Big Tank Upgrade! Plus New Addition!

Okay FishLore,

Today, as this very moment. I have decided, from writing a previous thread, about upgrading my betta to a larger tank. This is going to be very great, and beneficial for him. He will love the new home, and merely feel like he never left, but just got a major expansion. Before I can actually put this into action, I have things to consider beforehand. That’s why I need your help, for the decisions on various importances.

Planting: I am going to use artificial decor, because I am tired of live plants, and the hassle that comes along with them. Decorating heavily with artificial decor will be easier, and look really natural. Because I don’t fancy any decor with colors such as: Red, Blue, Yellow, Orange, and Purple. I am doing plants just densely together, to create a boundary from one side of the tank, to the other. Although they will both be accessible, by the living inhabitants inside.

Tankmates: Since there aren’t many options of actual “fish” for a 10g, with a betta fish living there. I have decided, and from the other opinions from a couple Forum Members, that shrimp will be the best. This is the only reason I want to plant densely to allow the shrimp to have their own space to hide, and eat in peace behind the heavy planting.

I’ve decided I wanted sand in my new tank, because it makes the tank look so natural. I’m going to get a more course kind, so it have more texture.

My imagination of this tank, is seeing in my room, in front of the window, and seeing dense plants, with my betta flying around. Then viewing the shrimp, hiding below the underbrush of the dense plants. I can’t simply wait long enough to get this bought, and set up. Well, I only have a week or so left of school, so I’ll be free for the Summer, and be able to make all this happen!

As for the filtration, I want to get a filter good enough to support the tank, and clean it nice enough. Not get one that barely moves the entire tank in an hour, and doesn’t do much effective work on it. What do you guys think, about which brands are best to get, and what size? I’m going to disregard the cartridge in the filter, and use a think bag, filled wit ceramic media, and insert it into the filter. That way, the bacteria can grow, and cycle the tank easier.

Tell me what guys think, and give as much suggestions as possible!

Calling: BottomDweller TexasDomer Anders247 CindiL

 

Sounds good!

For shrimp and bettas, I like sponge filters. If you wanted something with customizable media, look into corner filters that are air driven. I can include some links if you'd like!

 

He's gonna be a happy boy in a bigger tank. I've kept ghost shrimp with males and never had a problem. Live plants will be appreciated by both the betta and shrimp. I've also kept mystery snails with a betta also.

 

Sounds good!

For shrimp and bettas, I like sponge filters. If you wanted something with customizable media, look into corner filters that are air driven. I can include some links if you'd like!

Sure! Go ahead with the links! I prefer the sponge filters too!

 

He's gonna be a happy boy in a bigger tank.

Yes he is! I cannot wait for this!

 

I don't know if you're in the US, so I don't want to suggest specific sites, but there are a variety of sponge filter shapes that would work:


And the corner filter I was referring to:

 

I don't know if you're in the US, so I don't want to suggest specific sites, but there are a variety of sponge filter shapes that would work:
sponge filter - Google Search

And the corner filter I was referring to:

I am in the US, but thanks for doing such!

Thanks for the links! I have decided I'd rather get a sponge filter!

What kind of food do I need to feed the amanos?

 

The best thing is, when I have no apparent use for my 2.5g. I decided that I can give it to my brother, and he can get his own betta.

 

I feed my Amanos a range of things - small pellets, flakes, veggies, and frozen foods. Shrimp don't eat much, so I feed them sparingly and only one type of food at a time.

 

What kind of food do I need to feed the amanos?

I feed my amanos algae wafers or shrimp pellets once or twice a week. I've tried vegetables but they didn't touch them. They've got plenty of algae to snack on but they never seem to eat any.

 

I feed my amanos algae wafers or once or twice a week. I've tried vegetables but they didn't touch them. They've got plenty of algae to snack on but they never seem to eat any.

Sounds good! I have wafers, and those things.

Like I said in a post before, I'd rather have this tank, instead of it being fully stocked. I'd rather have room to grow on.

