Matt's 75gal build!

[nicosia31]

Hey guys, finally bought a 75gal with stand, light, filter (which I can't make heads or tails of), and other goodies for $150. I'm going to take a lot of time to plan what I want so I figured id start a thread and hopefully get some ideas from you fine people.

I'm thinking I want to do SA/CA, but I'm terribly behind on research for stocking options. If you all don't mind, does anyone have any suggestions? I want to do multiple species if possible, for color.

Also, since I can't figure out the filter he gave me, I'm thinking of buying an emperor 400 bio wheel. Would this be enough filtration long term?

Any help or suggestions are very much appreciated.

 

[HUKIT]

Congrats on the deal for the 75g and a great choice of fish to stock.

With stocking are you looking a single, pair, or multiples as far as fish go? This will help on some recommnedations of fish. I know your leaning towards multiples but there are a ton of cool singles and pair's that could be kept.

With regards to stocking i'm not a huge fan of HOB's and with the possibility of a heavy bioload I would look at canister filters. My personal choice would be a Fluval FX/5, they will offer more than you'll ever need in terms of filtration. Cost wise can purchased for around $200 shipped through Amazon and so forth. I'm currently running 5 of them on various tanks without as much as a single hiccup.

Did I mention congrats on choosing the correct side of the pond?

 

[nicosia31]

Congrats on the deal for the 75g and a great choice of fish to stock.

With stocking are you looking a single, pair, or multiples as far as fish go? This will help on some recommnedations of fish. I know your leaning towards multiples but there are a ton of cool singles and pair's that could be kept.

With regards to stocking i'm not a huge fan of HOB's and with the possibility of a heavy bioload I would look at canister filters. My personal choice would be a Fluval FX/5, they will offer more than you'll ever need in terms of filtration. Cost wise can purchased for around $200 shipped through Amazon and so forth. I'm currently running 5 of them on various tanks without as much as a single hiccup.

Did I mention congrats on choosing the correct side of the pond?

You did indeed! Thanks, I couldn't pass the deal up. First, let me say thank you very much for your help.

I am leaning toward multiples, but id consider a pair. I like watching them interact. A mated pair sounds fun. But would it be best to buy them paired? I know its more expensive to do so.

Sounds pricey for the fluval, but if they're that reliable it seems worth it. I've heard good things about the brand.

What would you recommend for substrate?

 

[alLexX]

i think you should do an oscar.but im not much of an SA guy,so listen to hukit

 

[HUKIT]

I use pool filter sand for everything it's inexpensive at around $8 for 50lbs, it looks great, and it's easy to clean.

For fish I'm not sure if your looking local which is hit or miss based on location or online which means everything your wallet can afford is a option.

For a pair I would stick to fish under 10" when full grown. Cheapest way to get a pair is buy six fish and wait them to pair off, which can take 7-18 months depending on fish selection. Buying a proven pair is always the best option but generally more costly. My top 3 choices would be:

Amphilophus lyonsi
Cichlasoma salvini
Andioacara stalsbergi(still waiting for someone to buy a male)

For multiples I would look a cryptoheros, archocetrus genus include Sajica, Cutteri, and centrarchus , and thorichthys blue aureum(one of my favorites) would make great options for multiples that 4-5 fish may stocked with some supporting fish like Buenes Aires tetras for some movement.

I could go on and on but there's a few to start, or look at a my 2 favorite places to order:

http://www.tangledupincichlids.com/

http://www.cichlidsoftheamericas.com/

 

[5x5]

I use pool filter sand for everything it's inexpensive at around $8 for 50lbs, it looks great, and it's easy to clean.

For fish I'm not sure if your looking local which is hit or miss based on location or online which means everything your wallet can afford is a option.

For a pair I would stick to fish under 10" when full grown. Cheapest way to get a pair is buy six fish and wait them to pair off, which can take 7-18 months depending on fish selection. Buying a proven pair is always the best option but generally more costly. My top 3 choices would be:

Amphilophus lyonsi
Cichlasoma salvini
Andioacara stalsbergi(still waiting for someone to buy a male)

For multiples I would look a cryptoheros, archocetrus, and thorichthys genus include Sajica, Cutteri, and centrarchus , and blue aureum(one of my favorites) would make great options for multiples that 4-5 fish may stocked with some supporting fish like Buenes Aires tetras for some movement.

I could go on and on but there's a few to start, or look at a my 2 favorite places to order:

Tangled Up in Cichlids

CICHLIDSOFTHEAMERICAS.COM

This is solid advice and great suggestions. LFS's are very limiting when it comes to SA/CA variety, so the Internet will become your friend.

