New Tank - Biggest Yet and 3years out of practise lol

As title shows I'm getting adventurous lol, its been about 3years since I've had my own tank too look after and I've moved the goal posts massively, this should be fun. :DANGER:

I'm not completely out of touch if I'm honest, My old man has a Juwel Rio 300 Reef tank which Ive had a lot to do with over the last two and a half years. However a change in circumstances means I now have my own pad and my own tank again. I have bought a Fluval Roma 240 (I have incorporated an image of my tank at the bottom of this thread) and I have decided that I am going to go down the tropical route, but unsure whether to go with a community tank, discus or Malawi's. :HELP:

I've got the majority of the equipment I need already, Fluval 305 (requires contents - Not 100% what I need), Two 300w heaters, T8 lighting with tropical tubes. I have been looking at the tetra APS300 air pump for this set up but still yet to buy one. Previously I used air stones at the back of the tank, however I never got the very fine bubble effect, covering the complete back of the tank I was looking for. How can I achieve this?

So far I have devised a plan to empty the contents of gravel that still remain in it, remove the poorly fitted Juwel background tiles, fit egg crate to the bottom of the tank and then refit the tiles correctly (glued to the back wall). I then have the to heaters to fit, but struggling to imaging where they will go as the suction cups wont stick to the Juwel background, any ideas? I have yet to decide whether to use gravel or sand, what are the advantages of using one over another?

Is there anything I have overlooked?

In advance to any responses I would like to thank you for reading this and your advice will be much appreciated. Regards Richard :thank you:

To be quite honest i don't care much for them juwel backgrounds but i'm not critisizing. Everyone has there own taste.
Sand or gravel, mm, a difficult one! I'm using sand in one tank and cat litter in another.
Cat litter is a good substrate.

cat litter was another experiment that seems
to have taken off and i now hear a few people
are trying it no i my self think it makes a good substrate as does sand i am going to have a look
in to using aquatic loam sometime this year and
at some point going to go back to using sharp sand
which i think is the best substrate as it is after all
natural ungraded river sand

You can buy air curtains check them out on internet youl need 2 im guesing and thatl give you the bubble effect across the background. Personally id go with sand. Argos play sand cheap as chips

sand all the way preferably aquatic sand dont care much for the playsand as i think it compacts down to much and you have to keep lifting it to stop this happening,as for air curtain peter barrats do them in different sizes and for the size u will want 2 packs and a double air pump to run it i.e an airline to each end.if you go the discus route defo sand as with it being light coloured it really shows of the color of the discus
cheers keith

tescos cat litter is £1.15 bag
argos play pit sand £2.99 15k bag

thats why i like the play sand ^^

it all as to be washed cat litter
looks well in the tank

Sand it is then.

With reference to the air pump to run the curtain, would the tetra aps be strong enough. My concern is that they are rated for the size of the tank and not the pressure they provide

the way i look at it is go for the next bigger one you can always turn it down weres the normal one might only do two airstones then you carnt get anymore from it

good tip that mick

Well thats what my thoughts were, as the 200 would do the job. I'm going to order some sand this afternoon, is there any specific qualities I need as I'm hoping to put some live plants in. Any tricks or tips?

Plus i've been on the paddock farm website, and Ive found the pump really cheap, do they have a big section at the shop and do they charge more for the items in store?

****Update**** email recieved - egg crate on route

normally the same price
but if you get 30 posts on here you get 10% off at paddoxs

So I better keep posting today then lol as im going to pay them a visit today haha

card's printed you just need the posts

Champion, is the aqautics section at paddock farm of a decent size and quality? Ive never been, as I never knew it was there.

Lol get posting!

Just been talking to the old man, just a quick one about sand - will sand be ok with all fish (community, malawi, babuna, discus (he also mentioned something like tanzania?)

He said play sand would be fine but if it was him he'd put white sand in (crushed coral or something)?

Any advice?

it depends on what type of fresh water fish
malawi's rift valleys they would be OK with
sand or coral sand discus and other fresh
water fish that like soft water conditions
just sand would be OK as play sand doesn't
buffer the pH up at all were as coral sand
as buffering properties to take a the pH up to over
7

so really I need to know what way im going before I buy my sand. Is coral sand expensive?

Also whats paddock farm like?

coral sand is really for fish that like
high pH and hardness were as play pit
sand is inert it dosent effect the pH or the
hardness of the water sand can be used with
all most all fish

Ive heard its ment to be good hodgy

paddock farm

I dont think im going to get there today now as two customers who i've supposed to have appointments with havn't turned up. Quite looking forward to going tho.

Boils my blood does this - Ask yourself, "If you made and appointment with your doctor, would you just not turn up or would you cancel or rearrange?"

Rant over lol

SURE DOES