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A few questions for a 75 gallon.


JRaffy
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So, I'm not going to argue that I'm an advanced aquarist or anything, but I've been apart of the hobby since I was young.  However, due to life circumstances I've been out of the hobby for five or so years.  I'm planning out my return to the hobby with a 75 gallon aquarium for our new living room that'll be centered on several large schools of small tetras (Cardinals, Embers, and Black Neons or Lemons) with moderate planting dominated by Amazon Swords and Frogbit.  I want a loose Amazon biotope where all of the fish and plants are from the region.

The whole planning phase has left me with a few questions, though, and I was hoping some of you all could give me some help!

  1. When I left the hobby everyone seemed to be pushing hardcore filtration, and I'm actually happy that this seems to be ebbing.  I dislike servicing cannister filters and I've historically used Aquaclears, but for a while it seemed like everyone was just obsessed with spending tons of cash to move a LOT of water.  I really just want to try the new Seachem Tidals with a sponge combination for funsies, but I'm at a lose here.  I was thinking a Tidal 75 in the middle with a sponge filter in each back corner, but would this be enough flow and filtration?
  2. Air pumps.  Recommendations to power the sponge filters?  I've had a lot of bad luck with the Whispers over the years so I'm looking for something a bit different.  I like the USB nanos, but would those power the bigger sponges?
  3. Lighting.  I've done a LOT of reading on the Fluval Plant 3.0, and I'm a fan.  I just wonder if this would be overkill given the plants and my intention to, at least for a good while, not inject CO2.   Would the Aquasky work for a tank as deep as a 75 gallon?  There's also the possibility I may want to switch to CO2 injection eventually, and I like to plan ahead for such eventualities.  I'm leaning towards the 3.0 on that basis alone.

Anyway, thanks in advance!

 

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@JRaffy I don't personally have any tidal filter, but I think that it combined with the sponge filters will be enough flow for the aquarium. But if it ended up not being adequate you could just add an airstone in the middle of the tank for a little extra flow.

For air pump I have an aquatop AP100 that powers 2 air filters and I had to turn the airflow down. It has to different outputs so you could have a output for each air pump and if you wanted a third airstone you could use a splitter in one of the lines to do it.

I also like the Fluval Planted 3.0, I don't however like the price. I think that it would probably be a little overkill for just amazon swords, but the way you can optimize it with an app is nice for adjustment so you could turn it down. If you wanted to try a cheaper option you could also try a stingray and see if that works for you. I don't have personal experience with stingray lighting only what I have researched on the internet.

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I appreciate it!

The filter question is the big one.  Like I said, I'm coming off the era when everyone seemed to be slapping massive filters on their aquariums and I really never saw the point myself.

I also really like the idea of tying a light to my phone, and the ability to crank it down would work out well enough.  I also wanted something I can program to ramp up instead of just snapping on. That, and I may want to go higher tech at some point.  So, Planted 3.0 it is.

And thanks for the air pump recommendation!

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@JRaffyI have a couple of 75's set up with stingrays and I always seem to struggle to grow plants. For a brief time I had a fluval 3.0 on a 75 to grow wisteria, but the bright light seemed to be stressing the inhabitants out (sounds like this won't be a problem for your stocking). I would definitely go with the 3.0 if trying to grow plants too! I also remember being told that frogbit needed a ton of light, like insane amounts of light, but I was kind of listening into that conversation so maybe I misunderstood! Good luck and definitely post pictures!

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@Cory during a recent live stream (just before Halloween) recommended the Aqua clear over the Tidal. I'd check that video out before making a purchase, just to be a little more informed.

I tend to agree with Cory's reasoning and can appreciate the greater ability to hotrod the Aqua Clear. I have also used one before and like how easy the maintenance was.

Good luck with your new tank, and welcome back to the hobby! 

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I too am back in the hobby but with an absence of closer to 20 years. I jumped right on the canister bandwagon and personally I love my big SunSun. 
For HOB’s, I’ve found the Aquaclear to be the ne plus ultra. A big pump with a big box that will work with any type of media. No messing with pricey, brand specific filter cartridges that come with charcoal that I don’t want. I use a small one on my 60 gal just for chemical filtration, running Phosguard or the occasional need for charcoal. Right now, I’m running a bag of Matrix in it to be the cycling seed for a 29 that I’m setting up.
BTW, I’m not using a canister on the new 29. Instead, I’m going with two sponges and a bigger Aquaclear for it. I considered the Fluval 3.0 but the price was just too dear. I found a Finnex that fit my slightly lesser lighting demands for half the price. 

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