Seting Up 75 gal tank

[Anonapersona]

Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

On the other hand, if you want to explore the oxygen cycle, you can do a planted tank. Very cool to actually SEE photosynthesis create bubbles of oxygen.

I had a planted 30 gallon in an elementary school.  

In the elementary school we had guppies, shrimp, snails, and cory catfish. The set up cost $300 with used tank and bought stand, new lights and donated flourite gravel and plants, bought used filter, and homemade yeast generated CO2 (not advisable for a large tank)

[jklntx]

Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

I always wondered if cheap goldfish from PetsSmart would work well as cycling fish.

[fishlady]

Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

welcome to the fishbox sciteacher....i think your effort for  your kids is a gallant one indeed...especially in high school......i do agree with all that has been told to you on here....and i urge you to google information on planted tanks for they are magnificent and can be entered into numerous contests on the internet as well....which would make for a great project for your kids.....anyway...welcome to the box as i said...and let me know if you need guppies i have more than enough to spare you some....


fishlady.....

[sciteacher]

Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

Tank setup went great... looks great too even if it doesn't have any fish yet  If I had started this when the kids were there the idea of graphing the nitrogen cycle would be great but hopefully everything will be balanced out by the time they arrive.  Thanks for all your help and I may be hitting you up for some plants and fish in the next couple of weeks

[ponyrandy]

Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

Welcome sciteacher! My job takes me to 6 to 8 schools a day, so I get to see a lot of what others do. My favorite was one that was a planted tank with diy co2. It was about a 55 -75 gallon and they had three or four 2 litre bottles hooked together. There were signs identifying all of the components and a write up about photosynthesis and what was necesary for it to take place. Since this is a science class this would fit right in. I also agree with EK on fish choice. Livebearers (guppies, swordtails, mollies) would not only be cheaper, but it would give you a  never ending fish supply. It would also give something for the students to look forward to waiting for babies and then watching them grow. (Another science lesson). A tank with tetras (and I love tetras) and plastic plants would never change. It would just be a tank of fish swimming around. A tank with live plants and livebearers would always be evolving and changing. If the fish population gets too large, some of the fry could be offered to students to take home and start their own aquariums. The members of the box are always more than generous with plant trimmings and extra fish, so cost could be saved there. So far you have offers for both plants and fish and I am sure they will keep coming, especially for such a worthwile cause.

Lastly, we are all so eager to tell you what we think you should put into your tank, noone has answered your question. I believe the answer is yes, that should be enough fish to cycle your aquarium. I believe what you want to avoid is putting too many in to start with and having a huge ammonia spike. If you put those 12 in now and your ammonia and nitrite levels are ok the week before school starts, go ahead and add some more so it will be better stocked for opening day. If you should decide to do a planted tank, the biowheel and undergravel filters wouldn't be recommended, it would be best to trade them in for a cannister filter before you get started. Also a good substrate like flourite or eco-complete would help the plants.
Brian

[semper]

Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

if you decide to go with medium size colorful fish

i can donate electric yellows, electric blues, and african jewels

i have some about 2-3 inches in length

[jklntx]

Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

You may find this link helpful...

http://www.firsttankguide.net/cycle.php

[Anonapersona]

Re: Seting Up 75 gal tank

For fish to cycle the tank, I suggest regular danios. I enjoyed mine so much I kept them after the cycling was done, although the store said they would take them back at the end.

If you have installed the undergravel filter, then you will not be able to use rooted plants. The problem is that the roots will clog the undergravel plate and before long it is cloggeed with debris and has no flow, suddenly you have 1/4th the filtration you thought you had. You can, however, have plants attached to the wood or rocks.

So, with the undergravel filter if you want plants, you are now restricted to anubias, mosses, and java ferns. These will do OK with standard lighting, if they are in the upper half of the tank, nearer the light. You may still need to get a double light fixture though. They will do better with added CO2, even with lower light.

And whether you can actually grow them will depend on whether any of the fish you choose will eat them. I cannot tell you about the cichlids in general, as I said someone ate the anubias I put into that tank, I don't know who, there were peacocks and a parrot fish and a few others I cannot remember. And, some cichlids will not be happy in the lower pH water that the addition of CO2 will create, some will. You will need to do research.

So, if you are leaning toward the small tetras and so on, plants are great, though you are very restricted by the undergravel filtration. The larger cichlids are typically put into all rock type setups. It sounds to me like you have begun on that sort of a path.

The planted tank really is best with canister filtration (@ $100 each need 2 or HOT Magnums @ $40 each need 2) and special gravel (flourite or others @ $15- $20 per bag) and higher lights (double or triple bulb or compact flourescents @ about $100-$200) and CO2 (home-made yeast or high pressure gas @ about $250 complete), fish are cheap and plants would be donated.

A lightly planted tank is still possible for you with plants on wood and rocks only. Optional lighting upgrade, optional CO2, some fertilizers needed perhaps.

IMO, the planted tank provides more teaching opportunities, the rocky cichlid tank is less work but still fun to watch.