Newish 75g Tank Help

[Maltimomma]

Hi All. Ok, so I'm buying a 75g used tank off Craigslist and it has an under gravel filter and overflow filter. What do you all think about undergravel filters. I've head good and bad about them. My plan is to move my 4 angelfish into the new tank and possibly getting other cichlids. I don't like very aggressive fish. What do you suggest?

 

[StuG]

Well, depending on which Cichlids you are looking at, they can be the aggressive you're looking to avoid.
Undergravel filters are extremely difficult to keep clean. I'm not, however, talking from personal experience, so I'm sure there are some good points to them too.
I would tend to stay away from them though, just from a maintenance point of view.
As for the cichlids, if you know which particular genera/species you are looking at, you might want to post in the cichlid forum.

 

[FreshwaterTropical]

I use an under gravel filter in my 37 gallon community tank. I would say use it.

 

[morningman]

Undergravel filters do serve a purpose. My only advice is this.....when you do do your regular PWC's ....vaccuum a portion of the gravel to keep it fairly clean and avoid any "dead " spots. Make sure the flow through the filter is sufficient to keep your bacteria happy.

 

[morningman]

As for other Cichlids in with your Angels.....most are too aggressive. I would consider other Amazonian type tankmates that would appreciate the same water parameters like tetras, plecos, ottos and cories. As for the Tetras.....Cardinals and Rummynose are my favorites. They look really nice in large groups!

 

[Maltimomma]

Hi All. Ok, so I'm buying a 75g used tank off Craigslist and it has an under gravel filter and overflow filter. What do you all think about undergravel filters. I've head good and bad about them. My plan is to move my 4 angelfish into the new tank and possibly getting other cichlids. I don't like very aggressive fish. What do you suggest?

What about a ghost knife with the angelfish? I would love to have one, but don't want it to be harmed.

 

[bruinsbro1997]

What about a ghost knife with the angelfish? I would love to have one, but don't want it to be harmed.

Ghost knives get too big for a 75 gallon, they'll need 120 gallons in the future.

If you were looking into doing cichlids and money is not a constraint....discus?

 

[FreshwaterTropical]

The brown ghost knife doesn't get any larger than a foot. The black one gets about two feet max. A ghost knife will be fine with angelfish.

 

[glassbird]

Here is my biggest piece of advice when it comes to UGFs, and I have lots of experience with them...get thee a serious powerhead. In fact, for a 75 gallon tank (assuming the UGF system has two plates), get thee TWO serious powerheads. (I just bought a replacement powerhead for my 75 gallon from Fosters and Smith for 25 bucks...295 gallons per hour. This will go along with another of the same size.)

Running a UGF with air is a collossal joke, and it will do you harm in the long run. Live plants rooted in the substrate are generally a bad idea. The roots will clog the plates. Do not use sand. Get a gravel that is around 3/8 to 1/4 inch in size, and put in 2-3 inches of depth, max.

And yes, use a gravel cleaning syphon the right way, and clean 1/2 the tank on each water change. By "right" I mean go straight down (all the way) into the gravel with the open end and hold it there for a few seconds, until the water runs clear and all the crud in that spot has gone up the tube. Lift straight up and move over to the next spot and go straight down into the gravel...repeat. My apologies if these directions seem overly specific. I spent some time on YouTube yesterday trying to learn something new, and was dismayed to see several instructional videos on how to clean aquarium gravel that were so WRONG (and stupid) that I was bug-eyed with amazement.