55gal setup

[maxst2]

Decided to stick with freshwater and do a mildly planted tank.

I have a 55 gallon, It'll have a gravel base with some large river rock and drift wood. Prolly have a retaining wall built into it with some heavy cover on slightly a 1/3 of the tank and some PVC "tunnels" running through it- good idea?

Few questions...

Canister filter -which? or power filter - looking at the AC70 for this.

What are some good low light plants? At the moment I have two of your basic walmart hoods with 24" aqua-glo bulbs in them.

Should I put in a power head - got two for this tank as i wanted it to be salt water but plans changed... should I put one in to move the water more in the tank?

Livestock - tiger barbs and neon tetras - thus the heavy cover.

 

[neilanh]

If you plan to go planted and eventually inject CO2, go ahead with a canister filter now. They're much better when injecting CO2 as they don't cause splashing which offgasses your CO2. If you don't ever plan to go that route, then it's really up to you. Everyone has their personal preferences. For me, I believe that canister filters do a better job filtering the tank, so that's what I use accross the board.

For plants, start out with some java ferns, anubias, and anacharis. They're great starter plants.

Depending on what type of filter you end up with will see if you need a power head. They're not typically necessary, however. What size are they?

 

[maxst2]

Koralia 750s

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Canister filter -which? or power filter - looking at the AC70 for this.

If you have the space for a canister filter then go for it! Sumps aside they provide the best amount of filter media for your tank and they are super quiet too.

 

[BigJim]

The AC70 is a wonderful filter, but I'd step up to an AC110 on a 55g if you go the power filter route. If you're planning to go high-tech at some point, get the canister filter for the CO2, as neilanh suggested.

I think you'll struggle with most plants at this lighting level. Low-light plants will probably survive, but they won't grow very well. Look at mosses, java ferns, anubias, and crypts. The java ferns and anubis will attach to driftwood. If you can raise them closer to the light on the driftwood, they'll grow better.

 

[maxst2]

I've decided to go canister, since the space I have the tank isn't very roomy on the back and sides.

So with that... what is a good, but inexpensive canister filter.

I dont think i'll be doing co2 yet or for awhile.

 

[BigJim]

I've heard nothing but good things about Fluvals and Rena XPs.

 

[maxst2]

Also.. I have one 200 watt heater from marineland. Is that enough or should i have two?

 

[maxst2]

Here is what it looks like at the moment.

 

[Marconis]

Rena XP's are cheap and very effective. It's the only canister I have used, and nobody ever really complains about them.

200 watt heaters are rated for up to 55 gallons. It could be enough for the 55 gallon alone, though. I'd say that really depends on how much your temp. fluctuates inside the house. So if you want to get two, just get one 250 watt instead. I don't know if people do it, but I think it's weird to have two different heaters since the temperature gauge on them is never quite exact, and you'd have two heaters radiating different amounts of heat. That's just my opinion.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

I've heard nothing but good things about Fluvals and Rena XPs.

I looked at the Fluval 205 but I didn't like the ribbed hoses at all! That's why I went with the TetraTec EX700 with its clear plastic hoses.

For a 190 litre tank (55 gallon!) I'd say go for the EX1200.

 

[Jason7894561230]

It looks good so far lol

 

[maxst2]

It's coming along. Im going shopping tomorrow for AC70 filter and some substrate.

 

[maxst2]

Found a good deal at petsmart for a fluval 305... so i got it

 

[maxst2]

Rock

Drift wood...stuff with green on it is the only bit of FAKE driftwood.

 

[Jason7894561230]

Cool wood

 

[Marconis]

Found a good deal at petsmart for a fluval 305... so i got it

Ah, gotta love the feeling of a new filter purchase!

 

[maxst2]

Question.. I have two 15watt 24" aqua glo bulbs. How much difference would I see if I bumped it to 20watt daylight type bulbs?

 

[Tarkus2112]

The AC70 is a wonderful filter, but I'd step up to an AC110 on a 55g if you go the power filter route. If you're planning to go high-tech at some point, get the canister filter for the CO2, as neilanh suggested.

Even better is to get 2 AC70's. You will be able to clean the filter media on an alternating schedule and help save the beneficial bacteria.

Also, you can get 2 AC70's for almost the price of 1 AC110. Another plus is the fact that filter media for the 70's is about 50% cheaper than the 110's. And yet 1 more plus is you'll have more GPH and more surface agitation with the dual setup.

I ended up going with the dual AC70 setup and the reasons above are why. Good luck!

 

[ChizerBunoi]

That pvc pipe idea is good if you have any ottos, plecos, corydoras, loaches or shrimp. You could cover it with some of that driftwood and then bury the rest with substrate.

Why not stick with the aqua glo bulb for now until you need to replace the bulbs. The daylight bulbs will work well if your ballast can handle the extra 5 watts.

You don't have to stick with the light bulbs that are available at the lfs. Home Depot carries the Phillips/Sylvania daylight 6500/6700K bulbs. Those do really well.

My first 55 gallon tank included sword plants, anubias var nana barteri, java fern, vallisneria spiralis, cryptocoryne wendii and some fast growing stem plants. They thrived with just getting 3 hours of direct sunlight only. I had the same light setup as you but then upgraded to a t8 shop light.