat of varnish. I am also thinking about replacing the sides of the stand as well or more likely placing molding on the back corners to hide the edges. Possible build a better framework for it too. That brings me to my first question. What grade of paper should I use for sanding it? Also does anyone have a suggestion on a stain and varnish?
There was a light included with the tank but no hood. I'm figuring that I will make a sliding glass hood which is easy enough to do. I would also like to build a canopy as well, an oak canopy that is. What I need is a suggestion on lighting. As to how I would want to be able to secure the light fixture to the canopy to prevent it from moving or getting accidentally knocked off I would need to have the light first to determine how best to secure it to the canopy I would be building. I have cats and the one is always jumping on things she should not be, fish tanks included. Henceforth being able to prevent the light from being knocked off or into the water is of very real importance. I was thinking that I would like for the light to be as close to the same length of the tank as possible. Tank is 48 inches long. Also I am ruling out single strip lighting from the door. Thinking at least a double strip T5. I have been reading you can pick that up at home depot at a decent price. I might even go with multiple light fixtures. Any suggestions on lighting that will not cost an arm and a leg?
There is also the issue of filtration which was not part of this package. Initially just to get the tank set up I am leaning towards an Aquaclear 110. I know a lot of people frown on HOB filters but my experience with Aquaclear has been that they are very quiet and do a great job of filtering the water. Since this would be a tank where I want to come to a happy compromise between fish and live plants, leaning more heavily towards live fish, I would like to add a canister filter later down the road as I stock it. I was thinking about the Fluval 406. Does this sound like a good combination on filtration?
And since this will also be a planted tank as well there is the question of which substrate will work best for both the fish and the plants. I'm leaning towards sand but am also considering naturally colored gravel. I have never used sand in a tank before so this would be a new experience. I also like the natural look of sand much more then gravel. I have also been reading that sand can actually be easier to clean then gravel since all the wastes sits right on top. Having to uproot plants constantly to clean under the gravel is one of my main concerns and something I would like to avoid. I do know which ever I choose, peat moss would be a very good choice for the bottom layer. Anacharis, sword, java fern, wisteria will probably be some of my choices as far as plants. Any suggestions on the substrate and combination I should use? Other suggestions on plants that would go well?
I guess this brings me up to the next question about stocking. After doing the fishless cycle I was thinking I would move the baby mollies to it to really get a complete cycle going. Not exactly sure how long I will need to give it before moving the larger fish over though. There is also the pleco which is getting to be quite large and as to he is always skimming everything I am not sure if he would be alright with sand. At this point all I can say is that the initial tank inhabitants would be mollies and one rainbow shark. And also the pleco. I want this to be a live bearer tank and will need decide what other live bearers will get along with the mollies. Platies I am pretty sure will happily coexist with mollies. Swordtails should be no problem either. Guppies are pretty but given their reputation of getting out of control I want to avoid them. Plus they would probably get sucked up into the filter on a tank that size LOL. What about barbs, cichlids, and angel fish. I know I am getting away from live bearers with them choices but they are pretty and would make great additions I think. In a large tank would any of these have a problem coexisting with each other?
Guess I should probably summarize my questions. What sand paper to use on the stand and then which stain and varnish to use to refinish it? Will the combination of Aquaclear 110 and Fluval 406 be more then adequate enough for the eventual needs of this tank? What lighting will work best for a tank that happily compromises and puts the focus on both the fish and the plants? Which substrate will give the most natural appearance and also give the best benefits to both the fish and the plants? As for stocking, for a community tank focusing heavily on live bearers I am open to suggestions. I did forget to mention heating. Multiple heaters and if so what size?
I have never set up a tank of this size before. I have also made quite a few mistakes in the past while learning. This time I want to do it right and make no mistakes. I welcome all the advice I can get from those with more experience then me and very much appreciate it. Given how much some of the equipment will be costing I know that it will be many months down the road before I get this up and running. What I can do now though is learn and plan ahead.
This is the tank and stand.
One last question if I may. How can I keep the effing dogs and the effing cats from destroying the stand? LOL
I have very recently acquired a 75 gallon oak aquarium and stand. I am looking for advice on both which I will outline as I go along. I will start by saying that the opportunity to score a tank of this size along with an oak stand for just $100 was too good to pass up. The guy who was selling it had no idea what he was dealing with. The setup belonged to his grandmother who passed away and he basically wanted to make a few bucks on the stuff he needs to get rid of. I feel sorry for his lost but am thankful for my good fortune on scoring this deal.
