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75 gal's progress

4K views 32 replies 10 participants last post by  FishyFishy89 
#1 ·
Just before the end of the year, hubby decides to live up to his promise on helping me start up the 75 gallon. This is going to be a planted goldie tank. The goldies will be fancys and fantails. Maybe a BN pleco and a few dojo loaches. I'm honestly thinking of not doing the pleco if I get the loaches.

Now as far as my plants, I'm thinking of going with these:
Hornwort(floating)
Swords(likely Amazon)
Anubias(tied down to my DW)
and either Cabomba or moneywort or wisteria

So my husband was paranoid about the stand that came with the tank. It was handmade and made with 1"? thick wood. To me, I think it was very sturdy. But hubby wouldn't trust it. At. All. So he went and blew $150 some odd on some particle wood PetsMart stand.:dunno:

So the previous stand:



And the new stand. It looks really nice. To me it makes the tank look bigger. I PRAY it will hold. If not, I know hubby won't let me get another tank until we buy our house :(



So the tank didn't come with a top. So hubby bought a sheet of plexiglass and cut some pieces. This is 1 large lid. It will be secured to the edges with velcro.




Now, my lighting. I'm thinking of using 2 of these: Mainstays Clip Lamp, Black: Decor : Walmart.com
I'd love to do something like this: 150-Watt Incandescent Clamp Light-CE-300PDQ at The Home Depot But I'm worried that if I lay the lamps down flat like polukoff's lamps: http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...ng-help-55-gallon-planted-118294/#post1292553 BUT, I'm worried about the lamps getting too hot against the plexiglass. Do you think these would be enough lighting for my NPT? I'm thinking it will be. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy. I'll be posting updates on the tank as I get new stuff in. I'm really excited about this.

We're also replacing the silicone....there's not much of it left:lol:
 
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#6 ·
Love the idea, your one of the first people I've met that is giving goldfish a proper home. Great job! Remember though you can't keep much more than 7 goldfish.

What are you planning for filtration. Goldfish are poop machines so you want extra filtration. I recommend around 2 aquaclear 110s.

For lighting I recommend a 48" 4 bulb t5 fixture. Aquatic life has a 2 bulb linkable fixture so you can start with 1 and as you get more plants go with 2 and finally max out at 3. Preferably start with 3:). The 48" freshwater is around $135/each on drfostersmith.

If you are worried about heat against the hood (the 3 fixtures will use 300w/hour), then build a canopy and raise them up. However, these fixtures come with legs that keep them 3-4" of the glass hood which will negate heat. Plus assuming where you live doesn't get to warm (no more than 80 in the house top) then the bulbs can help make the heater run less. If you are very worried about heat a small chiller for a few hundred dollars can keep your heat down.

Good luck!
 
#7 · (Edited)
This is absolutely wonderful that you are going to be giving some really lucky goldfish a wonderful home. That said I'd caution against a pleco in a tank full of goldfish. Goldfish alone are pretty...messy. They fowl up water really quickly. So it is best to avoid adding another fish that will only add to the impact (pleco are a bit heavy towards the bioload too). That said what specific loaches were you thinking of getting?
 
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#9 ·
Yes I am only going to get max 7 goldies. Olympia said if I get them young they shouldn't harass the plants too much.

Well since I'm doing a complete NPT I assumed the bioload wouldn't be too much of an issue since the plants would be using it. My only filter would be the one pictured. Marineland Penguin C380? And it would only be used as part of my cycle.

I know the plecos have a high-ish bio load, which is why I was thinking of doing away with them and using the dojo loaches or the Black Kuhli Loaches.

Now the lighting, do I HAVE TO use the fluorescent tubes? I found this:Lights of America 4' Solid State Shop Light, White: Decor : Walmart.com and it would certainly eliminate hubby having to build the light strip canopy. I'm worried about him building something that involves electric.
But this type of lighting brings me back to my main issue, I don't know if it would get too hot while sitting on the plexiglass. I'm not really wanting to hang anything from our roof or wall. Wouldn't the 2 original lamps I linked give off enough light when using 2-3 of them with atleast 30w fluorescents?
 
#10 ·
They also are known for going after the slime coat of slower moving fish. I'd nix the idea of a pleco regardless of what you get. The dojo loach is a good idea but again, be aware that loaches need clean water. If the water isn't pristine you will have frequent issues with sickness.

