New 90 gallon setup

[Tim_Koles]

HI all,

I am currently in the process of setting up a 90 gallon tank. The stand is almost finished and I need to start buying equipment as everything I have used for other tanks is not large enough. My last planted tank, or any tank for that matter, was a 30 gallon that was set up in 2003. Needless to say, a lot has changed. That tank was set up using fluorite for a substrate, two 3 foot T8? bulbs, a small submersible heater, DIY CO2 reactor, and a Hagan powerhead. Very low tech and it worked great. I actually still have that tank "setup" on my office floor where it has been for 8 years. No heater, filter, fish - just the lights with some Sagittaria and lots of java moss and Cryptocoryne wendtii.

Basically looking to set up a low tech or more specifically a lower maintenance tank. Probable something in the low to medium light range. This is what I am thinking. Any suggestions? Please point out any problems

- Universal rocks background - not sure which one, probably does not matter

- Flourite black sand for the substrate. I prefer to have a single media to make things easy and I had good success with the Flourite before except I could not keep Cory's as the coarseness of the Flourite would hurt their barbles

- Finnex Planted + for lighting. One to start out with and maybe add another or pair it with another model or brand once the tank is set up

- Filtration. I was going to use a sump system to get all the mechanics out of the tank but now I am not sure. Basically it may be just as hard to disguise the overflow box as it is to hide the inflow and outflow of a canister filter. I have read the forum and it looks like a lot of people are using canisters on larger tanks and it seems to me to be the best way to go. Thinking about the Fluvals at the moment.

- Heaters. I was thinking of the 300w Eheim submersible but if I go for the canister filter I will go with the Hydor Inline 300w

- CO2. Not sure if I am going to use this or not. Probably start out without it with the thought of adding in the future. Any suggestions on off the rack systems to use? Design features to add now to make adding this easier?

Any thing I'm missing? Nothing is set in stone and I am perfectly willing to change my mind on stuff. Just want to get off on the right foot. Stuff available on Amazon is preferred as I am doing this with store points built up with my business credit card

Thanks
Tim

[krisw]

This all sounds like a good project, Tim! I run all high-tech/high-light tanks myself, but I think I can still help with a few recommendations:

- Flourite Black Sand should be fine for the cory's barbels, but it can be dusty, just like flourite. Personally, I prefer the various fired clay substrates (in the order of preference): ADA Aquasoil, Mr Aqua, Brightwell Aquatic FlorinVolcanit, Up Aquasoil, etc. They are smooth, and the plants themselves do wonderfully.

- Finnex : They make good value lights for the money. For a 90G tank, you might want to look at their 24/7 light just so you can dim it if needed. Their other ones are either on or off.

- Filters: I use and like Fluval's G-series and FX6 filters on several tanks. The FX6 filters are a pain to maintenance and have the ribbed hosing, but they really clean the water nicely. I believe some people have replaced the hosing. The G-series are very convenient to maintenance, and do have smooth tubing, but do require maintenance more often to keep the flow up. As far as canisters though, they're great for planted aquariums, even larger ones, but obviously do not increase your overall water volume like a sump does.

- Heaters - I use the Hydor Inline heaters on almost all of my tanks. They're wonderful!

- CO2 - If money is no issue, GreenLeafAquarium rigs are some of the nicest you can buy and will not dump CO2 into the aquarium when the tank runs out. For cheaper, I'd recommend piecing together a rig yourself with used/quality parts (dual stage regulator, etc). Bare bones intro rig would be a Milwaukee but it will end-of-tank-dump, so at a minimum replace the needle valve with a Fabco NV-55 or pair with a ph controller, but for me I'd rather have a better built unit.

[Tim_Koles]

This all sounds like a good project, Tim! I run all high-tech/high-light tanks myself, but I think I can still help with a few recommendations:

High-tech/high-light sounds great but to me but it also sounds like more pieces that can break and more maintenance/pruning. Not sure that I can dedicate the time. Kinda why I am thinking to start out somewhat slower with the possibility of adding CO2 and more lighting later. Perhaps I am wrong in this thinking. Thoughts?

- Flourite Black Sand should be fine for the cory's barbels, but it can be dusty, just like flourite. Personally, I prefer the various fired clay substrates (in the order of preference): ADA Aquasoil, Mr Aqua, Brightwell Aquatic FlorinVolcanit, Up Aquasoil, etc. They are smooth, and the plants themselves do wonderfully.

I heard the same thing with Flourite but I never had a problem since I rinsed it well before adding. I will look into these other substrates later today.

- Finnex : They make good value lights for the money. For a 90G tank, you might want to look at their 24/7 light just so you can dim it if needed. Their other ones are either on or off.

I misspoke. I meant the Planted+24/7. Did not know they had just the Planted+. Still think I will start with one and then see what happens

- Filters: I use and like Fluval's G-series and FX6 filters on several tanks. The FX6 filters are a pain to maintenance and have the ribbed hosing, but they really clean the water nicely. I believe some people have replaced the hosing. The G-series are very convenient to maintenance, and do have smooth tubing, but do require maintenance more often to keep the flow up. As far as canisters though, they're great for planted aquariums, even larger ones, but obviously do not increase your overall water volume like a sump does.

