# Just "inherited" a 75 gallon tank



## jepherycorwin (Aug 15, 2013)

HI!! I have never owned an aquarium in my life. I just "inherited" a 75 gallon tank that my roommate had in storage (my roommate only had it because a previous roommate left it behind). I have 2 primary concerns...

Concern #1: There is absolutely NO hardware with it; no stand, no hood, no filtration system, no plants/driftwood/sunken pirate ship(s)...NOTHING!

Concern #2: Until I started researching what it would take to bring the old behemoth back to life, I had never before heard of nitrogen cycling before introducing fish. I only knew that water temp and pH were important.

So, what I'm looking for at this point is advice or instruction on building a stand (I've looked at buying a stand, but I'd really be quite happy to make a project out of building one). And, I'd really appreciate any/all advice I can get on creating a healthy ecosystem before actually choosing what fish to stock.

Thank you so much for your time and kind consideration!!

JC


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## TheJakeM (May 11, 2013)

I don't know about stands, but I know a little about the other things. You will need one to two inches of gravel in your tank. You'll need a heater if you're doing tropicals. For a filter, you should over-filter. Lighting depends on whether or not you are doing live plants. Once everything is together you "cycle" your tank, preferably without fish, for a few weeks to a few months. At that point we'll help with your fish stocking. Anyone have something I missed?


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## P.senegalus (Aug 18, 2011)

Lucky you 
Sounds like a nice project, there are some good videos on youtube on how to build your own stand. Wish I could be more help but I never built my own stand yet.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

for a 75 i would suggest a 2x6 for the top rails building a stand something like this one....



this one is for 2 40 longs or 55s...i have several racks built like this and they work great and are easy to build..


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

same design but hold 21 10 gallon tanks.......


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## jepherycorwin (Aug 15, 2013)

Oops, I forgot to mention the tank is a 75 gallon _hexagon_. Sorry about that. With regard to vegetation, I'd really prefer all live plants; so, are there special lighting requirements?

Thanks a bunch 

JC


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

leak test out-of-doors. Keep very level.


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## jepherycorwin (Aug 15, 2013)

emc7 said:


> leak test out-of-doors. Keep very level.


Leak test in progress 

If there is a leak, what sealant should I use?


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

If there is a leak at the seam then you will need to re-do your seems. Just adding on top won't work. Let us know if you need instructions for that.


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## jepherycorwin (Aug 15, 2013)

Per instructions, I completed a leak test and found no leaks. 1st small victory, HOORAY!! However, when I emptied the water and got down into the very bottom to dry and clean, I noticed there _are_ some internal cracks in the bottom glass. I ran a finger over the crack(s) from both inside and out and couldn't actually _feel_ anything. And again, there were no signs of leakage...

So, the question then becomes...will the internal cracks spread/break the surface of the glass and cause a disaster after sustained pressure from ~75 gallons of water?

Any and all advice and expert opinions are most truly welcome!!

JC


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Take a straight razor over the "cracks" on the inside, if they come clean it is n't really a crack 

At 75 gallons, with substrate being pokey etc I would not trust it not to crack if it is indeed a crack that has begun. It will take on the full weight of the water and substrate which is a LOT LOL. 

I am notoriously paranoid about that aspect, so you might want more than just my opinion.


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## jepherycorwin (Aug 15, 2013)

*Plan B!*

After careful consideration, I decided to let the "inherited" 75 gallon tank go to the dump. HOWEVER; the very same day I got word from a friend about a 75 gallon tank + stand for an unbeatable price! Now I have a new set of dilemmas to ask all you wonderful and experienced experts about.

The first thing I asked the person selling the tank was, "why are you getting rid of it?" The answer was simple...he's moving to San Francisco due to a promotion and only has a few days to sort, pack, sell, and store everything he owns. Logically, the next question was, "where are all the fish"? The answer was simple...they all died over the course of a few weeks and he just never replaced them..."

