SO Excited, used tank about to be bought, advice needed pls!

That store has a web site. So check before you go. He advertises when he’s received new fish.
You can do each one individually or you can do the whole tank. If doing the whole tank do the inside first. Do it in sections. A foot at a time across. Start with 3 than when done do 2. Read the instructions. One is circular the other I thing at right angles. It’s not hard and is rewarding when done. If doing the whole tank than use the #1 spray. Makes the whole tank shine. Both sides.
And no problems! I’m always happy to help . I’m thinking your tank is a tenacore with the lids. Put up a picture of the light fixture.

 

That store has a web site. So check before you go. He advertises when he’s received new fish.
You can do each one individually or you can do the whole tank. If doing the whole tank do the inside first. Do it in sections. A foot at a time across. Start with 3 than when done do 2. Read the instructions. One is circular the other I thing at right angles. It’s not hard and is rewarding when done. If doing the whole tank than use the #1 spray. Makes the whole tank shine. Both sides.
And no problems! I’m always happy to help . I’m thinking your tank is a tenacore with the lids. Put up a picture of the light fixture.

Ok! And here’s the light fixture. Also, I have one small issue
The tank still has water in it
It did when I got it
I filled it then emptied again but a Python won’t empty it all
I probably need my husband to help me turn it upside down
Meanwhile I want to start right now and he’s at work Lolol
Maybe I still can bc the amount of water is so small
Here’s a pic of the tank and the light that came with it. I was planning to do two 30–36” lights across the top that I already owned but that will look cruddy bc they aren’t short enough. I am trying to save some money! And you can see why I’m having the floor redone. This is the carpet pulled up before the wood is done so forgive the nastiness! The black light is my own

 

you could get the remaining water out with a cup and then towel and ring it out, or if you have a wet/dry vac, use that to suck up the last of it.

 

you could get the remaining water out with a cup and then towel and ring it out, or if you have a wet/dry vac, use that to suck up the last of it.

Good call! I can barely reach in there but if I can try and if I can’t then when my hubby gets home we can put it on the ground
I can even tip it a little to the side and get it bc it won’t spill out
Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Ok so. I couldn’t dump the tank over to get all the water out and the cup was super hard so I got out as much as I could. However this meant that I couldn’t turn the tank on its side. However I moved the tank with my husband to the ground. I haven’t done every single part of the inside but I’ve gotten a great start. Did three then two then one. I wasn’t blown away bc my tank didn’t look like 86 ssinit when I was working (like it wasn’t all covered in Novus and so I didn’t feel as though I was as thorough). However I am not done yet AND when I looked at the before and after pics I realized it’s already a lot lot better. The first two pics are before.Then the new polished versions are after. In fact I thought one pic I was uploading was the back of the tank bc it’s pretty clear. Again not done yet! What do you think?

 

oh wow you got the scratch polish! looking good! tanks are always gonna look funky until everything settles again.

 

I looked at those pictures 3 times before I realized where the front was. Was trying to figure out where your hand was. Great job! And I bet you feel real good about it!! . Nothing better than seeing the results.
The pic of the 75 gal isn’t the novus on it. It had some deep scratches so I started with sand paper. That’s sand paper scratches. At that point I thought I ruined the tank. But it came out nice! So don’t be afraid of buying a acrylic with bad scratches .

 

I looked at those pictures 3 times before I realized where the front was. Was trying to figure out where your hand was. Great job! And I bet you feel real good about it!! . Nothing better than seeing the results.
The pic of the 75 gal isn’t the novus on it. It had some deep scratches so I started with sand paper. That’s sand paper scratches. At that point I thought I ruined the tank. But it came out nice! So don’t be afraid of buying a acrylic with bad scratches .

Hahahah the whole time I was thinking I wish you would come help Hahahaa. Normally the following info is irrelevant but I am 5’5” and 115 lbs of WEAKNESS. Carrying the tank with my husband was rough. So I was trying to put so much elbow grease in hahaha. I’m going to do more of it but wanted to check it all out first. Thank you so so so so much! SparkyJones too!!!!!!!

 

Hahahah the whole time I was thinking I wish you would come help Hahahaa. Normally the following info is irrelevant but I am 5’5” and 115 lbs of WEAKNESS. Carrying the tank with my husband was rough. So I was trying to put so much elbow grease in hahaha. I’m going to do more of it but wanted to check it all out first. Thank you so so so so much! SparkyJones too!!!!!!!

this is a good skill to have, you can polish out scratches from skipping CDs and DVDs now too.... wait does anyone still use those besides me? hahaha

 

this is a good skill to have, you can polish out scratches from skipping CDs and DVDs now too.... wait does anyone still use those besides me? hahaha

Hahahaha no. The answer is no. Mainly bc nothing comes with a DVD player anymore so when our old one broke we didn’t get another. I would still use one though!!

 

Ok so now….I plan to use two heaters, and I have a bunch of filter options. I have up and running: Ac30, ac 50, ac 70, marineland 350 and I got as part of the tank package an Ac 300 with a sponge only that isn’t up and running. Any recs for which I should use when I start setting up? And I will need a new light ugh. I wish I could use a short light or the one that came with the tank for a while but I can’t if I am getting plants. Also how is this gravel? Is this ok for cories? I’m shocked to not use sand but I always listen to y’all! This is advertised as substrate on the same sites as they sell the same colors in sand so they are not sand to my knowledge
CARIBSEA Super Naturals Crystal River Aquarium Substrate, 40-lb bag - Chewy.com

CARIBSEA Super Naturals Torpedo Beach Aquarium Substrate, 5-lb bag - Chewy.com

And these which seem too white I think? But maybe good for all the dark fish and cories?
EXOTIC PEBBLES White Bean Pebbles, 20-lb bag - Chewy.com

I know I ask so many questions so feel free to totally ignore me as you have been beyond helpful already!
Next steps: I need to polish again and then thoroughly clean which I will be doing today. Then substrate and filters running, and then the store to see what they have for decor and plants and returning the labs and looking at fish! Then move in day for my current fish and then another trip to pick up what I liked in terms of fish the last time.
Slowly though. I still have the floor being redone so I have time for research and cleaning of the tank. I have some driftwood (a lot imho) that better fit in the holes in the new tank. I also know I need a finnex or something good for plants that fits this tank. I have three good lights now (optibright plus times two and a current led freshwater) but they’re the wrong size. Maybe I can use two until I find a sale or something.edit; this is for sale on marketplace for $75. Not sure about your thoughts!https://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-Ag...lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER
The link is to the new light.
also I have a lot of rocks and no clue how to scape. The rocks are at largest 8” across. You can see the darn MTS which ruin my tank.

