Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Seting Up 75 gal tank

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Seting Up 75 gal tank

    I will be setting up a 75 gal tank in my classroom on Monday.  It will have an underground filter with a powerhead and a Peguin 350 Biowheel filter.  I was planning to let it run for a week empty then adding fish the following week.  Right now I am thinking 6 Cherry barbs and 6 Black Widow Tetra's   will that  be enough in this large tank to get the nitrogen cycle going or should I add more.   I want there to be some fish in the tank when school starts Aug 27 but will also have some kids Aug 13 and would be nice to have something in there.  Last year I had a 10 gal and the kids loved it and I started a 29 gal at home in March  just not sure what to do with such a big tank!!

  • #2
    Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

    I would probably do a malawi/mbuna cichlid tank in that size....the fish are cheap and display is high.

    But if you want to stick with tetras and stuff I would keep adding to the group of cherry barbs and stuff so the interactions between them will be more intense.

    A week might not be enough for the tank to get cycled so I would probably decide on your stocking list and then get some Bio-spira to start the tank or use a filter from an established tank.

    What school is this for? Growing up I never seen any teacher set up a tank in class....that would have been cool. Oh, and welcome to the BOX!
    700g Mini-Monster tank

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

      I did get some coloize that I ordered from Drs Foster and Smith that I will be adding to the tank when I set it up.  I wanted to do a community tank not Cichlids  What I am worried about is the number of fish I should originally add...in my 10 gal I put 3 guppies and an albino cory

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

        It's great you are introducing your students to fishkeeping  :clap:

        I'm sure you'll get a lot of suggestions for the types of fish, we all have our favorites.  I think sticking with community fish is a good idea, as they're generally hardy and not overly agressive.  After all, no one, even a child, wants to come in and see their favorite fish ripped to shreds or sadly floating in the tank. What type of ammenities are you planning for the fish?  Live plants, cute little motion ornaments, driftwood?  Going the community fish route, I would suggest guppies, swordtails, mollies, maybe a school of neon or cardinal tetras, with either cories or bristlenose plecos for a clean up crew.  There are different opinions on the number of fish you can keep.  There is a 1 inch of fish per gallon rule some refer to, but it really depends on the type of fish, how messy it is, it's temperment and the effort needed to keep the water quality up to snuff.

        There are a lot of people here who have an abundance of fish,  who would very likely be willing to help you stock your classroom tank.

        Keep us posted.
        Reasoning with some people is like trying to nail jello to a wall...

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

          There are plenty of Tetras to choose from....excellent choice.  The "1 inch per gallon rule" is generally a guidline for smaller tanks, but you could put about 75-100 Tetras in your 75g.  I agree with Szidlon about the clean up crew.  

          Raul
          Raul
          PokerFace

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

            A whole bunch of mollies and guppies would be cool too! and if they are young students finding babies all over the tank would be cool!
            700g Mini-Monster tank

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

              To start with I have a large vertical piece of driftwood attached to a piece of slate soaking. and 3 different manmade driftwoods that I have purchased to pick between   I have some slate and glass rock to make some caves, lots of plastic plants but I want to have a few easy to care for real plants   java fern and maybe some bulbs.  This will be in a high school science class and I have learned that the fish help those kids that are a little hyper calm down and many hurry to class to check out the fish (although last year it was only a 10 gal) that is why I wanted a larger tank.  I would love help with stocking the tank   I have spend $600 on the tank and supplies to get it set up but I am doing it for selfish reasons too   I enjoy watching them!!!!!

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

                If you want more Java ferns on my next trimming I could pull some for you...they are baby plants but there should be a lot of them.

                What High school is it for?
                700g Mini-Monster tank

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

                  Be careful of the 1" rule.....a lot of people stock per that rule determining size at time of purchase, typically juveniles...the 1" rule applies to adult size.


                  If you use  1" rule when the fish are young...more than likely when they grow to adult size (>1" ) you have overcrowding.


                  Also, imho, I would not combine neons and cardinal tetras with mollies and swordtails...both require different water parameters for their health and longevity...especially the more sensitive neons and cardinals.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

                    Last year, I got students to stay after school to do tank maintanence for me. They came willingly (it wasn't detention or anything like that). Good luck with your tank.
                    Scarecrow : I haven't got a brain... only straw.
                    Dorothy : How can you talk if you haven't got a brain?
                    Scarecrow: I don't know... But some people without brains do an awful lot of talking... don't they?
                    Dorothy: Yes, I guess you're right.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

                      I think that is a great idea...
                      but I want to bring up a few things to think about...

                      The 75G tank will be fine during the year, but what about summer?  Will you have access to the tank for normal feedings and maintanence or are you going to bring it home in the summer time?

                      Also, a 10G tank is easy to do water changes with a 5G bucket...not so much with the 75G.  Do you have a sink in your class room?
                      Being a science class I imagine you do but just want to make sure...

                      As far as stocking goes, I would think some tetras and angle would be pretty cool since there are so many varieties of both.  And I agree that the bristle nose pleco is a top notch worker for algea control.

                      Great idea...
                      I wish some of my teachers would have done this when I was at school...I would have done their tank maintanence for sure...

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

                        That's what I was thinking.....I would have actually went to school.
                        700g Mini-Monster tank

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

                          I will be able to leave it during the summer   I live about 2 miles from school (Springwoods HS) so will be able to feed and maintain over the summer and I do have a large sink.   I like the after school maintenance crew  will need to put that into practice.  Where on the west side of town can I find a bristlenose  most of my fish  have come from Petsmart and they do not carry them.  I tried Oto cats in my home tank but am having trouble keeping them alive although the rest of my fish are fine.. a couple did not even live one day.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

                            Springwoods is the one off of Hammerly right? My friend owns that convenience/liquor store across the street by the apartments.

                            Since you are off of beltway somewhat you could swing by CityPets which is at Beechnut and B8, or go a bit further to Fish Ranch(Larkwood/59S) or Fish Gallery(Kirby 59S).
                            700g Mini-Monster tank

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

                              By the way, you don't really need to let this tank run for a week without fish in it. And, if this is a highschool class, you probably have access to ammonia, and you could teach them all about cycling (fishless cycling, that is). It's easier on the fish, and you can follow the process by testing every morning and charting the results. If you don't want to use ammonia, you can always use shrimp from the grocery store, or anything that will release ammonia.

                              Be careful with fish from Petsmart and such, they tend not to do well. Like szidlon said, there are tons of people on here that can provide you with fish - and you can trust that they'll be healthy and cheaper than retail!  :wink:

                              Let us know whatever you plan to do!
                              "Millennium hand and shrimp!"

                              Comment

                              Working...
                              X