75 Gallon Office Aquarium - Planning the tank

I have been wanting to do an office aquarium for a while and we recently finished some renovations (painting, new carpet, etc) that required us to move everything out of the office for a few weeks. Now that we are moving things back in, we have decided to not just put everything back in the same location it has been in for the last 15-20 years. This has allowed us to keep about 10 feet of open wall space between 2 desks. It looks like a 75 gallon aquarium is 48” and would fit nicely.

I am look at starting with the Marineland Majesty 75 gallon tank and stand from Petsmart (I can pick it up locally and save shipping) and a Fluval FX-4. Still looking at lighting, heaters, substrate and other items. I will be asking more about them.

To me, the equipment is easier to research and narrow down than the living side of the aquarium. Planning the fish and plants I feel like I’m going “that’s cool”, “that’s pretty”, “that looks neat” and have a jumble of random things that may not be compatible. Hopefully asking some questions will help me focus.

I like the look of natural plants in a tank. I am planning to plant more for aesthetics than to plant the whole tank, if thats possible. I’m thinking about some shrimp (Ghost & Cherry) because I think “they will look cool” and can do some light cleaning. I like the looks of Rams, Killifish and Gourami’s but I don’t know if they are shrimp-safe. Maybe a centerpiece Angel? Will small schools of Tetras, Guppies or Rasboras live well with another small school of one of the others or is if better to just have one type of schooling fish?

I hope this is not to open ended and rambling. Any advice and recommendations are greatly appreciated, I’m completely new to this and want to start off right.

 

I want to do a 75 gallon as my next tank, and I agree that the possibilities are endless. Check out

And

 

Angels need to be in schools 4+ to prevent aggression/loneliness. You can have multiple schools, it is always better to have one big school but you can have multiple smaller ones. May I suggest discus, they come in every color variation possible and could work well with rams. Maybe this stocking:
6 Discus
2 ram pairs, or 2 male rams
25 tetras (You pick, but I believe they have to be bigger so they won't get eaten by the discus), so like lemons or something like that.

Most Killifish are coldwater fish and can't live with rams, and especially not angelfish and rams. Other suggestions that look cool, yellow lab cichlids, or possibly one single flowerhorn (I am not completely for sure if you can do this in a 75g, and no plants with these guys I believe), betta sorority they always look beautiful, or some other cichlids.

 

Unless the office is in your house and you plan on cleaning the tank every other day. Don’t do Discus . Also if an outside the house office a hob filter would be better and much cheaper. A marineland 350 or a tidal 110 are both good choices and easily cleaned. The fx4 is a great filter but for me just too much for a 75g. My 75 has a marineland and a filtered powerhead. If you go this way look up the price of the marineland on line. I got it for $27 earlier this year. Just show petsmart the online price and they will match it. Now you’ve saved $150 on the filter so go out and buy a good light .

 

With a 75g, yeah your options are endless. I personally like hob filters for their ease, cost, and water agitation. Thou their biggest con is noise so is the office ready for some background humming or water splashing? Not to scare you off and I don't know your experience but setting up a tank isn't cheap. Its a exciting ride with highs and lows and a hit on that bank account.

 

Thanks for the replies and feedback. This will be in a brick and mortar printing business, the production department created plenty of background noise, so humming and splashing will hardly be noticed. I thought the HOB filters were for smaller tanks. I didn't know they would work sufficiently on a 75 gallon, but if you guys recommend them I will give one a try and save some money for something else. I just checked Petsmart and the Marineland Penguin 350B HOB filter is on sale right now for $28. I will try to go by and grab one tomorrow.

86 ssinit - You mentioned a good light. I have been looking at the Nicrew Classic LED Plus. Any thoughts on it or other lights I should look into.

Mosin360 - I have noticed while researching that all the pieces add up quickly. I have budgeted $1,000 to $1,250 to get a tank up and running.

