# 75G new tank set up - filtration and heating questions



## goose26 (Sep 12, 2009)

Hi All!

I am getting ready to start my new 75G (48Lx18H) fish tank and have a few questions on filtration and heating. This will be my first cichlid tank and I want to do it right. I've done a lot of research (love this site) and have come up with a preliminary stocking list:

8 Pseudotropheus Sp. Acei
8 Labidochromis Caeruleus (Electric yellows) 
8 Elongatus Likoma 
8 Elongatus Jewel Spot (haven't totally decided on these guys yet)
(all juveniles, I will decrease numbers to obtain correct male/female ratios when they are old enough to sex)

So far my tank is decorated with river rock, drift wood and paver sand (thoroughly cleaned!). I filled it with water yesterday and am about to buy a filter and heater. Here is what I had in mind...

Rena FilStar XP3 External Canister Filter (rated to 175 gallons, max flow is 350 gph)
Rena 150W SmartHeater 
Koralia 2 Centrifugal Pump power head

So here are my questions,

1. What thoughts/opinions on the Rena brand? Seem to have gotten high ratings

2. Is a 150W heater enough watts for a 75 gallon tank? I read through the forum and someone mentioned 2w per gallon but the heater is only rated for a 50G tank.

3. Is the power head over kill?

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Cheers!


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## Gator1088 (Sep 11, 2009)

to be honest I've got 2 emperor 400's on my 75 and for the price they're great I'm not sure how much the rena is off the top of my head but if you don't have to have a canister that would be recomendation and as far as the heater goes that's what I've got and I keep my tank right around 78-79Â° and it does great and I'm not too familar with powerheads so no help there sorry


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## Demasonian (Oct 23, 2005)

Hi goose26, welcome to the forums!

1. On Rena, not my personal favourite, but it's a decent brand.
2. Yes. I use a 150 Watt on my 75 with no problems. 
3. Not familiar with that particular powerhead, but I'm going to say not overkill. As long as water isn't pouring over the sides of your tank, mbuna can handle the flow...

As additional advice I'd recommend picking up a HOB filter or two -- something like an AC 110 or Emperor 400.

In terms of stocklist...All good choices, but I'd pick only one species of Elongatus. Maybe add something else to take the place of the missing species.

How do you plan to cycle your tank? This site can be a pretty good resource in that regard as well.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

I've heard good things about the XP3 but have never owned one personally...

Completely disregard the "up to XXX gallon tank" rating on every filter... they are totally innaccurate and completely misleading...

The 350 gallon per hour rating is for the motor at zero restriction... in practical application you should expect your filter to move around 200 gph...

I personally use two Aqua Clear 110s as filtration for a my 75 gallon tank. I'm quite happy with it.

Feel free to use filter names in the search function to read other users experiences with them.



> How do you plan to cycle your tank? This site can be a pretty good resource in that regard as well.


Great question!


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## Morcs (Jun 1, 2009)

what brand heaters are you guys using?
I had trouble with a Jebo 150W holding temp in a 40G...
Im using a 300W on my 65G, and thats perfect.

Mind you, Jebo heaters are pants.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

Morcs said:


> what brand heaters are you guys using?
> I had trouble with a Jebo 150W holding temp in a 40G...
> Im using a 300W on my 65G, and thats perfect.
> 
> Mind you, Jebo heaters are pants.


FYI - you are using MUCH bigger heaters than needed... which isn't 'perfect'...

I really like the Visi Therm Stealth heaters... I have been using them exclusively on while keeping many tanks since shortly after they came out. I like the all black look (easy to hide in plain sight) and I love that they are plastic (vertually unbreakable). They have also proved to last for years and keep a stable temperature.

As for sizing... I use 2 W per gallon and my tanks have no problem staying stable at 80*F even in the winter months when the air temp drops into the mid to upper 60s.

If the heater is "to big" then it will turn on/off more frequently. The more you use that feature the sooner that feature will wear out... and when it does wear out the heater will remain on constantly. When using a heater that is "to big" a heater left on can heat the tank to deadly temperatures rather quickly.

I do not know of any benefits of using a bigger heater...

Sure it's possible that a 200W heater will be on half as often as a 100W heater... but it uses twice the wattage when it is on... and if put to the test I would expect the 200W heater to be on more than 50% of the time the 100W is on...

