Questions about setting up my 90 gallon tank again...

[blackthidot]

Okay so I have a 90 gallon tank sitting around empty and for whatever reason I decided to set it up again.

So far I have bought...

Fluval FX6
Fluval Aquasky 2.0

I have some old decorations and a heater.

I am most likely not going to jump into live plants off the bat, or at all for that matter. I don't really have the desire or patience to deal with that, added on to the regular tank maintenance I will already have to do.

In terms of fish I want to have the following...

As many ghost cats as I can possibly have...
Different types of tetra.
Ghost, Amano, and Vampire shrimp.
Pom Pom Crabs.
Corys.
Guppies.

The questions I have are this...

Substrate? What and why? How much do I need?

I watched a lot of videos on the Fluval Plant and Shrimp but it's SUPER expensive especially to fill a 90 gallon tank with. I have also read it breaks down after a year.

I was also told to get Flourite Seachem but it just seems really sharp and jagged for shrimp and corys. I could be totally wrong, it's just an assumption.

Thanks for all and any help/suggestions. Much appreciated!

 

[utahfish]

First tetras and guppies require different water parameters, guppies hard tetras soft water. Coreys go well with tetras, i know nothing about ghost cats. I had a pom pom crab once never saw it ever and this was in a 20 gallon. I imagine in a 90 gallon youll never see it. As for substrate i use black diamond blasting sand, its inert meaning it wont effect your water chemistry, black sand really brings out colors in fish and unlike play sand it doesnt compact plus its safe for all fish shrimp snails and its inexpensive. About 7.00$ for 50 lbs. I used almost a full bag to fill a 20 gallon at about 2 inches of substrate so youd need about 5 bags to fill a 90 gallon though without plants you could get away with an inch of sand. Pool filter sand works well also. Same properties as blasting sand except its a light brown, i think last time i bought it it was about 13.00$ for 50 lbs. Play sand is a bit cheaper and comes in brown and greyish but i dont like it as much because it compacts. Sand is preferable for bottom dwellers like coreys as opposed to gravel. Good luck hope you find what works for you!

 

[blackthidot]

First tetras and guppies require different water parameters, guppies hard tetras soft water. Coreys go well with tetras, i know nothing about ghost cats. I had a pom pom crab once never saw it ever and this was in a 20 gallon. I imagine in a 90 gallon youll never see it. As for substrate i use black diamond blasting sand, its inert meaning it wont effect your water chemistry, black sand really brings out colors in fish and unlike play sand it doesnt compact plus its safe for all fish shrimp snails and its inexpensive. About 7.00$ for 50 lbs. I used almost a full bag to fill a 20 gallon at about 2 inches of substrate so youd need about 5 bags to fill a 90 gallon though without plants you could get away with an inch of sand. Pool filter sand works well also. Same properties as blasting sand except its a light brown, i think last time i bought it it was about 13.00$ for 50 lbs. Play sand is a bit cheaper and comes in brown and greyish but i dont like it as much because it compacts. Sand is preferable for bottom dwellers like coreys as opposed to gravel. Good luck hope you find what works for you!

Thanks for the response!

I used to keep Tetra and Guppies together with no issues so maybe I was just lucky?

If I did go the sand route I planned on getting black sand. I think that looks the best!

 

[utahfish]

Thanks for the response!

I used to keep Tetra and Guppies together with no issues so maybe I was just lucky?

If I did go the sand route I planned on getting black sand. I think that looks the best!

Black diamond blasting sand comes in 3 different grit sizes. Stay away from the finest grit its basically powder and will get sucked up during water changes and is just more of a mess. I use the medium grit and it works well and the fish and shrimp all do well with it and its alot less expensive than commercial aquarium sands. As for guppies theyre pretty adaptable fish, tetras not as much but hey if it works for you go for it.

 

[utahfish]

Also the best place to get it is at tractor supply stores. Sometimes hardware stores carry it.

 

[Retired Viking]

I used to only have plastic plants in my tanks after a long break I got back into aquariums and decided to try live plants. I have 2 plants tanks now. There are plenty of plants that are easy to care for and really help your water quality. You can "plant" them in sand or gravel without fancy soils. Some you can attach to rocks or wood and others you can let float. Many absorb what they need from the water and fish waste so you really do not have to do much to care for them.

 

[Colin_T]

isn't a pom pom crab saltwater?

 

[blackthidot]

isn't a pom pom crab saltwater?

