Setting up 75 gallon.

[Docker66]

It's been a while since I have been on this web site, and have had very little to report about my aquariums. But, now I am within two months of setting up my 75 gallon and I am very excited. I would like everyone's input on some of the setup. First off is canister filter, right now I am leaning toward a Rena, but also like the Eheims and the Fluvals. Second is substrate, what is everyones suggestions? I would like a fine substrate that can be planted if I decide to do that. Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

[Zagz]

I use fluvals but have heard great things about the Rena's. I also prefer sand although it is not necessarily the best for planted tanks due to compaction of the sand. I recently planted my tank lightly so we'll see how hard it is. LOL.

Congrats on the new 75.

[Docker66]

Is it worth the extra costs for the fluval? How difficult is it to setup and maintain. Also, Zagz keep me up to date with your plants in sand. Thanks!

[Mazdaman]

I would say the rena and fluvol are pretty much the same. I have a rena, heard lots about the fluvol. They both are good filters and each have their own little nuances that some complain mildly about. However, the added cost for the eheim is worth it from the research I did and from the feedback I got. I went with the Rena because of the cost, ease of operation (prime, clean, etc.) but if I had the extra budget at the time it would have been ehiem. From what I have read and been told, they will outlast and outfilter (sorry no survivor pun on the outlast) any other model. A nice small round gravel would work well for either application.

[TomK2]

Well, if you are going to plant, why not use one of the plant substrates? No fancy colors with these though. And unless you go with CO2, the low light, low CO2 plants really don't need a special substrate.

I have two fluvals on my 55. I am satisfied with them. I didn't run across any Rena's when I was buying, so I never considered them. I would consider using two canisters on a 75. There is some convenience to alternating maintenance on them, and by alternating maintenance you always have one filter undisturbed. Then there is the redundancy, if one breaks you have the other going while you find a replacement part or filter. And you get good water flow with the two outflows on each end of the tank.

I have always heard fantastic things about the Eheims, I just never could open my wallet that much!

[TomK2]

Oh, and don't forget in line heaters when you have a canister - very convenient. Work well too.

[PauloSilva]

Originally Posted by TomK2

Oh, and don't forget in line heaters when you have a canister - very convenient. Work well too.

Can you give more info on these inline heaters? do they go in the canister?

[Lonewolfblue]

They are installed inline with the output of the cannister. So the filtered water leaves your cannister and goes through the heater and into the tank. Here's the heater I have on my Rena Filstar XP3 on my 75G. The temp in my tank stays withing 78-80 range with little fluctuation. That's not bad for a 75G.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Hydor-ETH-300-In...QQcmdZViewItem

[malkore]

Yes, the inline heaters kick butt. the ETH 300 works fine with a Rena filstar on a 75 gallon. I would go with an XP3 on a 75 gallon. Eheim is nice, but I haven't won the lottery yet, so I'll stick to my filstars. Fluval has had a sketchy past....they seem to have fixed their problems now though...but I'm still not sold on them. Filstars have yet to let me down.

for substrate, if you want plants and sand, don't go with playsand. its too fine and compacts too tightly. tahitian moon sand works. you could mix it 50/50 with eco complete if you wanted.
or get pool filter sand, which is just a little coarser grain than playsnad and doens't compact, but its still a lot finer than gravel.

[Lonewolfblue]

Also, the output on the XP3 and the connectors on the ETH 300 heater are the same size. If you go with another filter, you might have to adapt to a different size, which can be a pain. I'm not too mechanical so I just stick with what works without having to adapt, lol. And the XP3 is an excellent filter. I love mine. And maintenance is a breeze, just takes me 5 minutes, 10 at the very most, depending on how much I need to rinse out the sponges.

[TomK2]

The Hydor ETH in line heater "splices" into your canister's output hose. It is suppose to be installed vertical so that it can't collect bubbles. It is a litlle thick, so you need some room between the tank and wall (3 inches?), or enough head space for it to be verticle and still under your stand(nearly 12 inches?). It comes ready to adapt to common aquarium hoses. Since most hoses are 5/8 inch ID, I believe that is what it's adapter is. But you can cram it onto 1/2 inch, or crimp it down tight over 3/4 inch hose too, so it is rather versatile. Go with the 300W size, unless you are going to use two of them. I find it gives awesome uniform heat distribution, stable temps, and there is one less thing hanging in your tank. Only drawback is that it costs more than a quality submersible heater.

[unfamous]

what kind of fish do u plan on stocking it with?