SEVENTY-FIVE GALLON – EVOLUTION

PREFACE

In the past couple of years of fish keeping, I have learned that each tank poses slightly different sets of challenges –
both during and after setting up. Yet it is for certain that anything you learned from a previous setup adds up and
would greatly help you through your next tank project.

This paper is presented like a journal and not like a cookbook guide on how to setup a beginner’s aquarium; as
such, the insights offered and steps mentioned appear occasionally only as they are relevant to the photographs,
not necessarily in their natural order of execution. There are numerous setup guides freely available on the Internet.

This paper is an attempt to show the excitement and joys of the beginning the hobby, the failures and frustrations
along the way – and the rewards and satisfaction at the end of each day.

Enjoy!

May2009

This document was initially prepared in Microsoft Word 2007 then saved as a PDF file through the Save As PDF
menu. Maiandra GD 10pt was used for the text.

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Most of the pictures shown here were taken with the Nikon CoolPix S10, and a few with the Sony CyberShot H9
and with the Nikon CoolPix P80; they are largely unedited evidenced by lens distortions (eg, curved posts and
curved tanks) and generally poor colour and contrast balance. They were, however, resized in Word to fit the page
layout including minor adjustments in brightness and contrast.

The pictures taken with the Nikon S10 originally measured 2816x2112 pixels; using the FastStone Photo Resizer for
Windows v2.8 (www.FastStone.org) they were resized to 429x329 or 329x429; those from the Sony H9 originally
measured 2048x1536, resized to 429x329; those from the Nikon P80 were originally 3584x2016, resized to
429x254. The Resizer was set to maintain a constant long dimension when processing, thus pictures came out as
either 429 pixels wide or 429 pixels tall; it was also set to border and watermark the pictures. One can accomplish
these photo manipulations using industry standard software such as Adobe Photoshop, but I opted for the ease and
quick operation using the FastStone Photo Resizer since these shots are not intended for exhibit. The program is
free and does not need registration if for personal use.

For visitors who may not be familiar with aquariums, a standard 75-gallon tank measures 48 inches long (left to
right dimension), 18 inches deep (front to back dimension), and 20 inches high (tank base or floor to top rim or
edge); alternatively, this tank is 4 feet long, 1.5 feet deep, and 1.75 feet high. Tank names use the nearest gallon
volume capacity, but usually fall short of the actual volume capacity; this tank could contain just 74.80 gallons.

Most measurements presented in this paper are in the English system; for visitors using the metric system this tank
would roughly be 120x45x50 centimetres, with a volume capacity of about 284 litres.

On to the pictures....

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25december2007
- rinsed tank set under the staircase, with well-rinsed gravel and
sand in place
- background sand (4-6mm diameter) in two uneven, curved
formation originally intended for planting; 2.5-3 inches deep,
with a 1-inch layer of sera substrate fertiliser underneath
- foreground sand is a mixture of about 75% gravel (4-6mm
diameter) in varying shades brown gravel, about 20%
crushed coral, and about of 5% fine sand; 1-2 inches deep,
not intended for planting so it has no layer of fertiliser under
- the wooden column on the left which blocks view into the
aquarium cannot simply be cut-off because they support the
landing on the second floor; they have been here since the
house was built more than 30 years ago. they were just
painted together with the walls

- two views of the right end of the tank with the sand and gravel in place
- from this side you could clearly see the wooden slats on which the tank
is resting; there is a thin polyurethane padding (commonly known as
Styrofoam) just under the tank to help even out any irregularity of the
wooden slat base, or of the tank weight once all the decor, plants and
water are placed inside
- some hobbyists place a heating pad in place of the polyurethane or on
top of it; a heating pad was not needed for this particular set-up since
the intended inhabitants (fish and plants) are not very demanding

- these shots show an assembly of various stones for a

focal point on the left side of the tank
- be very careful when choosing rocks to put in the
tank; those for building construction, those with
obvious metallic content, those with sharp edges, or
those from contaminated sources must not be used
in an aquarium
- rocks with coral, chalk, or calcium must not be used
in most setups; cichlid tanks may use limestone

26,27december2007
- you can now see the tank with the rock decor, some plants and water just above the three-fourth mark
- first set the decor (stones, rocks, bogwood) then gently fill tank with clean water treated with dechlorinating
agent or a combination of dechlorinator and conditioner, being careful not to allow sand to swirl about; let the
water soak through the sand while filling up to one-fourth or one-third the height of the tank
- you may now start planting; taller plants are generally placed towards the back and sides, shorter ones towards
the front and centre (depending on plant availability and the design, of course)
- on the top left of the tank is a simple overhead filter with submerged powerhead