 

That’s such a great deal on that filter. I’m running 3 of them now. Thing is you have to mod it to get more out of it. I get rid of the cartridge and replace it with a cut peice of medium sheet sponge 3/4” thick. That goes in the back where the cartridge was. In front of that a put a 4”x2” bag of media (matrix,bio-home....). This works great and just needs to be rinsed out in water change water whenever your changing water. Last for years! And if you want to extra clean just add polyfill above the media .

For lighting I use the vivagrow. 4 years now without a problem. I’ve got at least 6 of them. Just can’t beat the price.

 

None of what you mention is shrimp safe. If you want shrimp, you'll need to pick the tiniest fish. If you want a center piece cichlid, then you will need to pick the company from bigger species and give up on shrimp. You could start with shrimp and when they reach hundreds, you can try adding small cichlids, with the understanding that shrimp will be live food, and the hope that they will breed faster than they are prayed on.

 

I love Nicrew lights and marineland and 350 filters. Solid choices.

 

Can't go wrong with Marineland Filters and Nicrew Lights. Marineland 350s are my go to. I would consider perhaps putting a sponge filter in there as well. I'm a big fan of overfiltering.

I bought a Nicrew SkyLED and LoVE it!! I've heard so many great reviews of Nicrew lights.

For a heater, I got a VivoSun one a few months ago and couldn't be happier with it. A couple of features that I really like is that it has a temp reading on it, so you can see the digital temp in the tank. It also has a controller on the outside of the tank that you can use to set the temp. Cost for a 200 watt was $23, a 300 watt is just a couple of bucks more.

 

Sponge filters can be bought very cheap and are shrimp safe. But as mentioned above the fish aren't shrimp safe.

 

That is a good and healthy budget. Sounds like you got that background noise already so rock on. In regards to what fish, I am hopeful that you have some local stores you can go check out their stock and see what catches your eye. Make note of the names that you like and do some research.

 

I haven't read anywhere here about what type of substrate you are planning on for your new 75 gallon tank. Substrate should be your very first consideration, especially for a planted tank. I made my own aquasoil with a pea gravel and sand cap and my plants are doing great. You can get by without using some type of aquasoil and only using an inert substrate, but then you should plan on using lots of good liquid fertilizers like Thrive.

FYI I believe that HOB filters are not suitable for a 75 gallon, in that case you would have to be running at least two but even more would be better. But then the HOB would take up a lot of tank space on the back causing you to have to plan around them. And having so many would turn into just as much work taking care of them as one good canister filter. With a canister filter you would only have to deal with an intake and a return line, which will not take up so much real estate on the back of your tank.

You can also do what I did and run a small canister filter inline with a large one, that way you would not have to clean the larger one so often. The smaller canister will make an easier job of cleaning during water changes.

 

I haven't read anywhere here about what type of substrate you are planning on for your new 75 gallon tank. Substrate should be your very first consideration, especially for a planted tank. I made my own aquasoil with a pea gravel and sand cap and my plants are doing great. You can get by without using some type of aquasoil and only using an inert substrate, but then you should plan on using lots of good liquid fertilizers like Thrive.

FYI I believe that HOB filters are not suitable for a 75 gallon, in that case you would have to be running at least two but even more would be better. But then the HOB would take up a lot of tank space on the back causing you to have to plan around them. And having so many would turn into just as much work taking care of them as one good canister filter. With a canister filter you would only have to deal with an intake and a return line, which will not take up so much real estate on the back of your tank.

You can also do what I did and run a small canister filter inline with a large one, that way you would not have to clean the larger one so often. The smaller canister will make an easier job of cleaning during water changes.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with the maintenance side of HOBs. Other than occasionally rinsing out the sponge or cartridge in tank water, there is very little maintenance. I actually have more to maintain with my sponge filters with cleaning the tubes and disconnecting/reconnecting the air lines (which are always slippery and hard to do) than the HOBs.

When I had a canister filter (Sunsun 302, which looks like yours), it was a mess. I had to clean that often, which meant disassembling it, cleaning out, repriming, etc. And then, it developed a leak and got water all over my floor. I've heard horror stories of someone coming home from work to an empty tank and water all over the floor.