Because of his responses, I feel like it's very important that I clean the tank and everything in it extremely well; and further, I feel like completing the nitrogen cycling process accurately is going to be critical to creating a healthy ecosystem within the tank.

So, to start, what's the best way to clean the rocks, hardware, décor, and tank to make sure no communicable illnesses and/or harmful bacteria remain??

Thanks!!

JC


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

bleach....clean every nook and cranny..dilute and soak everything for a day or so..


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## jepherycorwin (Aug 15, 2013)

*nitrogen cycling with, or without, fish*



lohachata said:


> bleach....clean every nook and cranny..dilute and soak everything for a day or so..


Alright, I've got my recently acquired tank cleaned and refilled. I've been doing research about nitrogen cycling; however, for every "expert" who says to cycle WITH fish, there is another "expert" saying cycle WITHOUT fish. I'd love to hear opinions!!

THANKS!!

JC


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Fishless cycle is the "humane" way to go. If you must cycle with fish you can use an "instant cycle" bacteria booster product and watch the levels . When they work, they work, but they don't always work. Do not let anyone talk you into cycling with "disposable" fish, cycling with feeders will put you back in the disease-carrying tank zone. 

But a 75 is large enough you could do a "gradual cycle". One fish takes a while to make an ammonia spike large enough to kill it. Once you have 0 ammonia and measurable nitrate, add a few more fish. Repeat. The drawback of this method is the lack of QT and fish from several different batches of store deliveries.


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## neeraj (Jun 13, 2011)

guys, isn't mature filter media a good way to start a new tank?
because i've done this twice before with friends who lived not very near me.
i just squeezed the water from a filter and carried it to the friends tank and dumped it there and let it sit for like 2 days and everything was fine..
i did this a couple of times with my own new tanks.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Seeding with old media is def the fastest way to go. You can do it with or without fish. Only caution is not to take from a tank with disease.


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## dandries (Apr 6, 2013)

I cycle of my tank relatively quickly without fish using plants and some chemicals specifically designed for fast cycling that I bought at the pet store. It was going fine until I got columnaris and had to redo the entire tank because all the fish died. But it worked very well the second time around and I have had no major fish losses since then. Sense then I have done similar process with a 60 gallon tank. I bought lots and lots of plants and did chemical tests very frequently.

I've read many articles that say when you have lots of plants your aquarium may never go through an actual cycle because the plants are absorbing the ammonia and nitrite that would normally build up. That seem to be what happened in my case.

I had lots of live plants and added bacteria that I purchased from my LFS for about 10 days before I started adding fish. I also have had a UV filter on my tanks which have worked very well at preventing additional outbreak of colimnaris.

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## jepherycorwin (Aug 15, 2013)

*4 weeks into cycle*



emc7 said:


> Fishless cycle is the "humane" way to go. If you must cycle with fish you can use an "instant cycle" bacteria booster product and watch the levels . When they work, they work, but they don't always work. Do not let anyone talk you into cycling with "disposable" fish, cycling with feeders will put you back in the disease-carrying tank zone.
> 
> But a 75 is large enough you could do a "gradual cycle". One fish takes a while to make an ammonia spike large enough to kill it.  Once you have 0 ammonia and measurable nitrate, add a few more fish. Repeat. The drawback of this method is the lack of QT and fish from several different batches of store deliveries.


I decided to cycle without live fish; however, I did put in 4 different freshwater plants and a shrimp. I took daily measurements but I never actually measured a spike in the ammonia and/or nitrite levels. The plants are all doing very well. I have a feeling a spike probably occurred while I was out of town on business for a week. So, I feel reasonably confident in beginning to stock my aquarium.

My question now is about tank mates. I really like the look of zebra danios, neon tetras, and powder blue dwarf gourami (I'm thinking about 6 of each). Will they do well together in a moderately well planted 75 gal and in those quantities? And, is there a particular order in which I should introduce them? My thought is to introduce 1 group at a time, with about a week in between each...


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