The tank itself could possibly use some resealing on 2 of the corners but I will not be sure until I get it cleaned out and filled for a stress test and to check for leaks. It is made out of 1/2 inch thick glass and there are no braces. The first 2 things I checked on was the glass thickness and to see if there were cracks on the frame or braces or if there was any sign that there should ever had been braces. From what I can tell this is a good solid build.
As for the stand itself, I had to disassemble it to fit it in the car to get it home. As it turns out that is not a bad thing since I found a couple of screws that were either stripped and need to be moved slightly and have a new hole drilled for or even missing. I would like to sand this stand and restain it and then apply a waterproof coat of varnish. I am also thinking about replacing the sides of the stand as well or more likely placing molding on the back corners to hide the edges. Possible build a better framework for it too. That brings me to my first question. What grade of paper should I use for sanding it? Also does anyone have a suggestion on a stain and varnish?
There was a light included with the tank but no hood. I'm figuring that I will make a sliding glass hood which is easy enough to do. I would also like to build a canopy as well, an oak canopy that is. What I need is a suggestion on lighting. As to how I would want to be able to secure the light fixture to the canopy to prevent it from moving or getting accidentally knocked off I would need to have the light first to determine how best to secure it to the canopy I would be building. I have cats and the one is always jumping on things she should not be, fish tanks included. Henceforth being able to prevent the light from being knocked off or into the water is of very real importance. I was thinking that I would like for the light to be as close to the same length of the tank as possible. Tank is 48 inches long. Also I am ruling out single strip lighting from the door. Thinking at least a double strip T5. I have been reading you can pick that up at home depot at a decent price. I might even go with multiple light fixtures. Any suggestions on lighting that will not cost an arm and a leg?
There is also the issue of filtration which was not part of this package. Initially just to get the tank set up I am leaning towards an Aquaclear 110. I know a lot of people frown on HOB filters but my experience with Aquaclear has been that they are very quiet and do a great job of filtering the water. Since this would be a tank where I want to come to a happy compromise between fish and live plants, leaning more heavily towards live fish, I would like to add a canister filter later down the road as I stock it. I was thinking about the Fluval 406. Does this sound like a good combination on filtration?
And since this will also be a planted tank as well there is the question of which substrate will work best for both the fish and the plants. I'm leaning towards sand but am also considering naturally colored gravel. I have never used sand in a tank before so this would be a new experience. I also like the natural look of sand much more then gravel. I have also been reading that sand can actually be easier to clean then gravel since all the wastes sits right on top. Having to uproot plants constantly to clean under the gravel is one of my main concerns and something I would like to avoid. I do know which ever I choose, peat moss would be a very good choice for the bottom layer. Anacharis, sword, java fern, wisteria will probably be some of my choices as far as plants. Any suggestions on the substrate and combination I should use? Other suggestions on plants that would go well?
I guess this brings me up to the next question about stocking. After doing the fishless cycle I was thinking I would move the baby mollies to it to really get a complete cycle going. Not exactly sure how long I will need to give it before moving the larger fish over though. There is also the pleco which is getting to be quite large and as to he is always skimming everything I am not sure if he would be alright with sand. At this point all I can say is that the initial tank inhabitants would be mollies and one rainbow shark. And also the pleco. I want this to be a live bearer tank and will need decide what other live bearers will get along with the mollies. Platies I am pretty sure will happily coexist with mollies. Swordtails should be no problem either. Guppies are pretty but given their reputation of getting out of control I want to avoid them. Plus they would probably get sucked up into the filter on a tank that size LOL. What about barbs, cichlids, and angel fish. I know I am getting away from live bearers with them choices but they are pretty and would make great additions I think. In a large tank would any of these have a problem coexisting with each other?
Guess I should probably summarize my questions. What sand paper to use on the stand and then which stain and varnish to use to refinish it? Will the combination of Aquaclear 110 and Fluval 406 be more then adequate enough for the eventual needs of this tank? What lighting will work best for a tank that happily compromises and puts the focus on both the fish and the plants? Which substrate will give the most natural appearance and also give the best benefits to both the fish and the plants? As for stocking, for a community tank focusing heavily on live bearers I am open to suggestions. I did forget to mention heating. Multiple heaters and if so what size?
I have never set up a tank of this size before. I have also made quite a few mistakes in the past while learning. This time I want to do it right and make no mistakes. I welcome all the advice I can get from those with more experience then me and very much appreciate it. Given how much some of the equipment will be costing I know that it will be many months down the road before I get this up and running. What I can do now though is learn and plan ahead.
This is the tank and stand.
One last question if I may. How can I keep the effing dogs and the effing cats from destroying the stand? LOL
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