Setting up my 90 Gallon...Again! Tons of Questions.

[blackthidot]

Okay so I have a 90 gallon tank sitting around empty and for whatever reason I decided to set it up again.

So far I have bought...

Fluval FX6
Fluval Aquasky 2.0

I have some old decorations and a heater.

I am most likely not going to jump into live plants off the bat, or at all for that matter. I don't really have the desire or patience to deal with that, added on to the regular tank maintenance I will already have to do.

In terms of fish I want to have the following...

As many ghost cats as I can possibly have...
Different types of tetra.
Ghost, Amano, and Vampire shrimp.
Pom Pom Crabs.
Corys.
Guppies.

The questions I have are this...

Substrate? What and why? How much do I need?

I watched a lot of videos on the Fluval Plant and Shrimp but it's SUPER expensive especially to fill a 90 gallon tank with. I have also read it breaks down after a year.

I was also told to get Flourite Seachem but it just seems really sharp and jagged for shrimp and corys. I could be totally wrong, it's just an assumption.

Thanks for all and any help/suggestions. Much appreciated!

 

[SaraB]

If you are getting corys you will need rounded gravel or sand. If you want a nice sand that doesn't cost too much I recommend pool filter sand. I have it in my 55g (2 bags with gravel underneath to add height) and it looks great and holds on to the plants nicely.

 

[blackthidot]

If you are getting corys you will need rounded gravel or sand. If you want a nice sand that doesn't cost too much I recommend pool filter sand. I have it in my 55g (2 bags with gravel underneath to add height) and it looks great and holds on to the plants nicely.

I will check that out. It's just so tough to get this part figured out because every time someone says to use something...3 people then say don't use that lol

 

[SaraB]

Fair enough. If you rinse it off before using it it stays to the bottom of the tank without making clouds. It may also be lighter than what you want but it's not sharp.

 

[blackthidot]

Fair enough. If you rinse it off before using it it stays to the bottom of the tank without making clouds. It may also be lighter than what you want but it's not sharp.

Cool. I originally thought sand would be cool then someone talked me out of it for the Seachem stuff but there was a split bag of it at Pet Smart and I took some out and it was SUPER sharp.

 

[SaraB]

Yeah sharp substrate is a no go with corys. It's only about $10 per 20lbs here as well so a lot cheaper than most aquarium specific sands.
Glass catfish need a lot of plants so make sure you really fill the tank with greenery. Real or fake they need a lot to feel safe.

 

[blackthidot]

Yeah sharp substrate is a no go with corys. It's only about $10 per 20lbs here as well so a lot cheaper than most aquarium specific sands.
Glass catfish need a lot of plants so make sure you really fill the tank with greenery. Real or fake they need a lot to feel safe.

Yep I have had Glass Cats before. The last batch I had lived 5 plus years. They were skiddish at first then after a little while they never hid. They are my most favorite fish!

 

[SaraB]

I've always wanted glass cats but heard they are very sensitive.

 

[blackthidot]

I've always wanted glass cats but heard they are very sensitive.

I have had decent luck with them. When my tank was up before I had and under gravel filter and a hang on the back filter. I did not have a lid so I would lose water a lot over a week so I was basically doing water changes without taking water out. I never cleaned anything else in the tank and that is the batch that lived 5+ years.