310 gallon build and 55 gallon quarantine tank

None of my guys are over 8 inches by my guess and have never been in less then a 6 foot tank since I have owned them .Some just grow slow or not as large as others ?They had to be 10 years me before the plants became fake ..

 

I added around 40ish live plants from MarcusFishTanks. Mostly epiphtyes, some crypts and swords. I’m on the fence about going with loaches in the 310 now due to the thought of the plants eventually getting destroyed.

My thoughts are to start up the 90 gallon and making that a loach/barb tank. Maybe in the future I’ll eventually bring the loaches into the 310...but for now here’s a couple updated photos of the 310. I’ve have a few large Amazon swords coming that will be planted in the corners.

 

I have clown, zebra and yoyo in my 120 and so far for the most part plants have not been disturbed. The tank is now 18 months old. I've been told that as the clown get old they will become harsher on plants but at this stage all is good. They do swim quite a bit at night mostly glass surfing so plants (esp in the corners) will need to be sturdy to take some disturbance - i have a large anubia in one spot that is too rigid for them to do a lot of harm but newly plants always get disturbed in those locations - in the middle most things never get disturbed. It remains to be seen what happens going forward. As of now my plans are to move in 14-15 months and the 120 will be replaced with an 8x3x2 tank (?360?) - at that point i will move my stocking as it exist - add a few more loaches to increase the school sizes and change the substrate (this tank also has angels, cardinals, sterbai, few l204 and anything that got kicked out of the smaller tanks). So basically the gallons will triple and the population will go up 30% - i'll probably move the cardinals into a ram tank and put a larger tetra in with the angels - though my cardinals - some being over 30 months old - have gotten some size on them.
--
Anyway certainly the smaller loaches like zebra aren't going to muck with the plants they will greatly appreciate some dense jungle val to play in - and while my clowns have so far behaved i'm told it might not always be the case. The yoyo haven't touched the plants but i only have one i consider solid adult (the other adults jumped and the rest are younger). Btw you would need some kind of top that covers back to front (screening works) if you go with loaches - i know someone htat had a 20 year old clown jump.... the owner was not pleased.

I added around 40ish live plants from MarcusFishTanks. Mostly epiphtyes, some crypts and swords. I’m on the fence about going with loaches in the 310 now due to the thought of the plants eventually getting destroyed.

My thoughts are to start up the 90 gallon and making that a loach/barb tank. Maybe in the future I’ll eventually bring the loaches into the 310...but for now here’s a couple updated photos of the 310. I’ve have a few large Amazon swords coming that will be planted in the corners.

 

I have a planted 90 with 2 6” 6yr old clowns and they’ve never bothered the plants.
Tank looks great! Nice driftwood!! I’m still saying discus .

 

If you don't want loaches. and barbs. My vote is angels or discus. And then a ton of rams.

 

My vote is they should get the fishes they want and they should run the tank at the temp that is optimal for his chosen plants and fishes

If you don't want loaches. and barbs. My vote is angels or discus. And then a ton of rams.

 

I added around 40ish live plants from MarcusFishTanks. Mostly epiphtyes, some crypts and swords. I’m on the fence about going with loaches in the 310 now due to the thought of the plants eventually getting destroyed.

My thoughts are to start up the 90 gallon and making that a loach/barb tank. Maybe in the future I’ll eventually bring the loaches into the 310...but for now here’s a couple updated photos of the 310. I’ve have a few large Amazon swords coming that will be planted in the corners.

WOW *speechless*

 

I think a group angels would look great. Angels Plus has some beauties https://angelsplus.com/ . Also Mike's Green Bulgarian https://m.facebook.com/MikesBulgarianGreen/ has some nice looking angels. I plan to visit them both this summer.

