Hello, I recently bought a used 75 gallon tank I am planning on transferring my 3 goldfish and 1 pleco into it. The tank dimensions are 48L x 24W x 18D


I cleaned it up with water and a algea pad. Discarded the old gravel that came with it bougt new gravel, Do you recommend adding the old gravel as well?

I discarded the old cruddy filter and bought a new filter that says up to 100 gallons.

My biggest question is about the lighting, It has none. I would like to know the kind to get and if it is necessary to also but the glass canopy or is there a brand on lights that have a protective glass instead?

Also the heater, Do I need one in such a large tank? If so what wattage do you recommend?

And as far as setting the tank up and cycling it, how long should I wait before transferring the fish?
Do you recommend adding any new fish? My goldies are about 3 inches each and my pleco is about 4 inches.

I appologize for so many questions but this is by far the largest tank I have had and I really dont want to mess it up. ;)

Is the old gravel your gravel or from someone else? If it's from your other tank, just rinse it well in buckets. It can help bring along good bacteria from the old tank. If it's from someone else's tank or has been sitting for a while and smells, I would either throw it away or soak it in buckets of dilute bleach for a few days followed by fresh water with dechlorinator for a few days to kill everything in the gravel. This requires many buckets so none are more than say 1/3 full so you can put on plastic gloves and turn the gravel over in the bleach water a few times a day to really disinfect the gravel. So, new gravel is a lot easier!

For a 75 gallon, the only hood choice that I know of would be a glass canopy. You need that to support the lighting and keep it dry. Smaller tanks have full hoods that have built in plexiglass on which the lights can sit. Unless your lights are far enough from the water's surface, you want something like glass to keep the water from splashing onto the lights. If hot light bulbs get wet, even fluorescents, they can explode. My lizard has exploded her incandescent heat lamps a few times from splashing them. Glass was all over.

If you consult your local aquarium store, they will find the correct glass canopy for you. I mail order what I can as it's cheaper, and I've mail ordered four foot long light bulbs and fixtures before. A single or better yet, double, 4' fluorescent fixture is what you should get.

I just set up a 65 gallon for my 3 goldfish and 15" pleco but had to tear it back down as the new tank has a crack! I'm going tonight to get a new one. The heater I have is a 200 W. For your tank, a 300 W heater is about right. It depends on what your room temperature is during the coldest part of the year. No matter how big your tank is, the water will be the room temperature without a heater. If it never goes below 65 degrees, then goldfish and a common pleco should be fine at that temperature. I keep my tank at 72 degrees F or so.

Wow, your fish are that small and are getting a 75 gallon tank! They are SO lucky! You don't have to wait for cycling if you have them setup in another tank already. Just move the biological filter material to the new filter and instant cycling! I moved the gravel and biowheels from my old to new tank. I also moved half of the water so it was like a 50% water change. 100% can be stressful. If you do 100%, then aerate for a few days first before moving the fish.

The new tank won't cycle without fish (or added ammonia). Once you move your fish to the new tank, I would wait a month to be sure everything's going well before getting more fish. Your tank could easily fit a few more goldfish. It's good to think of their final size of over a foot long for single-tailed goldfish and at least half that for fancy-tailed goldfish. My pleco is 15" long and quite a handful. He's too big to suck on my small goldfish but smaller plecos like yours may sometimes suck on goldfish so keep an eye out for signs of that. Sometimes it happens and sometimes not.

My largest tank is 120 gallons but it has my lizard and has never been full of water. My new cracked 65 gallon is my largest tank with water so far.

I hope you have better luck than I!

Thanks Robyn!
I discarded the other person's gravel that came in the new tank I was talking about the gravel that is currently in the 10 gallon with my fish. I thought maybe mixing it with the new bags I bought would help with thier transition. I know my fish are small but I got a deal on this tank and figured that they can live the rest of thier lives in it.I will check on getting a canopy and some lights online, Maybe at fosters and smith. Do you know any other good sites? I also have a quarter sized slider turtle, He is currently in a 2 gallon plastic tank. I saw at the pet store where they have them in big tanks. Can he be added with my fish or is that a bad idea? Thanks Stacey

If your old gravel doesn't clash with your new gravel (different color, etc.), then you can certainly put it into the new tank with more new gravel.

Red-eared sliders like to eat small fish and may take fins off of larger fish. They need a tank half full so they can bask. Babies need special care. I don't recommend mixing turtles with fish in aquariums. I suggest that you move the baby turtle to the 10 gallon you have but you will need a larger tank soon. My 1.5 year old turtle has outgrown a 20 gallon so I'm going to set him up in a 40 gallon which will only work for another few years before he needs something even bigger. The turtle would do well in the 75 gallon if one day it's available (or you get another).

My turtle pages - http://www.fishpondinfo.com/turtles/index.htm
Baby turtles and their care - http://www.fishpondinfo.com/turtles/hatchling.htm