55 gallon yellow lab build

[NoFishingAllowed]

I am wanting this to be a tank with all (or mostly) yellow labs. I love them!!
I want some (live?) rock, (live?) plants, and sand. I have 2 other tanks, one freshwater community and one freshwater semi aggressive. Both of them have gravel and fake plants, so I am very new to all this. I have only purchased the tank itself, so I am going to need help of what all to buy next including:

light (I need a different kind of light for live planted tanks right?)
filter
heater
sand
plants
rock
driftwood (?)
air pump (?)
anything else!
fish (how many can comfortably go in a 55 gallon?)


*Within the next year we will be getting a 110 gallon in the wall tank, so they can eventually move to a bigger tank if needed.

Thanks for all of the info in advance!

Any and all suggestions are welcomed!!! No rush, and no strict budget

 

[steez]

Light: I don't know sorry, I do fake plants

Filter: Canister or HOB? Aquaclear 110 is a good HOB to use, and Fluval 405 would be a good Canister.

Heater: I do a 200W Heater in my 55g and it works fine. Aqueon. A lot of people would recommend doing two smaller heaters, so it's more of a failsafe if it decides to blow up.

Sand: PFS (Pool Filter Sand). Don't do gravel, they dig into the sand.

Plants: Don't know. I'm a fake plants guy

Rock: LOTS of it! Use your creativity, make lots of holes and caves for them to hangout in. Google other Mbuna tanks to see examples.

Driftwood: Sure, if you like it! If you have a Pleco he will need it.

Air Pump: I use Whisper 150, it works fantastic and is very quiet. I use it to run both my 40g breeder and 55g tank.


Yellow Labs? Probably get like 14 and weed out any troublemakers. Try to do the 1m/4f ratio.


Bigger tank would really just make it easier on you and allow you to have a bunch more of them! You better keep us updated with pics because I'd like to see them! GL!

 

[Gboy66]

Ill chime in about the plants...
There are several that can be used with just the standard light, such as java fern, anubuis, hornwort, water wisteria just to name a few. Would you dose ferts or root tabs? I dont suggest plants with chiclids though...they dig alot so id just stick with a ton of rocks!!

As far as the rocks go, yes be very creative! Stack them or just toss them in making diagonal caves. Give them lots of caves and such. Seeing as your doing sand substrate, however, i would use an aquarium safe adhesive to glue them to eachother/the glass. They could burrow under the rocks, causing them to fall and break glass/ your fishies!!! Goodluck!

 

[NoFishingAllowed]

Thank you so much! Sand it is! I am making notes to take back to the lfs with the recommendations ya'll give me.
I am obsessed with pictures, so I will for sure be updating!
I didn't plan on a pleco, but I am not against it...what kind will thrive in a 55g (for now)

Light: I don't know sorry, I do fake plants

Filter: Canister or HOB? Aquaclear 110 is a good HOB to use, and Fluval 405 would be a good Canister.

Heater: I do a 200W Heater in my 55g and it works fine. Aqueon. A lot of people would recommend doing two smaller heaters, so it's more of a failsafe if it decides to blow up.

Sand: PFS (Pool Filter Sand). Don't do gravel, they dig into the sand.

Plants: Don't know. I'm a fake plants guy

Rock: LOTS of it! Use your creativity, make lots of holes and caves for them to hangout in. Google other Mbuna tanks to see examples.

Driftwood: Sure, if you like it! If you have a Pleco he will need it.

Air Pump: I use Whisper 150, it works fantastic and is very quiet. I use it to run both my 40g breeder and 55g tank.


Yellow Labs? Probably get like 14 and weed out any troublemakers. Try to do the 1m/4f ratio.


Bigger tank would really just make it easier on you and allow you to have a bunch more of them! You better keep us updated with pics because I'd like to see them! GL!

 

[NoFishingAllowed]

ok, no plants!
See, I had NO IDEA that there was even aquarium safe glue...so thankful I found this site!

Ill chime in about the plants...
There are several that can be used with just the standard light, such as java fern, anubuis, hornwort, water wisteria just to name a few. Would you dose ferts or root tabs? I dont suggest plants with chiclids though...they dig alot so id just stick with a ton of rocks!!

As far as the rocks go, yes be very creative! Stack them or just toss them in making diagonal caves. Give them lots of caves and such. Seeing as your doing sand substrate, however, i would use an aquarium safe adhesive to glue them to eachother/the glass. They could burrow under the rocks, causing them to fall and break glass/ your fishies!!! Goodluck!

 

[steez]

No problem!

A good pleco for a 55 would be any that stay smaller. Definitely not a common , they get too big. I have an Albino BN (Bristlenose) pleco in my Mbuna tank.

Overview of the available plecostomus species with pictures

 

[Gboy66]

No problem!

A good pleco for a 55 would be any that stay smaller. Definitely not a common , they get too big. I have an Albino BN (Bristlenose) pleco in my Mbuna tank.

Overview of the available plecostomus species with pictures

Ya! Bns are a good idea! Maybe a rubberlip too

 

[Fearitself]

yeah i agree bns and rubberlips would be the way to go

 

[steez]

+1 for rubberlips too.

 

[NoFishingAllowed]

Awesome, rubberlips, lol I like the name. I will keep that in mind. Definatly not getting a common, they get big!

 

[NoFishingAllowed]

Should I add them one by one?
I mean after it is cycled.

 

[OsciTheOscar]

its generally ideal to add all fish at one time, and if not after you obtain all the fish you want... take them out and re-arrange the scape and add them all at once at that point...

 

[steez]

+1 all at once.

If you introduce 5, then do 5 a week later, they will usually pick on the new tank mates. It's a lot more work at that point. You'll need to re-arrange everything so they can establish new territories and leave the lights off as you add new fish.

 

[NoFishingAllowed]

Oh ok, great Is there any way I can speed up the fishless cycle by putting something from one of my cycled tanks in? Or I can even get something from the lfs.

 

[steez]

Yes you can speed it up by putting filter media from an established tank into your new filter.

 

[NoFishingAllowed]

Yes you can speed it up by putting filter media from an established tank into your new filter.

This is what I thought I read. The thing is, I dont know what filter media is.

Is it the charcoal stuff?

 

[steez]

Any filter cartridge, sponges, etc. from a filter that is inside a cycled tank. It should look like it has a bunch of poop on it!


Also, after adding your water dechlor, take that established media and shake it in the tank water before you start up your filters. It's a win-win, you clean the filter a bit(not hurting the BB) and you add some more bio into the water for the filter just to grab again.

 

[NoFishingAllowed]

I got lots of Texas holey rock today and some other kinds!

 

[steez]

Wheres the pics?!