Can't take it anymore

[Oompa Loompa]

I've got a 60 gallon saltwater tank running right now, that we can't quite decide what we want to do with it. We planned on setting it up as a mixed reef, then running a display refugium with a few dwarf cuttlefish inside it.
However - I enjoy displays that are focused on the inhabitants and the scape, rather than equipment like heaters, and more importantly, powerheads.
We are on a budget, and our tank can't be larger than 4' long - so we have some limitations.

I can't take the limitations - they simply are going to make it much more work than it is worth to have a nice setup. So, I want to switch it to fresh.

I want to get rid of the 60 gallon (and the 55 gallon we have as a spare, and all the saltwater stuff we've got) and use it to get a 4x2x2 120 gallon, and set it up as a CA/SA themed display. I want to keep a single male flowerhorn in the tank.

Planned filtration is a 5-6 gallon bucket turned into a canister filter. I will probably have a powerhead or some kind of external pump for extra circulation on the tank as well.
Not sure of the scape yet - but I like the idea of a fake tree root structure, with a substrate made from a mixture of fine gravel and sand, and perhaps a few rocks as well. I might try plants but I don't have high expectations.

Any thoughts on this? How will a FH do in a setup like this?

Drew

 

[Gourami Swami]

Flowerhorn would do great in there alone, in a four foot tank you probably won't be able to keep any other cichlids with a large male flowerhorn though. Possibly a pair of convicts or something similar, it will be hit or miss however. You could probably get away with a pleco, maybe some giant danios or spotted silver dollars.

The flowerhorn will dig a lot, which will make it hard to keep many plants. I keep anubias and cryptos with my CA cichlids and they do well enough. I keep my scapes natural... sounds like you have the right idea to me, wood + rocks, a few plants. The flowerhorn won't care about the scape, it's all your personal preference.

As for the equipment, the DIY canister will be good but you will probably need more flow than just that alone. On my 90 gallon I have a large canister, and an internal fluval filter, and I still could use some extra flow in the bottom portion of the tank. I would recommend at least one powerhead, or a second filter.

 

[#.$]

Should be fine just make sure the roots are not made of anything that can be eaten. They will also tear up any plants you put in it. I've always used sand for my FH and they love it, Abdullah recommend not going with the super fine or sugar fine sand since they will root and Stir It Up

 

[Oompa Loompa]

Flowerhorn would do great in there alone, in a four foot tank you probably won't be able to keep any other cichlids with a large male flowerhorn though. Possibly a pair of convicts or something similar, it will be hit or miss however. You could probably get away with a pleco, maybe some giant danios or spotted silver dollars.

The flowerhorn will dig a lot, which will make it hard to keep many plants. I keep anubias and cryptos with my CA cichlids and they do well enough. I keep my scapes natural... sounds like you have the right idea to me, wood + rocks, a few plants. The flowerhorn won't care about the scape, it's all your personal preference.

As for the equipment, the DIY canister will be good but you will probably need more flow than just that alone. On my 90 gallon I have a large canister, and an internal fluval filter, and I still could use some extra flow in the bottom portion of the tank. I would recommend at least one powerhead, or a second filter.

I'm not looking to keep tankmates, perhaps some smaller fish to fill the water column or the bottom up a little bit, but my main focus is the flowerhorn.
I am not too focused on plants - if they work, they work, if not, then they don't.
I'm definitely planning on more flow, probably a powerhead in the tank, near the back. Substrate, I am thinking fine gravel mixed with a larger sand.
Thanks for your input!
Drwe

Should be fine just make sure the roots are not made of anything that can be eaten. They will also tear up any plants you put in it. I've always used sand for my FH and they love it, Abdullah recommend not going with the super fine or sugar fine sand since they will root and Stir It Up

Roots will probably just be wood, maybe bigger Manzanita pieces. Not too worried about plants, if they work they do if they don't then they don't. I'll probably be using heavier sand mixed with a fine gravel.
Thanks for your input
Drew

 

[tlindsey]

I've got a 60 gallon saltwater tank running right now, that we can't quite decide what we want to do with it. We planned on setting it up as a mixed reef, then running a display refugium with a few dwarf cuttlefish inside it.
However - I enjoy displays that are focused on the inhabitants and the scape, rather than equipment like heaters, and more importantly, powerheads.
We are on a budget, and our tank can't be larger than 4' long - so we have some limitations.

I can't take the limitations - they simply are going to make it much more work than it is worth to have a nice setup. So, I want to switch it to fresh.

I want to get rid of the 60 gallon (and the 55 gallon we have as a spare, and all the saltwater stuff we've got) and use it to get a 4x2x2 120 gallon, and set it up as a CA/SA themed display. I want to keep a single male flowerhorn in the tank.

Planned filtration is a 5-6 gallon bucket turned into a canister filter. I will probably have a powerhead or some kind of external pump for extra circulation on the tank as well.
Not sure of the scape yet - but I like the idea of a fake tree root structure, with a substrate made from a mixture of fine gravel and sand, and perhaps a few rocks as well. I might try plants but I don't have high expectations.

Any thoughts on this? How will a FH do in a setup like this?

Drew

Sounds like a good plan.

 

[Oompa Loompa]

Okay, for the canister filter - I am thinking of just doing something very similar to Joey's on Youtube. Basically, take a 5 or 6 gallon bucket, replace the lid with a sealing waterproof one. 1" uni seal on the lid and on the bottom. PVC and eggcrate to make a little shelf for media to be placed on. I'll use flexible hoses, ball valves, unions, barbed adapters, and PVC pipe to plumb it into the tank. Pump will probably be able to push about 1,000 gph or so.

For media - I am thinking pot scrubbies to cover the bottom piece of egg crate. Then a big bag or two of bio-media, then some polyester, then a filter pad on top. Would going with different types of bio-media be worth it, or just KISS and go with one type? I was thinking just one or two big bags of unbranded ceramic rings.

As far as stuff in the tank - I want a background on there, we will have $300 plus whatever funds we can get from selling used saltwater stuff, so I obviously don't want to spend hundreds on a pre-made background. I'll have to build a background for the tank - probably a fake rock background, with some thick manzanita pieces in it.
It'll probably start as a big piece of closed-cell foam, I'll carve it out how I like it and coat it with some kind of sealer, paint it, then seal it again. Then I'll silicone on some wood to it.

After the background is in, I will add another few pieces of big manzanita wood, I'll probably use silicone to hold these to the bottom and to the background so that they are held in place well. I may soak them first to get them to sink better, and to get a lot of the tanning out - we'll see though.

Substrate will be a mixture of a finer gravel and some heavier sand. There are probably also going to be a few rocks in the tank for some more hardscape. I think that covers everything. We will save plants for another day, I'm not worried about it for now.

I need to see if my LFS can order in some flowerhorns, because I want to pick my fish in person. I want a small male, but I want to pick my fish myself so I can get one with a great personality (I've always kinda liked flowerhorns, but seeing Joey's has me set on one now). I've got access to a lot of stuff, so I'm going to try and keep my growout setup free. Probably something in the 15-20 gallon range, with a simple canister filter setup on there. Bare bottom for now.

That's what I got for now
Drew