I saw the G's and they look nice but pricey. Are they worth the extra cash over the 406? When I worked for UMCP I ran buoys and weather stations that did automated water quality monitoring so I seen sensors and I start to get interested but I don't know enough about the filters to know if these are useful or a gimmick. Another thing to look into today. Would love to have some of my old equipment still.

- Heaters - I use the Hydor Inline heaters on almost all of my tanks. They're wonderful!

Do you think 1 or 2 would be best on a 90 gallon?

- CO2 - If money is no issue, GreenLeafAquarium rigs are some of the nicest you can buy and will not dump CO2 into the aquarium when the tank runs out. For cheaper, I'd recommend piecing together a rig yourself with used/quality parts (dual stage regulator, etc). Bare bones intro rig would be a Milwaukee but it will end-of-tank-dump, so at a minimum replace the needle valve with a Fabco NV-55 or pair with a ph controller, but for me I'd rather have a better built unit.

Ill look into these as well.

Thanks for the input. Comments included within the quote
Tim

[SCMurphy]

I use both a sump and canister filters on my large tanks.

If you are serious about this hobby you really want to get a CO2 system. I gave a talk about this a while back, CO2 is more important to good plant growth than light intensity in our aquariums. Even low light tanks benefit from CO2 injection.

Look into the Penn Plax 1000 canister filter, it really delivers a good bang for the buck.

[krisw]

For the Hydor, you're probably okay with one unless it's an especially cold room.

As for the G's, they're definitely a nice to have. For me, I wanted the easiest filter out there to clean the mechanical filtration -- I haven't found an easier one than the G-series. But I do weekly water changes and clean the mechanical filters in my G's every week. That may not be for everyone. It's nice to have the TDS and temperature sensors in the filter itself, but again, a nice-to-have...

[Tim_Koles]

So many options now...

I looked at the different substrates and they look nice but I'm not sure I should change my mind. The ADA Aquasoil would be my first choice for performance, price and Amazon availability but I read a lot about it breaking down after a while. My plan for this
tank is mostly show with occasional changes but do not really plan on/desire to change the substrate after it is set up. Also I hope to have a wide range of plants in it but nothing really challenging. The Flourite sand seems that it would still be a better choice. Speaking of substrate, my though was to have about 1.5 to 2 inches toward the front and more in the back. Sound reasonable?

Ill start out with one Hydor. We keep the house in the high sixties during the winter so ill just have to see how it goes.

I spent an awful amount of time looking at filters today. The FX6 looks awesome but I think its way too much of a filter for the tank. I hope to have many schools of tetras, hatchets, etc. That filter seems more appropriate for larger tanks and larger fish. The G's look cool but I think the screen is kinda gimmicky and I don't like the specialized media. Instead of the screen and sensors I would rather save the money and actually look at more advanced sensors/automation. Anybody in the group doing this? The Fluval 406 still looks nice but its kinda hard to argue with the Penn Plax price. Still thinking about this. What are most people running in their filters? When I had my tank before, I really only had mechanical filtration. Carbon/chemical was a no no and biological filtration was left to the plants.

I starting to lean toward the CO2 injection but need to read up some more on it. If the lowest end model at Green Leaf Aquarium is suitable, that should be doable but piecemeal could also work. I think I need to see some of these systems in action before I pull the trigger. Are there inline injectors for this? Just though of this and haven't looked yet.

Anyone using UPS power backup for their tank?

Finished the stand today. Haven't decided if I am doing a canopy or not. Ill post some pics if I figure out how.

Tim

[krisw]

Sounds like you're having fun researching!

Just for a point of reference, Aquasoil does break down but usually only in specific areas where it's compacted and even then that's usually not an issue until you rescape. That said, I have several tanks running with the same soil for about 5 years. If parts turn mushy, I just scoop out and replace with fresh. I've also screened old dried Aquasoil to reuse the good bits up to almost 10 years now. Regardless, your substrate depth sounds fine.

You have all good points on the filter's. As for media, I use various bio media (ceramics, bio balls, etc), mechanical sponges, and always Seachem Purigen pouches that I refresh with bleach every filter maintenance. For me, BBA algae is an issue without good filter cleaning and Purigen as insurance.

For automation, a few folks have built custom controllers for lighting, dosing, water changes. Ghazanfars tank (Feb meeting coming up) is plumbed into the house for auto water changes. Other techies have built systems themselves. I use basic timers along with some led controllers for sunrse/sunset. Nothing fancy though.

For co2 injectors, GLA also sells an in line atomizer that I like.

Good idea on UPS, I was worried about this before snowzilla...

[Tim_Koles]

Purigen seems like something I need to look into. I hope to be at the meeting in Feb so hopefully I will get some ideas. Don't think I will plumb the tank although I was thinking of plumbing a hose bib under the bathroom sink to run a hose from. That said, plumbing the tank would make a sump more useful.

I notice an old post from GLA concerning a bulk discount. That still in effect?

[krisw]

GLA discontinued their discounts to clubs. If there's enough interest from other members, I'm happy to reach out to the owner to see if they'd let us do a bulk buy at a lower price, but if you're looking to move ahead quickly, you'll probably have to pay what's listed...