 

I know you're going to go with a sponge filter but just thought I'd mention that I have this aqueon internal filter that I really like in my betta tank:



It has an adjustable flow plus an adjustable outflow so I aI'm it towards the side of the tank. It keeps my tank really clean. I replaced the blue plastic "biogrid" with filter floss.

I have lots of cherry shrimp with my boy and cherry and amano shrimp with my sorority. Any betta will happily eat the fry so it is important you have a good place for them to hide. I would consider at least some moss like Christmas moss or other for the fry to hide in. They also eat the micro organisms that live in the live plants along with algae.

 

That's interesting. I'll see what I can find.

 

Hey guys,

So I recently got an 80 gallon tank, with the stand, two filters/pumps and an old heater. It’s also got an old lamp and hood (and by the looks of it, very old). My current tank is a 30 gal, so it’s a decent upgrade.

I want to get this one set up with a really nice aquascape, so I’m planning on taking my time and doing it right. Can’t wait to get it up and running!

So I’ve got a few questions:

1) should I reseal it? The sealant has some blackish looking build up on it, not sure if that’s an issue. And if so, is it difficult to do? I’ve attached two example pics

2) should I keep the filters? There big ones, but they’re filthy - I’ve attached pictures so you guys can see, would be quite an undertaking to fully clean. Also, same goes for the heater which looks pretty old- so asking if I should keep that as well. A plus is that I got a big jar of carbon pellets and bio bags that are compatible with them, so it would save me money to use them.

3) Does anyone know of a good fine substrate for plants? I have eco complete in my 30 but I’m looking for something less pebbley if possible for this one.

4) lights and cover— reccommendations on a good cheap cover and light that would let me get some carpeting going.

5) last but not least— I’ve had to treat my 30 gal for camallanus last week with Charles’ help and some Levamisole. All my fish are now rid of the worms and are healthy as ever, but I’m going to treat again in two weeks just in case any eggs were in the tank. Because of this, do you think it’s a risk to transport the old fish into the tank, as well as the plants or should they be fine?

As always, appreciate you guys and your advice!

 

going from a 30 to an 80 gallon tank is great!

I started with a 20g, then stepped up to a 75g. Huge difference, although I still like my originally 20 gallon the same.

question # 2: for the filter, that looks like it's in rough shape. You could attempt to clean it with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and a lot of time and effort. With the outside looking so rough, I am more concerned with how the impeller and shaft looks!

For $26 a piece online, you could get a new Penguin 350 HOB filter (). If it's in your budget, get 2 and fill both up with these sponges () and bags of either Seachem Matrix () or Fluval Bio-Max ().

My advice on the heater is to buy a new one. The upfront cost of a new heater is excellent insurance against an old and unknown heater that could malfunction and decide not to turn off one day and cooks the fish! Brand such as Aqueon, Eheim Jager, Marineland, Fluval, Hydor, Finnex etc etc all make good heaters. You can usually find a good price online if you look for one on sale.

question # 4: here are some links to 48" LED's on Amazons.... (, and ). The Beamswork models can use their optional timer, that independently turns off and on the white and blue LED's. As for the cover, I can't advise unless you give the dimensions. Dr. Foster and Smith's website usually has good prices on the Aqueon Versa-Top glass aquarium lids.

 

If it is as old as you think it is and if you can re-seal it yourself I would do it. About 10 years seems to be where many hobbyists start getting nervous but it really depends how it has been treated during the years. Re-sealing also gives you an excellent opportunity to really clean all the glass surfaces. I build my own tanks many years ago and it is not too difficult, just the additional step of getting old silicone removed:

1)Use a razor blade to scrape all of the old silicone off the glass

2)Clean the surface with rubbing alcohol (allow to evaporate afterwards),

3)Use making tape to mask off your beads

4)Run a generous bead of silicone along one seam and smooth it with your finger, removing any air bubbles.