 

I have clown, zebra and yoyo in my 120 and so far for the most part plants have not been disturbed. The tank is now 18 months old. I've been told that as the clown get old they will become harsher on plants but at this stage all is good. They do swim quite a bit at night mostly glass surfing so plants (esp in the corners) will need to be sturdy to take some disturbance - i have a large anubia in one spot that is too rigid for them to do a lot of harm but newly plants always get disturbed in those locations - in the middle most things never get disturbed. It remains to be seen what happens going forward. As of now my plans are to move in 14-15 months and the 120 will be replaced with an 8x3x2 tank (?360?) - at that point i will move my stocking as it exist - add a few more loaches to increase the school sizes and change the substrate (this tank also has angels, cardinals, sterbai, few l204 and anything that got kicked out of the smaller tanks). So basically the gallons will triple and the population will go up 30% - i'll probably move the cardinals into a ram tank and put a larger tetra in with the angels - though my cardinals - some being over 30 months old - have gotten some size on them.
--
Anyway certainly the smaller loaches like zebra aren't going to muck with the plants they will greatly appreciate some dense jungle val to play in - and while my clowns have so far behaved i'm told it might not always be the case. The yoyo haven't touched the plants but i only have one i consider solid adult (the other adults jumped and the rest are younger). Btw you would need some kind of top that covers back to front (screening works) if you go with loaches - i know someone htat had a 20 year old clown jump.... the owner was not pleased.

That will be one nice upgrade! I thought about going with that size but I didn’t want it to stick too far out into the room where I currently live. 8x3 feet is quite the footprint. Have you looked into where you will order from? I know PlanetAquariums also makes that size where I ordered mine.
I know eventually that he loaches may mess with my plants but I also know if I get them small, I can probably enjoy both for awhile. I’ll let these plants take root and we will see. Thanks for sharing your experience. I want to be persuaded into keeping my original plan which is a loach tank.

I have a planted 90 with 2 6” 6yr old clowns and they’ve never bothered the plants.
Tank looks great! Nice driftwood!! I’m still saying discus .

Hey I hear loaches and discus do just fine together. Any photos of your 90 gal set up? I bet those loaches are awesome. I feel like some how I’ll end up with both species but in what tanks, I don’t know

If you don't want loaches. and barbs. My vote is angels or discus. And then a ton of rams.

I want loaches for sure but I’m torn which tank they will end up in. By the time this tank is completely cycled I’m hoping I’ll find my way

I think a group angels would look great. Angels Plus has some beauties Angels Plus - Professional fish hatchery and vital supplies. . Also Mike's Green Bulgarian https://m.facebook.com/MikesBulgarianGreen/ has some nice looking angels. I plan to visit them both this summer.

I appreciate your advice. Not that I don’t like angels, but I want to go either discus or loaches for this set up

 

I thought PlanetAquariums did not sell to end users but perhaps i was thinking of someone else or that has changed - i can check them. My thought was to get a quote from reefsavvy ($$$$) and customaquariums ($). The likely results would be customaquariums which has a good reputation but i can double check planetaquariums. I know customaquariums do sump the sane way by having a series of cheap containers rather than have an expensive tank with dividers as most folks do them. I'm actually going with 4 tanks but the one above is the largest - the others will also be 3 feet deep but not nearly as tall or long. The other 3 will be rams, apistogramma and livebearers (though I throw apisto into the live-bearer tank to keep folks in shape and reduce the rate of frys - but to be honest they are lousy hunters). The ram tank will be mostly rams with a few pleco and the apisto tank i will take of one of two routes a bit undecided - depends a bit of specific species.

Do you have an opinion on PlanetAquariums and the tank quality? I know customaquariums claim a life time warranty but i always question of the value of these warranty since most of the cost is water damage.

That will be one nice upgrade! I thought about going with that size but I didn’t want it to stick too far out into the room where I currently live. 8x3 feet is quite the footprint. Have you looked into where you will order from? I know PlanetAquariums also makes that size where I ordered mine.
I know eventually that he loaches may mess with my plants but I also know if I get them small, I can probably enjoy both for awhile. I’ll let these plants take root and we will see. Thanks for sharing your experience. I want to be persuaded into keeping my original plan which is a loach tank.

 

Went to get I pic now but there both sleeping.

 

I have the same problem - i have 5 clowns in the 120 but they don't like sleeping in a group. 2 of them sleep together in one spot and 2 more in another and the 5th never liked the other 4

View attachment 761548Went to get I pic now but there both sleeping.View attachment 761549

 

I kinda like the customaquariums sump system. Made of HDPE which is super strong and pretty hard to break. I prefer it to a glass sump. I have a quote from them on a new tank. Haven't pulled the trigger yet.