 

I didn't mean you had to use gravel or stones, just saying sand isn't really necessary either for cories, and you might find one substrate is easier to maintain than another or you.
I know some people are also going to say "don't clean the substrate ever!" I'm not in that camp at all. Everyone has differing opinions, and what works for them may not work for everyone.

Lets start here. What fish are you planning to keep and what are your water parameters. if you want, set up a small bucket of water with an airstone, dechlorinate and check it in a couple days, this is likely what your tap water will do in the tank when you hit that pointwhat it settles at. See what it's going to do for GH, KH, pH, nitrates will bring pH down a bit once the fish get involved, but this will at least give you an idea of fish that will be easily kept without needing to do too much extra.

Then comes the tank design, substrate, plants, lighting for the plants can all be decided on. Like I said earlier, nothing worse than a black background with black fish, except maybe a white background with white fish. good idea to know the range you have for your source water and how it will likely behave, and select community fish that fit the range you have that you like and build around that with everything else to fit the fish you want.

I don't think either of your substrate choices would be a negative for corydoras or a negative in general.
I don't know about the Supernaturals one, the bag says "free bio-magnet clarifier inside", it says it's prewashed on the bag, but that makes me think it's going to have clouding issues if they feel the need to include a flocculent in every bag to drop particles down out of the water.

Before you settle on substrate colors,
the back is black, that's a given. the plants will be green mostly, also a given.
I think to find out your water parameters, what they will be for the tank, then go about selecting the fish you will want and what colors they will be. then selecting the substrate of a color that compliments the fish, or at least doesn't hide them, driftwood or larger rocks, for structure, then what plants will look natural with those fish, and that setting, and then finally, the right lighting for the needs of the plants.

I think by doing it this way, you can get a clearer vision of where you are headed and what you really want and how you want your aquarium to be and look.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Pro...mzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840

Ok I want to say please do what you like itch the substrate. Sand is fine. I just don’t like cleaning it. I prefer gravel. I also don’t like white. For me it just gets dirty and algae show up on it. That’s me . Both f the gravels you picked look fine. Substrate will probably be cheaper from petsmart/petco. Check out there online prices. Most stores will honor them.

Too what sparky said first decide what type of fish you plan to get. Next what the tank is going to look like.

For filtration the 350 will work fine by itself. If you haven’t already change out the cartridges for sponges. If you want you can add the AC 50 or 70. It is nice to have 2 filters.

The light above is what I’ve been using for the last 3yrs. They work great and are fully programable and 24/7. As in they have an internal timer. I mean this light is fully programable. Plants grow great with your settings or you can just set the light for no plants and just looking at your fish.

Next I have many plants giant hygro,westeria,hornwort and suswasertang and others I can send to you. All easy plants to grow.

One more thing for your heaters get a inkbird heater controller for the heaters. I’d use 2 200w. Finnex make some good ones another good one s the aqueron pro titanium. The other aquerons are not good only the pro!

Keep asking question!!

 

I didn't mean you had to use gravel or stones, just saying sand isn't really necessary either for cories, and you might find one substrate is easier to maintain than another or you.
I know some people are also going to say "don't clean the substrate ever!" I'm not in that camp at all. Everyone has differing opinions, and what works for them may not work for everyone.

Lets start here. What fish are you planning to keep and what are your water parameters. if you want, set up a small bucket of water with an airstone, dechlorinate and check it in a couple days, this is likely what your tap water will do in the tank when you hit that pointwhat it settles at. See what it's going to do for GH, KH, pH, nitrates will bring pH down a bit once the fish get involved, but this will at least give you an idea of fish that will be easily kept without needing to do too much extra.

Then comes the tank design, substrate, plants, lighting for the plants can all be decided on. Like I said earlier, nothing worse than a black background with black fish, except maybe a white background with white fish. good idea to know the range you have for your source water and how it will likely behave, and select community fish that fit the range you have that you like and build around that with everything else to fit the fish you want.

I don't think either of your substrate choices would be a negative for corydoras or a negative in general.
I don't know about the Supernaturals one, the bag says "free bio-magnet clarifier inside", it says it's prewashed on the bag, but that makes me think it's going to have clouding issues if they feel the need to include a flocculent in every bag to drop particles down out of the water.

Before you settle on substrate colors,
the back is black, that's a given. the plants will be green mostly, also a given.
I think to find out your water parameters, what they will be for the tank, then go about selecting the fish you will want and what colors they will be. then selecting the substrate of a color that compliments the fish, or at least doesn't hide them, driftwood or larger rocks, for structure, then what plants will look natural with those fish, and that setting, and then finally, the right lighting for the needs of the plants.

I think by doing it this way, you can get a clearer vision of where you are headed and what you really want and how you want your aquarium to be and look.

