New 75gal Setup Planning/Questions

[Newtoy]

Hello everyone! So I've been reading up and doing tons of research as of late. I'm excited to get into the hobby. I've decided on going with a 75gal tank. I wanted to go with some colorful and cool pattern cichlids and from what I researched, the African Cichlids are the go too. So my questions are as for the species I want for my 75gal tank

African Cichlids: (Would these 4 different species be ok together?) Also from research I did the amount of these should be fine in a 75gal tank correct? Also Should I mix males and females, get a couple males and females of each type?

Yellow Lab (4-5)
Powder Blue Cichlid (4-5)
Sunshine Peacock (3-4)
Electric Blue Hap (2-3)

Substrate: I was looking at the Sand since they like to dig. What are your guys thoughts on Aragonite sand to help maintain the alkaline pH and hardness levels?

Decorations: Lots of rocks, caves, and hiding spots for them to reduce aggression.

Heating: Was looking at an adjustable heater to keep stable temps at around 75-82 degrees.

Filter: I was looking at a few different options not sure which would be more ideal. Canister filter or hang on back filter, what would you guys suggest?

Lighting: I was looking at a more moderate lighting setup to enhance the colors of the fish and support any live plants if i chose to add them. Do you guys think live plants, and driftwood are ideal in a setup like this obviously I need ones that'll be suitable for the tanks pH and hardness levels correct?

Tank: 75 gallon was thinking acrylic. What are some of your thoughts between acrylic and glass and recommendations?

Misc Items: Water conditioner and test kits for pH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate.

I am open to any and all advice as I am new to this hobby and only know what I have done research on the past few months. I haven't bought any equipment yet. I wanted to get advice from people who've been doing this to help guide me in the right direction.

Current Build List: (Open to any and all suggestions. Nothing has been purchased yet. I want to get everything in order and planned before I start this project.)

Tank:
Aqueon Standard Open-Glass Aquarium Tank, 75 Gallon

Filtration:
Fluval FX4 (canister Filter), AquaClear 110 Hang-On-Back Filter (back-up filter)

Heater:
(2) - Eheim Jager 150W for even heating or should I use (1) Eheim Jager 300W

Substrate:
Aragonite Sand ~50-60lbs to create a 2"-3" layer.

Decorations:
Large/small rocks to create hiding spots, I was thinking limestone, texas holey rock to help buffer pH. For the background I'll do some sort of rock-theme or blue background I heard this helps reduce stress on the fish. Plants I was planning on Anubias or Java Fern.

Lighting:
Current USA Orbit Marine LED Light

Food:
Primary Food: High-quality cichlid pellets Hikari Cichlid Gold or New Life Spectrum
Supplementary Food: Frozen or Freeze Dried brine shrimp, bloodworms, and krill
Vegetable Matter: Spirulina Flakes, blanched spinach, zucchini, or peas
Feeding Schedule: 2-3 times daily.

Water Conditioner:
Seachem Prime

Test Kits:
API Freshwater Master Test Kit

Maintenance Tools:
Gravel Vacuum, Algae Scraper, Net (not sure what else I will need.)

Additional Equipment:
Air Pump and Air Stone, Thermometer, Power Strip w/Surge Protector

 

[Andy Sager]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
Your fish selection should work but as they grow, the Haps can get a bit aggressive to any newcomers. If you go all males, you should get more color out of the tank but if you go males and females, you run into the possibility of breeding which can make for a lot of chaos in a community tank. ( Just something to think about because that's not always a good thing. )

For the bottom, I'd use one of these: Freshwater Substrates - CaribSea ( They are designed to not let the pH fall and are more natural to the habitat these fish come from. )

I'd forget about the live plants. They are not usually a good mix with African Cichlids because A) The fish like to dig. B) the water parameters are not usually plant compatible and C) the fish may try to eat them because some varieties need a lot of algae in their diet. If you want greenery in there, go Plastic or silk so if they get uprooted, they won't die.

I'd go canister filter over a HOB so that you can get more water movement and you can direct where the flow goes with the spray bars. You'll want to set it up so that areas of the tank can be blocked off from heavy flow with rock formations good for sleeping areas.

Test kits should include GH ( General hardness), needed to be purchased separately from the master kit. Fritz aquatics also has a master test kit which is relatively new to the industry but seems to be more effective than the API kits. Fritz Liquid Test Kits - Master Test Kit

A dark blue background will make the fish's colors POP more. The issue with a rock background would be the space it takes up in the tank which would be better served as swimming space for the fish. Another option is the lost art of the " shadow box" outside the tank. With this, you can create the rocky look without taking space away from the fish.
As for wood, wood helps soften the water as well as lower the pH so I would not use natural wood but you can get artificial wood pieces if you must have a wood look in the tank. ( Or use natural wood in the shadow box. )

As for the tank- Glass or Acrylic? Both have pluses and minuses but the big minus with acrylic tanks when you have rocks that can scratch the acrylic, once the scratches get in there, algae can grow in them that you may not be able to scrape away. It's a lot harder to scratch glass over acrylic. One of the minuses of glass tanks is that a 75 is going to be heavy so probably not something you can move by yourself while an acrylic 75 you should be able to handle alone. So the final decision is yours but you do need to take all of the pluses and minuses into consideration before choosing which tank.

Hope this helps.

