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MatthewZarb
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IMG_20210308_091814__01__01.jpg.7338ad48f84b50de0482d87c5e82744f.jpgUpdated 🙂 tank is setup finally 🙂 fish to follow soon 

Good evening everyone 🙂 I've recently bought back into the hobby after round 13 years absence and duper excited. I've bought this 80 gallon cylinder tank around 65cm at the base and 1m high and would love any advice i could have re setting it up as a community tank and natural decoration and planting. Cleaning is also a worry since ice onky ever had rectangular tanks. Currently my idea is to use vertical natural wood at an angle with Java fern and anubias towards the top to create lights and shadows. Then once cycled 6-8 angels/discus, 40 rummy nose tetras, 10 corys and some algae eating fish. Thoughts

Edited by MatthewZarb
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I’m new to fish keeping and am struggling with my African cichlid tank.  I’m not the person to give advice.  However, for cleaning, I do love my mag-float.  I’d think it would work in a rounded tank if you got a small one. Maybe not?

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I wouldn't put angelfish and discus together, heres why:

Discus are slower eaters and angelfish are pigs meaning that I would be afraid that the angelfish would eat all the food before the discus. Of course if you make sure the discus get food it would be okay, but that could be challenging. I know @Daniel keeps both angelfish and discus (not in the same tank though) I have not kept discus. But hopefully he can offer more advice on this, or another forum member.

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The way I read @MatthewZarb's post above was either angelfish or discus. I don't think there would any insurmountable technical problems keeping both in the same large aquarium but I haven't ever had the urge to do it as it would be gilding the lily. One or the other is good, but adding both together doesn't equal twice as good.

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Oh no, i definitely agree @Daniel, @James Black that it is an either or with discus or angels. As beautiful as discus are I'm considering angels as the better option currently as they are hardier and I've had them before... Hopefully I won't end up with any bullies in the group. @Brandytotally agree, but you assumed correctly that my arms won't stretch that far haha, hence my current planting thoughts. 

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7 hours ago, MatthewZarb said:

Oh no, i definitely agree @Daniel, @James Black that it is an either or with discus or angels. As beautiful as discus are I'm considering angels as the better option currently as they are hardier and I've had them before... Hopefully I won't end up with any bullies in the group. @Brandytotally agree, but you assumed correctly that my arms won't stretch that far haha, hence my current planting thoughts. 

Yeah, angels are a better option 

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I think filtration/water movement near the bottom is a challenge with column tanks - I have one with an undergravel filter and added a small additional tetra whisper filter up top because it was mulmy in there... it's my first UG filter and I don't know if I don't have enough space for enough plates to make it work or my gravel is too big.  Something like UG filter or sponge at the bottom and HOB up top would be good, or if you're using a canister and can put the intake down near the bottom that might be good.  Otherwise you'd need to plan to do some serious gravel vac frequently I think.

 

Mine is 25" tall, and only 10" in diameter so it's a challenge to plant for sure, I get wet up to my armpit to reach the bottom when it's full!  So I definitely only reach in when it's water change day.  My hardscape is a big piece of wood with moss and anubias that I can completely pull out and stick in a 5gal bucket to keep wet when needed.

 

Lighting powerful enough to keep plants going at the bottom can be a challenge too.  I am about to pull out some red stem plants (sorry don't know the name) that are just not growing (just started melting more than 1 month in, so they've held on pretty good and I'm going to try them in another tank) and have ordered elodea densa and spiral vallisneria, one of them will go in the column tank once I see them and decide which.  Tiger Lotus and Moneywort are growing alright and dwarf sag grass is growing really slow, which is ok since I hear it can really take over fast.  I'm using a full spectrum clip-on light and it's a nice light, I think to get more demanding plants or better growth at the bottom, I'd have to fork out some serious cash.

You can see pics of my tank in this thread:

 

Edited by CanadaAmanda
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Oh and get yourself a step-stool, reaching to the bottom is sooooo much easier when you're up higher.  And if you don't already have them - aquascaping tools.  Trying to plant things without the proper tools is ok in a 12" deep tank, but in a deep tank... need the right tools.

Edited by CanadaAmanda
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17 hours ago, MatthewZarb said:

Good evening everyone 🙂 I've recently bought back into the hobby after round 13 years absence and duper excited. I've bought this 80 gallon cylinder tank around 65cm at the base and 1m high and would love any advice i could have re setting it up as a community tank and natural decoration and planting. Cleaning is also a worry since ice onky ever had rectangular tanks. Currently my idea is to use vertical natural wood at an angle with Java fern and anubias towards the top to create lights and shadows. Then once cycled 6-8 angels/discus, 40 rummy nose tetras, 10 corys and some algae eating fish. Thoughts

 

Screenshot_20210112-174620.jpg

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