Genius! I love getting an experts perspective on this. I am thinking—based on recs here—of getting Bosmani Rainbows or maybe golden killifish. Here’s why:
Current stocking: one BLACK Angel, one golden Angel, 10 red eye tetras, 7 basically BLACK emerald cories. I even suggested on here that I rehome the tetras and cories to my 26 flatback hex (it’ll be empty after I return the labs) to clear up space for more colorful fish. I would love to get 15 plus red phantom tetras or something of that sort for small dither fish (if that’s the right term) exact fish TBD. For the show fish (the big ones) I initially wanted more angels but I have heard it’s tough to integrate and more importantly I REALLY do not want like 4 show fish in the tank (these red eyes and likely other tetras swim up so high—right under the water line— and the cories are of course mainly on the bottom). I want a lot of fish (or at least more than four) and a lot of action for the show tank lol! Soooo what kind of fish to get that are larger, colorful and peaceful? On this thread I was told I could get 6 Bosemani Rainbows (and only two golden killifish so those are out as is the one apisto). What are your thoughts? The rehoming (to my other tank) of the red eye tetras and cories isn’t that relevant bc I would just be replacing them for color, but the large show fish are what I’m interested in. And I do want to go to the store first and take a look but I also trust you all the most and if I don’t do research I could easily be told that certain fish “will be fine!” that totally won’t be. Like I was told rams were okay in the 29 which I don’t think is true! They are lovely but I want to get a bunch like I said!

https://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-Programmable-Extendable-Waterproof-48-55inch/dp/B086SVC2FH/ref=sr_1_5?crid=38J31L1ETO491&keywords=Hygger+957&qid=1666897893&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIyLjczIiwicXNhIjoiMi4wMyIsInFzcCI6IjEuNjUifQ==&sprefix=hygger+957,aps,83&sr=8-5&ufe=app_do:amzn1.fos.18ed3cb5-28d5-4975-8bc7-93deae8f9840

Ok I want to say please do what you like itch the substrate. Sand is fine. I just don’t like cleaning it. I prefer gravel. I also don’t like white. For me it just gets dirty and algae show up on it. That’s me . Both f the gravels you picked look fine. Substrate will probably be cheaper from petsmart/petco. Check out there online prices. Most stores will honor them.

Too what sparky said first decide what type of fish you plan to get. Next what the tank is going to look like.

For filtration the 350 will work fine by itself. If you haven’t already change out the cartridges for sponges. If you want you can add the AC 50 or 70. It is nice to have 2 filters.

The light above is what I’ve been using for the last 3yrs. They work great and are fully programable and 24/7. As in they have an internal timer. I mean this light is fully programable. Plants grow great with your settings or you can just set the light for no plants and just looking at your fish.

Next I have many plants giant hygro,westeria,hornwort and suswasertang and others I can send to you. All easy plants to grow.

One more thing for your heaters get a inkbird heater controller for the heaters. I’d use 2 200w. Finnex make some good ones another good one s the aqueron pro titanium. The other aquerons are not good only the pro!

Keep asking question!!

Hello!

i have a lot of aqueon, and no pro! I had one at the beginning but it gave out and my other (non pro) didn’t so I stuck with the non pro but again I’m more than happy to take recs! Also, I was wrong about the ac 30–that broke. I have an ac 50 on a hospital tank running, but on the actual flatback I have a marineland 275. I have to say, my marinelands make the water so much clearer than the AC did, and I look at my 40 and the side with the marineland creates SO MUCH water movement even half closed compared to the ac 70 fully open to full strength on the other side. I will say one of my 350 wheels won’t spin and it drives me nuts. I even got a new one but it still doesn’t. I have the cartridges still in that one. I have the ac 70 on that tank too so I’m not too concerned. For my 275, I have sponge and bio rings (and no cartridges) and that spins soooo slowly and doesn’t create very much flow, but as long as it spins it should be ok. Anyway sorry for the tangent!
I had thought about moonlight sand bc it’s so white but truly decided against it bc y’all said it looks dirty and nasty and I don’t want that! I don’t have experience with that so I’m def listening to you! I will avoid substrate with that bio stuff, but I’m happy to know those two Carib links count as “gravel” for size purposes to look for. They look like sand to me, but were listed next to the same colors specifically labeled sand, which these are not. When I think of gravel, I think of small rocks, not as fine as those two products. So that’s cool! Love love love love love love love learning from you all! I’m sorry I am so detailed and irritating with my millions of questions, and it’s so kind of you to encourage me to ask them, and to take the time to answer: truth is, I’ve never taken my TIME to design a tank—I’ve always done it in a hurry—so this research and learning process is SO COOL to me! And also I have always gone the same paths—diff brands, but always black sand, plants that never made it, etc etc. and I refused to use driftwood in my flatback bc I was so worried the tannins would stain the actual tank! I would still be worried but I saw your stunning tank and realized it will be fine! So just finally realized that the actual design process is pretty darn exciting! I sound like a dork maybe but I’ll own it. And I would love love plant anything and any recs! I will buy them happily and would prefer them from you bc the plants I got from a store brought MTS and I DESPISE how they look. Plants really imho makes a pretty tank stunning, esp bc I really love the natural look. None of the glow in the dark gravel I saw today on Amazon Lolol. That actually would be cool for about two min hahahah

 

I'm gonna be honest with you KribensisLover1, it all depends a lot on how much work you want to do, Discus are not cheap and they are not easy to maintain alive and in top condition, people that keep them sign up for that and they do not mind.

I keep angels, This is NOT easy, I signed up for it, I do what it takes month after month for the fish. My tank is literally 7 gallons bigger than yours. my filter is massive, I'm still doing 2x 50% water changes with a vacuum every week, feeding 1 pound of food a month.

You can do a lot of things if you really want to and willing to do the work and deal with the hassles that pop up. Angels or Discus are big but they aren't long, sizewise they can fit for your tank, but neither plays well with others exactly. Both have care requirements that make it not exactly easy. My angels don't have the strict water requirements of discus, but I have to spend time changing 36 gallons of water 2x a week, cleaning the prefilter sponge daily, feedings, feedings, and more feedings, spend time inspecting each and every fish individually for illness or injury that needs QT attention watching for aggressive interactions from a distance so they don't know I'm watching and play puppydog instead,,,, no it doesn't have to be to THIS extreme of course, but angels have a way of sneaking up on you and getting into trouble, and all heck breaks loose so you have to stay on top of it and nip any issue in the bud. two angels or four angels look empty, and with that comes females and breeding, and angels and other fish to fill the space, the interactions don't always work out for the angel, or for the other fish. Angels and Angels are hard enough with no other parties involved their social dynamic within the school is complicated.