Regarding the other poster's recommendation to get an Oscar. I wouldn't do it in your current situation. I'm not saying you should never own one, because they have tons of personality and very amusing to watch (I have pictures of mine laying on his side pouting when I moved him). However, an Oscar would be a single fish living in this tank and completely limit your ability to do tankmates.

It's nice to see another person making the right decision to to join the SA/CA camp. Rumor has it there is a club for those people on this site

 

[HUKIT]

Andioacara stalsbergi(still waiting for someone to buy a male)

I thought you would catch this part!

It's nice to see another person making the right decision to to join the SA/CA camp. Rumor has it there is a club for those people on this site

That is true.

 

[nicosia31]

I use pool filter sand for everything it's inexpensive at around $8 for 50lbs, it looks great, and it's easy to clean.

For fish I'm not sure if your looking local which is hit or miss based on location or online which means everything your wallet can afford is a option.

For a pair I would stick to fish under 10" when full grown. Cheapest way to get a pair is buy six fish and wait them to pair off, which can take 7-18 months depending on fish selection. Buying a proven pair is always the best option but generally more costly. My top 3 choices would be:

Amphilophus lyonsi
Cichlasoma salvini
Andioacara stalsbergi(still waiting for someone to buy a male)

For multiples I would look a cryptoheros, archocetrus, and thorichthys genus include Sajica, Cutteri, and centrarchus , and blue aureum(one of my favorites) would make great options for multiples that 4-5 fish may stocked with some supporting fish like Buenes Aires tetras for some movement.

I could go on and on but there's a few to start, or look at a my 2 favorite places to order:

http://www.tangledupincichlids.com/

http://www.cichlidsoftheamericas.com/

Wow, all beautiful fish. I can get salvani locally at work for 3.99 a peice, 1.5" so I'm strongly considering those. I'm not at all opposed to buying online though. Thank you for the links btw. I couldn't find much on the blue aurem, but ill spend some more time looking. My store also carries "green terrors" but I can't find the scientific name for the species they offer. I read that the taxonomy of the green terrors is somewhat disputed but the andiocara stalsbergi you recommended are beautiful.

Pool sand sounds fantastic, much cheaper than paying close to $1 per lb for aquarium sand. I haven't gotten a chance to look at your tanks yet, but soon. Where can I find it?

Still reasearching more on the species listed. Any other suggestions?

 

[nicosia31]

This is solid advice and great suggestions. LFS's are very limiting when it comes to SA/CA variety, so the Internet will become your friend.

Regarding the other poster's recommendation to get an Oscar. I wouldn't do it in your current situation. I'm not saying you should never own one, because they have tons of personality and very amusing to watch (I have pictures of mine laying on his side pouting when I moved him). However, an Oscar would be a single fish living in this tank and completely limit your ability to do tankmates.

It's nice to see another person making the right decision to to join the SA/CA camp. Rumor has it there is a club for those people on this site

Yeah I don't think an oscar would suit me. I like watching the interaction b/w tankmates.

Thanks, from what hukit tells me they're going to be a lot of fun. I love smart fish.

 

[HUKIT]

Andinoacara rivulatus are the common gold saum green terrors you'll see everywhere, they are not the true green terror like the white saum andioacara stalsbergi. There is also a silver saum which is andioacara aequidens which are not rare but seldomly seen(2nd most common). The blue aureum are not terribly common but are in the thorichthys genus like the more common firemouths. Salvini's are great fish with loads of personality, and if a good strain is found their color is amazing.

Some of my tanks can be seen here, I'm slowly adding more and more thanks to 5x5 I'm trying to take more pictures of all my fish and since have added a new Nikon D7000 to help.

Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community - HUKIT's Albums

 

[Keao_m]

I also have a 75g with a juvenile green terror and a jack Dempsey. They get along great. The GT is far from a terror though. Maybe because it's a bit smaller than the jack. But as for substrate I used black diamond sandblasting 20/40 grit sand and they absolutely love it! It's about the same as pool filter sand in price. Good luck!

 

[nicosia31]

I also have a 75g with a juvenile green terror and a jack Dempsey. They get along great. The GT is far from a terror though. Maybe because it's a bit smaller than the jack. But as for substrate I used black diamond sandblasting 20/40 grit sand and they absolutely love it! It's about the same as pool filter sand in price. Good luck!

Thank you! ill look in to that. All these alternatives have me feeling like a sucker for ever paying for aquarium sand.