I'm a newbie to Monster fish keeping help me!
- Thread starter shawneedaniel
- Start date
Ok to start off with unless you have a 400 gallon tank wet/dry is not for you it is not the way to go unless you have a ton of money to waste . Start off with a sump system or depending on the size tank like a 125 or a 150 go with 2 aqua clear 110's. In my opinion aqua clear is were its at it will give your tank all the filtration you need and they are HOB filtration systems that are very cheap to run and mantain get a power head for flow and your in business cycle your tank and and fish. By the way welcome to monster fish keepers and we hope you find everything your looking for and the help you need like I was always told KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID don't complicate your passion for fish enjoy it .
There is no reason to jump into it like that this early. A monster tank is alot to handle. moster tank=monster responibilities. But you seem very into doing it so i would agree with going with a 75 or a 125 bith of capable of holding many monster fish. But a 120 wide would be nice. I've been doing this hobby for 6 going on 7 years and i had a 125 up for a few early in the hobby and now i have a 75 up but will be setting my 150 up soon. Go with a 75 because its a good tank to startt with to see if you want to go bigger. 75 gallon tanks sell alot quicker than 55's and 100+ gallon tanks from my experience
I am really not trying to jump into this now. It will probably be around the fall before I start setting up the bigger tank. I am just trying to do my research now to be prepared in case my JD does out grow the tank faster than I think. I can also start buying supplies now if I have an idea of what I should do.
120 wide? Where do most people purchase this big tanks?I know that pet stores have standard sizes I do not think I have seen "breeder" or "wide" before though. Where's the best place to get them online?
How many fish of what sizes could a 75 comfortably home?
120 wide? Where do most people purchase this big tanks?I know that pet stores have standard sizes I do not think I have seen "breeder" or "wide" before though. Where's the best place to get them online?
How many fish of what sizes could a 75 comfortably home?
Most 75s are 48L,X18W,X21H inches, so for sure nothing longer than about 16", then it's mostly a mater of can your filters handle the bio-load, and are your fish comfortable with the amount of territory they each have. JDs can take a lot of personal space in a tank and try to kick the tar outta any fish that steps on it's turf. Both the JD and the Knife will happily eat smaller fishes...I'd say those two and your pleco would be more than enough. Many here will say that a 75 is much to small, I say it'll prolly work but if your knife starts pushing 14", or your JD starts picking on the knife, then it's time for an upgrade.shawneedaniel;4764519; said:
CrazyIrishman;4762754; said:
I just built a wet/dry out of an old 29 i had lying around for a total of about 60 bucks. And its only for a 125. With the bio filtration i get from that thing, It was far from a waste of money. And i would think to go from a simple sump to a full blown wet/dry, cost would be minimal if starting from scratch. Basicaly only the cost of bio-balls/pot scrubbies.
But i agree that when starting out, sticking to canisters an HOBs are probably better options. Less problems with those. My uncle is inexperienced with W/Ds and he promptly flooded his basement when i gave him my old one to use.
I like a canister myself. And JD's are fun to start out with. I would go with a rena canister filter on a 75gal. Look up some tank mates and see what you like. I started with a canister and loved it. I wouldn't worry about wet drys just yet. A canister filter is just fine. You could go with a large HOB filter if you want but IMO they are more work than a canister but do the same job and are cheaper up front. Happy fish keeping and welcoome to MFK!
A 75 Gal could work my JD is a hybrid of a gold and an EBJD, from what I've read they don't get as big as a JD and are not as aggressive.
When it does come time for a wet/dry, how do I build one?
When it does come time for a wet/dry, how do I build one?
I have a 75 gal tank with a Rena XP3 canister filter... great combination.
On my 180 gal tank I have a DIY Sump with a trickle (wet/dry) filter. There are many DIY posts on building cheap sump/trickle filters on this site... browse through some of them.
My wet/dry consists of a drip plate (flat tray covered in holes) that has a low wall around it to make it like a short box. This box is filled with layers of filter floss and sponge. The water drips through the bottom of the plate through some mesh bags full of bio-balls down to the water level in the sump. Easy to build and cheap.
On my 180 gal tank I have a DIY Sump with a trickle (wet/dry) filter. There are many DIY posts on building cheap sump/trickle filters on this site... browse through some of them.
My wet/dry consists of a drip plate (flat tray covered in holes) that has a low wall around it to make it like a short box. This box is filled with layers of filter floss and sponge. The water drips through the bottom of the plate through some mesh bags full of bio-balls down to the water level in the sump. Easy to build and cheap.
I make ones similar to the one in this thread.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67797
All you need are a few pieces of acrylic or glass (glass is much harder to work with), a safe type of silicon, some type of bio-media (bioballs, scrubbies, ect.), some type of mechanical filter media (I use filter socks, filter pads, and foam), and some basic power tools like a drill and circular saw. I used a drill press and table saw which are SO much easier and more accurate, so if you have access to them, they are better options.
Oh yeah and a pump. A pump might make it work better....
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67797
All you need are a few pieces of acrylic or glass (glass is much harder to work with), a safe type of silicon, some type of bio-media (bioballs, scrubbies, ect.), some type of mechanical filter media (I use filter socks, filter pads, and foam), and some basic power tools like a drill and circular saw. I used a drill press and table saw which are SO much easier and more accurate, so if you have access to them, they are better options.
Oh yeah and a pump. A pump might make it work better....