I personally really like at this moment in time, Congo Tetras and Denison Barbs (also called a roseline shark) I can't keep them with what I have going on now though, I have my hands full with the angels that are devils.

If I moved on from angels right now, I'd do one or the other of those two, and fill out with some other fish. until it feels full and busy. I might do congos as a centerpiece fish and build around that,the denison barbs are a bit out of my range for pH and Temperature, my tanks and water run hot.
So yeah, Congo tetras as a centerpiece fish, other fish as fillers to keep the tank busy.

Just what I would do if I told my angels to kick rocks, I'm not advising what you should or shouldn't do.
but I'm invested in them for the last 9 months, the angels are here to stay for now, I will have to downsize soon though I can't keep up with the food bill and the work forever, it's too much.

My point is, you CAN do a lot of things if you really want to. it's just time and work. If I knew 9 months ago what I know now, I'm not entirely sure I'd have taken on this breeding project of mine that lead to this fishtank of angels, I might have just got some guppies, swordtails and cories, or something and let livebearers be livebearers, and cories be cories and coast with a light stocking instead of this.
I'd so much love to do a water change once every two weeks or a month, kick in a pinch of food here or there each day, it sounds so nice and relaxing........
I'd also like to not have to walk the dog, especially in the rain, but so goes life.

 

I'm gonna be honest with you KribensisLover1, it all depends a lot on how much work you want to do, Discus are not cheap and they are not easy to maintain alive and in top condition, people that keep them sign up for that and they do not mind.

I keep angels, This is NOT easy, I signed up for it, I do what it takes month after month for the fish. My tank is literally 7 gallons bigger than yours. my filter is massive, I'm still doing 2x 50% water changes with a vacuum every week, feeding 1 pound of food a month.

You can do a lot of things if you really want to and willing to do the work and deal with the hassles that pop up. Angels or Discus are big but they aren't long, sizewise they can fit for your tank, but neither plays well with others exactly. Both have care requirements that make it not exactly easy. My angels don't have the strict water requirements of discus, but I have to spend time changing 36 gallons of water 2x a week, cleaning the prefilter sponge daily, feedings, feedings, and more feedings, spend time inspecting each and every fish individually for illness or injury that needs QT attention watching for aggressive interactions from a distance so they don't know I'm watching and play puppydog instead,,,, no it doesn't have to be to THIS extreme of course, but angels have a way of sneaking up on you and getting into trouble, and all heck breaks loose so you have to stay on top of it and nip any issue in the bud. two angels or four angels look empty, and with that comes females and breeding, and angels and other fish to fill the space, the interactions don't always work out for the angel, or for the other fish. Angels and Angels are hard enough with no other parties involved their social dynamic within the school is complicated.

I personally really like at this moment in time, Congo Tetras and Denison Barbs (also called a roseline shark) I can't keep them with what I have going on now though, I have my hands full with the angels that are devils.

If I moved on from angels right now, I'd do one or the other of those two, and fill out with some other fish. until it feels full and busy. I might do congos as a centerpiece fish and build around that,the denison barbs are a bit out of my range for pH and Temperature, my tanks and water run hot.
So yeah, Congo tetras as a centerpiece fish, other fish as fillers to keep the tank busy.

Just what I would do if I told my angels to kick rocks, I'm not advising what you should or shouldn't do.
but I'm invested in them for the last 9 months, the angels are here to stay for now, I will have to downsize soon though I can't keep up with the food bill and the work forever, it's too much.

My point is, you CAN do a lot of things if you really want to. it's just time and work. If I knew 9 months ago what I know now, I'm not entirely sure I'd have taken on this breeding project of mine that lead to this fishtank of angels, I might have just got some guppies, swordtails and cories, or something and let livebearers be livebearers, and cories be cories and coast with a light stocking instead of this.
I'd so much love to do a water change once every two weeks or a month, kick in a pinch of food here or there each day, it sounds so nice and relaxing........
I'd also like to not have to walk the dog, especially in the rain, but so goes life.

Holy cannoli your tank is STUNNING! And I’m cracking up at both the angels acting like puppies and the not walking the dog in the rain (GREAT point!) Hahahaha thank you for that info! I don’t actually mind doing the work in theory, but it’s a ton as you say, & I can’t say I want to be on constant alert— it’s the constant stress that I can’t deal with. Even having nasty breeding kribensis in my tank bothered me! I felt bad for the fish chased into the corners etc etc. None of that stuff would stress you out, maybe, and you just do the work and keep vigilant, but you can see I’m kind of a worrier and over thinker—to put it mildly! I finally have an easy going tank and would love to keep it that way. But wow is your tank stunning. Wishful thinking for me!! It’s truly gorgeous. Life goals!!
Now, I wish you had said, ‘yes I love bosemani rainbows, get 8,’ bc now I have even more to think about haha! Your stunning tank, my still wanting large fish, yet DEF wanting action and calm, so perhaps a ton of smaller fish, for ex congos! The only issue is this: I can’t get rid of my two angels. I’m willing to move the red eyes and cories, and rehome the labs as it’s best for them, but these angels are my fave. Esp the black one—she has had her tail completely bitten off twice and always comes back, and is just my little trooper who eats frozen food from the tiny syringe I feed with (so basically directly from me!). And then the other Angel (who ate the cory and made it) gets along with the black so well, and they are buddies to some degree. So that DOES change things! I appreciate your candor, and also the fact that you considered that I want an exciting tank (to look at, not like living on the edge fighting) and perhaps that’s best achieved with one large group, as opposed to 6 of these, 10 of these, 7 of these, two of these, etc etc. plus balancing out the fish getting along. There’s a lot to be said for the fact that the tankmates now are living so peacefully—I kind of take it for granted that I can move the red eyes and the cories—and that another type of tetra will act and behave the same way with the angels, and that is short sighted. For example, I have heard that Kribensis are peaceful, and yet in my tank I’ve seen them kill each other and attack everybody else, and I know angels can be aggressive, yet mine are the tank babies. I def want to get more fish, and you have given me a lot to consider! Just out of interest, what would your Congo tank look like—what other fish would you use to fill out? I wouldn’t know where to start! I really like this idea also!

