# Cichlid Junkies 75 gallon NPT



## Cichlid Junkie (Mar 25, 2005)

I recently acquired a 75 gallon tank, stand, 2 AquaClear 500s and an All Glass 48" 40W single bulb light for a steal on Craigslist, $120. A buddy and I painted up the stand and the back of the tank with a black semi-gloss latex paint, topped off the stand with some new hinges and it looks brand new. My plan was to take my 10 gallon Natural Planted Tank (NPT) and give the inhabitants, 2 pairs of A. cf. Agassizii Alenquer, a major upgrade.

I used a 50lb bag of Black Diamond sand blasting sand and about 10-15lbs of PFS (a 4:1 ratio for a dark appearance) for the outer perimeter, the inside is filled with Miracle Grow Organic Potting soil, and the cap is the sand mixture.

It is stocked with driftwood (still trying to get it to sink), a granite rock and 2 coconut shells for the Apistos to use as breeding caves.

Here is a list of the flora I have planted:
Hygrophila difformis 
Rotala rotundifolia
Staurogyne sp. porto Velho
Ceratophyllum demersum 
Hygrophila polysperma tiger
Hygrophila polysperma rosanervig 
Hygrophila sp. bold
Microsorum pteropus 
Valisneria
Echinodorus tenellus 
Lobelia cardinalis
Egeria densa 
Süßwassertang
Anubias barteri Petite
Echinodorus bleheri
Echinodorus x Barthii 
Cryptocoryne wendtii

Initial set up with a 50/50 bulb and an old sunlight bulb.








A few days later with daylight bulbs








My big Agassizii male with on of his ladies in the background.









I am searching for a pair of Cleithracara Maronii (keyhole cichlids) and about a dozen Carnegiella strigata (Marbled Hatchetfish) to help finish off the fauna.

The tank is doing fairly well, but I have had some melt off by the Amazon Sword and Vals. I need to increase the amount of light to get approximately 2 watts per gallon. Currently I have 2 x 32 watt 6500K daytime bulbs in the light fixtures (one I am borrowing from J.B.). I am going to do a DIY light setup and will gut one light fixture to put in either a 2 x T-5 setup or run a single fixture and go with 6 light sockets/CFL bulbs.

What do you think I should do with the lighting?


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

I dig the substrate, and the scape looks very well thought out. It looks really good; I can see a LOT more color in the plants with the first set of bulbs (the 50/50 plus sunlight), but it may be the camera. I've got similar lighting on my picotope, using a 9w 50/50 (blue plus 10000K) and a 9w 4100 or 5000 (something pretty yellow I think; it was what came with it when I "stole" it from davemonkey). The other set looks like it has too much green spectrum; perhaps a mix using some of each would work. Do you happen to know the color temp of the daylight bulbs?


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## Cichlid Junkie (Mar 25, 2005)

The daylight bulbs are 6500K. I am thinking about gutting out one fixture and putting in a dual bulb T5NO setup and running the 50/50 bulb in the other fixture. I still haven't decided what I want to so yet, but I do agree, you can see more color in the plants with the bulb mixture.


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## Angie (Dec 4, 2005)

Can't wait to see it after if fills in and looks more natural and less planned. 
Great start.


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## Cichlid Junkie (Mar 25, 2005)

Just a little picture update. Plants are starting to grow and fill in nicely.

I am getting some blue green algae on the piece of driftwood on the left (the one with the rock weighing it down). I'll have to pull it and give it a good boil. Hopefully that will help.


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## Angie (Dec 4, 2005)

Very nice.


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi Cichlid Junkie,



> I am getting some blue green algae on the piece of driftwood on the left (the one with the rock weighing it down). I'll have to pull it and give it a good boil. Hopefully that will help.


Boiling the wood will probably kill the bacteria (BGA is a bacteria) but if your nitrate level is low it will probably come back. If I see BGA it usually means my nitrates are low.

BTW, the tank looks really good!


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## mudboots (Jun 24, 2009)

Tank is looking good. Too bad about the BGA; I've heard it's a real nasty mess. Davemonkey battled with some once that got over just about everything. It looked about like spinach that's been cooked for 300 hours too long. :hungry:


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## Cichlid Junkie (Mar 25, 2005)

Seattle_Aquarist said:


> Hi Cichlid Junkie,
> 
> Boiling the wood will probably kill the bacteria (BGA is a bacteria) but if your nitrate level is low it will probably come back. If I see BGA it usually means my nitrates are low.
> 
> BTW, the tank looks really good!


Sounds like I might have to start feeding heavier or maybe twice a day.


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