neongoby23

Ok i have a 65gal predrilled tank. Im going to set it up for fresh water. I have done salt water in the past but the has put her foot down. I just have a couple of questions:

1: What kind of lighting do i need? I plan on Haveing some plants.

2: Can i use some of the rock from my old saltwater tank in thins one?

3: What kind of filtration do u recommend?

Neil

Their is a full right up at the front of this site that talks all about doing a setup.

http://www.fishlore.com/FirstTankSetup.htm

sirdarksol

http://www.fishlore.com/FirstTankSetup.htm

Here's the basic setup guide.

The lighting you want will depend on the types of plants you want. Someone will soon post a thread on low-light plants (I love being able to say that and, like a genie, someone else does it). Head to www.plantgeek.net and check out the lists of plants based on lighting needs. If I'm getting things right, 1 watt per gallon is low light, 2 watts per gallon is medium, and 3+ wpg is high lighting (this is modified by water clarity and depth, so this is just a general guideline, like the 1" of fish/gallon). Obviously, the basic fluorescents that you can get for a 65g aren't going to be enough even for a low-light plant. You might, however, be able to find a compact fluorescent that is enough for any of them.

As far as the rock goes, I would think it would be fine as long as you got most of the salt out of them. Soak them in a bucket of water (maybe with a powerhead in there), changing the water out frequently. However, I've not done this before, so if someone else knows different, please speak up.

Filtration is a matter of personal preference. For a 65g, you could go with either Hang on Back (HOB) or Canister as primary choices. Basically, the only thing you need for freshwater is some sort of biological filtration. Most of us have mechanical, of course, to keep the water clear. Some use chemical filtration, with AC being the most common.
I like the HOB filters because they're easier to deal with, and I can't afford (nor do I need) a canister filter.
You could even go with a sponge filter attached to a powerhead, though this would provide little in the way of mechanical filtration.

Coryd55

Sirdarksol here is the guide lol.....she did it a while back though

General Guide to Low-Light Planted Tanks

sirdarksol

Thanks. Seriously, it's like having a few genies wandering around the forum, willing to post thread links

neongoby23

As far as lighting goes i was going to go for MH's like on my salt water sank. but idid not know if that was over kill. Now im going to do a tide pool sump system under the tank so that there is noting in the tank that u can see.

sirdarksol

I don't think the MH are overkill, but be sure to pick high light plants, as the lower light plants may not be able to handle the output (you can always experiment, like I do, just be ready to pull dead plants)

neongoby23

I have been looking at other web sites to see other stuff and i noticed that some people run co2 on there tanks. is it requires to do so if i have plants?

sirdarksol

If you're going with high light and a decent number of plants, you probably want to add CO2.

susitna-flower

Welcome to fishlore. If you look up at the top of each page and click on Articles, there are several things there that will help you. It sounds like you have a great handle on everything though.

MH lights will be fine for high light plants, you may end up with excess algae though. They also take loads more electricity than compact fluorescents which are more widely used.

There are some GREAT plant people here that will help you sort out the CO2. I have never used it, but do know there are problems and benefits with using it, so do lots of research first. That is just about like having a salt water setup......where if you choose a less complicated route, it will still give you lots of pleasure....

This is what is so great about fish keeping, all the options - something to fit everyone!

As for the filtration, I would strictly plan this on what you plan to keep. Even a 65 gallon could require a canister filter if you keep Oscars for example. Most tanks would be fine with a HOB filter.
But it sounds like you have a great idea about the sump, and since your tank is drilled, you can actually accomplish much more with that, you effectively increase the total gallons of water in your system....Have you considered ozone or a UV filter? Also things that add much more to the equation than the simple FW setup.....