That said I'm not very useful when it comes to advising with the light situation. I do use two 23" lights from Lights of America. One sits on my 10 gallon and the other sits on the right side of the 80 gallon to help get some more light to the plants on a big piece of drift wood. Heat warps plexiglass after a while so if I were you I'd hang those lights instead of laying them directly on top, or build a canopy to put them into.
 
#11 ·
Im getting the heater today. Do yall think the 100 or 150 wat would heat as much as the 200w? The 200w is the recommended size. But the water is only staying at 75F
 
#12 ·
What about 2 150's instead? You'll never have to worry about it 'staying on' and boiling your tank- well you'd have much more time to notice anyway, and if one failed the other would pick up the slack till a replacement. Having one at each end would also give you a much better distribution of heat
 
#13 ·
I got the hinges....but they're kinda weird. If I have silicone left over, I maybe able to fill it in.


I also got the wood to hold up the light fixture. I'm a bit worried about the heat warping the plexiglass. So I'm trying to be on the safe side. I WAS going to get a 2x4 and get it cut in half, but then I saw the wood scraps!! .51 cents each!


I believe I finally got the right silicone too. And that's after 4 returns later!
10 oz. Silicone Cartridge-GE-55 at The Home Depot
 
#16 ·
Oh, also got the air pump. I got the smallest one because its only powering a decor piece. But if it doesnt work then ill go get the right size.
 
#18 ·
So Olympia brought up a valid point in addressing the gap the hinges cause. The goldies will be too pudgy to jump out of the water and the dojos likely won't be jumping at all. But if a casualty happens, I have enough silicone left over to plug that gap with.


Now for an update:
It will be exactly a week on tomorrow(Sunday) since we've sealed the tank. We'll be testing the seals downstairs outside our apartment building. It'll remain outside/full for the majority of the day. If it holds, it will be brought inside and sat on a fresh towel and filled back up. It will then continue to sit with just water for another 3-ish days and then I'll be adding decor, plants and possibly some fish during the weekend. I.Am.SUPER.Nervous!

 
#20 ·
So I'm sorta wondering something. The last stand made an imprint in the carpet. It sorta makes the stand/tank wobbly. I'm thinking once water is added, it'll become more stable and make it's own imprint. Am I correct?


Also, if these seals don't work, I ain't stripping and going through all that sealing again. Petco has a $1 per gallon sale and I believe I can get a 75 gal for $75.
 
#23 ·
Testing the seals right now. Today will be EXACTLY a week since we've resealed the tank.





I'm such a nervous wreck!
 
#24 ·
It's been holding since 12:25pmEST
Its SO HOT! I'm expecting some water evaporation. You can see in the far end the water spilled from the hose evaporated under the tank.
 
#26 ·
All my tanks are on carpet and, yes, once filled the weight of the water will stabilize the tank. Just be sure to check for level with the tank full. If it's off a little use shims under the stand itself to level it out.
Posted via Mobile Device
 
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#27 · (Edited)
Okay, so being that I live in a low income area, I decided to not risk my tank getting damaged or somehow stolen while sitting outside overnight or even possibly longer. And the tank does not fit in our tube, also the balconies are certainly NOT level. There is a noticeable decline/incline to our back/front balconies.

So as of right now, it sits *shudder* inside, on its stand and filled up to the normal water line I'd keep it at. And it's been there since 5pm-ish. We wanted it inside before dark. And so far it is holding. Any "water loss" that has happened, is (as you can see in the photo below) evaporation. It is all over the plexiglass lid and the sides of the tank. The water hasn't even moved a milia-inch below the line. Oh and hubby couldn't wait....he rinsed and added sand. He is apparently very confident about our sealing job. I am still a nervous wreck, with my MP3 player dying twice a day while I listen to relaxing music.
 
#28 ·
It's been a few days since I've posted an update. The tank is still holding and the sand as settled a bit. Decor, bubblers and the filter have now been added. Friday, I should be starting the cycle and I will be attempting to kick start the cycle with my betta's sponge media from his cycled tank

Mnt. Wanna-Hac-A-Lugy(as hubby calls it)

And the driftwood soaking. This was taken this morning before the water change. It will be going in the empty spot between the plants/infront of the filter.
 
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