 

Holy cannoli your tank is STUNNING! And I’m cracking up at both the angels acting like puppies and the not walking the dog in the rain (GREAT point!) Hahahaha thank you for that info! I don’t actually mind doing the work in theory, but it’s a ton as you say, & I can’t say I want to be on constant alert— it’s the constant stress that I can’t deal with. Even having nasty breeding kribensis in my tank bothered me! I felt bad for the fish chased into the corners etc etc. None of that stuff would stress you out, maybe, and you just do the work and keep vigilant, but you can see I’m kind of a worrier and over thinker—to put it mildly! I finally have an easy going tank and would love to keep it that way. But wow is your tank stunning. Wishful thinking for me!! It’s truly gorgeous. Life goals!!
Now, I wish you had said, ‘yes I love bosemani rainbows, get 8,’ bc now I have even more to think about haha! Your stunning tank, my still wanting large fish, yet DEF wanting action and calm, so perhaps a ton of smaller fish, for ex congos! The only issue is this: I can’t get rid of my two angels. I’m willing to move the red eyes and cories, and rehome the labs as it’s best for them, but these angels are my fave. Esp the black one—she has had her tail completely bitten off twice and always comes back, and is just my little trooper who eats frozen food from the tiny syringe I feed with (so basically directly from me!). And then the other Angel (who ate the cory and made it) gets along with the black so well, and they are buddies to some degree. So that DOES change things! I appreciate your candor, and also the fact that you considered that I want an exciting tank (to look at, not like living on the edge fighting) and perhaps that’s best achieved with one large group, as opposed to 6 of these, 10 of these, 7 of these, two of these, etc etc. plus balancing out the fish getting along. There’s a lot to be said for the fact that the tankmates now are living so peacefully—I kind of take it for granted that I can move the red eyes and the cories—and that another type of tetra will act and behave the same way with the angels, and that is short sighted. For example, I have heard that Kribensis are peaceful, and yet in my tank I’ve seen them kill each other and attack everybody else, and I know angels can be aggressive, yet mine are the tank babies. I def want to get more fish, and you have given me a lot to consider! Just out of interest, what would your Congo tank look like—what other fish would you use to fill out? I wouldn’t know where to start! I really like this idea also!

Personally If I did it I'd do Congo Tetras a decent school of them as the centerpiece fish for the tank, and Synodontis eupterus catfish, probably 2 of them for the bottom. that's it, I think it would stay busy enough, plants, bottom and floating, rock structure, maybe a small pleco or two.

Rainbows are nice also, I just don't like how they are shaped is all

My "OPINION" the 26g Flatback hex can take the 8 cories and the 2 angels, 36x12x16 is good length and depth and the width isn't bad for 1 pair of angels and some bottom fish.
the redeyes could go to the new tank, maybe add 2 more to it, and then fill out with smaller SA tetras and other fish that are community, top, mid and bottom fish, so it stays busy, schools of 6-12 for tetras.
Maybe Buenos Aires Tetras, Emperor Tetra, the redeyes are good as they are larger tetras, you could do probably even congos with them, (congos get like 3")

You could leave your fish with the 26g as is if they are all working together now, I dont' think the angels will eat another cory, or mess with any tank mates, and 3ft is enough space for two fish. just be mindful in case it is a pair and they get to breeding. I only have trouble when they get to breeding otherwise it's nothing serious. I've kept gourami with my angels for years without much problem except for what a pair decides to lay eggs.
The tetras could be moved though when you have the new tank set up, and you could go community mixed tetra and just go for egg scatterers or live bearers, fish that dont' get breeding territorial.

I really can't recommend larger fish. most of them get too big, or school and are too big as a school to move around, or would be lonely as 1 fish, or are aggressive, or territorial. It's all a headache and if you aren't about dealing with that at this point, I can't point you in that direction.
Whether you did a mix and match, of community fish, or you settle on one schooling/shoaling type fish, or Just did a super huge heavily planted shrimp and snail tank. with a dozen or so Otocinclus Catfish and I don't know, endlers or Celestial Pearl Danios maybe, big old environment for little guys to do little guys things, start families, raise their kids, and grow old. hahaha.

Just saying, when I started, I wanted Big fish, I wanted aggressive fish and "fancy", they fought, they got injured, they died, over and over, it broke me. I shut everything down and took 10 years off. I came back, got a couple kissing gouramis for a few years, a couple 3 spot gouramis, for a couple years, then a couple angels, and then went on this year long mission of angel breeding finally wanting a challenge and something more difficult again.

It doesn't have to be hard or fancy to be fun, or even a popular fish, it just has to be what you like. I started with Swordtails and corydoras, and angelfish when I was a kid. I worked my way as a teenager to red tail barracuda, xingu pike, exodons, ect. which worked but got expensive and big, and then into african cichlids which that worked also for a while but didn't work forever, a fish was always being found dead. and that turned me off the whole thing for a good decade.
Do what you like, is all I can recommend, 1 species, 5 species, biotope, random mixes from around the world of plants and fish. Last thing I want to do is talk you out of what you want to do, or recommend fish that become a pain or nightmare to you, it's a hobby, have fun and try to do no harm.

 

Ok just something on some of the above fish. Synodontis are great fish here’s mine looking out of his cave.
thing is he’s 8” long
great fish but they do get very big. He’s in a 90 now with my clowns. Don’t think a 65 would work for him and definitely not 2. And the other thing is ottos. A dozen ottos will make for some dying. Again great fish. But a dozen in a 65 no matter how much bio-film is in it just doesn’t have the space for them all to survive. I’d say no more than 4. Ottos need well established tanks to survive. Most are wild caught and only eat bio-film and certain algaes. That’s it and they eat all day long.

