Not trying to disagree, just a lot of conflicting opinions out there, hopefully I've cycled my last tank for the next decade or so when maybe I can go bigger.
Stocking idea for 300-500 gallon Aquarium
- Thread starter SmokyCartoon
- Start date
What kind of filter would be best? Rn I’ve been looking at a fluval canister filter
This is gonna be a matter of opinion. Here's mine:
I don't run canisters. They have their uses but I would not recommend for a beginner. For prefab out of the box filtration I frequently reach for the fluval/aquaclear 110 hang on back filter. I also use sponge filters and airstones for temporary or smaller tanks.
For tanks this size and larger I highly recommend a sump. A lot of people are intimidated by sump tanks and plumbing but they really are a necessity imo when you start to keep heavily stocked, larger tanks. My sumps are just simple tanks containing filter socks over the incoming drains, various types of bio media, heaters or other equipment, and the return pumps fir flow back to the display tank.
Here's a couple of my more recent builds:
130g tank w/30g side sump
200g tank with 150g sump below
210g tank with 100g sump below
Obviously sumps require a much larger initial investment of time, work, and money. But once you are set up and running smooth most keepers never go back to other forms of filtration.
One other to look into is the hamburg matten filter. I've never ran one but they are among the most simple filters and very effective apparently as many keepers swear by them. The only downside imo is they come at the expense of space inside the tank.
After reading all your comments i'm starting to worry about the price of my aquarium lol.
Oh yeah...MFKing is an expensive hobby. I just assumed price was no object since you were talking about 300-500 gallon tanks lol.
I can't afford big new tanks. I surf Craigslist daily for used tanks and glass to build with. Many panels on my tanks were once coffee tables. I use a lot of reclaimed scrap lumber when I build my stands. I design for energy efficiency and practicality.
Not saying any of this is for you but with some effort you could probably put together a used 180 gallon setup with a sump for well under $1000 even cheaper if you manage to find a steal of a deal on a tank. I only spent $200 on that beautiful 210g in the pictures above. A similar new 180g setup delivered to your home would probably run you $2000-3000 but don't quote me on that.
I've heard Facebook marketplace is also great for used equipment on a budget.
A good idea if you know you're going to be on a tight budget is to first figure out what the cost will be to feed the adult stock in your tank. Plan on it all being adult stock because it will be soon enough. Know also that carnivores will often put a far higher bio load on your system than would a fish that likes greens. There are exceptions like pleco's but consider for a moment that you're keeping water and not fish.
The more fish you have in that tank the more difficult it will be to keep the water parameters right. For instance, if you pick up that 500g tank and only put a couple dozen neons in it you could filter it w/ minimal investment as the amount of waste would be tiny. Stuff it full of the stock you want and that bio load will change wildly. Keep the same stock list and get a smaller tank and the filtration issue will be even more of a concern.
The big deal though is easy to overlook and it's that the ongoing costs of feed and care can be a lot bigger than most of us anticipated in our early days and they can sink a tight budget quick. My suggestion would be that next time you're in your favorite LFS ask them what the fish list you have would eat as adults per month and then cost that out. For example, I have 6 Peacock Bass that are young with the largest being about 8" long and a couple of his buddies are close to the same size. Just those three can put the hammer to a full 17.2 oz sack of jumbo carnistix in about a week to 10 days, max. At my LFS that's $35 a bag. You can cut that in half by buying on Amazon, etc. but the cost of simply having a bunch of carnivores is going to be spendy and it's one of the reasons why most of us had smaller tanks when we started out.
My first was a 10g and when I was 14 I bought a 30g long and was certain I had made the big leagues. Now my largest is an 800g w/ 6 FX6's on it. The cost to purchase was unattractive but only hurt once. When something goes wrong with a big tank it goes wrong in a big way. I don't want to dissuade you from chasing that big tank (ever), but consider the cost of medicating a 30g vs a 300 or 500 and swing by the local LFS again to see how far that bottle of Pimafix or Melafix might go and how much it might cost... and know that if it's something outside a simple ich or planaria type issue the cost to cure can be freakish.
Whatever you choose, good luck!
Keep reading and keep asking questions for sure. Ajayi bear in mind most of these fish and healthy tanks require weekly water charges of 50% or more and some on here even say every other day. Then the water you add needs dechlorinated and that's not free either. I think your 180 idea is more feasible to start. Or even a75 or 100, or 2 75s. Lots of options...
I'd like to side track from maintenance for lil bit and ask another question about stocking. I was thinking of having either a dojo loach or a marbled goby in place of the pleco and adding a single band leporinus
I don't know about the leporinus, so I'll leave that to someoneelse. But the dojo loach will likely end up as someones meal. The ones i kept were way too timid to be with most of the fish on your list.
I would also add black ghost knife fish to list of possible pleco replacements