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29december2007
- the first inhabitants are released into the tank after a
day or two to allow the water to clear and temperature
to settle to nominal values, with a few more cheap
plants added; the fish are several Danio species from a
small 10-gallon Jebo R338 tank several months old
- most of the water from this small tank was added to
the big tank in the hope that whatever beneficial
bacteria present in the small tank would populate the
big tank, effectively shortening the cycling process; the
sponge mats from the Jebo tank were also added on
top of those in the overhead filter of the big tank to
encourage continual growth of the filter bacteria and
eventual colonisation of the new filter sponges (this
shortcut technique to cycling is called seeding)
- some hobbyists strongly advocate fishless cycling but
this necessitates one to have more patience and testing
kits which are way too expensive for most beginners

- the left shot shows the tank in the early evening, the purplish glow just before sunset is streaming through the
south-western window to the right of the picture; the shot on the right was taken sometime later after sunset

- three views of the tank around noon; overhead lighting on the top left is a 250-watt rectangular halogen lamp,
the small silver box towards the right end is the 16-watt fluorescent light hood from the Jebo tank
- the tall thin plants to the left of the tank are tape grass, Vallisneria species; next to it is a broad-leafed peace lily,
Spathiphyllum species; the short ones in the middle of the tank (also seen on the right side of the rightmost shot)
are Amazon sword plants, Echinodorus species; not easily visible in these shots are the short carpet grass Brazilian
micro sword plant, Lilaeopsis species scattered towards the front along the boundary between the lighter
foreground sand and the dark background sand - if all goes well, there will be a thin carpet layer in a few months

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- three progressive views of the rock formation: in the first shot, several Danio species in the top third of the water
column, and an albino rainbow shark on the bottom right; in the second shot, a normally coloured black rainbow
shark on the extreme right edge; in the third shot, two rosy barbs rooting around a rock
- the low-growing Brazilian micro sword plant, Lilaeopsis species is clearly seen here nestled around the rocks; it
grows slowly but can carpet the floor of an aquarium in a few months given bright lighting and a rich substrate –
some report algae in areas of dense growth but can be remedied by trimming and replanting

30december2007
- the first is a left corner
shot of the tank with
the rock formation and
the peace lily,
Spathiphyllum species;
the second a right
corner shot of the tank
showing the rock cave
and some fanwort,
Cabomba species, as
well as some
Cryptocoryne species
starting to grow over
the rock cave

19january2008
- the first shot is a face-on shot of the
right end of the tank; the 250-watt
Omni halogen lamp is clearly seen
on the top left, the silver Jebo light
hood is on top of the tank, the
submerged powerhead and intake of
the overhead filter is on the middle
right, and the growing clump of
Cabomba and Cryptocoryne are on
the lower right over the rock cave,
some Brazilian micro swords
(Lilaeopsis sp) are growing towards
the front of the rock cave
- the second shot is of the front left of
the tank showing the rock formation
and the remaining central stem of
the pruned peace lily (Spathiphyllum sp), tape grass (Vallisneria sp) are growing on the left towards the back,
Amazon sword plants (Echinodorus sp) on the left with some red lotus leaves (Nymphaea sp) visible near the
Rocks – two varieties of fish food are in silhouette on the foregound

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- the first shot shows the rock formation with the some tape grass
(Vallisneria sp) growing to the back and Amazon sword plants
(Echinodorus sp) on either sides; the second shot is of the same left area
but from a higher angle of view clearly showing the red lotus leaves
(Nymphaea sp) to the left of the rock formation
- the more slender grass-like plants at the back of the tall rock is mondo
grass (Ophiopogon sp) which is not really an aquatic plant; given luck, it
may last for a while in a submerged state but will eventually yellow and
rot – do not put non-aquatic plants inside your aquarium; they would
pollute the water over time or may poison your fish
- the third shot is of the Brazilian micro sword (Lilaeopsis sp) tucked around
the base of the rock cave, this plant would slowly grow runners and
spread on the floor of the aquarium like a carpet but needs relatively
strong lighting and a very rich substrate; otherwise it would just be
covered with algal growth then rot away – in this shot it would look very
attractive if there could be some moss growth on the rock cave; a few
months later, they would eventually succumb to the frequent nipping of
the fish searching for food and the low lighting (at least I know I could
grow these better in the future)
- generally, plants with medium to dark green leaves can tolerate lower
levels of lighting and are usually placed towards the back and corners of
the aquarium where lighting levels generally fall off; plants with lighter
green leaves generally require brighter or stronger lighting in an aquarium
because they are oftentimes found in shallow streams fully exposed to
sunlight – many are also naturally found growing in very fertile mud beds
so they need a rich substrate if you intend to grow them in your tanks
- there are several commercially available fertilising systems on the market,
as well as numerous sites on the Internet that provide sufficient
information on plants and plant care ranging from beginner to specialist

