Got my 55gal tank back.. need some help

[Jgeezer1986]

I finally talked my wife into letting me get my 55gal tank from mom and dad and bring it home. Working on cleaning it now, but here is the problem.

The tank sat for a while. It has one penguin bio-filter and a whisper5 filter. I also have a back up whisper5 filter.

The heater got lost so have to buy a new one, no biggie. Gotta buy all the gravel for it and filter media.

With the filters after sitting for approx three years unused, what are some problems i can look for with them right away. The last time the tank was running , they worked great. But after time , do the rubber gaskets on the motors leak?

Also, im looking for some ideas to set the tank up. Im going freshwater again and going with a community tank. I agreed to get rid of the 20gal to make room for the 55gal, well worth the trade. So i have:

4 anacharis plants
4 swordtails
4 zebras
2 cory cats
1 African dwarf frog

I am using new gravel because i have to buy it anyway ,and i want to change the colors. I also want to start a well planted tank so in the future , its going to have java ferns and such.

Anyone got any ideas that I can add to the tank? Looking for something different and original. Maybe something different for the substrate. Brain storming, waiting till saturday to start the cycling of the tank so i can take my time and make it what i really want. Thanks

 

[ampa one]

i put some crushed mason stone that i got at my local landscape store and some slate.i put it in my 55 it looks nice.if you like the natural look and this was only around seven bucks for all of it. dont give up the 20 you need later

 

[mfdrookie516]

My suggestion for the filters is to hook them up and see how they do. The o-rings could have cracked, or they could be in perfect condition. Alot of factors there. As for the substrate, i would recommend pool filter sand. It looks more natural than most gravel and is easier to keep clean imo. The cory's would also appreciate the sand. I would definitely up the number of corys to 5-6, what other fish are you thinking about? If you havent gotten the heater yet, check out the marineland stealth pro. i bought one and it is the best heater ever made. If the filters dont work out, check out the aquaclear filters. an ac110 would be a nice filter for that tank (i dont like the marineland filters). One last thing... make sure you take pictures, and lots of them

 

[Jgeezer1986]

All three filters fired, no leaks. Only issue , one of the whisper filters was not putting much water out, so i have it set up the way i used . The marineland, and the whisper. I will be replacing either one or both filters at the end of summer here. The whispers are extremely noisy, i just dont like them.

As for the sand for the substrate, i like the idea. How will the plants do with it? I was thinking of putting a sand patch or something in it. I like the natural color gravel.

I am going to buy a heater today, as for i forgot it last night and i have to pick up some filters for the marineland.

There will not be any fish in it until saturday , and at that a minimal amount to start the system. Ill take pics as i go and get them on here sometime.

 

[mfdrookie516]

Plants do awesome in sand. if you have root feeders, some root tabs will help them alot. i just like the sand better for every reason imaginable. make sure to pull the filter(s) off the 20g and put in the 55. if you just transfer the fish over from the 20, you may not even have a cycle. give it a few weeks, keep an eye on the parameters, and after maybe a month, start adding a few more fish

 

[Jgeezer1986]

make sure to pull the filter(s) off the 20g and put in the 55. if you just transfer the fish over from the 20, you may not even have a cycle. give it a few weeks, keep an eye on the parameters, and after maybe a month, start adding a few more fish

The 20g is not coming down right away ,so i need the filter that is on it , to stay on it.. i was planning on moving my fish a few at a time over the next month or so along with my plants and decor. I told my dad he could have it since i am sacrificing it for the 55g. But if he is not taking it , i am going to keep using and tell my wife it would cost a lot of time and money to get it going again if it dries up

But it stays for the next month as an emergency tank incase something goes wrong with the 55g. I plan on keeping fish in it until then.... If i do keep it , would a 20g be to small for a chiclid tank?

 

[mfdrookie516]

depends on what kind of cichlids. ive got multis which can easily live in a 10-20g tank, but if youre talking mbuna or some of the sa/ca cichlids, then no. just all depends on what kind