This is just my experience and some of the horror stories. I'm sure there are horror stories for HOBs too, so I'd say take our feedback with a grain of salt. Just like how one person can keep a fish and it's the most peaceful and calm fish ever, and then another keeps the same fish and it terrorizes everyone...everyone has different experiences.

 

And here I am disagreeing about the ease of hob filters compared to sponge filters. All my tanks have sponge filters and my biggest tank, a 55 gallon, also has hob filters, which it needs because the tank is over stocked for numerous reasons. The sponge filters are a piece of cake, every here and there, about once a month, I remove the sponge and rinse them in aquarium water. I've never had to remove the air line or even move the filter, the sponges just slip off. On the other hand, the hob require either rinsing or replacing the filter cartridge at least once a week. But I will admit to the fact that hob filters have many beneficial qualities so will continue to use them in the 55 gallon.

That being said, I am so envious of you, I would love to have a 75 gallon, so many possibilities.

The most important thing you can do is to test your water as far as ph, gh, and kh. Once you do that, research fish that are able to handle your water. Yes you can always do things to adjust your water, but take it from someone who has done that, it is far easier to just embrace your water than do all the work to change it, makes your fish keeping experience far more enjoyable. Since I have done that, my tank care is more therapy than just another job to get done.

From there, do research to decide what fish and plants not only strike your fancy, but also thrive in your water prams and tank size. A 75 gallon gives you so many options, now it's up to you to explore those options.

 

And here I am disagreeing about the ease of hob filters compared to sponge filters. All my tanks have sponge filters and my biggest tank, a 55 gallon, also has hob filters, which it needs because the tank is over stocked for numerous reasons. The sponge filters are a piece of cake, every here and there, about once a month, I remove the sponge and rinse them in aquarium water. I've never had to remove the air line or even move the filter, the sponges just slip off. On the other hand, the hob require either rinsing or replacing the filter cartridge at least once a week. But I will admit to the fact that hob filters have many beneficial qualities so will continue to use them in the 55 gallon.

That being said, I am so envious of you, I would love to have a 75 gallon, so many possibilities.

The most important thing you can do is to test your water as far as ph, gh, and kh. Once you do that, research fish that are able to handle your water. Yes you can always do things to adjust your water, but take it from someone who has done that, it is far easier to just embrace your water than do all the work to change it, makes your fish keeping experience far more enjoyable. Since I have done that, my tank care is more therapy than just another job to get done.

From there, do research to decide what fish and plants not only strike your fancy, but also thrive in your water prams and tank size. A 75 gallon gives you so many options, now it's up to you to explore those options.

I will give you that in most scenarios, sponge filters are somewhat easier. I actually have a sponge filter in all but one of my eight tanks. Every one of them (various different models) require me to disconnect the line in order to get the sponge off to then squeeze in my water. And I always seem to have wet, fish-water hands that makes it difficult. It's splitting hairs really though because I'm talking such a small amount of time to do so with most of them. So the true point is that they are super easy and we agree on that!

I think the entire rest of your post is spot on! It's really about what the OP likes and wants to do.

 

HOB is fine and sponge filters are always a good choice. But for my 55 gallon I decided to go with a canister filter setup as in the picture of my previous post. I had two HOB on my 29 gallon and had problems with them. Over time the HOB,s needed serious cleaning inside the tubes, the motor started rattling and making horrible loud noise. HOB can only contain a small amount of bio-media and it my opinion not enough bio-media to properly to take care of a the needs of a larger tank. If I was going to use HOB for my 55 gallon I was planning on using three of them.

In my house I set both canister filters inside a large plastic tub, and I drilled a hole just below the water line on the intake of the canister filter. So if one does start leaking the plasitc tub will catch the water and when it drops below the hole in the intake the canister will start sucking air and loose prime.

 

Just want to throw in the suggestion of a rainbow fish tank! Colourful and plant safe.

