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Hi, I just won a 90 gallon fish tank for $170 on ebay. It came with the fish, stand, lights and all that. However the only thing the guy had for the 90 gallon tank for a filter was a hang on back. Also there was VERY few gravel in the tank too. So for the good bacteria stuff, there is some I suppose from the gravel and some that was in the bucket of water that was used to transport the fish. However I say 95% or more of the water though was brand new. I put in nitraban and easybalance in the water. There is a possibility though that the fish could die due to stress from the transportation. Assuming they stay alive, I have 7 fish in the tank. I haven't been able to identify them all. Two are common plecos I believe, and 1 is a very large blue gourmi, 1 is a large yellow colored cichlid. Two other fish are the same species and I think they are some kind of cichlid. Then there is one long fish and 1 small fish. I don't plan to add any more fish to the tank, other than the ones currently in it until I believe the tank is stable.

So things I'm thinking about getting is:
Live Plants
Filters
Gravel


For filters, all that is on is a hang on back filter that is meant for 30-60 gallons. So I need more I believe. I also want live plants because they make the tank look nicer and provide more natural habitat and cover for the fish and other good stuff and I need more gravel. But what kind of filters and gravel should I get?

keep the HOB, and get a nice cannister filter for your tank.

i wouldn't suggest fluval though.

gravel is totally your preference

Im not a plant expert, but i do know a bit. I would say to keep the fish for now, until you can get a reasonably good ID of the fish. Depending on what type of ciclid, i think that some of them need harder, more alkaline water. The others i think need different, i think softer and more acidic water. Also, depending on what type of cichlid it is it could be a plant uprooter, and the planted tank will be chaotic. Try giving them away or selling them back, or you could get a new tank for them.....

Ok, on to equipment....What kind of filter do you have currently? I would suggest getting a new canister filter (Ehiem i heard is good) and run the HOB while also running the Canister. When the canister is completely adjusted, you could either take off the HOB or keep it there, your choice.

Lighting: What kind of lighting do you have, and how many watts? Is it a compact flourescent unit? Or a T5HO unit? Or just a single or double fluorescent unit? Depending on what it is, and how many watts, will determine what kind of plants you can get. I also suggest you get new, daylight bulbs, as you cant be sure if those bulbs are old or not. Most established tanks have older bulbs if the previous owner didnt have plants.

Now, on to plants!!!

As listed above, lighting is a key, if not the most crucial part of planting aquaria. Also, another factor is gravel and ferts. You said that you had only a little gravel, and i would definately suggest you get more gravel, like enough to have at least 3 inches of gravel. This is so that you can properly grow great plants like amazon swords, and also many stem plants too! If on your lighting you have 90 wats or more, you can have 1wpg, or the low light plants. THese are the generally slower growing plants, and will take their time to grow. THey generally are also the toughies, such as the anubias and java fern. Most mosses are in this category too. Now if you have 180wats or more, that will lead you to the medium or 2wpg plant category. This category will widen your choices, and you can have a very beautiful tank at this level, plus all the 1wpg. More stem plants live in this category, and thrive in the.......270+wats or 3wpg High light plants. At this level, you can have pretty much every category of water plants!!! YaY!!! And you also have to have CO2 at this level, at with the size of your tank, you cant have a reasonable DIY system, and need a pressurized can system....THis level includes all the groundcover plants light dwarf hairgrass and those little plants that look like meadowgrass, and i forgot their name... So these are the three categories of plants, and all you need is to tell us the wats of your lighting system, and get some new bulbs-Daylight ones are the best IMO! Now on ferts, i am not an expert, so youre gonna need a plant gurus help...Sorry!

And for stocking, if you can identify all the fish accuratley, we can give you help and hints... Since you have so big of a tank, you can have huge schools or shoals of fish, of every kind!!! Just remember to ID the fish first, and i am pretty sure that you cant have a big SA cichlid, because it will tear up your plants, depending on what species....

I am so sorry for the long post. It was my longest one in a long time, and i learned most, if not almost all, of these things from here from the gurus. If you seek a question on anything here, try looking for a planting guru. They are pretty easy to find, as there are a whole lot of em on this website! I am also suer that you know like almost all, if not all of this....So i might not have been a help......Oh well, it cant hurt!

Quick Suggestion List

• Get a new filter, and wait a month before deciding what to do with the HOB, while leaving the HOB on it

• Get a lot of gravel, preferrably pea sized or smaller, also preferrably not sand. Up to at least 3 inches...

• ID the fish

• Tell us the watts or wpg

• Have fun, and consult a plant guru if you are truly serious about a nice planted tank

Bye! Have fun!

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Ok so far I added gravel and I added a power head. It pumps 250GPH. I also added a canister that is meant for up to 80 gallons. Marineland is the brand for that. I still have the hang on back filter that is for 30-60 gallons running, the brand is Whisper. That I didn't buy. Then I also have a canister that is Ehiem brand that is meant for 80 gallons. I don't know if it running good or not, but it is running, I see water coming out from the out valve. Then there is two plants, ah I forgot the name of them.

Alright, I think I might have more of my fish known now.

electric yellow cichlid, Labidochromis caeruleus
2 common plecos, Hypostomus plecostomus
blue gourami, Trichogaster trichopterus
2 Hero's severus, Cichlasoma severum

As for the last fish, I never have seen any thing like it efore. It is silver color, got a black stripe running through out its body. It has a more longer body type body. It is smaller than all the other fish. I think it is like 5-6" or so long. I dunno.

you might get a problem with the electric yellow cichild and the hero sevreum might get in a fight and mabey kill the other one.