- some rosy barbs (Barbus conchonius) are

rooting around the rocks in the first shot;
they are omnivores and occasionally graze on
algae on leaves and decor
- the second shot shows more rosy barbs, they
are hardy fish that could tolerate cooler
temperatures; they love going together in
loose schools and chasing each other; if kept
in a very small group of less than six, they
tend to nip the fins of slower fish or the
colourful fins of guppies, the hair-like fins of
angelfish and gouramis, and the flowing fins
of the Siamese fighting fish

12april2008
- two shots showing the floating leaves of the
lotus plant (Nymphaea sp); if left alone,
many leaves would soon cover the water
surface and would block the light from
reaching through to other plants underneath
- regularly pinching off fast growing leaves
would keep this plant more compact and
stay underwater; aka tiger lotus

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01june2008
- four successive shots of the tank about six in the morning, taken within a minute or two; only the Jebo lighthood
is on to try to simulate the weaker light in the morning – the halogen lamp will be turned on an hour or two later
- some authors recommend staggering the lighting times by installing several sets of bulbs or tubes or a combination
of both on different timers, each set coming on and turning off at different intervals to simulate the weaker
morning light then intensifying towards the middle of the day then weakening again in the afternoon – you may
try searching for this or other lighting concepts on the Internet
- other authors simply suggest having the lights on for about 5 hours in the morning, then off for an hour or two,
then on again for another 5 hours; this is largely to try and disrupt algal growth – this is the method used with this
tank with the lights coming on about 7am to 12nn, off until about 4pm, then on from then until about 8pm or
occasionally until 9pm if visitors are present, or if one wishes to view the fish for a longer time
- try to give your plants about 10 hours of light everyday at regular times, as in nature

23august2009
- sometime before these shots were taken, the rock formation was taken out because of my worry that the pressure
on the glass tank bottom underneath maybe a bit too much and would cause a disastrous crack anytime in the
future; in their place a long piece of bogwood was placed on top of two lighter rocks so it would form what
looks like a bridge with the wider end resting on a rock towards the left of the aquarium – in these shots the
wider end is where the peace lily (Spathiphyllum sp) is seen growing
- the peace lily is one of those terrestrial plants that could survive for some time inside the aquarium; the only
problem is that the leaves may soon be covered with algal growth and would block light from reaching the
chlorophyll in the leaves – this would effectively stop photosynthesis and would lead to plant death
- in the third shot you could see the silhouette of a featherfin squeaker (Synodontis eupterus) under the bogwood
‘bridge’ with its dorsal fin hanging relaxed; these fish originally came from African rivers and it is natural for most
members of the genus to be found resting and swimming upside-down without causing apparent handicap – they
are usually nocturnal fish so give sinking pellets just before turning the lights on and after turning off to give them
time to find food, although this particular fish actively swims even when lights are on
- at the tine of this writing, this featherfin squeaker measures about 6 inches (standard length); it has smooth gray
skin (with darker spots) that turns even darker to almost black at different times of the day and whether the lights
are on or off – there is a Buenos Aires tetra (Hyphessobrycon anisitsi) in the centre front

