Behold, my new 75 gallon! Lights? Canopy?

[Brandon3000]

So I got home last night and had to fill this bad boy up. It took about an hour and a half to scrub all of the algae out. I am very excited since this is my first tank! Can't wait to add substrate and decor and finally fish. Don't have a hood yet. Can anyone recommend a hood or glass canopy? And can anyone link me to which lights I need to grow low light plants? Java fern. Moss. Annubius. Don't have a fixture either :/.
So excited! Here is a before and after pic of when I cleaned it

 

[Old Scales]

Congratulations Brandon and welcome to AA,
What a nice set up! The 75 is such a sweet size, you can do just about anything you want in it. A dual bulb T5HO florescent fixture would be just right for the plants you listed. I have seen many stunning lowlight, low-tech aqua scapes. Anubias are especially pretty when mingled with driftwood and rock work. What kind of substrate have you decided on?
Enjoy you lucky dog. Setting up a new tank is about as fun as it gets for us fish heads. LOL. Keep us posted on your progress.
OS.

 

[Brandon3000]

I've decided on pool filter sand as the substrate!
Can you send me a link with the fixture id need and the proper bulbs? Always worried about buying the wrong product!
Thanks for the positive words my friend.

 

[Old Scales]

You're very welcome,
The pool filter sand is the best choice of sand because the granules are little rounder and smoother than any other type. This makes it good for Cory cats if you choose to get them as it won't erode their barbels as they root around.
There are many brands of light fixtures and types, fluorescents and LEDs. For that length of aquarium the most cost-effective and available is still the fluorescents. I would go with a T5HO rather than a NO. Zoo Med makes a medium quality dual lamp fixture and is sold at Petco. A high-quality model with about the best reflectors is the dual lamp Aquatic Life T5HO. It also has a really nice programmable timer for the main lights and the blue moonlight LEDs. The Aquatic Life is a fixture I use and I am very very pleased with it. For a good color balance that's also good for plants, get one daylight bulb (6000-6700K) and one flora max bulb (5000-5500K). There are several other brands out there, just troll the Internet. Just remember as in everything else, you get what you pay for. Keep us posted with pictures so we can tag along and enjoy also. OS.

 

[Brandon3000]

Thanks for all of the great info.
One thing I'm not clear about. There are daytime bulbs and night time bulbs? Could you elaborate a bit on that.

 

[Old Scales]

Of course. Daytime bulbs refer to the actual bulbs lighting up the aquarium whatever they may be. Nighttime bulbs or moon lights as some call them, are little blue LEDs that some fixtures have in them. They can be used when the main lights are off giving just enough light to see the fish without causing too much light and algae. Usually they are a real dim dark blue, almost nightlight. The fish are still able to sleep because it's so dim. OS,

 

[Brandon3000]

Ahhhh. Okay. I think i saw those on the marine land double bright led fixture. I was really considering this one but I've heard mixed things about it

 

[Old Scales]

The Marineland double bright would be such lowlight to the point of being almost useless for plants on that size tank. IMO.

 

[Brandon3000]

Ah okay. So go with the aquatic life then?

 

[Dallascowboys16]

Yeah the aquatic life will work the best. I own a dual t-5 ho fixture on my 55 and I can gore almost anything. On a 75 gallon it would put you a medium light. What substrate do you plan on using? I highly recommend eco complete for a planted tank.

 

[Old Scales]

The Aquatic Life is pricey. It's a high-end fixture. One for your tank would probably run from 300 to 350. A Zoo Med fixture for your tank would run from 120 to 150. But there are several other brands out there you can consider. I was referring to the type of lighting more. LEDs as compared to T5HO fluorescents. I don't mean to be pushing Aquatic Life just because I have one. OS.

 

[Brandon3000]

Gotcha. Yeah I'm on a bit of a budget. Where can I find this zoo med led fixture for my tank? What exactly do I look up. Is there a link?

 

[Dallascowboys16]

Gotcha. Yeah I'm on a bit of a budget. Where can I find this zoo med led fixture for my tank? What exactly do I look up. Is there a link?

Just look up zoo med t-5 ho dual fixture and it should come up, also Giessman bulbs are the best quality bulbs for your fixture if you end up buying it.

 

[Brandon3000]

And the size should be 48 inches?

 

[Dallascowboys16]

Yeah, if it's a standard 75 gallon 48" is right.

 

[Brandon3000]

Looked into the zoo med. Apparently it doesn't work with glass tops and you must have an open aquarium?

 

[Old Scales]

Yes they will work with glass tops. You just have to do a minor modification and switch around the brackets that set it on the tank. It's easy to do. If you get one contact me and I can tell you how to make it work. OS.

 

[tnfinfan]

Aquatic Life T5-HO Freshwater Linkable Light Fixture - 2 x 54 W - 48"

Is this one any good?

 

[Old Scales]

That one is as good as you can get in a T5 HO. You won't be disappointed. OS.