5)Repeat step 4 on all sides

6)Before silicone dries, remove the masking tape. You now have a perfectly siliconed aquarium.

Question 2:
If you can afford it would upgrade to a canister filter. SunSun is good value if you can get them where you are. Agree on changing the heater, small investment to avoid potential problems.

 

Thanks for the quick replies!

Looks like I won’t be using the old filters- I’ve got a penguin 200 in my 30 gal I can use, and I think I might buy one of the 350s linked to go along with it.

I’ve also got a heater that’s only been used for 6 months in the 30- not sure if it’s enough for an 80 gal though.

As for the lights, the linked ones look like a really good value and much better than what I had in mind— I like the beamswork, and am trying to decide between these 3:




One is my first choice, and 3 is second because it’s 6500k as opposed to 10k (does that really matter for plants). Not sure what Two’s deal is.

Also, here are the dimensions— it’s 48 in long, 18 tall

And I think I’ll be going for the re sealing, it’s probably a 10 yr old tank at least judging by the equipment

 

Hey guys,

So I recently got an 80 gallon tank, with the stand, two filters/pumps and an old heater. It’s also got an old lamp and hood (and by the looks of it, very old). My current tank is a 30 gal, so it’s a decent upgrade.

I want to get this one set up with a really nice aquascape, so I’m planning on taking my time and doing it right. Can’t wait to get it up and running!

So I’ve got a few questions:

1) should I reseal it? The sealant has some blackish looking build up on it, not sure if that’s an issue. And if so, is it difficult to do? I’ve attached two example pics

2) should I keep the filters? There big ones, but they’re filthy - I’ve attached pictures so you guys can see, would be quite an undertaking to fully clean. Also, same goes for the heater which looks pretty old- so asking if I should keep that as well. A plus is that I got a big jar of carbon pellets and bio bags that are compatible with them, so it would save me money to use them.

3) Does anyone know of a good fine substrate for plants? I have eco complete in my 30 but I’m looking for something less pebbley if possible for this one.

4) lights and cover— reccommendations on a good cheap cover and light that would let me get some carpeting going.

5) last but not least— I’ve had to treat my 30 gal for camallanus last week with Charles’ help and some Levamisole. All my fish are now rid of the worms and are healthy as ever, but I’m going to treat again in two weeks just in case any eggs were in the tank. Because of this, do you think it’s a risk to transport the old fish into the tank, as well as the plants or should they be fine?

As always, appreciate you guys and your advice!

1. If you are willing to do it, then do it! You can't wreck anything unless you break a glass panel or your rI'm and trim. Short of that, if you mess up, try again! Its pretty forgiving.

2. Keep the filters and heater. Reuse the media. If you don't want to use the heater and filters, you have what you need for a new qt or hospital tank!

3. Cant help much there. I use nat geo sand. I even used it as the cap in my dirted tank. Hopefully you don't upgrade the way I do. I went from 10, to 65, to 180. That was a fun swapover with everything!

4. I prefer glass tops with lights. I'm in love with the new fluval plant 3.0 despite the fact that my store can't get their hands on any more.

5. You will have to do your second treatment in a little bit anyway. It won't matter which tank you do it in. Moving will stress your fish though.

 

Lumens is a measurement of brightness, which means the unit's ability on how far it can produce strong lighting. Especially for an 80 gallon tank with a height of 21", less a couple inches of substrate, this is a factor when considering carpeting plants. For the three units in question, you can probably do some really easy types of low light carpeting plants with either excel dosing or CO2 system (will need to oxygenate water if I'm not mistaken). I've read that such plants would be Staurogyne Repens, Pygmy Chain Sword, Marsilea Hirsuta, Cryptocoryne Parva, and maybe Dwarf Sagittaria.

6500K, the K stands for Kelvin which is a measurement of color temperature spectrum. It's usually recommended that plants receive a lighting between 6,500K - 10,000K as these are the color temperatures in which plants begin to photosynthesis consisting of mostly red and blue lights. However, I find that ranges closer 6500K is good enough as this best simulates daylight ranges.

