75G

[Pilze]

I'm about to set up my new 75G tank, I got the tank to give the clown loach I inherited more room and friends. I washed 50lbs of sand last night, its still a little murky so I'm gonna fill the tank with dechlorinated water and then dump it. It seems a little fine mesh, compared to the pictures I've seen on here. So not only for bacteria but also to prevent compaction, I am going to add the gravel from one of my established tanks.

I need some advice and suggestions.

Originally, I wanted all my fish in this tank.
14 Het. Rasboras
7 Tiger Barbs
3 Clowns + 2 down the road
1 RTBS

However, I read that barbs and rasboras originate from slower or still waters and my goal with the 75 is to add powerheads for lots of flow.

But if I leave the rasboras and barbs together, I have NO top strata fish for the 75G.

I'm having a hard time finding river/stream fish that would do well, Suggestions?.

[Doc]

How about Rasbora trilineata or some of the more streamlined Puntius species? Or even larger Danio species and Esomus?

[Pilze]

I really like those rasboras! Thanks! Plus they originate in Sumatra like the clowns.

[newshound]

will your tank be a true river tank or a semi river tank?
personally I think I'd get a schooling fish of only one type

[Pilze]

It'll be a couple months before I can build a river manifold.
So are you saying I should just get more clowns?

[Doc]

I think they mean just one type of dither fish such as the Rasboras.

[Pilze]

I filled the tank up half way and drained the murky water, I filled it up again and thankfully I can see all the way through, but its still murky. At the rate it is clearing, it probably wont be completely clear until morning. The tank is at about 68 degrees right now.


My rasboras and shark are in a buckets, and I definitely do not want to leave them over night.
Will the murkiness harm them?

[Doc]

If the murkiness is just from disturbed substrate and there is no sign of ammonia then as long as your filter is mature then there should be no real problem adding the fish. You could try and maximise the aeration in the tank to ensure that the fish are able to get enough oxygen easily.

[Pilze]

Well I just got back from the Pet store which shall never be named.... don't worry I didn't buy any fish. But I made a big mistake buying an xP2. For starters, I got back home and read the Water Movement article. My Penguin200 and xP2 won't be adequate for juvenile clowns. Then I checked out the petsmart website, and I could've bought the xP3 for roughly $130. I paid $139.99 for the xP2. Doh!

After I came back I dropped my shark into the 75g and dropped the Rasboras in with the barbs. I think I might wait til morning to move the three clowns. I'm confident I made the right decision. I really like the barbs and the rasboras together. Plus, I get to add more clowns to the 75!

The shark was so grayed out, he was almost translucent!
It took about 15 minutes or less for the Shark to come out of hiding and he colored right back up. His body is jet black and his tail is... almost blood red. Just the same coloration he had before sitting in a bucket all day. So great, he likes it. I'm looking forward to seeing him grow now that he has more room.

[Doc]

The XP series aren't bad filters really. Quite easy to use.

Just monitor your Ammonia and Nitrite levels over the next few days and see how things go.

[NancyD]

My harlequin rasboras adore the powerhead flow so don't let that stop you. They take breaks in a calmer area but they love being blown tail up in the current, a rasbora roller coaster. They enjoy it much more than the sids, striatas or red tailed rasboras in with them.

[Pilze]

Just got home from the bar, I just wanted to say that I've got a single rasbora that loved the powerhead rollercoaster. It would swim up and float down all day long, the rest of the school were indifferent to it.

[Pilze]

Well I just spent the bulk of two or three hours setting up the first xp2. It'll probably only take an hour tops to set up the 2nd one, but this things gets a big fat FAIL for design and instructions.


The inlet and outlet pieces are not designed for glass aquariums that use a plastic "frame". The spray bar is useless, the suction cups just plain can not attach themselves to the bar and the glass. I had to attach the suction cups to the not-so flexible tubing on the outside. The memory on the "flexible" tubing is so strong it commands where I can place the inlet and outlet pipes....

Grrr....

[Pilze]

I've just decided to name my skinny wierd lookin clown Eli.

[chefkeith]

I use filstar canisters on all my tanks. I have 8 of them, plus 2 eheims. There are a few tricks you'll have to learn.

They do fine on glass tanks with plastic frames. I've never bothered with the suction cups. You can mount the spray bars horizontal or vertical. I mount them all vertical because I don't like to hear splashing noises.

You might need to make the holes bigger on the spraybar. They might make a whistling noise if you don't. I know that this was a problem with the older models. If you have this problem, let me know, then I can tell you what size drill bit I used.

I like the tubing alot. If you let them soak in a bucket of hot water for 5 minutes, they'll be very flexible. I usually lay them out flat after soaking them, so that they will dry straight.

I have about 20 back-up hoses, for when they need to cleaned. Here's a tip for cleaning them. I usually connect about 10 hoses together with some hose barbs, then I connect a powerhead to one end and put both ends in a bucket of hot bleach water. Then run the powerhead for 24 hours. Then I change the bleach water and move the powerhead to the other end of the hose to change the direction of the water flow. Then run that for 24 hours.
Usually that's good enough to make the hoses as good as new, but if they are real dirty it might take a few more days of cleaning.

I don't think the impellar or the impellar housing should ever be cleaned. The slime that forms in this area is a natural lubricant that will make the canister run quieter.