That will be one nice upgrade! I thought about going with that size but I didn’t want it to stick too far out into the room where I currently live. 8x3 feet is quite the footprint. Have you looked into where you will order from? I know PlanetAquariums also makes that size where I ordered mine.
I know eventually that he loaches may mess with my plants but I also know if I get them small, I can probably enjoy both for awhile. I’ll let these plants take root and we will see. Thanks for sharing your experience. I want to be persuaded into keeping my original plan which is a loach tank.

Hey I hear loaches and discus do just fine together. Any photos of your 90 gal set up? I bet those loaches are awesome. I feel like some how I’ll end up with both species but in what tanks, I don’t know

I want loaches for sure but I’m torn which tank they will end up in. By the time this tank is completely cycled I’m hoping I’ll find my way

I appreciate your advice. Not that I don’t like angels, but I want to go either discus or loaches for this set up

It's a killer tank so you have a lot of options that I'm sure will look great whatever you decide.

 

I thought PlanetAquariums did not sell to end users but perhaps i was thinking of someone else or that has changed - i can check them. My thought was to get a quote from reefsavvy ($$$$) and customaquariums ($). The likely results would be customaquariums which has a good reputation but i can double check planetaquariums. I know customaquariums do sump the sane way by having a series of cheap containers rather than have an expensive tank with dividers as most folks do them. I'm actually going with 4 tanks but the one above is the largest - the others will also be 3 feet deep but not nearly as tall or long. The other 3 will be rams, apistogramma and livebearers (though I throw apisto into the live-bearer tank to keep folks in shape and reduce the rate of frys - but to be honest they are lousy hunters). The ram tank will be mostly rams with a few pleco and the apisto tank i will take of one of two routes a bit undecided - depends a bit of specific species.

Do you have an opinion on PlanetAquariums and the tank quality? I know customaquariums claim a life time warranty but i always question of the value of these warranty since most of the cost is water damage.

So I ordered my aquarium through my LFS but I looked up on planets website which stores near me that were able to do that. It’s nice because you don’t pay for shipping but you’ll have to go pick it up yourself. I know they make a tank in the dimensions that you mentioned and it’s not considered a custom size so you’d probably get a better deal there. They also have the crystalline front glass that is a low iron glass and is clearer/doesn’t have that yellow tinge to the glass. As for the quality, well I can’t attest to that just yet other than I was disappointed to find out one of the braces wasn’t square with the tank. I found that out because one of my glass tops didn’t fit so I checked the dimensions. Planet is looking into this but they are pretty slow at resolving it. You have to communicate everything through the LFS which is a pain. It’s unfortunate but it wasn’t super expensive for what you get and it’s serving it’s purpose...we ll see how it holds up. I’ve only had it for about a month so I can’t say for sure about the quality of it. As for warranties, you’re right. If the thing comes crashing down on you, the last of your worries will be the cost of replacing the tank. A tank that size will cost more damage that you can imagine and you may never trust a tank again or maybe not even worry about getting a tank for awhile since you’ll be left with the damages to repair first. I would look into a good insurance policy before putting it up if you’re really concerned...not for the tank but for the damages to your home. Sounds like you got a lot planned though. Pretty exciting stuff!

View attachment 761548Went to get I pic now but there both sleeping.View attachment 761549

Haha that’s awesome! First time I had clown loaches way back, that got me concerned when they laid on their side.

I have the same problem - i have 5 clowns in the 120 but they don't like sleeping in a group. 2 of them sleep together in one spot and 2 more in another and the 5th never liked the other 4

That’s such a bummer. They’re awesome when they school around

 

I already checked last year and there is no store near me that deals with planetaquarium. There is one guy (one man business) that is listed as their oem in my area but he only does saltwater and only orders the tanks as part of a larger setup deal (i.e, i can't just call him up to order the tank).

Are you concern that the off brace might reduce the integrity of the tank ?