Otherwise, if you want to consider other stronger lighting units to open up your options of plants you may want to consider Fluval and Finnex, maybe even Oddysea T5 high output (HO) lighting units.

As for substrate, maybe Seachem Fluorite Black Sand? It's meant for planted aquariums. If you go with a cheaper option, especially if it's a type of sand, try to figure out that the material isn't so fine where it becomes compact over time. Reason being that this makes it difficult for plants to establish roots, especially for heavy root plants like swords and vals.

Cover, I know that places sell simply glass tops for tanks of all sizes. I'm sure for an 80g you will probably be looking at around $50 for a set, since there's the support brace in the middle. Or you can just go with clear polycarbonate roof panels, it will probably be like $20 from like a Home Depot or something, and simply measure and cut it down to the size you need.

I think the fish and plants will be okay being moved to the new tank. Give it a couple weeks give or take for them to settle in once you added them. This is, of course, to say that the tank has been fully cycled and all.

 

You are doing something similar to what I'm doing. I have a 10 gallon that will go into a 30 gallon directly with additional 20g. That will sit to ensure that the good bacteria growth is good. Then I will jump to the 55 gallon I have.

I agree with some of the others. Unless you are really tight on money, get rid of that heater and filter setup. I'm building a HOB canister (idea from Joey DIY King) because I can run it on the 30 gallon for a few weeks to get some beneficial bacteria growing in an already good cycle. Then I'm going to transfer it to the 55 gallon for a month or so. Long term I will have the 30 gallon as a sump on the 55g. If you are not interested in DIY filters then I agree with buying a Penguin HOB even though I don't have experience with them. They seem to be a cheap option to get going.

By the way...what are the fish?

 

yannifb for an 80 gallon I would much rather go with a canister filter over the HOB styles just for the supiorer filtration they offer. Substrate you can save a furtune on by using PFS or BDBS both are in the area of about $11 for 50 pounds compared to what you would by at a fish store.

You are doing something similar to what I'm doing. I have a 10 gallon that will go into a 30 gallon directly with additional 20g. That will sit to ensure that the good bacteria growth is good. Then I will jump to the 55 gallon I have.

I agree with some of the others. Unless you are really tight on money, get rid of that heater and filter setup. I'm building a HOB canister (idea from Joey DIY King) because I can run it on the 30 gallon for a few weeks to get some beneficial bacteria growing in an already good cycle. Then I'm going to transfer it to the 55 gallon for a month or so. Long term I will have the 30 gallon as a sump on the 55g. If you are not interested in DIY filters then I agree with buying a Penguin HOB even though I don't have experience with them. They seem to be a cheap option to get going.

By the way...what are the fish?

If you haven't got a 55 yet, I would go with a 75 gallon same length just 6" wider and much better for aquascaping.

 

Already have the 55g. My one year plan is to build a 120 gallon acrylic tank to move that up to.

 

Yannifb, here is a link to a video from the YouTube channel KingOfDIY (

).

Here, Joey shows a step by step process on how to reseal a tank. You had asked in your orig post about resealing your 80g.

I hope this helps!

 

You guys are incredibly helpful!

Sounds like I might be looking into a canister filter.

Also I've been searching for the glass top and I found one that seems good, aqueon versa, but I'm having difficulty finding the right size. The dimensions of the tank are 48" long, 18" depth, and I measured the width looks like its ~17". Does it matter if the top is glass vs plastic since its not going to be really in view? As long as it lets the light through right?

Edit: I missed candiedragon's post about the tops-- the tank I got doesn't have its middle brace attached, is that going to be a big issue for covers?

And also someone asked about the current fish I have: 1 guppy, 1 pearl gourami, 3 amano shrimp, 2 nerite snails, 1 cherry barb, 2 black skirt tetras, one debauwI catfish, and one lyretail Molly right now in the 30. They all get along like theyre the same species.

