debating on building a FW tank

SiNiStEr NaTiOn

SiNiStEr NaTiOn

Member
I'm debating on building a FW tank. I'm at the point I want a tank up and running. I'm still going to build my reef, but I think the time frame been pushed back, because of thinking about a FW system.

I can get a FW system up and running heck allot sooner than it will take for my reef.

I'm trying to figure what type of fw tank to build.

1> Cichlid
2> Discus
3> Angel
4> any other tank specie only

So I'm interested in suggestion on species.

I'm thinking about a 55g tank (but if I have room for a 2nd 75 then that would be the tank, but for now it's a 55). The filtration would have to be a canister type for now, I'm not sure about what canister to get, because since I been out of the hobby for so long. I use to run 3 magnum 350 on my FW tank in the past. One had charcoal, second had ammonia, and the third had water polisher. I want one canister that can handle all the need for filtration and more. So if someone can point me to what filteration canister is good.

I'm planning on having 1 or 2 powerheads, but of course nothing as powerful like koriala 3's or 4's. I know with FW tank the lights isn't as important like it is for a reef. So I'm thinking of a 2 bulb setup, and I'm planning on using T5's for this, so it might be nova extreme.

with the bulbs for the T5 what kelvin would be best to use, I know the 10k+ would be to strong/bright.

The next thing is cycling. I kow with reef tank on the cycling use deli shrimp to help with the cycling process. So on a FW tank whats the best way to cycle a FW tank these days.

I'm planning on having a pleco in the tank to help control algae.

Before i forget on the species, what substrate be good for what species? I know I forgot other things, so if something is important please advise.
 
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DaveK

Well-Known Member
I've got to say that I enjoy watching my FW planted tank almost as much as my reef. I highly recommend planted tanks over more conventional FW systems. The green plants look so lush, especially when I come home in the winter and it's dark and cold outside.

Of course, planted tanks are not ideal homes for most cichlids, although angles and discus can do well in them. Personally, I like the tetras, and keep quite a few in my tank. When done right each one looks almost like a small jewel.

For FW filtration canisters are good. For planted tanks, they are actually preferred, since you don't want to remove too much CO2. The only canister I'd recommend would be the Eheim canisters. I use one on my FW planted tank. As usual, they cost twice as much, but they will last forever, and replacement parts are easily found on the net. The Eheim filter medias are also excellent, and actually not that expensive.

Lighting on a normal FW tank is not a big factor. You can use just about anything, and the color temp (K) is not important. In a planted tank the ideal color temp is about 6500K, which is very yellow. Sort of makes the tank look like a sunlit pool. These bulbs can be a little hard to find if you use MH, but you can usually find them for fluorescent bulbs at your local home depot.

Power heads are optional, but they can aid circulation.

Cycling a tank in FW is not difficult. Simply add a few fish. At a pH of around 7.0, the ammonia mostly stays bound up as ammonium, so it's not the problem it is in FW. There is no need to use the deli shrimp trick.

You do need some sort of biological filtration. I prefer using a bio media in the canister filter. You can also use undergravel filters, but I consider these obsolete, even in FW.

Plecos are interesting fish and sort of cute/ugly, but if you do go with a planted tank, leave them out. They are notorious plant eaters.

Algae control in a FW tank is best done with water changes, and keeping lights dim. In a planted tank, you need bright light, but the big advantage is that the plants compete with the algae for nutrients and keep algae down.

This should give you a start. If you like the idea of planted tanks, let me know and I'll post a bit more.
 
wm23oh

wm23oh

Member
I love my planted tanks. I believe that they have taught me enough about water quality to be able to keep my successful salt water tank. I also agree and disagree with DaveK. You will get many opinions and just like with saltwater their are freshwater forums.

The Planted Tank - Articles, Forums, Pictures, Links

And a photo of my tank a year ago (has changed quite a bit)

DSCF0064sm.jpg


A link to my 125 tank profile including the fish, plants, etc I have and how I dose.
Profile - Your Tanks

I have found that having a planted tank can happen much quicker than a saltwater tank but IMO it's not as easy as DaveK has suggested. No offense meant to DaveK as IMO he is just more advanced and more than likely has a routine going that makes it just as easy as I have it with my tank.

I spend about 3 hours per week with my 125 gallon tank changing the water, trimming the plants, etc. Once per month I spend about 6 hours moving plants and making sure it is clean. I also inject Co2 which I highly recommend doing as the growth of the plants are unbelievable not to mention you will get a fuller tank quicker and be able to house many more plants this way.

I also found that the lighting isn't all that horrific for this style of a tank as I have 2 96W PC's over this tank with all this growth. The fixture I have is made for 4 96 W PC's but didn't need all that light.

Just like with saltwater research, research, and do a little more research.

For example I have a Pleco in this tank and although many have had them eat their plants that's only when they are starving. Keep them fed and they will leave your plants alone.

I wish you only the best and hope you do consider a planted tank as they can be beautiful! It just takes time just like a saltwater aquarium. It took 2 years to get to the point you saw in the photo above cutting planting, moving throwing away and finally deciding what all works for me and what doesn't and the best part is you can toss something out and just go from their without loosing a fortune like in S/W.

