Need Help Setting Up 75 Gallon

[khoa.tran]

Hey guys,

I now have my new 75 gallon tank for a few days now and I'm planning to set it up asap for my Abei.The filter is an Eheim Ecco 2236 and the lighting is a coralife t5 48" 2x28 watt bulbs. Now I know the lighting isn't enough for to grow plants but would some java ferns be ok with this lighting for now? Also should I get another canister filter and run it with the ecco? I also have a biowheel in place but nothing to run it yet. I can probably connect it to a canister filter if i get a new one that is rated above 150 gph. The Ecco 2236 is rated at something like 127 so i don't know if that would be enough to run the Biowheel. Also I'm having trouble finding a dark pool filter sand, I was thinking of getting the new instant aquarium line from caribsea. Does anyone have experience with this at all? probably not, because its so new but worth a try lol. The tahitian moon sand looks to be pretty nice, but i dont think its really sand. its a bit bigger actually and feel rougher. Would this substrate work for a puffer? or would they actually like really fine sand better? When i went to the LFS, the bag said 1 bag is good for 20 gallons, so i probably only need 4 bags of this but its quite pricey at 30 dollars a bag. Well thanks for your help hope to get some responses soon.

Khoa Tran

**Just checked the Ecco 2236 and it seems that its 185 GPH, I'm guessing that i could hook this filter up with the biowheel to get the extra bio filtering.. Any thoughts on this? or should i just get a separate powerhead to run water through the bio wheel? I was thinking the water would be cleaner comming from the filter and wont clog the spraybar or the biowheel if i hooked it up to the canister filter. THanks again

[khoa.tran]

Ok, since no one replied I went out and bought 4 bags of instant aquarium tahitian black moon sand to put in my tank. I also bought a new T5HO ligh fixture. http://www.aquacave.com/48-glo-dual-t5- ... -2012.html
I doubt this light fixture would be enough to grow anything really nicely but it works. Also im running a eheim ecco 2236 right now to begin the cycle but i bought a eheim classic 2217 to hook up later, probably in 3 months time as i might be moving. I just want to know if I could have live plants in with the tahitian black moon sand and the T5HO light fixture. I could do supplements with tablets for the plants however caribsea's website says that Tahitian black moon sand cannot grow plants. anyone can help? thanks

[thekarens]

Plants like anubias and crypts don't grow in the sand so those would be fine. You could also do java fern and mosses, like java moss on wood. And for plants that need soil you could do some potted plants. Unfortunately I've never tried that method so you might want to google that or maybe someone else will pop up with some suggestions.

You could also check at http://www.plantedtank.net

[LilGreenPuffer]

Java does well in low lighting, and so do crypts.

Others have used potted plants. I saw some pictures a couple of times. I have a potted one in my tank right now, and it's doing well so far. Use terra-cotta pots, or else the pots that they came in.