 

HOB is fine and sponge filters are always a good choice. But for my 55 gallon I decided to go with a canister filter setup as in the picture of my previous post. I had two HOB on my 29 gallon and had problems with them. Over time the HOB,s needed serious cleaning inside the tubes, the motor started rattling and making horrible loud noise. HOB can only contain a small amount of bio-media and it my opinion not enough bio-media to properly to take care of a the needs of a larger tank. If I was going to use HOB for my 55 gallon I was planning on using three of them.

In my house I set both canister filters inside a large plastic tub, and I drilled a hole just below the water line on the intake of the canister filter. So if one does start leaking the plasitc tub will catch the water and when it drops below the hole in the intake the canister will start sucking air and loose prime.

That's a pretty impressive solution to that and one that my mind is not equipped to have come up with on my own! I've tried to get my canister to work several times, because I do like the concept and how they are silent. But if it's not leaking (which I've still never figured out), it's the priming/sealing difficulties, or the media getting dirty and gunky. I just gave up.

I'll leave it at that so as not to hijack the OP's thread as we probably can just agree to disagree since we've had positive experiences with one type and negative with the other. But it's still good conversation for them and others to hear about...and I appreciate learning more too!!

 

I'm going to respectfully disagree with the maintenance side of HOBs. Other than occasionally rinsing out the sponge or cartridge in tank water, there is very little maintenance. I actually have more to maintain with my sponge filters with cleaning the tubes and disconnecting/reconnecting the air lines (which are always slippery and hard to do) than the HOBs.

When I had a canister filter (Sunsun 302, which looks like yours), it was a mess. I had to clean that often, which meant disassembling it, cleaning out, repriming, etc. And then, it developed a leak and got water all over my floor. I've heard horror stories of someone coming home from work to an empty tank and water all over the floor.

This is just my experience and some of the horror stories. I'm sure there are horror stories for HOBs too, so I'd say take our feedback with a grain of salt. Just like how one person can keep a fish and it's the most peaceful and calm fish ever, and then another keeps the same fish and it terrorizes everyone...everyone has different experiences.

I can understand the pros and cons of both filter types. I love how simple it is the maintain my Aquaclear 20 for my 10 gal. Take the tray out, rinse/replace filter material, rinse biomedia if needed (in tank water OC) and then insert. I also love how quiet my Eheim Pro 4+ 600 is. And I love how much media and customization is possible. I don't really see the same thing with an AC110.

Having said that, the AC110 does have a higher turnover rate per hour.

What I don't like about the HOB's is the fact that the inflow is right next to the outflow. And unless you extend the inflow, I don't find it really pull that deep layer of water: one of the reasons why they also have a higher output IMO.

Canister filters come with their own set of issues: namely the fact that the "priming" function is total bull****. After I clear the canister, I have to suck on the inflow to get it going. The priming button does nothing. I have my outflow above water level, the priming tray is empty and my tubes are have only as much slack as necessary. It's annoying but I'm learning to love the taste of tank water. C'est la vie.

Regardless, I've had less than fun experiences with both types but having had a canister filter, I'd rather have the available customization with lily pipes, external heater, large media capacity and flexibility with flow. Ask me again if I have a significant failure but I've also used pipe clamps where applicable just for peace of mind.

 

I really appreciate the viewpoints and the debate on the filter. I love hearing the pros and con of the filtering options. My original research had me thinking a canister was the way to go for the best filtration but they are pricey, the HOB option was not really one I had considered before posting. I like the price savings if a HOB provides enough filtration. I'm still going back and forth between the two, so keep the recommendation coming.

barbiespoodle - I had not thought about testing my water before hand and narrowing fish options that way. I like that simple approach to keeping the fish healthy and happy long term. Will the free water testing at Petsmart give ph, gh and kh, if I take in a sample of the tap water from the office? Speaking of water testing, is the API master kit the way to go or are there better options.

Utar- I have looking mostly at equipment, so I can watch for good prices as we go into the black friday, cyber monday Christmas season. I have been reading a bit on the blasting sand at a substrate but it sounds like people either love it or hate it, not much middle ground. I would like to know how you made yours or any recommendations on substrates.

