I recently purchased a 90-gallon w/ a 30 gallon sump (although I wasn't really wanting a sump). In a perfect world I would like to have a heavily planted aquarium w/ a number of smaller schooling cichlids.

I don't have the time, yet, to start going out and buying the rest of the equipment I need. So, before I do, I'd love to hear about your setup and any tips and/or advice you may have, generally.

Many thanks...

6/19/2009 6:27:54 PM

i put water in it

6/19/2009 6:40:52 PM

90 gallon would make a pretty sweet saltwater reef tank. That can get pricey though.

6/19/2009 6:41:39 PM

^^ That's a start

[Edited on June 19, 2009 at 6:43 PM. Reason : 6]

6/19/2009 6:42:04 PM

Yeah, I had a 55g saltwater, but want to do fresh this time

6/19/2009 6:43:43 PM

I just prefer saltwater because it is easier to maintain in my opinion. Freshwater turns green so damn easy.

6/19/2009 6:48:42 PM

very true! I don't have any experience with a freshwater sump, but I imagine that may allow me to do a lot more with filtration.

6/19/2009 7:14:54 PM

theres nothin more awesome thana freshwater setup with native fish

man i seen a dude that had full sized gar and turtles and salamanders and shit

justa full ecosystem

to me thats much more awesome than buyin a bunch of pretty fish

6/19/2009 8:21:16 PM

^

6/19/2009 8:49:53 PM

I would be open to the possibility. A gar, however, I doubt 90g would be big enough for long.

6/19/2009 8:53:28 PM

planted tank with discus

/thread

6/19/2009 9:48:03 PM

I have never been a big pretty fish fan myself either. But to me, there is nothing cooler than a saltwater reef tank with a bunch of crazy invertebrates.

6/19/2009 9:57:16 PM

but i like pretty fish

6/19/2009 10:41:53 PM

I had a tank as a kid. Our cat ate all the fish one night

6/20/2009 1:04:55 AM

Quote :

"w/ a number of smaller schooling cichlids."

you will want to go with african cichlids then and they required a different kind of freshwater than normal freshwater do.

they have needlenose gars that won't get too large. I have two of those along with 17 other fish in my 125. They require live fish feedings so they are fun to have as well.

oh and

Quote :

"although I wasn't really wanting a sump"

its def better for the fish

[Edited on June 20, 2009 at 3:52 AM. Reason : sump]

6/20/2009 3:50:05 AM

I have a 60 gallon freshwater with semi-aggressives in it. LOTS of (fake) plants and decor. I tend to over do it on the aquascaping because I've learned that the more places the fish have to hide the more they come out and play! I have silver-tipped sharks, a pictus cat, a few cory cats, gouramis, a few snails and algae eaters and a crab.

6/20/2009 8:01:42 AM

does anyone have experience w/ co2 injection?

6/20/2009 10:30:57 AM

You want to go cheap DIY or off the shelf CO2?

6/20/2009 1:23:09 PM

I use 2 2-liter bottles with sugar and yeast

6/20/2009 10:31:55 PM

Prefer off the shelf. I did the yeast thing in a 55g.

6/21/2009 12:12:28 AM

anyone have any opinions about using bioballs?

6/26/2009 6:00:02 PM

i dont use the "bioballs" but ceramic rings. I have had idiots that clean them with bleach and then put them back into the filter.wtf

6/26/2009 6:01:30 PM

I used to have a 55ga that I kept cichlids in, mostly those native to Lake Tanganyika. Started off with a good variety, ended up with a tank full of brichardis (Princess Cichlids) and a few Black Pectorals and Julies. Good thing I liked brichardis.

6/27/2009 3:27:05 AM

message_topic.aspx?topic=468189&page=4

ok this thread is boring

back to the original

6/27/2009 4:22:10 AM

Honestly, saltwater isn't any more complicated than freshwater. Unless you do coral or something really delicate like an octopus, there's really not much to monitor in a well established salt tank... especially once you have a set of fish that play nicely with each other.

As far as monitoring; poop ends up as nitrates, and pH fluctuates, and water (but not salt) evaporates... but when it comes down to it, you have to do two things:
* remove dirty water (i.e. remove nitrates) and replace with clean RO saltwater
* add fresh RO water to compensate for evaporation

6/27/2009 5:53:41 AM