New Freshwater 130 Gallon Attempt

[J1Time]

Hello! I recently purchased a new 130 gallon set up from Craigslist. The tank will arrive this Friday and will come with a stand/tank/hood/lights. I look forward to the build and am still gathering ideas for how it will be decorated and stocked. I will start a fish-less cycle this weekend.
 
To do list:
 
Buy Canister Filter     (Thoughts on which one?)
Decide on substrate   (leaning toward pool filter sand)
Find driftwood
Pick a heater
Have patience (fish-less cycle UGH!)
 
 
 
Will post pics as soon as the tank is in the house!

 

[RRaquariums]

I like fluval filters the best but that's just me as for the pool filter sand that's what I use on my cichlid tanks and I love the stuff just make sure to wash it out really good before you use it or the tank will be cloudy for days.
Good luck with the build and I'm looking foreword to the pics
Oh and I also like the fluval heaters they have never broke on me.

 

[sawickib]

You can get a hole bunch of large pieces of driftwood from dr. foster and smith, ive bought 2 med and 5 large pieces of mopani driftwood from them.

 

[EllieJellyEllie]

Hello! Welcome to the forums!

For a nice canister filter I would check out Fluval brand. I personally have never used them, but they seem to be everywhere.

Pool filter sand is a great substrate choice really. Just make sure to rinse for about an hour before you add it to your tank. I rinsed about 15 lbs for 30 minutes and my tank was still super cloudy. Also, are you planting or not planting? If you are planting you may want to pick up some Laterite or a plant substrate. Im using Seachems Flourite, this also has great reveiws. You will only need about an inch of this under the sand, so maybe pick up 4-5 bags. This route could get expensive so you could also just stick to low-light, hardy plants. Things like Crypts, swords, anubias, java fern, java moss, wisteria, etc.

Ebay.com, etsy.com, drsfostersmith.com, manzanita-wood.com, and bamaplants.com, aquabid.com, and kensfish.com are good places to order driftwood. I have looked at all of these sites and found great peices.

Aqueon heaters are a great brand, so are Hydor Theos, and I beleive Jager, but dont hold me to that.

Great choice on picking the fishless cycle! It is the most rewarding as you can add most of your stock all at once!

I hope I helped and I cant wait to see the tank! Maybe start a journal for us of your tank through its days?

 

[Ninjouzata]

Ellie means manzanita-driftwood.com ^
 
For my 129 we've gotten 2 300W aqueon heaters & are using two Sunsun HW-304B canisters. They're around 85$ on ebay I think.
If you can afford fluval though then a fx5 or fx6 would be great, or an eheim 2260.
 
Be sure to follow THIS for the fish-less cycle. You can pick up ammonia at Ace Hardware if you havn't done so already.