Big tank, small fish. Basil’s 40 breeder to 75 upgrade

Finally getting around to starting a build thread for the circa 1994 75 g that my friend gave me a few years ago. The thread title is from StarGirl who has joked about those of us who like our small fish lol!
Leak tested the tank when j got it and again before I brought it into the house. No issues. The silicone is in good shape also.
I’ll be upgrading all the fish from my one 40 breeder plus adding some more.
Current 40 b stock is 7 dwarf chain loaches (I plan to double that number), 12 brilliant rasboras, and one SAE.
I was thinking of adding a school of harlequin rasboras to the 75 but I haven’t decided. My LFS gal said that she hasn’t been happy with the lack of hardiness of the harlequins lately so I may just increase the school of brilliant rasboras. I’ve actually been very impressed with them.
So the sand is in. The “stream” is a mix of blasting sand and pea gravel that I had in my 10 g bedroom build that I pulled down.
The rest of the sand is PFS.
This is going to be an easy care planted tank with tons of Java fern and anubias attached and wedged into the rocks and wood. I’ll probably just float water wisteria trimmed out of my 20 g.
Rocks are landscape River rocks from Home Depot and the wood is well seasoned cherry and ash from my farm where we don’t use herbicides, pesticides, or even salt on the driveway!
So I played around with hard scape placement today and kind of like this. Definitely needs another piece of wood in the left corner. But otherwise, I like it.

 

Yay! It looks great! I love my littles!

 

Been a while lol! Been busy with my new horsey.
Finally got the wood attached to some slate and filled the tank tonight.
As I figured, the largest piece of wood is floating at one end since I only attached the other end to slate and a smallish piece at that. Oh well, it will sink.
I filled the tank with my well water and not the remineralized RO water I use for my regular tank water as I just want to rinse everything a few times.
I also wanted to filter it a bit but didn’t want to set up the Fluval 407 yet. The tank came with an Aquaclear 500 and a 300. They sat for quite a few years since my friend never set up the tank before she gave it to me and I’ve had it sitting for 2 years.
Well, I washed off the 500 and put it on the tank with the sponge that was still in it (and wasn’t falling apart) and added some filter floss in it…and it started right up and is running completely silent. Wow. Kudos to the old Aquaclears for sure!
Anyone want to guess how long it will take me to start adding plants lol!
Oops, a between the ears picture snuck in lol!

 

Inside and outside adventures! The tank looks like it is off to a good start and look forward to seeing what you do next with it.

 

You know I will hook you up at some point! Looks good so far!

 

The thread title is from StarGirl who has joked about those of us who like our small fish lol!

Yay! It looks great! I love my littles!

Consider me a part of this club as well. Have a membership fee for entry?

I was just on my own tank thread discussing the possibility of upgrading my current 29 gallon community of small fish to a 75 gallon giant community of small fish. A big school of small fish in a large aquascape cannot be beat aesthetics wise!


I am looking forward to seeing what will become of your new tank friend!

 

You know I will hook you up at some point! Looks good so far!

Thanks! Still deciding how exactly to do the plants but the Vals are a certainty.

Consider me a part of this club as well. Have a membership fee for entry?

Oohhhh, yes, I should start a “small fish” club and charge membership to help pay for my fish obsession.
Thanks for the idea!

 

Good Luck!

 

Watching!

Small fish for the win! I love ours too

 

I may just have this finished by June of this year which is a year longer than I thought it would take
Planted a few StarGirl vals in the other 75 and used almost all the rest doing a “stream side” val grove in this 75. The “island” is all Java fern with one val just to tie the two “stream banks” together.
I’m totally aware that all the sand will probably end up mixing. But that’s ok
As soon as that big log in the front sinks, I’ll plant the other side. Plan to do mostly anubias and some more Java fern.
And, I currently have six new dwarf chain loaches in quarantine.

 

Added some anubias. I kind of like mostly Java fern on the right, the val grove next to the stream and mostly anubias on the left.
This is not the final scape.
I need to find a heavy rock to hold that big piece of wood down on its right end and then I can add the river rocks back in and arrange the anubias on the left side. I also want to get the Fluval 407 set up at some point. But it’s coming along!

 

I really like the look you're gone for! Glad to see it's coming along - these things always seem to take longer than planned.

 

Definitely have plant moving to do. But I put a rock on the front wood to hold it down. So this picture is closer to the final scape.

 

Chugging along lol!
Had some anubias rot which I’ve never experienced before. But the Vals and Java fern are doing good so who knows.
Finally got the Fluval 407 hooked up. It’s a really sweet filter. So much nicer than my Fluval 406.
Pretty sure the tank has cycled to my pest snail load. Been testing at 0/0.25 ammonia (the reading I get in all my tanks) 0 nitrites and somewhere between 5-10 nitrates.
I have one more deworming that I plan to do on the sidthimunkis in quarantine and then I’ll move them in.
Once they’re settled. I’ll move all the fish from the 40 breeder, the few plants that I’m saving, and all the filter material.

 

All ready for the first fish tomorrow!!
Going to head up to my northern LFS to get a few more Brilliant rasbora and some pennywort for the other 40. Both are supposed to be in stock.
I’ll just quarantine the rasbora in here and in a week or two, I’ll add the new Sids from their quarantine.
Then from the 40 that I’m going to take down, I’ll move the whole fish gang (brilliant rasboras, Sid’s, and SAE) filter media from the hang on back filter, and sponge filter, a few rocks and plants and cross my fingers lol!

 

Cant wait to see it up in full action!

 

Basil Beautiful tank as-is but a bigger tank is always better

 

Basil Beautiful tank as-is but a bigger tank is always better

I was contemplating a 125. But I decided it’s just too difficult for me to work in.
So two 75s will have to suffice!

 

I want to go down a size.... lol Without a python or pipes to support it my 55g is a chore.

 

I want to go down a size.... lol Without a python or pipes to support it my 55g is a chore.

Yeah, the python is wonderful! Although since I don’t refill with my well water, it’s a bit of a chore to wheel the Brute to each tank to fill. But I have a system lol!
And I recently got a larger pond pump so filling the 75s takes half the time it used to.

 

I try to convince my husband of the Brute for waterchanges, unfortunately he is the opinion that the water will slush all over the place. What kind of gl/min pump are you using?

 

I try to convince my husband of the Brute for waterchanges, unfortunately he is the opinion that the water will slush all over the place. What kind of gl/min pump are you using?

I only slosh when I’m getting it out of the “fish water room” (umm, the room that used to be a bathroom. ) because hubby had not removed the stupid piece of wood that the previous owner put at the door jam.
The pump is a bit over 400 gph. Can’t remember the exact number. I got it off Amazon. I use a 44 g Brute for the RO/DI and pump it into 32 g Brutes on wheels to remineralize, aerate and heat. Then wheel to each tank.

 

Current state of the tank.

 

Last weekend, I moved over all the filter media, sponge filter, most plants and rocks, and the fish from the 40 b.
So stocking is now 16 rasbora borapetensis (brilliant rasbora), 13 dwarf chain loaches, and one SAE.
I love it!

 

Current picture of the tank. The Java fern are definitely melting (I’m probably the only one who melts Java fern lol!) but the babies are growing well so I keep tucking babies here and there. All the crypts transitioned from the 40 to here with nary a leaf melt. Yay!
I started out with ludwegia ovalis in the terra cotta pot but it didn’t grow. So I just stuck two Vals in there yesterday. The guppy grass has a mind if it’s own lol!

 

Java fern/moss doesn't like me either. The guppy grass hasn't taken over the world yet......lol