Wanted: hood & light for a 75 gal. tank etc.

[nicholsanddimes]

I need a hood (17 1/8"X 47 3/16") and light. I bought a tank from some one with the idea that I could just pop into petco and buy a hood/light assem. for this thing. Boy was I wrong. I'm also looking for a canister filter for 75+ gallons, natural looking gravel, decorations and rocks.

[CichlidFan]

Re: Wanted: hood & light for a 75 gal. tank etc.

Welcome to the HFB nichols and dimes....you have picked a good name for the hobby you just entered into..... :)
It sounds like you are looking for glass lids for a standard 75 gallon tank, I might have a set laying around here, what part of town are you in?

Again, Welcome to the box....

CF

PS...you can get natural looking gravel at any landscaping supply yard....

[specialone0812]

Re: Wanted: hood & light for a 75 gal. tank etc.

Steve...do you have those glss lidsfor 55g tank...

[nicholsanddimes]

Re: Wanted: hood & light for a 75 gal. tank etc.

Hey there! I live in Conroe. I was hopeing that maybe I could get lucky and buy some recently used gravel so that I could skip the whole cycle thing. Is the stuff you buy at the garden store cheeper than buying it in the bags at the pet shop and is it safe to use? I've heard some one say that you have to be careful putting wood and rocks from rivers and creeks into your tank and I wasn't sure if it applied to other things too. If you have the lids let me know what you want for them. Cypress isn't too far away I don't think. Thanks for welcoming me. You're the first of many I hope.

[Zulaab]

Re: Wanted: hood & light for a 75 gal. tank etc.

Welcome to the box :)
Here are a few suggestions for you.

75g lid...  first find out who your manufacture is.  If you don't know or don't see a name on the tank, then second thing to do is measure the exact opening that the glass tops will need to fit into.  Most 75g tanks will need two separate pieces of glass.  Each about 22+ inches in width.  Get this information perfect as I know of at least 4 different glass sizes for a 75 alone..
Then there is the subject of lights.. you are going to want either a 4ft light or 2x2ft lights..  these are easily obtainable...  ask around here and you can prolly find someone who will sell you a set of lights.

If you want a hood (ie a wooden cabinet which covers completely the top and lights inside of it) then you are going to want to goto one of the fish stores.  I dont know the conroe area and I dont know how often you venture towards Houston, but there are several stores in Houston I could recommend you stop by and see about getting a hood.  Again there are some people who are selling hoods and could potentially be able to hook you up here too.  You would most likely want to have a hood that matches your stand so they look good together.   Take a picture of the stand so when you goto a fish store you will be able to show them what your stand looks like so you can get something to match.

Gravel.  Easy.  What fish do you want to keep ?  A planted tank ? (pea gravel)  A Rift Lake Cichlid tank (sand) -- there are several different options here.
Lowes / Home depot is your friend (at least in my case)
If I pea sized smooth gravel then you can buy bags of it at Lowes for a LOT cheaper than a fish store.  You are going to need to wash it before putting it in your tank, but saving a ton of money is well worth it..  

You want sand ?  You can go with sand or play sand at Lowes/Home Depot.   You want something light colored sand I could recommend going to Leslies pool supply and pick up 2x 50lbs "pool filter sand" and use it.  Again you will need to clean it.

To clean either material put it first in a bucket and just continue filling it with water until when you drive the hose thought it no more "dust" comes out.

Personally, I dont like taking someone elses gravel if I dont know them and add it in directly into my tanks.    Just start with fresh good gravel or wash HEAVILY the gravel I got from someone else.

Rocks -- get them at a garden supply store -- Again depending on what you want you can find 95% of what will look good in a tank at a garden soil place.  I have texas holey rock in some of my tanks (which I had to go get somewhere else) and I have slate in my tanks which comes from my locak garden soil place.

I hope this helps :)

Jesper

[fishlady]

Re: Wanted: hood & light for a 75 gal. tank etc.

welcome to the houstonfishbox nichols and dimes......
it's safe to use the gravel that you get at a landscaping store you just have to wash it really well as you would with any substrate you buy anywhere.....
there is a store off 529 and eldridge pkwy that has a large variety of tank lids and lights as well....fish r fun ask for ben....
tell him that steve and loretta sent you.....
cichlidfan might have a set though too....good luck and pics would be nice when you get it up and running.....


and again welcome to the exciting world of addiction.....

[CichlidFan]

Re: Wanted: hood & light for a 75 gal. tank etc.

Steve...do you have those glss lidsfor 55g tank...

I don't recall having an extra set for a 55, but I'll take a look around the fish room tonight....

CF

[rahne]

Re: Wanted: hood & light for a 75 gal. tank etc.

welcome to the box. this is a great thread. I too am looking for a set of lights and hood for a 75. But I think I would like to try and build a hood.

[specialone0812]

Re: Wanted: hood & light for a 75 gal. tank etc.

Steve...do you have those glss lidsfor 55g tank...

I don't recall having an extra set for a 55, but I'll take a look around the fish room tonight....

CF

thanks Steve