Fw Lr

[Fionn_Matt325]

No not FOWLR, FW LR. is there fresh water live rock?
i only had a basic tank with colorful gravel and plastic accessories, so i don't know much about having an "experienced" tank.
talking about my favorite molly in the other thread i've got a renewed interest in the other branch of the hobby again, and this time i want to do it right.
what would be the best way to set up?

[sasquatch]

to my limited knowledge no, the problem is mineral leaching, some slate, granite etc is fine anything with brown streaks or red is probably iron loaded

[reefjitsu]

Some people do sell porous volcanic rock that has been "pre-seeded" with bacteria for FW tanks. Generally, mineral compostion of rocks is not as important for FW as it is for SW.

What are you interested in keeping? Your setup will be different depending on what kinds of fish, plants and inverts you want.

[Cougra]

You can't set up a freshwater tank the same way we are setting up a saltawter reef tank. There isn't an equivalent "live rock" in freshwater systems because there isn't nearly as much micro fauna available and the rocks generally found in freshwater systems are generally very dense and aren't as porous. This means that they wont have an anaerobic zone deep in the heart of the rock and there wont be microfauna in the rock to help with the water movement with. In a freshwater system you are better off using the more traditional filtration and if you have a lot of patience and enjoy playing in the tank a lot try setting up a high-tech planted tank.

[PEMfish]

Depends on what you want to keep. Theres cichlid, south American ( my favorite ), general tropical ( usually beginner, never the best, can still be nice...), planted, discus, and more. What you can keep depends on the tank size. With a 72g you can do any of the above. Filtration: a tank with sm fish (6% of length, usually, don`t abide by this rule.) you can get away with a good power filter such as aquaclear. A general rule: 83 gph per 10 gallons. For a heavier stocked tank ( 1.2 inch of fish per gallon ) or bigger fish you`ll need a canister filter. Those are by far the best out there. Far as media goes you`ll want a foam block ( 1'' - 3.5'' thick ), carbon, ceramic bio, and mics.. Witch would be chemical removers, ammonia removers, polishers ( filter floss ) etc.. Lighting is also important. Not so much as it is in a reef or planted tank but color tone can make a big difference on the display. You`ll generically want a white light for cichlids, light pink for planted and light light blueish tint for south American. of course this is small detail and all colors can be successfully used on all aquariums. Brown is always a tint to avoid. Tank placement, a basic but key element. Keep away from windows, bight lights, TVs, speakers, outside doors and weak floors. Don't place on a wall mounted object or furnishing not purpose built. When you decide what theme you want to go with then many more things come into play. Example: planted tank: lighting, light cooling, SPECIAL heating, special substrate, water chemistry, CO2, air, and fish/plant compatibility. I hope this helped. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

[PEMfish]

Oh, heat. Yeah. 10 gallons per 50 watts. Don`t buy more than 200 watts as the tank may heat unevenly and if one goes out you`ll still have some heat.

[InLimbo87]

What about driftwood? Is there any beneficial qualities to using driftwood (I've always thought it really makes the most natural looking freshwater decoration besides plants of course)

[PEMfish]

Of course! Decor, how could I forget.
I`ll focus on drift wood here though, My hands getting cramped.
It makes an aquarium look great but there is more to it than that. Plecos. love it, they chew on it! ( what else would you eat, food? ) Other animals may seek refuge in and under it too. It comes in many styles and can`t be replicated. Theres malasion, mopani, bogwood, roots, cork, and regular. like fish, wood must be quarantined - in a bucket. Althogh you buy it dry it has a type of acid in it. This will color your water like strong tea and mess with water quality and chemistry. Place wood in bucket covered in water. At this point it will need to be weighted down. You can add a power head to speed things up. Replace water weekly until its consistently clear and the wood sinks. Then it will be ready. Drift wood is also essential for java fern and moss.

[PEMfish]

decor desine is a bit more complex than mets the eye. To sit here and ramble about all the balances, slopes, shadowing, layouts, color, contrast, tequnikes, utility and so on for all the possible themes would just drive me up the wall ( witch I`v litarlly done ) so if anyone wants to know the basics on a pacific decor thing for FW Feel free to ask questions. I`ll tell you what I know.