The room i'm putting the tank has tile instead of wood and is above a crawlspace so a drain is added below the tile in hope that if a tank does break it will drain the water basically into the ground to contain the damage. The rest of the house has hardwood floor and while solid as oppose to engineered i would still rather it not end up flooded in water. We shall see how it works out. When I was up north i had a 40B (aqueon) split on the bottom and while only about 5 gallons actually hit the floor it still did massive ($$$$) damage. To be honest now in 18 months i've had two aqueon tanks failed on me so either i'm quite unlucky or they are not well made.
(the 2nd was a 29 and after a year water started leaking from the seams).

So I ordered my aquarium through my LFS but I looked up on planets website which stores near me that were able to do that. It’s nice because you don’t pay for shipping but you’ll have to go pick it up yourself. I know they make a tank in the dimensions that you mentioned and it’s not considered a custom size so you’d probably get a better deal there. They also have the crystalline front glass that is a low iron glass and is clearer/doesn’t have that yellow tinge to the glass. As for the quality, well I can’t attest to that just yet other than I was disappointed to find out one of the braces wasn’t square with the tank. I found that out because one of my glass tops didn’t fit so I checked the dimensions. Planet is looking into this but they are pretty slow at resolving it. You have to communicate everything through the LFS which is a pain. It’s unfortunate but it wasn’t super expensive for what you get and it’s serving it’s purpose...we ll see how it holds up. I’ve only had it for about a month so I can’t say for sure about the quality of it. As for warranties, you’re right. If the thing comes crashing down on you, the last of your worries will be the cost of replacing the tank. A tank that size will cost more damage that you can imagine and you may never trust a tank again or maybe not even worry about getting a tank for awhile since you’ll be left with the damages to repair first. I would look into a good insurance policy before putting it up if you’re really concerned...not for the tank but for the damages to your home. Sounds like you got a lot planned though. Pretty exciting stuff!

 

I already checked last year and there is no store near me that deals with planetaquarium. There is one guy (one man business) that is listed as their oem in my area but he only does saltwater and only orders the tanks as part of a larger setup deal (i.e, i can't just call him up to order the tank).

Are you concern that the off brace might reduce the integrity of the tank ?

The room i'm putting the tank has tile instead of wood and is above a crawlspace so a drain is added below the tile in hope that if a tank does break it will drain the water basically into the ground to contain the damage. The rest of the house has hardwood floor and while solid as oppose to engineered i would still rather it not end up flooded in water. We shall see how it works out. When I was up north i had a 40B (aqueon) split on the bottom and while only about 5 gallons actually hit the floor it still did massive ($$$$) damage. To be honest now in 18 months i've had two aqueon tanks failed on me so either i'm quite unlucky or they are not well made.
(the 2nd was a 29 and after a year water started leaking from the seams).

I don’t think you’re just unlucky. I have heard of aqueon tanks busting on people. Hopefully they found out the problem and have changed the way they design their tanks.

Honestly, I am not sure what to think. It hasnt stopped me from filling it up and they didn’t seem too concerned after knowing that my measurements were off ‍♂️ that is if the LFS actually forwarded the details to them. We’ll see when I hear back.

If you have a set up where you have a drain and can’t cause any damage if the tank busts, then I guess just having a warranty on the tank would be nice. I had my floors looked at by a truss engineer and had it supported and my stand design looked through by another engineer. If the tank comes down it’ll be all due to the tank itself leaking...or maybe a terrible plumbing disaster. So many bad things that can happen lol. Better check on my home insurance again

 

Honestly im loving this thread and would love to know how the tank turns out with the loaches and barbs you already have

 

Honestly im loving this thread and would love to know how the tank turns out with the loaches and barbs you already have

Thanks! Will try to post some updates once the plants grow in a little

 

Okay guys, big update!! I went to the fish swap here in Davenport, Iowa, yesterday. I went in search of discus and clown loaches. Even though we got there right when it opened, we missed out on the clown loaches BUT we found some great discus and that steered my decision to go with a discus aquarium in the 310. The 90 gallon will be my loach tank. I removed all the barbs and semi aggressive fish from the 310 that wouldn't be compatible with the discuss and they are in the basement aquariums until I get the 90 up and running.

We came back with 6 discuss, 16 rummy nose tetras and 13 cardinal tetras. We also came home with 2 golden nugget plecos and 2 panda garras from the swap!!!