 

Ok just something on some of the above fish. Synodontis are great fish here’s mine looking out of his cave.thing is he’s 8” long

fish but they do get very big. He’s in a 90 now with my clowns. Don’t think a 65 would work for him and definitely not 2. And the other thing is ottos. A dozen ottos will make for some dying. Again great fish. But a dozen in a 65 no matter how much bio-film is in it just doesn’t have the space for them all to survive. I’d say no more than 4. Ottos need well established tanks to survive. Most are wild caught and only eat bio-film and certain algaes. That’s it and they eat all day long.

Appreciate the input, your syno is a beauty! When I had them they were that size and in a 4ft tank. Mine didn't get around much unless it was dark, and I always fed heavy for them, i had african cichlids with them at the time that were always hungry also. Id throw in sinking for them in the middle of the night.
65" should be 36"L x 18" wide, 24 deep?
My tank is 48"x18"x22" I forget the 72 bow is a similar footprint as the 90g, a bit thinner on the sides, and 2" shorter in depth.
I don't think an extra 12" in length is that big of a difference, maybe it is though.. They were mostly stationary until the lights go out, at least mine were., I had a rock ledge just like you do and they would just chill there all day. Making sure enough food got to them was the hard part of it. Mine lived for 6 years before I ended up surrendering them to the petstore when I shut down my tanks they were the last survivors of my African cichlid tank.

I wasn't thinking about the ottos, I must admit a dozen is way too many, I was just thinking about how small they were.

overall, I spoke before I thought hard on it all. good catch. you could keep 2 in your 90 though with other fish also. I swear!

 

Appreciate the input, your syno is a beauty! When I had them they were that size and in a 4ft tank. Mine didn't get around much unless it was dark, and I always fed heavy for them, i had african cichlids with them at the time that were always hungry also. Id throw in sinking for them in the middle of the night.
65" should be 36"L x 18" wide, 24 deep?
My tank is 48"x18"x22" I forget the 72 bow is a similar footprint as the 90g, a bit thinner on the sides, and 2" shorter in depth.
I don't think an extra 12" in length is that big of a difference, maybe it is though.. They were mostly stationary until the lights go out, at least mine were., I had a rock ledge just like you do and they would just chill there all day. Making sure enough food got to them was the hard part of it. Mine lived for 6 years before I ended up surrendering them to the petstore when I shut down my tanks they were the last survivors of my African cichlid tank.

I wasn't thinking about the ottos, I must admit a dozen is way too many, I was just thinking about how small they were.

overall, I spoke before I thought hard on it all. good catch. you could keep 2 in your 90 though with other fish also. I swear!

Hello!

thank you BOTH! Awesome awesome fish 86 ssinit! the new tank is actually like a 64.8 gallon—it’s 48”X13”X24”. So it is long! That’s funny about the rainbow fish—when I was looking at them versus the golden killifish, I thought the killi’s had much cuter faces, ha ha, but you have a point that I don’t want to get a small amount of large fish. I know that can be stunning but I want action! And it’s fun to watch fish that can more closely mimic their natural environs—like not just getting two of a kind bc of space issues! I also appreciate what I call my ‘dumb fish’—in other words, the Easy ones like tetras (not cichlids).
i had some live bearers (golden lyretail mollies) and they were so pretty and active. I was kind of put off of them bc I had a female acting as a male (or vice versa?) and I wound up with 72 babies overnight from 2 females and 6 fish. But I really did like those fish and they’re very colorful. They have a lot of black but I had them in the flatback that also has a black background and they looked good imho. At least from what I can remember.
I went to PetSmart today to get frozen blood worms, and they had some rainbows! Both bosemani and turquoise. I wouldn’t get from there (nothing against people who do, but I’m going to the great store to return labs so I’ll get from there). Anyway, 86 ssinit, they must have been juveniles as they were so pale! One showed a bit of color on the tail. I took some pics to show and ask if that’s normal! i know you said it’s normal for them to not show colors as juvies; I just want to make sure they have proper care!
Now, I really don’t know what to do, but thank you both so so much for all the recs. Having a lot of options is great, and when I go to the store and see many of these fish That I don’t know well (that I have maybe only seen once or twice in person), it’ll be fun to see what catches my eye!
The cichlids (johannis I think) at the store today were so pretty, as are labs. I was SO tempted to keep my labs along with other similar lake cichlids in my 65 and just keep the 40 breeder (with the angels tetras cories) running as is. However, y’all talked me out of the cichlid tank! I’m def returning them for their own sakes! I started out with easy and then wanted the hard and pretty fish and it wasn’t as fun bc I was always worried and figuring out what to move. So I totally hear you! I love the tanks on this thread. I hope to one day have a tank half as stunning! I have to admit to still have a longing for the larger fish, like the Rainbows, but I am now seeing the pros and cons, bc It’s cool to see your Angel tank, and think about how cool it would be to see a huge amount of one species in a tank! Below are the rainbows. Awful pics by me I’ll admit! One is the turquoise.

 

Got to say even though the pics aren’t that good the fish do look good. A little underfed but that is the norm for pet shops. Bosemani are easy to keep. A school of six isn’t needed but nice. Thing with rainbows is most types will school together. I like bosemani because they are the most colorful. Plus they take time to get that way. Yours are about 6-8 months old. These fish grow slowly and live long. These are about 3 yrs old and raised by me.
male on the bottom female on top. Male is colorful but will get better as it gets older. Female isn’t showing all her color in this pic. As a group they will constantly move through the tank. Now the golden wonders are another great fish that will occupy the top of the tank. 2 is perfect for them. There an odd fish with personality. There sneaky. You’ll look at them them look at something else. When you look back one or both will be gone. Like there hiding on you. Find them and they go back to the top. I enjoyed mine. A story: when I put all my fish into my 90g these guys went in first. About a week later I added a pair of angels from my other tank. They were the last in cause there angels and I figured they’d be causing any problems. So the wonders had the top of the tank and the angels the middle. From day one the angels would hit them from the bottom. Not constantly but enough to get the wonders attention and make them wary of a hit. Well one day out of the blue an angel went up to hit the wonder and the other wonder dived under that angel and bit it. Scared the heck out of the angel! It hit the bottom of the light. When this happened the other wonder dived and chased the other angel all around the tank for about 10 seconds. The angels never hit them again. I like wonders. It was like they planned it. Something I’ll never forget. So just because there’s only 2 doesn’t mean their not interesting . Also when kept in good conditions there a bright yellow. Great color.