Also you can keep some plants in with chiclids like anubies and some other more hardy plants. Some have even kept delicates in with them but it takes time and you have to only plant them where the fish wants you to. May sound dumb but I learned that with my Goldfish. It takes time and patience for any tank to become beautiful.

I agree 100% with DaveK about the eheim filters. The cheap ones (older model's are the best IMO). I have 2 2217's on my 125 gallon tank.

Best wishes,
 
SiNiStEr NaTiOn

SiNiStEr NaTiOn

Member
Thanxs for the info dave and wm23oh. Here is what I want to do, for whatever species i go with, either it be one of the african lake cichlids or south america cichlid, discus, angels, or whatever. I want to build the tank to replicate their natural habitat. I know one african lake cichlid substrate is a combo of sandy and gravel bottom, while another african lake cichlid is gravel.

So when it comes to plants I would be shooting for plants that would be common in their natural habitat.

So thats why I need to know what other species only tank can I build besides the ones I listed in the first post in this thread.
 
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DaveK

Well-Known Member
If your going to go with a planted tank I highly recommend the book Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants by Peter Hiscock. It's not that expensive, and covers just about everything you'll need to know about planted systems.

To follow up on wm23oh post. I find that I only need to spend a few hours a month on my tank. Prune out a bucket full of excess growth, scrape the front glass, change some water and clean the filter and I'm all set for another month of watching.

I don't use CO2 injection. This does limit some of the plants I can keep, but as long as the plant selection are made properly, I have no problem. I will say that CO2 is almost needed for some types of plants, so plan for it if you want those types of plants. Also, wm23oh is right about using CO2 if you want a lot of growth.

I don't use much in the way of additives. When I set up the tank, I mixed the bottom half of the gravel with laterite. This provides most of the nutrients needed. If I do see something not doing as well as I like, I will add one of more of the various plan nutrient formulas available.

I use MH lighting for my tank. It's not required, but it does allow almost any plant as far as lighting requirements go. I don't consider this a requirement, but you still do need some good light.

LFSs and plants. Be careful shopping for plants. Many LFSs carry what are actually house plants, which they palm off as aquarium plants. Be sure your getting plants that actually do live underwater. A dead give away are some of these plants sold over the counter in plastic containers with no water in them. Avoid those.
 
SiNiStEr NaTiOn

SiNiStEr NaTiOn

Member
I really do appreciate the info on a planted tank. I'm planning on building a african cichlid tank, haven't decided yet on which of the 3 rift lakes to go with. So plants might be in the tank, or not depending on which lake to go with.

The lighting I know not great important like it is with a reef, but I did decide on a 2x54watt T5 light fixture, probably a nova extreme. The tank will be 55 and I decided to go with Marineland C-360 canister filter. and a 250w stealth heater. Then with the hood or lid whatever you want to call it, I decided to go with glass hood instead of the perfecto plastic hood.

With this tank I will QT new fish and drip acclimate them also. What size of tank would be a good QT for FW?
 
PEMfish

PEMfish

Well-Known Member
I wouldn't try discus yet. They are very finicky. You would need more than a 55g for them anyway. If you go with cichlids Your not going to be able to many or any plants. Plecos only eat algae whew there young. But they do a great job at knocking plants over.

You want to let the tank run for about 2 weeks before adding your first fish. Then add fish slowly.

I dont really see a need for any power heads unless you know there will be a specific problem.

If your not growing plants the lights are just there to make looking at the fish easier. The K rating dose not refer to brightness. It refers to the color of light. 10,000k to 6,000k would be good.
 
R

RachShaffy

Member
A great starting point would be Yellow Labs. They're African cichlids from lake malwi. They're relatively peaceful, have great personalities and are pretty hardy so will survive new tank syndrome. They will get along with pretty much anything else from Malawi and, as they have simple colouring and few markings, conspecific temperment won't be a worry with other speicies.

Malawis are one of the few FW fish that come anywhere close to matching marine colours as well so you won't get bored with them.

Please don't get a pleco as algae control. The majority of them like driftwood to eat and that can cause pH problems for the cichlids. A better choice is a bristlenose. Plecos can get lazy about eating algae too. They realise that food is dropped into the tank on a regular basis and will eat that and not the algae.

FW cycling isn't too hard. You can set your tank up with substrate, water and rock (ocean rock is a cheap and effective one) and then cycle it through using some cheap hardy fish (bear in mind that they may get bullied when you start your 'real' stocklist). However, a better method would be to add pure ammonia (from the pharmacy) so that you get a massive spike. Seeing as you won't have anything live in there at this point, it won't hurt anything and will kick start your nitrogen cycle. This can shorten the cycle quite a lot. You could also try using bottled bacteria (I've used safestart and it's quite good) but time and patience will always win!

Be warned with plants, a lot of FW fish like to dig so fake ones may be better. Also, and I cannot stress this enough, if you do get fish that dig, use SAND. Gravel can scrape gills off. Plus, a lot of these fish like to filter the sand through their gills. Don't worry about them kicking up sand. As it's wet, it settles really quickly. If it does cloud up then you haven't washed it enough!

I may be new to SW fish and I may know bugger all about setting up reefs but I DO know about cichlids and things lol!
 
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