Wife is hooked! 72 gal tank

Hello all,

So my wife is hooked on keeping fish now. She can't help take care of them at all, so I do all the work. We are currently looking at a 72Gal Bow front aquarium (48"L×18"D×22"H) with stand for the bedroom.

I have street to make a sandfall waterfall for the background to go in the middle of the tank up against the back glass. I think we will do a planted tank in pool filter sand and try something new. Our 55 gal tank is all fake plants and I'm not liking the way it looks.

So here are some questions, I want to get this setup properly right from the start with good equipment.

1) Cannister filters, anyone have one that they would suggest? I've done research and they all seem the same to me.
2) Lights for growing plants and plant suggestions? Looking for some low maintance, easy to grow plants (ground cover would be great too)
3) Current creators useful? (I forget what they are called but they fasten to the glass and are basically an underwater fan)

Possible stocking
5 clown loaches (wife loves these guys, didn't think my 55 gal could handle them)
Angel fish
Pearl gourami
Cardinal tetras ( would they become fish food)

Open to suggestions on stocking, the tank is going in our bedroom so the wife wants to be able to see the fish at night (ginger to get moon light lights also).

Thanks for all your help in advance!

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Can't go wrong with sun sun canister filters

 

My LPS doesn't sell Sun Sun cannister filters, only Fluval, Eheim pro 4+, Marineland, and maybe one more.

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You should be able to order them off Amazon or Ebay.

No clown loaches in your tank. It's not big enough.

Adult cardinals should be fine with angels.

2. Java fern, Java moss, Anubias, jungle vals, swords, and crypts are easy.

3. Powerheads probably aren't necessary, but you can use them if you want!

 

Are you big fish people or little fish people? With 72 gallons to romp around in Angel Fish will grow quite large, large enough to see most tetras, guppies, lambchop rasboras as snacks -- but it doesn't happen for a couple of years. I've got a 75 gallon in my bedroom which I set up much like nano aquarium enthusiasts do: no fish longer than 1 inch. And it's proved to be very serene and peaceful, having several different schools of small fish swimming back and forth during most of the time the lights are on. I also keep small varieties of cory cats (panda and pygmy) in small herds of 6 and 9. They also like to school together. And I've retired my best prize breeding Betta to that same tank. But no "center piece" fish. Only small schools of different small fish.

However, most people prefer more interactive fish such as Angels and other cichlids. They are equally beautiful, but need to be kept with fish their same size. Clown loaches are very hearty critters. They live a very long time and frequently grow to about 10 inches. They are certainly entertaining and good for keeping snail infestations at bay.

When I retire at night the "moon light" fixture automatically turns on and the regular lights turn off. That's when the kuhlI loaches come out in force and dance about my bedroom tank. They help me drop off to sleep rather quickly.

Again, research what kind of fish -- big or small -- you prefer and then research from there. That's half the fun of keeping fish. Good luck.

 

Are you big fish people or little fish people? With 72 gallons to romp around in Angel Fish will grow quite large, large enough to see most tetras, guppies, lambchop rasboras as snacks -- but it doesn't happen for a couple of years. I've got a 75 gallon in my bedroom which I set up much like nano aquarium enthusiasts do: no fish longer than 1 inch. And it's proved to be very serene and peaceful, having several different schools of small fish swimming back and forth during most of the time the lights are on. I also keep small varieties of cory cats (panda and pygmy) in small herds of 6 and 9. They also like to school together. And I've retired my best prize breeding Betta to that same tank. But no "center piece" fish. Only small schools of different small fish.

However, most people prefer more interactive fish such as Angels and other cichlids. They are equally beautiful, but need to be kept with fish their same size. Clown loaches are very hearty critters. They live a very long time and frequently grow to about 10 inches. They are certainly entertaining and good for keeping snail infestations at bay.

When I retire at night the "moon light" fixture automatically turns on and the regular lights turn off. That's when the kuhlI loaches come out in force and dance about my bedroom tank. They help me drop off to sleep rather quickly.

Again, research what kind of fish -- big or small -- you prefer and then research from there. That's half the fun of keeping fish. Good luck.

I had an angel go from a juvie at Petsmart to almost the same size as my adult male in less than a year - it definitely doesn't take them years. I keep them with adult glowlight tetras with no issues. Juveniles glowlights wouldn't be so lucky though!

Angels can definitely be kept with fish smaller than them, as long as they won't fit in their mouths (and my angels don't eat fish larger than 1.5" or so).

 

120 gallon recommended for Clown Loaches.

Yes they look cute at 2 inches but grow BIG (my biggest is 10.5 inches).

Do you want a pet with personality or a spectacular shoal that looks good?

Do you like plants?

If so a large shoal of Cardinals can look stunning with plants and you could have a personality fish that does not threaten them to provide interest.

I would probably stick to a single Angel or Gourami for reasons of peacefulness. A Suckermouth Catfish of some plant-friendly kind would be ideal too.

 

Redshark1 clown loaches have been ruled out. I showed the wife a video of how big they get and she now says that they are ugly. Lol. I am planning on doing a planted tank, I want to try and make it as maintance free as possible.

Wife is now thinking of Angels and gourami's and maybe a schooling fish or two. Along with a bottom feeder.

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Don't know how you are with making things but I think diy filtration is the way to go! You can build a canister filter that is fully custom for way cheaper than you can buy one. Check out the king of diy on YouTube he has some awesome builds! I have personally made trickle towers and stands from watching his videos

 

Shaft lol, I am budding the 3d sandfall I saw him make. I would do the canister filter but I don't know how quite that would be. It's going in the bedroom so it can't be loud in the slightest.

 

Pictures of the sandfall that I have been working on.

 

Ya idk how it sounds I'm thinking you could pack it with so much media and filter floss it would be quite but don't know till you try I guess lol, but that is looking good! I was thinking about doing one of those some day!

 

Well it's all done,