No they have freshwater Pom Pom's that are freshwater, peaceful, and stay underwater all the time.

 

[Colin_T]

never heard of freshwater crabs like that, have you got a link to them?
where do you get them from?

 

[Barry Tetra]

isn't a pom pom crab saltwater?

They live mostly in black water but they can live freshwater aswell.

 

[blackthidot]

never heard of freshwater crabs like that, have you got a link to them?
where do you get them from?

 

[Byron]

I will just mention a few things here.

Crabs and fish should not be together in the same tank. As for soft water and hard water fish, those are terms that can be applied to most fish species but there are many species that are somewhat in the "grey artea" in between. It all depends upon the species and the source water parameters.

Ghost cats...what is the species? Common names can be given to fish but elsewhere be meaningless; using the scientific name definitely pins down the species so we all know which it is. If you were referring to Kryptopterus vitreolus for example, that species is not going to do well with most other fish, and it needs a thickly planted tank. But maybe you are intending a different species.

Sand is essential for substrate fish like Corydoras, but never use blasting sand, this is much too rough. Industrial sands are naturally rough because that is what they are for--blasting concrete, binding, pavers, etc. Even pool filter sand is too rough (I know, many have it and undoubtedly will disagree, but Ian Fuller knows more about Corydoras than all of us put together).

Avoid any so-called "plant" substrate with substrate fish. They mainly don't do much anyway, and they can have serious side issues.

We will need to know the source water parameters to be able to advise on fish species...GH and pH especially, KH is nice to know. For the tap water.

And, welcome to TFF.

 

[blackthidot]

I will just mention a few things here.

Crabs and fish should not be together in the same tank. As for soft water and hard water fish, those are terms that can be applied to most fish species but there are many species that are somewhat in the "grey artea" in between. It all depends upon the species and the source water parameters.

Ghost cats...what is the species? Common names can be given to fish but elsewhere be meaningless; using the scientific name definitely pins down the species so we all know which it is. If you were referring to Kryptopterus vitreolus for example, that species is not going to do well with most other fish, and it needs a thickly planted tank. But maybe you are intending a different species.

Sand is essential for substrate fish like Corydoras, but never use blasting sand, this is much too rough. Industrial sands are naturally rough because that is what they are for--blasting concrete, binding, pavers, etc. Even pool filter sand is too rough (I know, many have it and undoubtedly will disagree, but Ian Fuller knows more about Corydoras than all of us put together).

Avoid any so-called "plant" substrate with substrate fish. They mainly don't do much anyway, and they can have serious side issues.

We will need to know the source water parameters to be able to advise on fish species...GH and pH especially, KH is nice to know. For the tap water.

And, welcome to TFF.

Thanks for the response!

I did a LOT of research and those Pom Poms do well with the fish I have mentioned. Even little shrimp. I did not believe it at first either.

The Glass/Ghost Cats are "Kryptopterus vitreolus".

I am not so much worried about the fish being together as I am in terms of choosing the substrate. This is what is really kicking my a$$ here =)

Thanks again for the response and the "welcome"! It's much appreciated.

 

[Byron]

Thanks for the response!

I did a LOT of research and those Pom Poms do well with the fish I have mentioned. Even little shrimp. I did not believe it at first either.

The Glass/Ghost Cats are "Kryptopterus vitreolus".

I am not so much worried about the fish being together as I am in terms of choosing the substrate. This is what is really kicking my a$$ here =)

Thanks again for the response and the "welcome"! It's much appreciated.

Sand substrate is your overall best option. All fish will be safe (with sand, as opposed to gravel), plants if decided grow well in it, and it looks natural and increases the visual concept of space.

The best sand is without doubt aquarium inert river sand, though this is very expensive. I and many others use play sand, considerably less expensive. I changed over about 7-8 years ago and use nothing else. The Corydoras authorities will still say this is less safe than aquarium river sand, just to be honest. But play sand is nonetheless the safest of the non-aquarium sands.

 

[blackthidot]

Sand substrate is your overall best option. All fish will be safe (with sand, as opposed to gravel), plants if decided grow well in it, and it looks natural and increases the visual concept of space.

The best sand is without doubt aquarium inert river sand, though this is very expensive. I and many others use play sand, considerably less expensive. I changed over about 7-8 years ago and use nothing else. The Corydoras authorities will still say this is less safe than aquarium river sand, just to be honest. But play sand is nonetheless the safest of the non-aquarium sands.

So you'd recommend the river sand or the play sand?