Tropical Fish Forums

[Fern]

Well that came out of the blue Caton!
I wish you luck on your salt venture!
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I think I need a bigger tank......
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[Caton]

I mentioned it in the SW section...I think that may be the only place that and I think rales thread?

A 55g too tall...What if I drill some holes in the wall and have the 55g on the ground in my bedroom so I could do all the maintenice without bugging my parents. The tank would be just as low but farther away, I would need to get a bigger pump but that would give me better water volume which I hope to have as much as I can get. I may sell my shotgun and 2 of my tanks to jump start this, in the winter I have a shoveling bussiness and I bring home about $50-$100 depending on how much,how often, and how many people actually want to have me shovel so that should get it going good. There was a great SW only store not far from where I live but I think he moved somewhere else...I might be able to still go to him just a little bit more of a drive. I am going all out and getting 8, 48", t5HO lights for this tank. I have a old 20g that prettty is covered in hard water stains. I might get a few gallons (10g...) of vinegar and pour that in there with a bottle home limon juice to get it off but even then...it will not be for show simply because the tank is so ugly and was maintained by a fish haver. I am going to take my time but in order to have all this done I need all the money first before I start so that way I know I won't just get the sump and salt and get that going and then not have enough for live rock, that would be a waste of salt and time. I need enough for everything including fish. Corals will be after that but I want to get set-up for a reef tank but have it FOWLR until I get enough $$$ for the corals.
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[Mazil]

Yes that is a fantastic plan (in my opinion at least). That's how I wanted to do my setup; have money to purchase everything from the get go and it probably saved me a lot of hassles.

Perhaps you need to make your own stand? I guess it just depends on what height you want the display to be at. As for having the sump on the ground. That might be a good option so your stand doesn't have to be reinforced to accommodate the extra weight.

[Caton]

The sump would be on the ground anyway, I would have it resting on a board on the ground with the parts supporting the 75g around it with a middle beam. I am thinking I might have $700 dollars worth of stuff I can sell so that will be enough to get me started with the equipment.

Anyone want to buy a antique bolt action 20 gauge shotgun?
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[Caton]

forget the saltwater, forget the africans, I am just going to do a heavily planted community. I want plants, I want a bunch of fish, I can't do that with africans or saltwater. I am getting a r/o unit (my water will now be softer! Or at least I can buffer it to a lower pH), so I might have a few discus, angelfish, most defently gonna get a L-number pleco just so that I can say I have it. It will have a bunch of schooling fish, maybe a pair of rams. I have no clue, but I am going to have fun with this tank and forget about having a species tank. I already have 3 species tank (excluding snails of course).

Stocking ideas (this will still have the sump...I think):
2x altum angels
25x black neon tetra
25x rummy nose tetra
1x L073
10x Neon dwarf rainbow fish (praecox)
15x otos
20x julii cories

This is a total of 100 fish. I know this seems a bit steep as far as stocking but what about with the extra sump and having it heavily planted?
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[rales12]

I'm no expert on stocking... but that does seem like an awful lot. Beyond even the sump and heavy planting, it doesn't seem like there'll be enough space. I prefer lightly stocked tanks and I realize not everybody is like me, but there's a fine line between "heavy stocked" and stuffed full.

I know your 75 has different dimensions than mine, but I can't imagine all those fish even fitting into my tank, let alone being happy there.

I would do away with one of the schooling fish. Probably the rummy noses, because altum angels, being bigger than scalares, may enjoy them as dinner.
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- Rachel

[diademhill]

By the time you have plat substrate the tank will be too shallow for altums and you need to lose about half the shoaling fish.

[Caton]

[diademhill]

Still too many fish.

How about a discus - buy a return after someone has grown them on - one shoal of 12 tetras, half a dozen otos, 6 sterbai corys (& let them breed) 10 Columbian tetras.

The L073 is carnivorous and really happier in a shoal. L102 is prettier and easier to feed. (& to breed)

This covers the colours and shoaling patterns but keeps to closer water parameters.

[Caton]