Looking for a variety of recommendations

Good morning,

I'm in the process of researching new tanks (either 55 or 75 gallon) and I'm hoping for advice from the community on a variety of things. (I'm not certain I am posting this in the proper forum so I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place.)

Best filters: HOB, Canister or internal underwater filter
Lighting: Not sure if I will be doing a planted tank or to what extent I will plant
Substrate: I'm leaning towards gravel simply because I already have cory cats in my 29 gallon and want something different for clean up crew (if possible) but will take other recommendations as well. Or is substrate even needed (again I know this will depend on the fish in the tank.)
Best recommended heater for tanks this size (I know this will depend on the type of fish I keep)
And last but not least what fish would you recommend? I plan on keeping my existing 29 gallon and creating a new tank.

Thank you!

 

Get the 75. The bigger the better. For me I would get an hob. The marine land 350 will be good enough. $28 petsmart online. Next choice is the tidal 110. Heaters are a tough choice. Everybody has had problems with all of them. I’ve been using the finnex. Just because the controls are on the cord and out of the water. 200-300w. Lighting since your not sure if planted or not. Look into the vivagrow 24/7 lighting on eBay. Substrate go with gravel. Good luck!!

 

I second the 75. Bigger is better and it is a much better proportioned tank.
Gravel is nice to work with. Although you might want to take a look at sand while you are at it.

I can't recommend live plants strongly enough. They make the fish happy, they help you keep the tank clean and they bring a lot of beauty to a tank. With today's lighting options, they are not that hard to keep anymore.

For a filter, I would lean towards an HOB too. So much easier to do maintenance. The Fluval 110 is pretty sweet, in addition to.the ones mentioned above

 

I have both gravel and sand in different tanks, and I think the gravel is easier to vacuum thoroughly, sand you just hover over. I also like planting and rearranging better with gravel. However, I like the look of the sand more, and the cories love sifting through the sand and it's so cute.

When I do a larger tank, I'll be using 2 heaters, so if one happens to fail I'll have a back up. I have just one in my 48g and I found it not quite enough, even with it rated for a 75gallon. It will keep my water at 77, but I couldn't get it high enough to treat ich if I needed.

I like hang on back filters for their ease of use, customizability, and that I can easily see what's going on with them. I haven't used a canister though so maybe I'm missing out on all the fun

 

Tank: 75 gal.
Filter: AC 110 / Marineland Emperor- 400.
Heater: Eheim Jager 200w - 300w
Substrate: Quikrete all purpose gravel
Stock: Barb community: Tigers, Odessa, Denison, Cherry, Filament, YoYo Loaches. Always good to start with. something easy.

 

75, because of the footprint. The 55 is only 12" wide whereas the 75 gives you 50% more space front to back. The fish will appreciate it, and if you end up planting and scaping this tank, you'll appreciate it. Personally, I'd do 1 of your favorite HOB's (if you're an Aquaclear person, a big nasty Aquaclear... marineland, big nasty Marineland, etc.). Then enough sponge filter to act as a redundant filtration system. For heaters, I'd do whatever adjustable heater you can get on sale (Fluval and Hygger have become some of my favorites), but definitely invest in a an inkbird heater controller. Substrate, if you want light color I'd go pool filter sand, dark I'd go black diamond blasting sand. For lighting, I love the Fluval lights. They're pricey but worth it imo. I love the day / night 24/7 cycle on these vs. the ones that work in 3hr chunks. As for stocking, what about a big school of something? Like, 50 rasboras as the centerpiece or something like that.

 

If I were you possibly you could try a predator or African chiclid tank, lots of variety in fish you could choose There’s other African chiclids besides the Malawi hybrids from pet smart.

 

Good Questions, wish I had asked when I started. LOL
Really can not go wrong with the advise given so far. Everyone has their likes/dislikes.
Started with a 55g but should have went with the 75g.
Here is what I use.
Filter: I started with HOB's, have switched to Eheim canisters.
Heater: Aqueon Pros, that size tank I would use two 250w.
Substrate: Black Diamond sand (medium grit), gravel not for me.
Lighting: Depends on you, if you want all the bells/whistles or just to grow plants. I use Finnex and Chihiros brands.
Plants: Of course, start with easy to grow, quite a few options as mentioned.
Fish: My favorite "Bolivian Rams", some Corys and Black Neon Tetras.

Remember take your time, this is supposed to be "Fun".

Good Luck!

 

Thank you all for the information! I appreciate it! This tank won't be set up for a while and I want to gather all the right items in advance. I've got some ideas and I really appreciate this community!