New 65 gallon! Setup questions

[Helios]

Today I got my Christmas present! My husband surprised me with a 65 gallon aquarium. I cried when I found out. It's HUGE compared to everything I've ever owned. I'm pumped. Planning on doing a freshwater community type tank. Few questions about the setup since he only bought the tank and stand:

1. Filter: I've always done HOB filters on my small tanks but with this being so big I want to do a canister. I was leaning towards the aquatop cf300. It says it's for 75 gallons. Is this okay? With HOB I double the volume for a filter, so 10 gallon tank I do a filter for 20 gallons. Do I need to do the same with this or will the 75 gallon be fine?

2. Lighting: I want to do a planted tank. I have LEDs on my small tanks and want to do the same here. The ones I've used are just the cheepy LEDs. I was thinking for this Fluval aqualife & plant full spectrum 35w LED. Thoughts?

3. Other Equipment: I have a heater and a lid for the tank. Is there any other equipment I will need for such a big tank?

4. Cycling: Usually I do a fish in cycle with 2-3 fish checking levels everyday and doing partial water changes as needed. Would the process be the same in a large tank just with a few more fish? Also, I have no idea how I want to decorate the tank, but I know I want plants. Can I add plants in before the tank is cycled? Will it mess with my cycle?

5. Substrate: I plan to do sand for my corys. How much do I need? Still a pound of sand per gallon of water?

6. Fish: Do small fish look wierd in a big tank? I have some corys, neons, and angels in a small tank. The little tank looks nice and active without looking squished but I feel like if I put these in this huge tank it'll look really empty. Fish suggestions would be great.

Thanks everyone!

 

[ReefGuy77]

I don't know the answer to all your questions but I'll tell you what I do know.

1. I don't have any experience with that specific filter but I have a canister filter on my 55 and love it.

2. Not sure on lighting, it might depend on the type of plants you want.

3. Depending on the type of plants some people dose with CO2, but I don't have as much experience with it.

4. I've always cycled without fish, but have added plants during the cycle. I find the helps because live plants have bacteria growing on them already.

5. Sand isn't the best substrate for plants that need to be rooted. Depending on the plants though sand could work. I have sand in my tanks because I love Cory cats and then just pick plants that do OK in sand, mainly plants without roots or plants that attach to driftwood.

6. I think small fish look awesome in a big tank, especially when you have enough that they school. A good mix of small and medium looks really cool in my opinion.

 

[ImACoolguy]

Today I got my Christmas present! My husband surprised me with a 65 gallon aquarium. I cried when I found out. It's HUGE compared to everything I've ever owned. I'm pumped. Planning on doing a freshwater community type tank. Few questions about the setup since he only bought the tank and stand:



1. Filter: I've always done HOB filters on my small tanks but with this being so big I want to do a canister. I was leaning towards the aquatop cf300. It says it's for 75 gallons. Is this okay? With HOB I double the volume for a filter, so 10 gallon tank I do a filter for 20 gallons. Do I need to do the same with this or will the 75 gallon be fine?



2. Lighting: I want to do a planted tank. I have LEDs on my small tanks and want to do the same here. The ones I've used are just the cheepy LEDs. I was thinking for this Fluval aqualife & plant full spectrum 35w LED. Thoughts?



3. Other Equipment: I have a heater and a lid for the tank. Is there any other equipment I will need for such a big tank?



4. Cycling: Usually I do a fish in cycle with 2-3 fish checking levels everyday and doing partial water changes as needed. Would the process be the same in a large tank just with a few more fish? Also, I have no idea how I want to decorate the tank, but I know I want plants. Can I add plants in before the tank is cycled? Will it mess with my cycle?



5. Substrate: I plan to do sand for my corys. How much do I need? Still a pound of sand per gallon of water?



6. Fish: Do small fish look wierd in a big tank? I have some corys, neons, and angels in a small tank. The little tank looks nice and active without looking squished but I feel like if I put these in this huge tank it'll look really empty. Fish suggestions would be great.



Thanks everyone!

Hello!

1. Filter type is personal preference. I have aquatop heaters but never owned one of their filters. I run a Cascade 1000(rated 100g) and an aquaclear 110(rated 110g) on my 75g. It never hurts to over filter the tank. Unless you are planning on something like angels that don't like a bunch of flow, even then filter mods can be made to direct flow and create a softer current without toning down the filter and sacrificing GPH.

2. This can greatly depend on the height of the tank. The higher the tank, the lower the PAR at the bottom. PAR is was lighting is now measured in instead of Watts Per Gallon(WPG). I'm a Finnex fan. Very nice LEDs that have yet to disappoint me. They also cost much less than some other "plant LEDs".

3. Not really. Big tanks are just more volume. It is good to have that second filter running though as a backup. Anything else like UV sterilizer sand air pumps are purely optional.

4. I'm a Fishless guy. But I assume this would determine on the ammonia level, if one fish isn't cutting it, then you can add another. Plants are fine to be added right away, you can play around with them while waiting on the tank to cycle.

5. Typically in planted tanks people shoot for 2 inches of substrate or more. This allows for plenty of root growth. I have 100 pounds of sand in my 75g, so you could do something like 70-80+ pounds? I just used Black Diamond Blasting Sand from Tractor Supply. $20 got me the 100 pounds.

6. Huge schools of small fish look lovely in big tanks. If this looks small to you then maybe consider some fish that are a bit bigger like rainbowfish. Just remember fish are opportunistic and if it can fit in their mouth it can be food, fish included. Rainbowfish have small mouths though.

7. Any plans on what plants you actually want? It's good to do just as much research on plants as you do fish. Because like fish, every plant is different and has different needs. Some are easy some are hard. Some need root tabs others are not even planted. It's important you get a game plan of at least the type of tank you want to accomplish. I assume a Low-Med light tank?

Here's some easier plants you can look at and see if you like any of them:

Anubias
Java Fern
Java moss
Anarchis(elodea)
Vallisneria
Hornwort
Dwarf saggittaria
Water wisteria
Water Sprite
Bacopa Caroliniana
Ludwigia Repens
And more...

Hope that can give a bit of a head start on what you would like.


Caleb