 

Canisters! Ha, a whole new topic. Ask here in this thread, or in the separate area of the topic section Filtration, about canisters.

Initial investment is more, but long term benefits far out weigh the extra up-front $$ you have to lay down to get one going.

Yep Aqueon Versa-Top glass lids are very good. Dr. Foster and Smith usually carry a good assortment of them for good prices.

Call their customer service and give them the specifics of your tank. I've always had good luck with DFS customer service reps. Super nice people!

Or call Aqueon direct, to make sure you get the right part # for the exact lid for your application.

I bought a small Versa-Top lid for my 10 gallon QT. Very good quality.

 

I have put Aqueon Versa-Top on all 7!of my tanks. Either Beamworks 6500 or Finnex 24/7s on top of the Versa-Tops.

This gives decent plant growth and ease of accessing the tank.

 

You guys are incredibly helpful!

Sounds like I might be looking into a canister filter.

Also I've been searching for the glass top and I found one that seems good, aqueon versa, but I'm having difficulty finding the right size. The dimensions of the tank are 48" long, 18" depth, and I measured the width looks like its ~17". Does it matter if the top is glass vs plastic since its not going to be really in view? As long as it lets the light through right?

Edit: I missed candiedragon's post about the tops-- the tank I got doesn't have its middle brace attached, is that going to be a big issue for covers?

And also someone asked about the current fish I have: 1 guppy, 1 pearl gourami, 3 amano shrimp, 2 nerite snails, 1 cherry barb, 2 black skirt tetras, one debauwI catfish, and one lyretail Molly right now in the 30. They all get along like theyre the same species.

If that tanks top frame originally came with a center brace, it was there for a reason. It can stop excess bowing of the glass, which could lead to seal failure. The good news is frames for a 75 gallon are pretty easy to find online, and not that hard to install. The versa tops for that size tank actually are two separate tops that really need the center brace for support. Now the plastic strip on the back of the tops can be trimmed to allow for the passage of heater powercords, intake and output of filters as well as other accessories.

 

I would use the filters if they still work, to clean them just soak them in vinegar for a couple hours, most of the gunk will come right off. I myself wouldn't use the tank if that top brace is missing. It may not look like it's doing much but it keeps the the tank from breaking from the water pushing outwards on it. Unless your handy and can make a frame of some sort to brace the top. Just my opinion.

 

I’m planning on reattaching the current brace with JB WaterWeld epoxy— this should be sufficient if the purpose is to prevent bowing right? The epoxy is rated with a strength of 900PSI so as long as it sets, it should be more than enough to hold with the tank full; I also don’t think the brace itself would break from the pulling force as it seems to be decently made

 

There's no way I would use that filter or heater. Honestly they look WELL past their useful life haha. If the heater's thermostat goes out, it will fry your fish. A busted filter is such a pain, especially since you won't be able to find a filter that uses the same size media that one has. You can cut the media so it fits in a replacement filter, or you could just do it right from the start and go with new.

I would get an AquaTop Forza FZ9 Canister filter. They're like $160 and are amazing for tanks around this size. The UV sterilizer helps keep algae from growing. If you want to go cheaper, there's tons of good HOB filters out there that won't set you back and will still be a way better filter than the one in those pictures.

These are kind of 'buy once' things so I would recommend going to safer option.

 

I’m planning on reattaching the current brace with JB WaterWeld epoxy— this should be sufficient if the purpose is to prevent bowing right? The epoxy is rated with a strength of 900PSI so as long as it sets, it should be more than enough to hold with the tank full; I also don’t think the brace itself would break from the pulling force as it seems to be decently made

That's you decision then, but you can get a 48 x 18" replacement frame from Glass cages for $20. Some plastics take to epoxies better then others do, that 900 psI break strength can also vary depending on whether that part is in shear or compression. The support brace on a tank frame would be subject to shear most of the time. Proper prep of the area to be bonded and using some extra material in the breakage site would strengthen the repair even more.