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19october2009
- these four shots show slightly turbid water in the aquarium because it was cleaned less than an hour ago and the
finer particles disturbed during cleaning has not yet settled on the tank floor or filter sponge: the unplanted gravel
(lighter foreground) was vacuumed. there is a product known as a gravel washer or gravel vacuum that gently
stirs up the gravel while letting mulm – rotting plant material, fish waste and uneaten food – pass through to a
tube out to a bucket outside the tank. pass the gravel washer in small areas over the unplanted gravel until about
25% of the aquarium water has been removed (or up to 50% in cases of suspected poisoning, and after every
couple of months to further dilute pollutants and ‘reinvigorate’ the water in the aquarium)
- an equal amount of clean water is then prepared by adding a dechlorinating agent or a combination of
dechlorinator plus water conditioner (several of these combination products have stress-coat or a variation of this
in their names) and let to stand for several minutes before putting into the tank; ideally, match the temperature of
the new water to that of the water in the tank then pour the new water gently into the tank to avoid stirring up
the sand on the bottom which would cause an undesirable clouding of the water
- here you could also see the three 50w dichroic halogen lamps that replaced the single 250w halogen lamp; these
three smaller lamps have been attached to an improvised wooden track and placed about 4 inches above the glass
covers (by closely monitoring, this is the closest distance from which the lamps can hang without danger of
overheating and cracking the cover glass since halogen lighting can get very hot – fluorescent lamps is about 4
times brighter than incandescent lamps per watt, but halogen lamps is about 4 times brighter than fluorescent
lamps) and gives the shimmering effect to the water surface like the natural sun does

- the first shot is view from the right end of the tank shows a rosy barb (Barbus conchonius) looking for food
among the stems and roots; you could see the left front corner of the tank in the far left; the second shot shows
three rosy barbs above the plant group that covers the rock cave; fortunately, the halogen lamp is directly above
the water surface, giving this shimmering effect to the water very much like what the sun does in natural streams
and rivers – on the upper right corner of the shot is a stick-on thermometer to monitor the water temperature and
the submerged powerhead and intake of the overhead filter
- not visible in these shots are tiny green dots on the inside of the glass walls of the aquarium; these dots are algae
growing due to the stronger lighting produced by the three halogen lamps; either reduce the lighting times or
have the patience to lightly scrape off these algal growths on a regular basis
- various algal growths in aquariums indicate general lighting and nutritional problems; read on algae types and
remedies on the internet (when there is noticeable algal growth, I always prefer a conservative approach of not
using algaecides and instead trying to do more frequent water changes and balancing lighting and feeding)

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02december2008
- the first shot is a face-on view of the left end of the tank (directly underneath the stairs) that shows the south-
western window of the living room through the tank, with rosy barbs going about their business; the tape grass
(Vallisneria sp) on the left are recovering greatly due to improved lighting, and starting to send multiple runners
over this area of the tank – they may need cutting and replanting soon
- the second shot is an oblique view of the right end of the tank from the left showing the thickening mass of plants
that now almost completely hides the rock cave; interestingly, the rock cave was made home by the albino
rainbow shark (Epalzeorhynchos frenatus) and would drive away anyone else coming too close; two Buenos Aires
tetras can be seen on the lower centre of the shot

- the first shot shows the rock cave almost completely hidden by the plants, the featherfin squeaker (Synodontis
eupterus) is seen hovering above the cave with its whiskers pointing forward and a rosy barb (Barbus conchonius)
rooting near the mouth of the cave – the albino rainbow hark (Epalzeorhynchos frenatus) can be seen on the
lower right corner of the shot
- the second shot shows the featherfin squeaker (Synodontis eupterus) swimming around the aquarium near the
water surface; in the day this fish normally hides in rock caves in its African river origins and comes out to look for
food at night – but in this shot it seems to enjoy patrolling the aquarium not minding the bright halogen lighting
directly above it
- because there is a layer of Sera substrate fertiliser under most of the planted areas of sand, the plants in this shot
are slowly but surely adjusting to this special closed environment, on closer inspection there are numerous young
new leaves growing among this group of plants; with continued care, they will reach to about half of the height
of the aquarium or even longer
- fortunately, the aquatic plants available in the local shops (Baguio City) are of the hardy types; a rich gravel/sand
base, regular partial water change, sufficient lighting, occasional liquid fertiliser and pruning are all that is need to
maintain an attractive water garden

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21march2009
- two views of the tank a couple of minutes before six, with the three improvised halogen overhead lighting
- a couple of months ago, the overhead filter was replaced by a ViaAqua 300 external canister filter; the water
seems clearer and algal growth seemed to have lessened much – partial water changes are still done at least once a
week; some fanwort (Cabomba sp) are planted in the back centre, an Amazon sword plant (Echinodorus sp) has
grown really well on the right end, and the Cryptocorynes have produced more new leaves – crystalwort (Riccia
fluitans) grow quickly on the surface and need thinning almost every week

