New 55 gal aquarium

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We have a 55 that we did with cichlids. We really liked it till it got to small as our fish grew. We ended up using black sand for the benefits mentioned as well as the black really helps the fish color up. I know this b/c we started new 125 with white and the fish lost all their color when we transfered. We put a thin layer of black sand on it and they colored right back up. As far as your stand, I know you said that your brother is making one for you, but my boyfriend and I built one recently with just cinderblocks and plywood. Turned out pretty good. We are gonna put a black cloth around it and it was WAY CHEAP! Also just an FYI - the more plants you get in it, the faster it will cycle and the easier it will be to keep your levels where they should be. We put anubias and water sprite, both did really well and with the sand we didn't have to worry so much about them being dug up. Good luck! And Fair warning.. you may easily develop MTS ;) I know we did.
 
One pearl gourami will do just fine. Most of the gouramis you see in stores are males anyway, and the males will often fight if kept together. Part of why the ones you saw in the fish store were looking so bad, probably. And yes, cories are fun to watch, especially when you have them in proper groups of 4 or more. What kind of cories were you thinking about? I loooove the panda cories, myself. So cute.

Don't bother taking any of his water - the bacteria really don't live in the water at all. Get some of his filter media from him instead! When you get the tank set up and ready to cycle ask him for some of the media he uses in his filtration system and just stick that into your filters along with the media you buy for them. That will do a much better job of seeding your filters and starting your cycle. Man, I wish I had a 300+ gallon in wall tank.

+1 get media not water! good luck!
 
I feel so silly I keep asking you questions but the filters I am getting are from a tank that is currently running with those filters. Would I even need to get filter media to cycle the tank if the filters are actually from an established tank if I put them in right after they're taken out of the old tank?

In that case, as long as you keep the media wet until you get the filters onto your tank and running you should be fine! Although you could always ask for a little more media just to be sure. And don't forget to feed the bacteria with ammonia soon after you put them on, and to have dechlorinated the water before you turn the filters on! Chlorine will kill all of your bacteria. I highly recommend prime for your water conditioner, as will most others on this forum. It detoxifies ammonia and nitrites in the water for 24 hours so it won't hurt fish but can still be used by your bacteria, it detoxifies heavy metals and chlorine as well as chloramine (not all conditioners work with chloramine, which is used in some areas instead of chlorine) and best of all, it is highly concentrated. You use 2 drops a gallon instead of the tablespoon per 10 gallons you have to use for most water conditioners. It saves you a lot of money in the long run, especially with a larger tank. And you can get a 500ml bottle on Drs. Foster and Smith for less than $12. It is generally a bit more expensive than that in stores, but I just buy the big bottle online every few months or so. Even with all my tanks a 500ml bottle lasts forever! And my LFS sells the tiny bottle for like $7 so it's just more economical for me to buy online. And don't feel silly, you'll never know the answers if you don't ask the questions.
 
I will check the black ruby barbs out. I like the rafaels too. I don't know there's so many cool fish I don't know what I will decide. But thanks for the advice because that narrows it down easier for me.
 
We have a 55 that we did with cichlids. We really liked it till it got to small as our fish grew. We ended up using black sand for the benefits mentioned as well as the black really helps the fish color up. I know this b/c we started new 125 with white and the fish lost all their color when we transfered. We put a thin layer of black sand on it and they colored right back up. As far as your stand, I know you said that your brother is making one for you, but my boyfriend and I built one recently with just cinderblocks and plywood. Turned out pretty good. We are gonna put a black cloth around it and it was WAY CHEAP! Also just an FYI - the more plants you get in it, the faster it will cycle and the easier it will be to keep your levels where they should be. We put anubias and water sprite, both did really well and with the sand we didn't have to worry so much about them being dug up. Good luck! And Fair warning.. you may easily develop MTS ;) I know we did.

What is MTS?I will check those plants out. Thanks for the advice!
 
In that case, as long as you keep the media wet until you get the filters onto your tank and running you should be fine! Although you could always ask for a little more media just to be sure. And don't forget to feed the bacteria with ammonia soon after you put them on, and to have dechlorinated the water before you turn the filters on! Chlorine will kill all of your bacteria. I highly recommend prime for your water conditioner, as will most others on this forum. It detoxifies ammonia and nitrites in the water for 24 hours so it won't hurt fish but can still be used by your bacteria, it detoxifies heavy metals and chlorine as well as chloramine (not all conditioners work with chloramine, which is used in some areas instead of chlorine) and best of all, it is highly concentrated. You use 2 drops a gallon instead of the tablespoon per 10 gallons you have to use for most water conditioners. It saves you a lot of money in the long run, especially with a larger tank. And you can get a 500ml bottle on Drs. Foster and Smith for less than $12. It is generally a bit more expensive than that in stores, but I just buy the big bottle online every few months or so. Even with all my tanks a 500ml bottle lasts forever! And my LFS sells the tiny bottle for like $7 so it's just more economical for me to buy online. And don't feel silly, you'll never know the answers if you don't ask the questions.

Haha thanks a bunch. I almost want to print that paragraph out for when I get this started! Thanks so much
 
What is MTS?I will check those plants out. Thanks for the advice!

Multiple Tank Syndrome. It's what many, many people come down with after setting up their first tank. The uncontrollable urge to set up another, and then another, and then another tank, lol.

In other context MTS can also stand for Malaysian trapdoor snail.
 
And no problem, I'm flattered!


Oops, sorry for the double post. Meant to edit, not quote!
 
About two years ago I had one 20 gallon tank and an empty 5 gallon. Then I just had to set the 5 back up. Then I upgraded the 20 to a 30 and redesigned the 20. And then I replaced the 20 with a 56. And added a 10 gallon. And soon I will have at least two more 10s and the 20 will be set back up.

See why I buy concentrated water conditioner in large bottles, lol?
 
Haha yes I do see. I think it would be cool to have a bunch of tanks. Probably costs a bit though haha
 
Haha yes I do see. I think it would be cool to have a bunch of tanks. Probably costs a bit though haha

There are definitely ways to cut down the costs. Secondhand tanks, keeping an eye on sales, buying stuff in bulk when you can. And if you can talk your brother into building more stands, that will save you a lot. Tank stands can be ridiculously expensive. My stand for the 20 gallon cost almost as much as the tank itself! Thankfully, my biggest tank was also my cheapest. It was a lucky find on Craigslist, and it came with a stand already. For my next project I am thinking about going the cinder block and 2 by 4 route. I need a long shelf to hold a few 10 gallons. Nothing super pretty needed, it's for a breeding setup.
 
MTS is definately contagious i started in june last year with a 2g betta tank when i found my betta on sale for $2 after 24hrs i decided that wasnt big enough n returned it for a 5.5g after mayb 2mths i upgraded him to a 10g then 3mths later upgraded to a 20g tall then i added a 55g african cichlid tank in dec . Now i have a 125g african cichlid tank, 55g angel , oto, and cory tank, 20g gonna be blue crawfish tank but currently houses my cichlid fry and im cycling the 10g for my crawfish now . Which i just talked my husband into keeping the 10g running once we place the crawfish pair in the tabk planned for them .. might use it as a snail grow out or a puffer tank :) good luck
 
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