Runner
Active member
As you may have figured out by now, I finally sold off my 75G reef tank. 
I have decided to move my old 75G freshwater tank (that I bought from Art 3+ years ago) from upstairs in my dining room down to my family room where the old reef tank was located. This tank had been neglected for a long time and only had the stubs of a few plants and a bunch of black algae growing all over everything.
I spent all of yesterday moving and setting up the tank. All the rocks and wood got tossed in my back yard. Perhaps I can recover the decorative wood and bigger rocks later after the algae is dead and I have to time dry it out then pressure wash it.
I decided to pay more attention to growing plants right. This involved three steps:
1. Old pleco goes to live in the sump where he can't destroy my plants (at least until tank is very well established).
2. Do the substrate correctly instead of on the cheap.
3. Use CO2 (or in the case, use Flourish Excel until I can get ahold of a CO2 tank and regulator).
I used some old rock to put a terrace-like effect in the back and cemented them together with some of that two-part epoxy we use to hold reef rocks and corals to rocks. I placed piles of sand under the large rocks so they wouldn't rest so harshly on the bottom. I think put about 30 ounces of laterite in key places where I expect to put some serious root-feeders in the future (overkill, I know, given the Flourite). I then added two bags of Flourite Red and topped it off with a 25lb bag of small rock.
http://home.earthlink.net/~fbcpics/75G_Planted_Side.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~fbcpics/75G_Planted_Front.jpg
The water stayed remarkably clear during fill-up. I placed a one-gallon container in the tank and used a Maxi-Jet 1200 to pump the water in one 5G bucket at a time. It took a while, but I didn't disturb the substrate. The flourite and laterite can turn the water brick red and opaque if I stir it up.
I had to go out and get a few fittings and stopped by Aquarium while out. They had a bunch of grasses on sale for 10 for $5. So I bought 20 and added them to my tank to out-compete the algae while I get the tank established and order my plants.
The final mix of water was about 55G new and 15G old water. I kept the bio-balls in old water on an air stone, so hopefully I haven't lost enough to cause another cycle on my old fish.
The final product looks like this:
Link to bigger pic: http://home.earthlink.net/~fbcpics/75G_Planted_Initial.jpg
Tank stats:
75G internal overflow
20G wet/dry sump with bio-balls
Mag 9 circulation pump
2 directional return nozzles (Loc-line)
4x32W Flourescent lights (mixed, but mostly 10000K -- need replacement)
2x150W Ebo-Jager heaters (one set at 76F and one at 77F)
Occupants (mostly remnents from 5 years of neglect):
(3) Blue botias (loaches)
(1) skunk loach (last of group of 5)
(1) Synodontus Eupterus
(1) Synodontus ??? (very different from other Syno Cat)
(1) pleco (in the sump)
(1) pictus catfish
(1) female turquoise rainbowfish (male died after+ 5 years)
(2) three-spot gouramis (male/female)
(1) bleeding heart terta (last of school of 6)
(2) bronze tetras (last of school of 8)
(1) rosy barb (female - last of group of 10)
My plans in the near future are to buy a group of otos for cleaning and a school of tetras of some sort for the middle area. I think the bottom group is still pretty strong. And the top area is fine with just the gouramis. For initial plant selection, I really have no idea yet. I am trying to work up the list.
I also have a large piece of mopani wood that I plan to add to the tank as soon as I have soaked it long enough to leach out the worst of the staining.
Anyway, I thought a few of you here would find this somewhat interesting since I know you have some of you have freshwater tanks or experience.
-Scott
I have decided to move my old 75G freshwater tank (that I bought from Art 3+ years ago) from upstairs in my dining room down to my family room where the old reef tank was located. This tank had been neglected for a long time and only had the stubs of a few plants and a bunch of black algae growing all over everything. I spent all of yesterday moving and setting up the tank. All the rocks and wood got tossed in my back yard. Perhaps I can recover the decorative wood and bigger rocks later after the algae is dead and I have to time dry it out then pressure wash it.
I decided to pay more attention to growing plants right. This involved three steps:
1. Old pleco goes to live in the sump where he can't destroy my plants (at least until tank is very well established).
2. Do the substrate correctly instead of on the cheap.
3. Use CO2 (or in the case, use Flourish Excel until I can get ahold of a CO2 tank and regulator).
I used some old rock to put a terrace-like effect in the back and cemented them together with some of that two-part epoxy we use to hold reef rocks and corals to rocks. I placed piles of sand under the large rocks so they wouldn't rest so harshly on the bottom. I think put about 30 ounces of laterite in key places where I expect to put some serious root-feeders in the future (overkill, I know, given the Flourite). I then added two bags of Flourite Red and topped it off with a 25lb bag of small rock.
http://home.earthlink.net/~fbcpics/75G_Planted_Side.jpg
http://home.earthlink.net/~fbcpics/75G_Planted_Front.jpg
The water stayed remarkably clear during fill-up. I placed a one-gallon container in the tank and used a Maxi-Jet 1200 to pump the water in one 5G bucket at a time. It took a while, but I didn't disturb the substrate. The flourite and laterite can turn the water brick red and opaque if I stir it up.
I had to go out and get a few fittings and stopped by Aquarium while out. They had a bunch of grasses on sale for 10 for $5. So I bought 20 and added them to my tank to out-compete the algae while I get the tank established and order my plants.
The final mix of water was about 55G new and 15G old water. I kept the bio-balls in old water on an air stone, so hopefully I haven't lost enough to cause another cycle on my old fish.
The final product looks like this:
Link to bigger pic: http://home.earthlink.net/~fbcpics/75G_Planted_Initial.jpg
Tank stats:
75G internal overflow
20G wet/dry sump with bio-balls
Mag 9 circulation pump
2 directional return nozzles (Loc-line)
4x32W Flourescent lights (mixed, but mostly 10000K -- need replacement)
2x150W Ebo-Jager heaters (one set at 76F and one at 77F)
Occupants (mostly remnents from 5 years of neglect):
(3) Blue botias (loaches)
(1) skunk loach (last of group of 5)
(1) Synodontus Eupterus
(1) Synodontus ??? (very different from other Syno Cat)
(1) pleco (in the sump)
(1) pictus catfish
(1) female turquoise rainbowfish (male died after+ 5 years)
(2) three-spot gouramis (male/female)
(1) bleeding heart terta (last of school of 6)
(2) bronze tetras (last of school of 8)
(1) rosy barb (female - last of group of 10)
My plans in the near future are to buy a group of otos for cleaning and a school of tetras of some sort for the middle area. I think the bottom group is still pretty strong. And the top area is fine with just the gouramis. For initial plant selection, I really have no idea yet. I am trying to work up the list.
I also have a large piece of mopani wood that I plan to add to the tank as soon as I have soaked it long enough to leach out the worst of the staining.
Anyway, I thought a few of you here would find this somewhat interesting since I know you have some of you have freshwater tanks or experience.
-Scott
So here is an update...