- two right oblique views of the tank about ten minutes before seven, almost an hour after the two shots in the
previous box above; the red lotus (Nymphaea sp) leaves are not visible because they are in their ‘resting’ phase –
upon ‘waking up’ they will again send numerous leaves towards the surface
- you can see the outlines of some angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare) on the lower left of the first shot; they are
living with 2 yellow gouramis and 1 blue gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus), several red-eye tetras (Moenkhausia
oligolepis), several Buenos Aires tetras (Hyphessobrycon anisitsi), the rosy barbs (Barbus conchonius), 2 black
rainbow sharks and 1 albino rainbow shark (Epalzeorhynchos frenatus), several bronze corys (Corydoras aeneus),
several peppered corys (Corydoras paleatus), 1 featherfin squeaker (Synodontis eupterus), and 1 suckermouth
which I suspect to be a gibby pleco (Glyptoperichthys gibbiceps).

17may2009
- nothing much has changed after the last four shots above, but every fortnight partial water change, scrubbing of
the insides of the front and side glass panes, and vacuuming of the light coloured sand are done; occasional
pruning and replanting of cuttings, supplementary fertilisation, and dosing of vitamins for the fish are also done
- many beginners think that they have to dismantle the whole tank setup every time they have to clean their
aquariums; some people are even said to wash the gravel or sand with soap including the insides of their tanks.
this is a big mistake – by dismantling your tank you disrupt plant and bacterial growth vital to maintaining the
delicate ecosystem in the aquarium, and by using soap you are simply killing your fish
- please search the Internet and read on the nitrogen cycle, partial water change, dechlorinating agents, stress and
disease of aquarium fish, and maintaining a freshwater aquarium

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The brand names of the aquatic and lighting products, imaging applications and document software mentioned in
this paper are properties of their respective owners. The respective companies may be visited through the internet.

Nikon CoolPix digital still cameras S10 & P80 Sony CyberShot digital still camera H9

Sera Substrate Fertiliser Jebo R338 aquarium

ViaAqua 300 Canister Filter Precision PF850 Overhead Power Filter

Omni 250w Halogen Lamp Firefly 50w Dichroic Halogen Lamp

FastStone Photo Resizer for Windows v2.8 Adobe Photoshop

Microsoft Word 2007

I claim full rights to all the photographs used in this document.

RESOURCES

If you are really interested in fish keeping, there are numerous sites by hobbyists and experts alike on the World
Wide Web that you could search for and visit. Try to use search words such as: freshwater aquarium, beginner
aquarium, beginner fish, easy aquarium, aquarium sizes, aquarium plants, aquarium filters, and aquarium substrate.

I visited many of these when I was a beginner hobbyist; I still regularly visit some of them, notably: www.sera.de (a
German site, so you have to click the UK flag icon on the top right of the main page to go to the English version)
www.tetrapond.com, www.timstropicals.com, and www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk. Also try to look for
aquahobby.com, aquarticles.com, badmanstropicalfish.com, dennerle.de, liveaquaria.com, mongabay.com,
petco.com, plantedtank.net, scotcat.com, thekrib.com, and worldcichlids.com. Also try to search for: amano
aquarium or amano nature aquarium for a twist in aquascaping and fish keeping.

Queries regarding photography may be addressed similarly. Try search words such as: beginner photography,
improve photography skill, close-up photography, portraiture, landscape photography, and tips in photography.
Also try your camera manufacturer’s website; many manufacturers of digital cameras, printers, and display screens
provide their customers not only with user manuals but also a library of tips, tricks, and tutorials for their respective
products. Some even provide photo sharing websites (online galleries) and forums where people could ask and
answer questions. Since I own Nikon cameras, I oftentimes visit various Nikon sites to find updates and relevant
information on photography and photo editing; I also visited websites of Adobe Photoshop, HP, Sony, and Intel.

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CONTACT

For comments or questions about this paper, you may write me at nakhre@lycos.com – please do not forget to
mention 75galevolution in the subject line so I would know that you have seen or read this paper. As a hobbyist I
may not always be able to respond with an expert’s accuracy; I could still probably help you out by pointing to
another possible direction.

You are welcome to visit my websites http://wyethross.webs.com (contains many close-up shots of plants and
animals) and http://nilafarishta.webs.com (contains pictures of people). Since I have a day job, these sites are
updated once or twice a month in my free time (usually weekends); besides viewing and commenting on the
photographs, you may also read and comment on the short articles (fish keeping and photography) which I post.

©2009wyethross. baguio city 2600 philippines.

http://wyethross.webs.com
http://nilafarishta.webs.com
nakhre@lycos.com

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