I also removed the floating DW and re-scaped the tank. I'd imagine the tannins should be cleared a little after a water change without that large DW in there. Here's some updated photos. I'll try to post some photos when their color returns more...these photos were right after releasing them into their new environment.
Also plan to grab another 6 discus later on once these guys are all settled in...55 gallon will turn into a bare bottom quarantine tank for those like initially planned!!

Ps sorry for the blurry photos of the rummies. They are too quick for me to capture.

 

That’s a gorgeous tank. I love the way discus look, and i loooooooooove rummynose tetras!! they’re just so stinking cute.

 

Isn't 86 too warm for panda garra ?

 

Nice !
I would not keep the garas with the discus .
Maybe just me ?

 

Nice !
I would not keep the garas with the discus .
Maybe just me ?

Please expand on this...I would like to learn more about your concerns for their compatibility. Thanks!

 

Tank and discus look great! How big are the discus?
As to the garras I wouldn’t recommend them. Get SAE instead. The garras may try to eat the slime coat off the discus. And that could happen at any time. Tomorrow or 4 years from now.

 

Isn't 86 too warm for panda garra ?

I don't keep my 310 that warm. Mine is currently at 82.5 and has maintained that for weeks...same as the tanks they came from.

That’s a gorgeous tank. I love the way discus look, and i loooooooooove rummynose tetras!! they’re just so stinking cute.

Thank you! They have adapted fairly quickly and are schooling nicely. Will probably add some more later on!

Tank and discus look great! How big are the discus?
As to the garras I wouldn’t recommend them. Get SAE instead. The garras may try to eat the slime coat off the discus. And that could happen at any time. Tomorrow or 4 years from now.

Shoot! I've seen certain pleco species can do that, but weren't aware that garras could do the same. That will be fun trying to fish those guys out.

 

Yeah it’s pretty much any fish with that sucker mouth. I’ve even seen an Otto on one of my discus. But the garras are known for that. Also it’s funny what can adapt to the higher temp. 82 is on the low end for discus. I keep mine at 84-85. I’ve got 12 rummie noses in one of my tanks.

 

I thought folks said 86 was the prefer temp for discus - if they are healthy at 82 maybe i will go with some.

Yeah it’s pretty much any fish with that sucker mouth. I’ve even seen an Otto on one of my discus. But the garras are known for that. Also it’s funny what can adapt to the higher temp. 82 is on the low end for discus. I keep mine at 84-85. I’ve got 12 rummie noses in one of my tanks.View attachment 768712

 

I hear BN are one of the least likely to suck on discus. And I have my BN in 84 degree water, and he's thriving.

 

I’ve got bn plecos and they have not been a problem yet.
Yes Jake 82 is the bottom end for discus. But if you have a problem the first recommendation will be raise the temp.

 

Yeah, the person that I bought these guys from said there tanks are all around 82 degrees. I will probably work on getting the garras out and then I can gradually raise the temp up. Any concerns with the golden nuggets or royal pleco in yalls experience? Just curious. Haven't seen anyone having problems but I do understand that if they're a pleco, there's always potential for it latching on. Will eventually just move to small species like otos. Btw thanks for the advice.

Yeah it’s pretty much any fish with that sucker mouth. I’ve even seen an Otto on one of my discus. But the garras are known for that. Also it’s funny what can adapt to the higher temp. 82 is on the low end for discus. I keep mine at 84-85. I’ve got 12 rummie noses in one of my tanks.View attachment 768712

What kind of bottom feeders do you have with your discus?

 

I have got a few questions about that tank and other things. Why are you lucky enough to get fish swaps near you? I have never heard or seen anything like that near me. Also what is it like for water changes with my 65 using a 5 gallon bucket and hose it is a struggle what do you use to change all that water?
Also nice dog btw

 

To the garras I’d just leave them. If there’s a problem down the road deal with it than. It’s not guaranteed they will go after the discus. Oh and they change color to a darkish green when they mature. For clean up fish I have in one tank 4 ottos and 12 sterbai corys. In the other I have a bn pleco,4 ottos and 9 bronze corys. Oh and 2 SAE in each tank. Many different plecos used in discus tanks. All good till it looks like your discus has ring worm .
Yeah the swap meet sounds like a great deal. I’m in NY and never heard of that.

