Starting Up a New 65 Gallon!

[madsnich22]

Hello there!

I recently was given a 65 gallon tank! Its quite gorgeous and I am SO excited. The last tank I had running was a 10gallon that was home to my beautiful betta who sadly passed a month ago. I scrubbed this tank clean, packed it up and put it away thinking I was gonna be done for awhile....but I guess the world wanted me to start over, and bigger! So sadly I cannot "seed" this new tank. So I have to start from scratch (Which I am happy to do!)

The max size I have ever managed was 30 gallons. This tank is 2x bigger than what I am used to and have no idea where to start.

So lets get down to my questions.

1) What Filter Do I Use? *I have experience with sponge filters and adore them, but worried that a sponge filter or two will not be enough*
**I want to do a heavily planted community tank, the fish I had in mind (and this is not set in stone as I want to get the tank cycled and tested before I decide) are rainbow fish, tetras, corys, mystery snails, pearl gouramis, and maybe some German Blue Rams, I also have interests in Angel Fish, and Rasbora species. (I also welcome suggestions as I have never gotten to do a larger community tank before!!!!) what filters are appropriate for these species?

2) Can I cycle this tank with just sand and a filter? I have no idea what design I want to do and just wanna get the tank ready and add decor later on, let it run for a bit, test it, and then add my fish.

3) Is Black Sand OK for Spotted-Corys or any type of Cory fish? I have a TON of Black Diamond Blasting Sand, I've used it for a lot of my tanks but I have never had a cory in black sand before and wanna be sure it is safe.

Thank Y'all in Advance for any and all suggestions and help.

 

[Aiken Drum]

If it were me setting up a 65 gallon tank i would go with a cannister filter. If i was playing safe i would opt with a fluval 407 as i know them, find them reliable, and know i can get parts and spares fairly easily. If i was going to try something new i would opt for an eheim. Maybe their pro 4+ 350. If i was on a tight budget maybe an all pond solutions external filter. Maybe their 1000EF model. All pond solutions are sold under various brands depending on where you are. Sunsun in the USA i think.

As to whether you can cycle a tank with just a filter and substrate and do your aquascape later. Yes you can. Ive done that before.

Corys will be fine with black sand. Ive no experience with blasting sand and read mixed reviews, some people say its good, some say its too sharp. The people who have actually used it tend to say its good. My understanding of blasting sand is it comes in different abrasive grades, so maybe thats important.

 

[madsnich22]

Thank you for the helpful info. I’m a little weary of canister just because I’ve never set one up or used one. Time to do some research!

Thank you for answering my questions. I really appreciate it. I have other black sand that was given to me, it’s the Imagatarium brand. If that’s safer, I’ll for sure go with that.

Thank you again for all the help.

 

[Aiken Drum]

Nothing complicated about cannister filters. Only real issue might be getting the hoses through any lid.

Fluvals assembly instructions are very clear.

https://www.fluvalaquatics.com/manuals/A440-50_07_Manual_INT_Mar4_19_WEB.pdf

And there are plenty of filter set up videos showing how best to position filter media etc.

https://youtu.be/8D0v5E8qAfA