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cooltop

Aquarium Advice Freak
Joined
Oct 24, 2008
Messages
228
Location
Louisiana
Well I took my Salt Tank down. Going to convert to freshwater. Just need a know what I need to make every one happy.

72 gallon Bow Front.

What kind of filer?

Will I need a powerhead? I have 2 Kor 3 which I dont think I will need both of them.

How many pounds or inches of rocks do I need to get for the bottom.

Thanks
 
I would suggest pool filter sand for a substrate; it is really nice and if you get cories or MTS they will love it. Either way I would say 1 to 2 inches depending on if you plan on planting it or not. I am not sure on the powerhead and filter thing, I would say use a filter that has more capacity for your tank (i.e. a 60g filter in a 30g) so that you have maximum filtration. Good luck!
 
I would go with canisters for a tank that size. You might be able to get away with two AquaClear hang-on-back style filters also. As far as canisters; Fluval 405 would give you 3x turnover per hour. Rated up to 100gals.

Power heads - you probably won't need unless you go planted and keep some plants that like some amount of flow. Otherwise you don't need them at all.
 
Canister sound like a better ideal. Less items to worry about and changing out pads. The cansiter is probable a little quieter also. Now its just figureing out what I want to use on the bottom.
 
I too would suggest pool filter sand or playsand. I have had both gravel and sand - sand wins hands down. A lot easier to keep clean and the fish like it better! :)
 
cooltop said:
Canister sound like a better ideal. Less items to worry about and changing out pads. The cansiter is probable a little quieter also. Now its just figureing out what I want to use on the bottom.
Click to expand...

The beauty of the AquaClears is they don't use cartridges. Just some FYI. A canister is probably a better choice on the larger tank.
 
+1 on the canister and pool filter sand. 405's are great IMO, I've got one and absolutely love it. Have you thought about your stocking yet? That tank would look awesome stocked with some african cichlids :)
 
If you plant you may want to invest in Eco Complete or Fluorite. I personally don't use any of them because it just seems like snake oil and root tabs do almost the same thing. I use pool filter sand, it's cheap and it's good for rooted plants. I have about 2.5inches of substrate in my tank.
If you plan on having driftwood, you better purchase some now and get it soaking in some tote tubs soon. It takes days to sink and days-months to leech out tannins.
 
Different LFS' carry it, but make sure it is for aquariums and not terrariums because I have read that those ones will hurt your fish or something like that. You can order it online if you want too.
 
Yes, you would probably want to look for Malaysian for Mopani driftwood. I would stay away from grapewood (what they sell for terrariums) because it will rot over time - trust me! :) I bought a few pieces before I knew any better and they rotted fairly quickly and grew a white fungus on them. Some will say grapewood is fine but others will say to keep it out of tanks at all costs. I'm with the latter group.
 
IME, malaysian doesnt leach tannins nearly as bad as some of the other wood i've had, and it sinks pretty much instantly. At least mine did, not sure if thats the case for everybody though
 
I have had gravel and I always hated it but I never thought of joining a forum while my tank was set up so I never found out what kind of sand to use. I used the sand that they sold at a LFS in Florida and I HATED it. It was the Top Fin or Tetra brand. I have a 75g that is currently in my storage unit as I am deployed but I was running a single Aqua Clear 110 on it and I never really had any problems. I was thinking about a canister filter and found this one I haven't bought anything from them but they have the best prices I have seen so I am going to try out their lighting fixtures when I set up my tank. The other thing that you might be interested for doing for filtration is getting a second tank and making a fuge/sump deal. That is my plan. Other than that I don't really know what else I can add. Best of luck to you!!
 
Ill post some when I get home, bit I would suggest two types of filter and they've already been mentioned. If you want a great cannister then the fluval 405 is it. Very simple and easy to use and they are cheap to maintain. If you want a hob the aquaclear 110 is great. Once you have your sponges and biomax in they cost nothing to upkeep and only require you to rinse them in old tank water when you clean the tank. Both will set you up for success!

As for substrate. On a 75 gal I would recommend 3-4 bags or sakrete playsand (blue stripe). I have it in my tanks and it looks great. Can go with plants just fine IMO. Id like to use white pfs but I can't get it in my area.

I would suggest using maylasian driftwood. Looks great and is easy to cure. Found online at ebay and other retailers as well as certain lfs's.

As far as stocking is concerned, might I suggest central and south american cichlids (blood parrot, firemouth, acara, jack dempsey, salvini, festivums, keyholes etc...) you could also go with some rams depending on your larger selections. Also, depending on your larger selection you can have movement fish like giant danios and tigerbarbs.

Finally....post pics during the process...everyone loves a build thread!
 
cooltop said:
Can I get some pics of some tanks with a sand bottom?
Click to expand...

new%20light.jpg


Pretty dirty and low water level since I was working on a rescape but you get the idea.
 
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