So using to big of a heater probably uses more electricity, considerably shortens the heaters lifetime and puts the fish at risk.


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## lilyicu (Jan 27, 2007)

I am going to add my two cents:

When I had my 75g I had my Rena XP3 and a HOB filter. I am a HUGE fan of the Rena filters!!! When I upgraded to my 125g I added a Rena XP4. They have both been up and running for a year and a half and I have never had any problems with them. They are soooo easy to clean. I was very glad that when I upgraded to the 125 that I got rid of the HOB filters. The filters themselves were getting expensive to keep changing out and I never realized how loud it was until it was gone. All of my water parameters have been stable without the HOB filter and my fish are very happy.  I have two bubble curtains to keep up the oxygen level in the tank.

I am very familiar with the Koralia's b/c I also have a saltwater tank. They are great powerheads. They are primarily advertised for saltwater tanks b/c the water movement needs to be so much harder and faster than in a freshwater tank. You can start your tank out without the powerhead and see if you have any dead spots. Then you can decide if you need it. I never needed one in my 75g, however I did add a Maxi-jet powerhead to my 125 b/c I had some dead spots at the top of the tank. The maxi-jets are primarily for freshwater b/c they come with the option of an airline tubing extension to add bubbles to increase oxygen flow to your tank.

On the topic of the heater, right now mine isn't even on. Actually all three of my heaters are unplugged in all three of my tanks. I live in Texas were it is 100 degrees everyday so I only use my heaters in the winter. Just make sure that you use at least two thermometers in your tank. I have them in different spots in the tanks.


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## lilyicu (Jan 27, 2007)

Good luck with your tank!!! opcorn:


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

i have a 200 watt heater in my 55 and it keeps the temp right about 80 when fully cranked, 150 is way too small for a 75 and the writers on this site even state to use a 250 watt heater


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

and as for water movement, my filter is rated 185 gph and a powerhead at 300gph, my filter picks up a lot of waste so i see no need for additional filters, i just added the powerhead for additional water movement and everything is fine in my tank so let's say maybe i'll have 400 gph of water movement, i would at least double it for your setup, you plan to have a lot more fish in a larger tank

what i would do is buy a filter you feel comfortable with and let it run for a while, maybe after the first couple of cleaning and water changes decide weather you think the filter is doing the job or if it needs help from an additional filter, and soemthing as simple as a prefilter on your powerhead can help


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

cjacob316 said:


> i have a 200 watt heater in my 55 and it keeps the temp right about 80 when fully cranked, 150 is way too small for a 75 and the writers on this site even state to use a 250 watt heater


Hmmm... I have two 50 gal tanks and one 75 gal tank... each one has a 100W heater in it...

Each tank stays right at 80*F and the AC keeps the air temp around 70~75* (cooler on the weekends when the girlfriend stays over).

I guess I shuold let my tanks know you said that the heater doesn't keep them warm enough so they can stop working........


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

then why not use a 50 watt heater


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## Morcs (Jun 1, 2009)

Toby_H said:


> Morcs said:
> 
> 
> > what brand heaters are you guys using?
> ...


Very valid points. Winter is just passed here now, so Ill switch the 300W for my 150W and see how she goes.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

How big a heater you actually need depends on a number of factors. The difference between ambient and desired temp of the tank, heat loss from the tank (do you have covers?) being the important ones. theoretically, a heater that was on constantly to maintain tank temp would be perfect. The forums are full of stories of cooked fish when a heater fails, so it would be better to have to small heater than one big one.


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## Morcs (Jun 1, 2009)

I changed to a 150W like in my above post, temp dropped 3C to 24C, with the heater set at max 32C... the heater didnt even stay on for any decent period of time either.

*** got my 300W back in.

I read through all my books the other night, the only one that actually had reference to heater size said 5Wpg as a rule of thumb - so my 300W in a 65g is pretty spot on...


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

here i guess is a big question, do you guys all use heaters that you set a temp and leave it, or do you use a heater with basically a high and low and have to find the spot that keeps your tank at the right temp?

like i said i have to leave my 200w cranked to high to keep my tank up to temp, so there is no way if i used a lower watt of the same heater that my tank would be the right temp


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