 

Yeah I am in NY too we never get the cool stuff

 

To the garras I’d just leave them. If there’s a problem down the road deal with it than. It’s not guaranteed they will go after the discus. Oh and they change color to a darkish green when they mature. For clean up fish I have in one tank 4 ottos and 12 sterbai corys. In the other I have a bn pleco,4 ottos and 9 bronze corys. Oh and 2 SAE in each tank. Many different plecos used in discus tanks. All good till it looks like your discus has ring worm .
Yeah the swap meet sounds like a great deal. I’m in NY and never heard of that.

Oh shoot how did it get ring worm? And yes, I was very lucky to be able to go to this swap. It is almost a dream if you're into the fish keeping. Capped out at 80 vendors and some of the most interesting fish and best prices I've ever seen. All healthy fish from breeders and store owners from the Midwest. Plants, shrimp, DW, aquariums...you name it and it's there!

 

The best stuff I get is the occasional Mom and Pop fish store but there is only one by me. Other than that we got petco and pet smart

 

I have got a few questions about that tank and other things. Why are you lucky enough to get fish swaps near you? I have never heard or seen anything like that near me. Also what is it like for water changes with my 65 using a 5 gallon bucket and hose it is a struggle what do you use to change all that water?
Also nice dog btw

Lol I am lucky. I've moved around and this is the first time that I have been close enough to attend one. And by close I mean I still drove 2 hours to get there and then returned in a winter storm another 2 hrs back. Well worth it. I wouldn't be surprised if there are some close to you though...there is only one LFS near me and I just happen to hear from them about it. Otherwise, I really don't have any place to buy fish and they don't carry anything like discus or other exotic fish.

As far as water changes go, are you aging your water? I don't age my water. I don't do more than 25% water changes at a time if I can help it. I use a python to siphon water from the tank straight to my sink. I use Seachem safe and treat my entire system with it prior to adding water even though I have a softener and chlorine remover from the tap. Pretty easy without the buckets. I'd recommend it if you have a close enough sink that will work and you can control the water temp.

 

Lol I am lucky. I've moved around and this is the first time that I have been close enough to attend one. And by close I mean I still drove 2 hours to get there and then returned in a winter storm another 2 hrs back. Well worth it. I wouldn't be surprised if there are some close to you though...there is only one LFS near me and I just happen to hear from them about it. Otherwise, I really don't have any place to buy fish and they don't carry anything like discus or other exotic fish.

As far as water changes go, are you aging your water? I don't age my water. I don't do more than 25% water changes at a time if I can help it. I use a python to siphon water from the tank straight to my sink. I use Seachem safe and treat my entire system with it prior to adding water even though I have a softener and chlorine remover from the tap. Pretty easy without the buckets. I'd recommend it if you have a close enough sink that will work and you can control the water temp.

Maybe I am luckier than I thought. But yeah I use buckets. I might have to look into treating the water for now I just use chlorine remover. I wish I had a sink close to my tank but I live in my parents house and only have my tank in my room and no bathrooms near enough. I can’t wait until I do college and that and get my own house so I can finally have the fish room of my dream. Living under someone else with limited room sucks but someday my basement is gonna be the fish crib of the century.

 

Yeah I am in NY too we never get the cool stuff

Ain’t it amazing!! Biggest city and it’s hard to even find a fish club. Car clubs there everywhere!! Fish not so much. It just shows how few actually keep fish.

 

Ain’t it amazing!! Biggest city and it’s hard to even find a fish club. Car clubs there everywhere!! Fish not so much. It just shows how few actually keep fish.

We are a rare breed but we one of the strongest breeds. How many car people do you see helping each other? But for real the fish keeping community is smaller than we would like to think.

 

What part of NY? I’m on the island with city water and my water is great . I change 50% on one tank every other day and on the other every 2 days. Once a week on community tanks. I go from the tap through an under counter filter than into the tanks. Nothing added. I do carry buckets when draining. I’ve got cherry shrimp with the discus so I’m always looking for the little ones that get siphoned out.