Ok I got a 55 gallon tank from a friend I am putting a porquipine puffer in it. What all do I need to get to make it a "good tank" Sorry for all the questions, but you guys are a huge help. I know about the live rock, substrate, and salt. what else?
I got my 55 gallon tank.... now what? lol.
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jaiden
Aquarium Advice FINatic
first, you should know that no fish should go in it for at least a few weeks after the tank is filled.
you'll need a lot of equipment, such as a heater, refractometer, water test kits, powerheads (you should have between 550 and 1200 GPH flow in your tank), and a good skimmer. If you're not doing a sump, an aquaC remora would work with the mj1200 pump.
you'll need a lot of equipment, such as a heater, refractometer, water test kits, powerheads (you should have between 550 and 1200 GPH flow in your tank), and a good skimmer. If you're not doing a sump, an aquaC remora would work with the mj1200 pump.
I know about the heater, I need help on picking out the filter, skimmer, and how much LR to use, What sort of test kit would be the best? I just want to have a healthy tank. I have my puffer in a 10 gallon now. He seems to be doing ok he is eating good and everything. I want to get the big one ready asap. Also whats a refractometer and a power head?
Well, a refractometer measures the sq, or salinity, of your tank..
The water to salt raito so to speak.
The oppinion varies on what it should be, but it's avg is about 1.024 or thereabouts.
A power head is basically an in tank water mover..a pump, rated at so many gallons per hour..
drfostersmith.com is a good source of info on equipments, and has articles with good explanations on what the various devices do...spend a few hours there 'browsing' and clicking on the articles links...worth the time....
The water to salt raito so to speak.
The oppinion varies on what it should be, but it's avg is about 1.024 or thereabouts.
A power head is basically an in tank water mover..a pump, rated at so many gallons per hour..
drfostersmith.com is a good source of info on equipments, and has articles with good explanations on what the various devices do...spend a few hours there 'browsing' and clicking on the articles links...worth the time....
I have a hydrometer wich does the same thing. Thanks for the info. I am really not good at the browsing thing. Thats why I asked you guys. What about a biowheel? Would that be a good choice for a filter? How about heaters should I get one rated for 60 gallons or 55 or should I get 2 30 gallon ones, one on each side? Thanks again.
canyon15
Aquarium Advice Freak
As far as LR is concerned you should go with a min of 55 lbs (1lb/gal) and if money is not to much of a concern maybe aim for 1.5- 2 lbs/gal. This will add more biological filtration which is a good thing. I wont say you don't need your bio wheels and such after but the more LR the less you have to rely on your mechanical filtration to do all the filtration. HTH
jaiden
Aquarium Advice FINatic
biowheel is not advised for SW. It works OK, but not as good as LR. as canyon said, 1.5 to 2 pounds per gallon (plus 10 to 20x flow) is all you need for filtration, provided you ahve a good skimmer. I'd say spend your money on rock and skimmer. Then save up for nice lights if you ever want corals.
two smaller heaters is good in case one breaks so that you're not killing fish.
two smaller heaters is good in case one breaks so that you're not killing fish.
Is this a good idea for a heater? http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=12060&N=2004+113767
Oh and on the live rock thing- if I use live rock that is crushed for the substrate does that count towards the total pounds I need? Or does it all have to be in big chunks? AND the LFS gave me..... Kordon- Trans Clear Fresh Water Clarifier for Aquariums and Ponds. They told me that it would be good to use in the SW tank because we have REALLY hard water. But it says freshwater? Are they wrong, or can I use it?
jaiden
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Needs to be chunks. it can be "rubble" (golf ball sized or smaller) but aragonite sand doesn't count to the LR total.
You really should use RO/DI water, not tap water. While you can start with treated tap water, the water for topoffs must be very clean. This is because the only thing that evaporates is pure water, so if you replace it with anything but pure water, junk will build up over time
You really should use RO/DI water, not tap water. While you can start with treated tap water, the water for topoffs must be very clean. This is because the only thing that evaporates is pure water, so if you replace it with anything but pure water, junk will build up over time
tripper
Aquarium Advice Freak
Pufferowners, I just responded to another post of yours where you were concerned about high Nitrite levels. Are those issues coming from the 10G tank you have the puffer in right now? If so, my suggestion to you would be to take that puffer back to the LFS for now. Since it appears that you do not even have your main tank set up yet, it is going to be a good 6-8 weeks before you will be ready to add fish to your tank. Also, I feel that a 55G tank is too small for a porc puffer.
One thing that is crucial in this hobby is to be patient. No good things happen when you rush through the process. See if you can get your LFS to hold your puffer at the store for you until your tank is cycled. However, I would really reconsider your stocking list because that fish needs a 100G tank or more.
Hope that helps.
tripper
One thing that is crucial in this hobby is to be patient. No good things happen when you rush through the process. See if you can get your LFS to hold your puffer at the store for you until your tank is cycled. However, I would really reconsider your stocking list because that fish needs a 100G tank or more.
Hope that helps.
tripper
Everyday it gets to be more and more and more.... I am going to put him in the 55 gallon if he lives he lives if not I will restock. The girl at the LFS has a PPP and she has had it in the same tank I have with all the same stuff for over 6 months and its fine....
canyon15
Aquarium Advice Freak
I don't claim to know the right size for that fish but if 55 is too small then all i have to say is "poor fish" 
canyon15
Aquarium Advice Freak
Your very right but imo i would be airing on the side of caution especially with that big of a gap in tank size. I think what you said
is what i would go by but again it is each persons choice and in the end you will go with what you feel is right. I just don't want you to go and "hope" that it will fit in there to find out that the tank was a bit to small and then you end up with a bad experience. Regardless i hope you have luck with what ever you decided.
jaiden said:
Did you mean can or cant be golfball size or smaller. I am talking about the stuff at the bottom of this page....
http://www.intmarinefish.com/liverock.html
Well today for my substrate I got Natures Ocean Bio-Active Live Aragonite it has bacteria already in it. Then I got a 300watt heater, the salt mix, a Biowheel, and a digital thermomoter. Oh and I found a GREAT LFS they actually know what they are talking about its called reef connections. They are really cool there and pretty cheap. They had a REALLY nice 125 gallon tank for like $369. Then the stand for it was about 350 and extremely nice. Oh and I also got a liquid test kit. So now all I got to get is LR and the skimmer. I also found out some bad news according to the calculations of the measurements of the tank its a 50 gallon not 55. I think someone may have made it. Not sure though. Its made out of real glass and they did a good job.
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