 

[Newtoy]

Thank you so much for enlightening me. I am new to the hobby and don't want to rush into this, reason why I'm on the forums and doing my research etc. I appreciate all the knowledge and info you gave me. I'll check out the Fritz Liquid test master kit as well as the caribsea substrates. I will for sure go with the dark blue background then as I would really love to see their colors pop. I'll take into account on not using live plants/driftwood I read somewhere where it can be beneficial for the tank, but maybe that's something I try later on down the line once I know more and the tank is dialed in etc. I will for sure go all males then as I am not looking to breed or having to manage something of that sort with no knowledge and no other tank set up.

Also should I have a tank underneath my stand to house new fish in before I put them in the main tank so they don't pass of any disease etc they may have?

 

[Andy Sager]

Thank you so much for enlightening me. I am new to the hobby and don't want to rush into this, reason why I'm on the forums and doing my research etc. I appreciate all the knowledge and info you gave me. I'll check out the Fritz Liquid test master kit as well as the caribsea substrates. I will for sure go with the dark blue background then as I would really love to see their colors pop. I'll take into account on not using live plants/driftwood I read somewhere where it can be beneficial for the tank, but maybe that's something I try later on down the line once I know more and the tank is dialed in etc. I will for sure go all males then as I am not looking to breed or having to manage something of that sort with no knowledge and no other tank set up.

Also should I have a tank underneath my stand to house new fish in before I put them in the main tank so they don't pass of any disease etc they may have?

It's because of the African Cichlids that the wood would be an issue. First off, it's not really natural where the fish come from. Lake Malawi is more rock than wood. South American Cichlids love wood and also love water parameters almost truly opposite from the Malawi cichlids.

As for having a separate tank for new comers, sadly today's fish can have all kinds of diseases and bugs so yes, all new fish should be quarantined for at least 60 days before adding them to your existing tank. During that time the fish will get used to your feeding schedule, foods, water change schedule, lighting schedule and get used to it being you doing all the work. Yes, fish can recognize their hobbyists.

Do you know about the cycling process your tank will need to go through?

 

[Newtoy]

I don't mind doing all the work, reason being im researching and doing my homework before I start buying everything. I want to get it right I know I will make mistakes and learn from them but the more I learn the less mistakes I hope I make.

I will be building my own stand and track my progress here on the forums when the time comes and I'm ready to start purchasing stuff.

As far as the cycling process I did read a little about it and plan to delve deeper into it. I want my fish to survive and get all the parameters in the tank right and steady before any livestock go in it.

 

[Andy Sager]

I don't mind doing all the work, reason being im researching and doing my homework before I start buying everything. I want to get it right I know I will make mistakes and learn from them but the more I learn the less mistakes I hope I make.

I will be building my own stand and track my progress here on the forums when the time comes and I'm ready to start purchasing stuff.

As far as the cycling process I did read a little about it and plan to delve deeper into it. I want my fish to survive and get all the parameters in the tank right and steady before any livestock go in it.

With the stand, make sure you don't skimp on anything. By the time you are done with water and decorations, the tank will weigh close to 800-900 lbs so cheap wood or one less screw or nail can make the whole thing collapse. Avoid using pressure treated wood as the chemicals in that can leech into the tank on the bottom if there is any humidity around the tank. Better to use white wood and give it a coat or two of polyurethane to seal it to protect against any water damage.

The cycling process is basically the creation of the 2 microbes ( a.k.a. The biological filter) that convert the ammonia that the fish produce into nitrate. One microbe will convert the ammonia into nitrites then the other microbe converts the nitrites into nitrates. This pictures shows the whole process in full in graph form:
You'll notice that the beginning and the end of the ammonia cycle look exactly the same which is why you will need to test every couple of days to see when it starts and ends. The same thing applies to the nitrite cycle with the exception that nitrates will start to form during this cycle. ( There's no need to test nitrates until you are well into your nitrite cycle. ) Whether you cycle the tank naturally or artificially, this is the process that will be happening. The only difference between the 2 methods is the time they take to complete. ( More on this when you get further along. )

 

[Newtoy]

I have a bunch of 13ply baltic birch wood that I was going to use. As for the cycling process this is tons of good info I appreciate it once again you're a wealth of knowledge, I can't thank you enough for all the help. I'm glad I joined this community. Can't wait to start the process and buying everything and setting it all up. I will for sure document the journey on the site.

 

[Andy Sager]

I have a bunch of 13ply baltic birch wood that I was going to use. As for the cycling process this is tons of good info I appreciate it once again you're a wealth of knowledge, I can't thank you enough for all the help. I'm glad I joined this community. Can't wait to start the process and buying everything and setting it all up. I will for sure document the journey on the site.

I wouldn't use plywood for the frame. Use 2 x 4 or 4 x 4 for the posts and frame for the tank to sit on and let the ply just be for looks. Here's a video for building a double stand for two 55 gallon tanks.

A standard 75 ( 48"L x 18" W x 21" H ) is the same dimensions as a standard 55 only 6" wider ( 12" vs 18" ) so you would adjust the 10" cross pieces into 16" ( possibly 16.5" ) pieces based on the actual dimensions of the tank you get.
Use your wood to cover the frame only. :thumb"
Another option is to use a metal or block stand for the tank and use your wood as a facade. I did this for my 75 gal tank to please the Mrs. ( She didn't like the look of the metal stand in the living room. )

 

[Newtoy]

Hahaha happy wife happy life! Thanks again for the info I'll check out the video now.

 

[Andy Sager]

Hahaha happy wife happy life! Thanks again for the info I'll check out the video now.

That's not always true. I divorced her because the tank in the bedroom bothered her. She complained my Gold Severum pair kept staring at her.