 

Got to say even though the pics aren’t that good the fish do look good. A little underfed but that is the norm for pet shops. Bosemani are easy to keep. A school of six isn’t needed but nice. Thing with rainbows is most types will school together. I like bosemani because they are the most colorful. Plus they take time to get that way. Yours are about 6-8 months old. These fish grow slowly and live long. These are about 3 yrs old and raised by me.male on the bottom female on top. Male is colorful but will get better as it gets older. Female isn’t showing all her color in this pic. As a group they will constantly move through the tank. Now the golden wonders are another great fish that will occupy the top of the tank. 2 is perfect for them. There an odd fish with personality. There sneaky. You’ll look at them them look at something else. When you look back one or both will be gone. Like there hiding on you. Find them and they go back to the top. I enjoyed mine. A story: when I put all my fish into my 90g these guys went in first. About a week later I added a pair of angels from my other tank. They were the last in cause there angels and I figured they’d be causing any problems. So the wonders had the top of the tank and the angels the middle. From day one the angels would hit them from the bottom. Not constantly but enough to get the wonders attention and make them wary of a hit. Well one day out of the blue an angel went up to hit the wonder and the other wonder dived under that angel and bit it. Scared the heck out of the angel! It hit the bottom of the light. When this happened the other wonder dived and chased the other angel all around the tank for about 10 seconds. The angels never hit them again. I like wonders. It was like they planned it. Something I’ll never forget. So just because there’s only 2 doesn’t mean their not interesting . Also when kept in good conditions there a bright yellow. Great color.

Hahahah that’s Awesome! I love when they have great personalities! Both of those types sound so tempting and your fish are gorgeous! I have to say my tetras are easy but they don’t have the most personality. I can’t name them bc they are all the same! They also aren’t as easy to watch bc they stay to the top of the tank for the most part! But personality does a lot for me! I like fun fish that will interact with me and or the others! Are discus like that? I read up on them for hours the other night but it was until 230 am so I can’t remember all! What’s your favorite fish? I tried to see your profile but it just tells me your badges! Edit: I was able to see your photos and WOW!

this is 86 ssinit photo below not mine.i would only hope to have these fish! STUNNING!!!!! Also only an expert says “I’m not an expert” agahahahah love it!
!

 

My favorite fish right now
its an albino so it doesn’t see that well so I feed it by hand. Not that easy because the other 15 discus have caught on to this and just attack my hand when I put it in the tank. But I do make sure he gets fed .
Close second is my feather fin and clown loaches. I’ve had them for so long.

Here’s a quick video of 2 of my tanks

 

My favorite fish right nowView attachment 863938its an albino so it doesn’t see that well so I feed it by hand. Not that easy because the other 15 discus have caught on to this and just attack my hand when I put it in the tank. But I do make sure he gets fed .
Close second is my feather fin and clown loaches. I’ve had them for so long.

Here’s a quick video of 2 of my tanks

My husband just asked me why I’m watching a video and repeating ‘You cannot handle Discus. Don’t do it.’ Hahahaha bc your tanks are stunning! I also really appreciate seeing the videos bc I don’t think I realized the size of the rainbows until I saw them swimming by an Angel! Love that! Why is that albino your fave? Bc he’s the underdog right now? Bc of his personality? My black Angel is my fave bc she was an underdog so many times and then always came out with her cute little personality intact (though not always her fins!). She’s finally growing back and the gold Angel is almost all grown back too!

 

He’s not an underdog. None of the discus chase him or even bother him. I guess I’ve attached to him because of the hand feeding. I’ve always hand feed them all in the evening. I’ll put a worm cube in between my fingers and they all attack. But because of his sight I started putting both hands in at opposite sides of the tank. It took the others about a week before they figured out what was going on. Than they’d swim from hand to hand. So I’m back to one handed and try to push the cube right into his mouth so he gets his.

Discus are not so much hard to keep. They are time consuming. If buying big discus 4-5” you’d need to change 50% water daily for the first week. Get them adjusted to your water. Than for the next week every other day. See how there doing than reduce your water changes. You’d end up doing 2 50% a week. So you’d change 100% a week. That’s where the time is .
If you buy small it’s a gamble. Yes cheaper but much more work to get them to 5”. As in daily water changes till 5”. 5+ months.

 

He’s not an underdog. None of the discus chase him or even bother him. I guess I’ve attached to him because of the hand feeding. I’ve always hand feed them all in the evening. I’ll put a worm cube in between my fingers and they all attack. But because of his sight I started putting both hands in at opposite sides of the tank. It took the others about a week before they figured out what was going on. Than they’d swim from hand to hand. So I’m back to one handed and try to push the cube right into his mouth so he gets his.

Discus are not so much hard to keep. They are time consuming. If buying big discus 4-5” you’d need to change 50% water daily for the first week. Get them adjusted to your water. Than for the next week every other day. See how there doing than reduce your water changes. You’d end up doing 2 50% a week. So you’d change 100% a week. That’s where the time is .
If you buy small it’s a gamble. Yes cheaper but much more work to get them to 5”. As in daily water changes till 5”. 5+ months.

Oh wow that’s not as intensive as I thought. Don’t get me wrong that’s still super intensive but not AS. What a cutie by the way (the albino). Discus are also so expensive and I know I can’t start with like two! But saving is worth it always.
I think it’s time for a trip to the fish store! Not to buy, and not even to return the labs yet, as they are at my parents, which is the opposite way. Just to look and check everything out! That way, I can then choose my substrate and start from there!! EDIT: on my way to the store! I actually can’t take the labs bc the guy who accepts them doesn’t work weekends. Wish me luck and expect more pics hahahaha
Edit 86 ssinit am I correct that the yellow is nice and round and the purple is too football shaped? Or maybe both too football’




UPDATE:

here’s what caught my eye. Y’all are going to make fun of me. Can I get a group of neons and keep them with the red eyes? If not I can get the neons for another tank another time. But they have them against a black background and they look good!