Mazeus - I had not heard of rainbow fish but they are very colorful. Are the good beginner fish or are they aggressive or hard to car for? I will start looking into them and keep them as an option.

 

I'm going to throw in another option, a hack I learned for hob filters. Instead of using the premade filter cartridges, I replaced them with a very course grade filter pad, actually a pond filter pad cut to size.

First my hob filters are marineland bio wheels, one uses one filter cartridge, the other uses two. I'm saying this because I did this hack in stages to allow my tank time to adjust.

I started with replacing just one filter cartridge, gave that time to collect beneficial bacteria, then replaced another, waited, replace the third. In the end I got the best of both worlds, the better part of hob filters and the better part of sponge filters. Added bonus, minus the expense of the premade filter cartridges.

When I started this experiment, the water wasn't as clear as I'm use to so put in some activated carbon in some ladies hose, but once things got balanced, I was able to remove that and the water is crystal clear. Now every few weeks, I remove the filter pads, rinse them and so far it hasn't impeded the water flow of the hob filters, those little bio wheels still spin like crazy and I get the surface water movement I want.

So far this experiment is working in my overstocked 55 gallon, great water prams and crystal clear water.

Also, I must have a different sponge filters than you Leeman. My sponges just slide off without having to disconnect anything. My biggest problem is making sure I get all the shrimp and shrimp babies off before I do.

 

I have also modified my 350s. I watched a video on modifying HOBs and I took their idea to get the sponges like Aquaclears have and replace the cartridges with those. I have done so and added some poly-fil to floss and it works really well and increases the surface area quite significantly.

As for the sponge filters...here are pictures of the two models that I have in multiple tanks. For both, you have to take the line off to pull the sponge off the top. The white home-made ones are harder because you have to take the curved PVC part off, which is really slippery.

 

I have decided to stock the tank with Rainbow fish (Great suggestion Mazeus). The bright colors and peaceful nature are what I am looking for. I'm still figuring out the varieties and quantities of each but I have some time. I'm thinking some YoYo loaches for the bottom and some type of guppies or tetras to round out the tank

I picked up the Marineland 350 HOB on sale last weekend and am waiting/watching for the other equipment to go on sale over the next month or so. I like the idea of modifying it with the sponges and still need to watch the video of doing it.

I am debating building a stand vs buying the tank/stand as a package. They look pretty straight forward to build and I am handy enough to build one.

 

I like the idea of modifying it with the sponges and still need to watch the video of doing it.

Here is how I do it. All you have to do is fill it with bio-rings, they are the best so I would completely fill it with that, except for where it puts the water back in the tank. Put sponges there so it catches debris. But there is no special tricks except, put sponges a output. The rest you can stuff full of any kind of media you can think of, it doesn't really matter, but bio-rings are the best. And on top of all of it put a sponge so if the water level raises the debris is still caught by the sponge, and since the 4th side is no longer there at that point you can't put bio rings etc. Also if it is always raised above that, there is a little extra filtration.

Here is a short video.

Hmm it is not playing.

Here are just some pics.

 

I'm going by PetCo to pick up the tank tonight and I'm going to build a stand for it the next couple of weekends. While tanks are on sale and I'm going to be there anyway, what size tank do you recommend for a quarantine tank? Is a 10 enough or should it be bigger?

 

I'm going by PetCo to pick up the tank tonight and I'm going to build a stand for it the next couple of weekends. While tanks are on sale and I'm going to be there anyway, what size tank do you recommend for a quarantine tank? Is a 10 enough or should it be bigger?

Considering that you may end up medicating the QT, a 10g might be better, but if you tend to get bigger fish then 20g would be safer. Get both if you can.

 

Lol get both!! Someone want to share their mts . Yes a 10 will be fine or a 15. Good luck on project!

 

Thanks for the recommendations. I'm not sure all three would fit in the car.

I didn't know there was a 15. I will see if they have one and split the difference between the two sizes.