I want to go all out, help me pick things out :)

[WizardHowl]

Hey guys! I'm new here, but I've had a 10 gallon tank going for 2 years now, never had a problem, and now I finally have the money and space to expand! I need a lot of advice on what to do because I'm very indecisive, and I don't know too much still, especially doing larger tanks. Here are my questions

1. Should I go with 55, 75, 90 gallon tanks? I really don't have any idea on stocking tanks (my 10 gallon only has a glowfish, mickey mouse platy, candy platy, and a siemenses). Is it possible to do cichlids mixed with other fish? What size would give me a good amount of options. Even though I'm pretty new at this, I want to just start with the good equipment at the beginning so I won't have to expand later.
2. Would any of these tanks with stand and canopy, filled with water be ok for hardwood floors? (aka not damage anything)
3. What kind of lighting should I get. I know the strip lighting that comes with most tanks won't be sufficient enough. I like plants a lot, and I'd like to get enough light to possibly do red plants, do these have to have C02 and such? How are PC lighting? What about T5's?
4. Will a high powered AC filter be fine? Do I need powerheads or anything else?
5. Other than food, testkits, etc. what else should I get?


Thanks a lot, I really appreciate it!

 

[rkilling1]

i would get the largest tank you can afford and have room for.

don't forget about the price of the filter, heater, substrate, light, ect.. in the price of the tank.

for a larger tank, a canister is the way to go.

 

[verucaproduce]

1. I would decide what type of fish you want and then decide on the tank size. I think that everyone here will tell you that bigger is better.

2. Your wood floors will depend on how careful you are with water changes.

3. What sort of plants are you looking at keeping?

4. I would look at a canister filter for a tank that big. You could pair it with an AC maybe.

5. It all depends on your fish/plant/tank choices. But you will probably want at least two heaters as well.

Oh....and WELCOME to AA!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Welcome to AA!!!!

1. Bigger is better. What kind of CIchlids are you interested in? If you are looking at African Cichlids, definately go as big as you can. But if you are geared more towards Angels and Rams, you can go with a smaller tank. You can mix most SA cichlids with other community fish. But there are some very aggressive ones. Africans should not be mixed with any non-Africans.
2. That depends on many factors. How old are the floors? What type of wood is it? Is there support under the floor to hold the aquarium?
3. PC lighting is excellent and you can match it with CO2 injection and have a LOT more options than a low light tank. For more questions on this, post in the Planted Tanks forum. We have many plant guru's.
4. I recommend a canister filter for a 55 gal tank. You can go with hob's, but then I'd get two. One on each end.
5. You'll need a 275 watt heater, a syphon for gravel vacs (perhaps a Python), substrate, and decor.

 

[WizardHowl]

thanks for the replies! In response to verucaproduce,

I really like a variety of fish, but I would like to eventually have some discus once my water conditions are perfect. i'd like to school some fish. maybe loaches if I can find them. I'm leaning now more towards 75 gallons. Will that a be a good size that can handle a decent bioload?

In terms of how careful I'll be with water changes, d o you mean just not dripping any on the floors? Can't you just wipe up the drips? I plan on having a python going directly from the kitchen sink to the tank. My question is would the weight of the tank cause any damages to the floor.

In terms of plants, I want to keep my options open so I want to be able get a good deal of great plants but without having to use C02, is this just not possible?

What kind of canister filter would you suggest for a 75 gallon? My LFS is having a huge anniversary sale so i want to buy most of my stuff this weekend.

One last question, what would be the best substrate to use, I've always used the gravel, but with a planted tannk, wouldn't it be hard to get to the gravel to clean any deritus that's accumulated?
Thanks!



EDIT

Hey Fishy Fanatic,
thanks fort the reply! I really appreaciate it, you must have posted while I was typing my last reply . Anyway I don't know too much about cichlids, but any of them that will do well in a community would be great, I love discus'!

In regards to your question about the hard wood floors. They're brand new. I just moved into a new condimium building, so the support I'm pretty sure underneath is solid steel. Even the beams in the wall are solid steel (making it a pain to nail any painting in). I assume the freshwater doesn't do as much damage to the floors as saltwater would right? I'm just so worried about these new floors, but the area with the floors is the only place to put a tank that big. thanks!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

A 75 should be plenty to start with. You can have a good deal of plants without CO2, but your options will be smaller. You can not go over 2 wpg without CO2 or you will start having algae issues. The Fluval, Cascade, Filstar, and Eheim are all excellent filters. Go with any of those brands and you will be fine. But do not go by the manufacturers rating for tank size. Go by the gph. I aim for about 4 or 5x tunover rate per hour. So if you're looking at a 75 gal tank, look for a filter with a turnover rate of 375 gal. If you are looking at a hob filter, a turnover rate of 10x per hour would be better. In regards to the substrate, go with pool filter sand. But for more plant specific questions, post in the planted forum.

 

[verucaproduce]

In terms of how careful I'll be with water changes, d o you mean just not dripping any on the floors?

Yeah, that was more a joke than anything. I get pretty messy when doing water changes. You might want to keep a towel with you.

If you plan on keeping discus at some point it might not be a bad idea to check with the members on this site that keep them. They might have some pointers on your set up so that you get things right the first time. I think BrianNY keeps them. I will have to look for the names of the others unless someone knows offhand.

 

[WizardHowl]

thanks for the advice! So you think the hardwood floors will be fine than?

I'm still kind of clueless as to what type of lights to get. Does anyone have experience with T5's, or do power compacts work? I don't want to use c02 because it seems like a pain, but I'd still like some good green plants. thanks

 

[Lonewolfblue]

If you get a Python, then you shouldn't have too many dripping problems.

 

[fearlessfisch]

If you get a Python, then you shouldn't have too many dripping problems.

unless you are distractible like me and wander away until the water starts pouring onto the floor.

 

[JustOneMore20]

I personally like power compact lighting. Its all a matter of preference though. T-5s will work, I think you'll need alot of them to get decent lighting over a 75 though...but i could be wrong. I like PCs because they come in higher watts. If you shoot for around 2 watts per gallon, you can have a good plant selection and not have to have CO2. I have 2.4wpg over my 55g and I just now added DIY CO2, to get the plants growing faster. I did have some algae problems in the beginning, but I attribute that to not adding enough plants to the tank to start with. I have since changed the substrate and replanted and so far, I'm pretty much algae free, except for a little green spot, which I can deal with.

Before you get Discus, make sure you read about them. Read articles online and get a few books about them. They need excellent water quality, which may mean doing every other day water changes. Make sure you are up to taking care of them properly. A good schooling fish to keep with them is Rummynose tetras. They look great in a big school and do well in the higher temperatures that the Discus like.
I'm not sure about keeping loaches with Discus. I guess it will be ok, but they may be a little too active for Discus. I'd get some feedback from Discus keepers on what tankmates go well with them.

Good luck!

 

[severum mama]

Discus are such beautiful fish and I've always wanted to try keeping them. From what I know about them, they are best kept in groups, thus would do better in at least 75 gallons. They require excellent water quality and lots of water changes. You'd do well to invest in a Python. Rummynose tetras make great tankmates, as do cardinal tetras, ram cichlids, etc. They prefer calm tankmates. It's good you want to try a planted tank, because discus really like plant cover.

If I were you I would PM BrianNY for more info. I've noticed that he is extremely helpful on the subject, as he has been keeping discus for years. I think macman7010 keeps discus also but I might be wrong about that.