And for sizing only
Not color
Cool rainbows and maybe a killi? I was tempted to go to the store an hour away from here and an hour and a half from home hahahah



Discus r the farther store look much better imho but I know nothing hahahah

 

Sorry for ALL the messages! The fish stores are so fun hahahahah

 

Nice all the fish and the tanks look good and clean. The golden wonders were young and stressed. But will yellow up in a stable environment. The discus look good fr a local pet store and probably came there in much better shape. So you want to buy when they get to the store. All football shaped and stunted. Thing is there expensive. I’d pay $45 for any of them but I’m guessing the price was about 2-3x more. Yellow discus are very hard to keep yellow. They’re fed enhansors to get them that color. They start as PBs or albinos. If not fed the enhansors they go back to original colors.

 

Nice all the fish and the tanks look good and clean. The golden wonders were young and stressed. But will yellow up in a stable environment. The discus look good fr a local pet store and probably came there in much better shape. So you want to buy when they get to the store. All football shaped and stunted. Thing is there expensive. I’d pay $45 for any of them but I’m guessing the price was about 2-3x more. Yellow discus are very hard to keep yellow. They’re fed enhansors to get them that color. They start as PBs or albinos. If not fed the enhansors they go back to original colors.

Wow! See thank GOODNESS for this site! Bc these stores seem to know a lot more than say the local box stores, but clearly can’t or won’t tell me (or don’t know) about the fish quality. Seriously thank you so much!
I plan to use mesh filter bags to create a substrate hill in my tank. I will either do one or two rows—either a stack of two bags across the back, and then a row of one bag and then just substrate, or a row of one bag and then just substrate.
what would you recommend I stuff the bags with? Gravel or sand? Any ferts? Apparently the bags can hold sand, so that ostensibly means even if the gravel I used is the bags is larger than my gravel substrate layered On top, the substrate layered can’t fall through to simply fill the holes in the media bags. But I wonder what is cheaper and what is better? Any thoughts?

 

Edit part II:
I have a bunch of gunk inside my tank. When I filled it I got out as much as I could with a magic eraser but it’s still there on the top. I am of course scared to touch it and certainly didn’t polish that part. What would you recommend? I got mr siga extra fine cloths and magic erasers (the magic erasers from the dollar store but I prefer those bc they have no additives), & before I polish wirh Novus, should I fill up and gently wipe gunk with a wet magic eraser? It’ll never be fully gone just from emptying & filling bc It’s the top layer and just collects on the tank as it empties. Even when I fill and wipe as I go some stays behind (I tried). When I clean it after I’m totally done with Novus, before I start stocking, I will of course be extra thorough, but I want to polish this area before I clean all the Novus out.
I also got a spray bottle I can put water in and spray and wipe with magic but I was scared that wouldn’t be wet enough. I would have this issue in glass too, would wipe it, and it would likely take a few empties and fills before I get most of it. You can see the diff between the front I polished and the side I haven’t bc of the gunk.

 

Not sure what your seeing or where? On the lid with the openings? If so the magic eraser will remove most. The novus will remove the rest. The top is going to get scratched. Just can’t avoid it. You’ll place everything on it. Well that what I do.

 

Not sure what your seeing or where? On the lid with the openings? If so the magic eraser will remove most. The novus will remove the rest. The top is going to get scratched. Just can’t avoid it. You’ll place everything on it. Well that what I do.

Thank you! You’re soooo patient! It’s the gunk on the inside of the pic from the side but clearly isn’t too bad!

 

Not sure what your seeing or where? On the lid with the openings? If so the magic eraser will remove most. The novus will remove the rest. The top is going to get scratched. Just can’t avoid it. You’ll place everything on it. Well that what I do.

Am I able to saw this wood in half? So it will fit in the acrylic top? Or at the natural point where it looks like it can be sawed? It won’t dry out, or will take months, so would have to be done wet. The piece leaning on the right side is a separate piece of wood so it’s the huge hunk I want to cut.

 

Ok have you tried to get it in?
with patience and about 100 different attempts I got this into a 36g acrylic. In my video it’s the piece on the left in the 180. I was trying to sink it in the 36 for a few months. Lol still hasn’t sunk and I don’t think it ever will.

 

Ok have you tried to get it in?View attachment 864179with patience and about 100 different attempts I got this into a 36g acrylic. In my video it’s the piece on the left in the 180. I was trying to sink it in the 36 for a few months. Lol still hasn’t sunk and I don’t think it ever will.

As a matter of fact, I haven’t! I realized the holes are like 7” but I like your style! I assumed it wouldn’t fit—and my husband calls me a pessimist! (I think he’s wrong but perhaps not!).

 

Lol the hole in mine is 5” but 23” long. That piece in my 180

 

Lol the hole in mine is 5” but 23” long. That piece in my 180View attachment 864184

Your tank is so stunning.

 

I was off of my INSANE lighting tangent (which I’m over now, thank you!) and walked in the room where the tank is and I have some work to do! My elbow grease isn’t greasy enough Lolol. I tried to snap a pic but it’s hard to capture on film: basically you can see circles of where I didn’t rub the polish in enough hahahahaha so I will be working on that which is actually important. Thank you for bearing wirh my when I went insane for a bit (lighting wise)! Edit: remember I was having the floors redone? Here’s before and after. In before the tank is in spot labeled one in the after pic. Any thoughts on if I should put the tank in spot one or two (see the second photo which shows the floors after being redone) or in the third pic room which has wayyyyy less ambient light?

 

They’re both good places. But 1 is probably best for now. Cause 2 looks better for the next and bigger tank.
As to the circle buffing marks you did follow the directions? I think 3 is suppose to be done at right angles and 2 in circles. Lol you may be going to hard. I had the circle marks when I used a drill.

 

Where would you enjoy the tank the most? If all three positions are equal, I would put it in #3 since you won't have to battle as much algae from natural light. Otherwise, I would put it where I would view it the most.