From 10 to 55 Gallon... and a little confused.

[mkat]

Hello!

We currently have had a 10 gallon tank for a little more than 2 years and have just purchased a 55 gallon tank. We made a lot of mistakes when we first set up the 10 gallon and are hoping to eliminate most of those for the 55 and so there are a few questions I would like to ask all of your advice on for clarification.

When we started the 10 gallon we got all of our advice from the local pet store and knew nothing about cycling the tank so we had a lot of problems in that way and tried to follow the advice they gave us which really was wrong according to everything I have since read online. Anyways our 10 gallon tank has been healthy for the last 16 months or so.

So now that we know about cycling and have studied the "The (almost) Complete Guide and FAQ to Fishless Cycling"...

We have 66 lbs of gravel in our aquarium
We have filled it with dechlorinated tap water (using Aqueon water conditioner)
We have our 2 Aquaclear 70 HOB fitlers running
We have our 2 150 watt Fluval heaters set to 30C

Now the questions are;

1) So basically I just add my old country brand ammonia until it reaches 4 ppm and I can just put the old sponge from my 10 gallon filter in a net with a rock and drop it in to help "seed" the tank?

2) If that's right do I do both of those things at the same time?

3) I have 1 aqueon 700 Circulation Aquarium Pump on order....this is the part that confused me the most... Are these the same thing as when people talk about "powerheads" to introduce oxygen to the system or is this only used to keep the water moving around in the tank? I was planning on putting it blowing accross the bottom and then maybe getting a second one to put on the opposite end near the top? Does this sound like the right thing to do?

4) Besides the plants and decorations that we haven't picked yet is there anything else I am missing?

thanks very much for any help

 

[mkat]

UPDATE:

So I found the guide to faster fish cycling and that answered some of my questions...

So basically the only question I still have right now is about the Aquoen 700 Circulation Pump...is it the same as a powerhead or whatever is used to introduce oxygen into the tank?

Thanks.

 

[brennae]

I'm not sure you need the circulation pump with 2 filters. They do help to stir up the debris from the bottom of the tank. I can't answer your question about power heads though sorry.

 

[Angela1108]

Are you planning on fish that need high water flow? If you aren't I don't really think you need the circulation pump with dual filters running- and filters that are rated for 70 gallon instead of 55. It's essentially running 140gallon filter on a 55 tank. (I do go up a size personally too but doubling that will already make quite a currant in the tank


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[Caliban07]

+1 on not needing the circulation pump. I can see why you think they would be necessary but in most fresh water tanks they are just not required. Especially if you already have 2 x filters with adequate turnover.

Circulation pumps/wave makers or power heads as they are sometimes known would be used for fresh water fish found in naturally rapid flowing waters or in salt water setups such as a FOWLR tank (fish only with live rock) where the rock is acting as the biological filter and the power head just keeps water moving through the rock.

Some people may also use power heads at the bottom of the tank to stir up waste to allow collection by the filter.

If you would like some extra surface agitation you could purchase a simple air pump which connects to a air stone (the later being the bit that goes in the tank lol)


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[Caliban07]

I forgot to mention they are used also by reef keepers to simulate waves.


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[mkat]

Apparently I researched too much into setting up this tank in some areas. Thanks for the replies. So basically I can send back the circulation pump or just keep it for the future in case I get excited and buy a 125 gallon tank one day lol.

 

[Caliban07]

Apparently I researched too much into setting up this tank in some areas. Thanks for the replies. So basically I can send back the circulation pump or just keep it for the future in case I get excited and buy a 125 gallon tank one day lol.

Sound like a plan


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