Our new fish tank

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So we have finally got around to building our fish tank. Since the time we bought our house and left the apartment life I have been wanting to build out a big fish tank. I've had a couple fish throughout the years, but only got as big as 20 gallons. This time we went all out and got a 75 gallon tank. We just got the last pieces delivered on Thursday so we took some of Friday night and most of Saturday morning setting it up. 

Configuration


  • Aqueon 75 gallon tank. We were going to go with a 55, but really the 75 is way more sturdy and pretty much the same initial cost. Great recommendation from the fish people.
  • Aqueon tank stand. We went with a Aqueon stand because this gives the glass a lifetime warranty and we enjoyed the style.
  • Aqueon canopy. Suggested by our fish tank store because we have cats. I must say I like it a lot more than I thought I would. It gives it a really nice clean look because it hides all the cords and hoses coming over the back side of the tank.
  • Fennix 24x7 Planted+ SE. This light is awesome.  It has a full day cycle where it changes colors throughout the day. The picture above is late morning. It turns off late at night, then deep blue early morning, sunrise around 6:30a until full on daylight at noon, then the reverse cycle.
  • Aquatop CF300 canister filter. This is a decent filter at a reasonable price. It's very quiet. You do have to prime it yourself via the pump on top which was challenging at first but after a minute it got going. Advice, fill the canister with aquarium water so you don't have to fill it with the pumping. Makes it waaaay faster.
  • Whisper 100 air pump. This is a nice pump but a couple annoyances. Currently we only have one bubbler, which the 100 is way overkill. It actually makes crazy noises if you let it run at full throttle. So we capped off one output with the provided T valves and also added a second T valve to the other outlet. This one is only opened 1/2 way. Once we get more bubble rocks we can readjust but for now this works and is pretty quiet. Do note that the bubbler is louder than the filter which is crazy to me.
  • 2x 24" glass tops. We did this so the bubbles would splash onto the glass instead of the light. Lights+water!=fun.
  • A 200 watt Aqueon heater. Lifetime warranty, no glass components, perfect.

Plants

We decided to go with real plants because we enjoy gardening and this is a unique experience where we can grow plants underwater. This also provides a more oxygen rich environment for the fishes. We got some Giant Vallisneria (really looks like sea weed to me), some Red Telanthera (pretty big leaf bush for the front), and some Red Ludwigia (looks like a money plant). I'm hoping for success with these live plants, I'll keep you posted.

Decor

We went with a sunken civilization theme. C found the 4 faced temple on the amazons. I'm excited to see if the fish swim through the opening. We also found a rock corner wall that goes perfectly with the temple. It has an embedded statue in it. The centerpiece is a driftwood we found at the fish store. We set it up with a bubbler right under it. The bubbles rolling off of the wood looks really neat.


Fish

None yet, gotta let this thing cycle in some good bacteria into the filter. Once we get some I'll do a follow up post.

Thank you to the people at Living Art Aquarium in Madison. They are very knowledgable and super helpful getting everything setup. 

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