New 75 Gallon tank: Equipment

Well, so far I've described the setup of the tank, the gravel, and lighting. If that was all you needed for a successful planted tank, it would be easy. Fortunately, a variety of other equipment helps make things a bit easier. For this "dream" tank, I selected the best equipment I could find to keep things running smooth. Here are all of the other parts that make this thing work.

Filter

I chose the Fluval 404 for this tank's filter. I use a 303 in my 29 gallon tank, and am pleased with it. The 404 improves on the x03 models with a number of features, including the quick-release valve shown here. It's a very nice and very quiet filter.

For filter media, I use a single basket with biomedia, and the first and last baskets are full of filter floss. (The floss much improves the filter's ability to remove particles, such as Flourite dust, from the water.) I also have some peat pellets in there to reduce pH and soften the water, and PhosGuard (Seachem) to remove my tap water's phospates.

I also have carbon in the filter for now. This is temporary; it will minimize iron and other trace elements during the setup period, and remove any setup-related impurities.

One potential problem with the 404 is that its output is a single jet-like device that creates quite a current, and disturbs the water surface. To remedy this I added a spray bar (a spare 303 spray bar with two pieces of tubing to adapt it to the output.)

Here's the spray bar (right) next to the intake. Since they're on the same end of the tank, one end has much more current and circulation than the other. For now this doesn't seem to be a problem, and it helps as I can put fragile plants in the low-current end.

To make the output of the spray bar less damaging to the plants, I drilled extra rows of holes in it so it sprays in three different directions. The plants near the output still sway, but at least they aren't torn out by the roots.

Heater

As a general rule, a tank's heater should be 3-5 watts per gallon of water. I chose a 200W Tronic heater. Not quite 3 watts per gallon, but my room is well-heated so it's close enough.

Tronic makes "heater guards" for their heaters, and I added one as shown in the picture. This supposedly prevents breakage, and the remote possibility of fish being stressed or harmed by close contact with the heater. At any rate, it was cheap and it doesn't hurt.

This heater is very reliable. I set the temperature at 76 degrees, and it goes up from about 76.0 to 77.2 during the day due to the heat from the lights. I use an indoor/outdoor thermometer, pictured here, with its "outdoor" probe in the water, to monitor the tank's temperature.

I highly recommend Tronic heaters. Other good brands, from my experience and what I've heard from others, are Ebo-Jager, Visitherm, and Acura.

CO2

One piece of equipment that makes a plant tank unique is a CO2 system. While you can grow plants without CO2, it dramatically improves growth and allows you to keep high-light plants, assuming you have enough light. I like pressurized CO2 systems because they rarely require maintenance.

My CO2 system is from Dave Gomberg. I now have two of his systems and highly recommend them. The system includes the regulator shown here; I purchased the 5 pound CO2 cylinder at a local welding supply company.

Since CO2 cylinders become hard to regulate when they are low on gas, it's important to check the pressure gauge regularly. I position mine so that it is visible when I reach into the tank's cabinet to get the fish food every day.

This is a high-pressure CO2 system, meaning it does not use a needle valve. The regulator outputs CO2 at about 10-12 PSI, and is thus connected to a diffuser that works with (and requires) high pressure.

This is the Eheim diffuser Dave supplies with his systems. I keep it positioned near the filter's input and output, so the CO2 bubbles are caught up in the current and most are dissolved.

The Eheim diffuser is pretty reliable. I have only two complaints about it: first, it has to be cleaned about once a month if you have algae (if not, it might last longer.) Second, it's a bit noisy. The noise is less than a typical airstone, but it does make an audible "purr"; it's very quiet, but it's louder than my Fluval 404 filter and is thus the loudest part of the tank.

Air Pump

While an air pump and airstone are a ubiquitous part of most aquaria, planted tanks typically don't have them. This is for two reasons: first, the airstone causes surface agitation and allows some CO2 to escape. Second, healthy plants with CO2 produce tons of oxygen, so it's rarely necessary to add air.

So why do I have an air pump? Well, I like to have one on my tanks "just in case." It isn't on all of the time, but turns on for a few hours each night with a timer. This is when oxygen levels are lowest, and the airstone prevents fish from suffering due to low levels. I can also turn it on immediately whenever fish are stressed.

90% of the time, this isn't needed; the oxygen from the plants will last all night. But I've found that when my plants are having a problem with growth (for example, when algae is out of control or when I am on vacation and don't fertilize for a week) the oxygen levels can get low enough at night to harm fish.

The air pump is cheap insurance against these problems. Air pumps can diffuse CO2 out of the tank and cause pH swings, so I don't recommend them in every case - but my water has a high buffering capacity, so my tanks have no troubles. "Unexplained" fish deaths have declined to almost zero in the 6 months or so since I've started using an air pump at night in my tanks.

The pump I use is a Rena Air 200, purchased from Pet Warehouse along with much of the other equipment. Rena pumps are very quiet and reliable.

Miscellaneous

Last but not least, here are a couple of water monitoring gadgets that make my life easier. The first is a Seachem Ammonia Alert (on the right), which changes color in the presence of ammonia. It's a great tool for cycling tanks, as you can immediately react if any ammonia is detected.

The second is an Eheim CO2 monitor. This is a clever device that keeps a test solution exposed to the tank's water through an air gap, so it does not mix with the water. It's basically a pH indicator. If the CO2 level is too high (low pH) or too low (high pH) the color change makes it clear.

These make it easy to check the water at a glance without using a test kit, and I can check the water for these critical items every day despite being lazy.

Finally, a gadget that every planted tank should have: a timer for the lights. You can get timers for $3 or so at any drugstore. I prefer the digital ones, which are a bit more expensive but are much more reliable. They also have a convenient on/off button to override the timer. I have two of these for the lights and a third for the air pump.

To grow plants and avoid algae, it's crucial to have a consistent photoperiod of between 10 and 16 hours per day of light. I stagger the on/off times of my two lights for about an hour to avoid stunning the fish with a sudden brightness or darkness.

Next Page: Water (Coming soon)