(Slowly) Starting 37g/75g Build

So I have a 37g aquarium that used to have a small turtle in it with a huge basking area up above it and has been sitting empty for quite a while now.
I set my first tank up on September 12th 2019 and MTS hit before that when I bought the 20 long and a 10 gallon at the same time and I already had that 37g sitting around empty. (shaking head).
In my 20 long I have 8 albino cories, a betta and an assassin snail in there controlling the various ‘pest’ snail population. I really love my cories! I think more of them would be good but not sure the footprint will allow that. The 10 gallon is a quarantine, nothing in it currently.

But I also want a ‘show tank’ like a 55 gallon but I like the depth of a 75 gallon so I’m thinking about going with the 75g. But I’m going to start off with the tank I have currently (the 37g).
I’m going to be making the stand myself (with some help from my husband possibly).
It’s going to be made for the 75 gallon but also made for the 37g. I’ll include a drawing that clearly needs a little more work and thought!
I haven’t decided what to put in the tank yet. I still need to decide on an additional filter, probably a HOB (already have a sponge filter I ordered), a heater, gravel vs sand, plants, lights.

I made this thread just to share with others and for my own personal reference I guess lol. If anyone has ideas/opinions don’t be afraid to say whatever it is your thinking.
Sometime within the next year it’ll go from the 37g to the 75g. But for now I’m focusing on the 37g except the stand.

First photo - Purpur the betta
Second photo - the 8 cats
Third - 20 long tank shot
Fourth - mock up of 37g/75g stand

 

Look forward to seeing your tank build, love the cory ‘herd’

 

Edit.

 

Alright I have decided to do a Southeast Asia theme for my 37g!
I’ve seen Yo-Yo, Zebra, and KuhlI loaches as options for a bottom dweller. So I need to decide on one of them and also decide how many would be ok for the footprint of the 37g (30.25l x 12.5w x 22.75h)

I’m also thinking Rasboras , and still undecided for a eyecatcher/centerpiece fish...

still need to figure out plant types! Wood/rocks

 

I have to move my betta to his own tank. I got him a 5.5g and I went to get rocks for his tank today... I’m so bad at judging size! All the rocks I brought back are just not the right size lol. Going to have to go back another day and get smaller ones

 

37g that is 30” x 12” x 23”. Id like it to be high tech (so co2 with medium to high lighting).
Will the Kessil a160we tuna sun work? Or would the AI Prime HD Freshwater be better? Or does it matter?
Also one day in the far future (hopefully not TOO far) I will be replacing this tank with a 75 gallon which is 48” x 18” x 21” so what ever I get to light this tank will go towards lighting the 75 gallon eventually so I’ll have to buy a second possibly a third one? Two or three for a 75g? I don’t know.

(Ialso posted this question on a separate thread because I don't know if anyone is looking at this one lol!)

 

Alright I have decided to do a Southeast Asia theme for my 37g!
I’ve seen Yo-Yo, Zebra, and KuhlI loaches as options for a bottom dweller. So I need to decide on one of them and also decide how many would be ok for the footprint of the 37g (30.25l x 12.5w x 22.75h)

I’m also thinking Rasboras , and still undecided for a eyecatcher/centerpiece fish...

still need to figure out plant types! Wood/rocks

I like your stocking plan. My kuhlI loaches are my favorite fish. I have 9 in my 30 gallon with a couple of rock-pile "caves" and some driftwood and plants, and at least half of them are out noodling around at any given time. They really are ridiculous to watch! For the rasboras, have you looked at espeI rasboras? They're a little smaller than the standard harlequin, but that just means that you can get more and have cooler schooling behaviors. Also they're a bright copper orange- very flashy. I've heard a lot of people keep some type of dwarf ciclid as centerpiece fish in this type of setup, but I don't know if there are any in your desired biotope area. If you want more feedback in stocking, you can post a second thread on the "stocking" board (it seems to get more traffic). Great start- good luck!

 

I like your stocking plan. My kuhlI loaches are my favorite fish. I have 9 in my 30 gallon with a couple of rock-pile "caves" and some driftwood and plants, and at least half of them are out noodling around at any given time. They really are ridiculous to watch! For the rasboras, have you looked at espeI rasboras? They're a little smaller than the standard harlequin, but that just means that you can get more and have cooler schooling behaviors. Also they're a bright copper orange- very flashy. I've heard a lot of people keep some type of dwarf ciclid as centerpiece fish in this type of setup, but I don't know if there are any in your desired biotope area. If you want more feedback in stocking, you can post a second thread on the "stocking" board (it seems to get more traffic). Great start- good luck!

Thank you I’ll definitely look into those!!

 

I like your stocking plan. My kuhlI loaches are my favorite fish. I have 9 in my 30 gallon with a couple of rock-pile "caves" and some driftwood and plants, and at least half of them are out noodling around at any given time. They really are ridiculous to watch! For the rasboras, have you looked at espeI rasboras? They're a little smaller than the standard harlequin, but that just means that you can get more and have cooler schooling behaviors. Also they're a bright copper orange- very flashy. I've heard a lot of people keep some type of dwarf ciclid as centerpiece fish in this type of setup, but I don't know if there are any in your desired biotope area. If you want more feedback in stocking, you can post a second thread on the "stocking" board (it seems to get more traffic). Great start- good luck!

Lampchop Rasboras! I didn’t recognize them by the name espei. Yes they are beautiful I may go with those instead!

 

That's my pick when I upgrade my tank. I love big schools of small fish, and the espeis are so shiny and bright! I think they'd look great with black neons also (I'm a sucker for color contrast), and a hearty school of bottom dwellers. And some dwarf ciclids. And... yeah, I'm gonna need a bigger tank. Or three.

 

That's my pick when I upgrade my tank. I love big schools of small fish, and the espeis are so shiny and bright! I think they'd look great with black neons also (I'm a sucker for color contrast), and a hearty school of bottom dwellers. And some dwarf ciclids. And... yeah, I'm gonna need a bigger tank. Or three.

I was really wanting to do praecox rainbows. I wonder if they’d eat the espei?

 

In the mean time I set up a 5.5g for my betta fish, Purpur. He was stealing the Cory cat food. It’s cycling currently, although I thought it’d be instant as I stole a sponge from my 20g