Newbie needs advice

[Gordinho80]

Hi all, was browsing through this forum and noticed that everyone here seems to be very knowledgable regarding this whole aquarium thing...

I am an owner of a 10 gal Freshwater tank...it's inhabitants are currently 2 catfish(3"), not sure actual breed, and 2 orange fish with black accents(2"), not sure name of these either as they were donated along with the tank, and 1 orange snail(1")...

my situation is this...the 10 gal setup was given to me by my brother, came complete with stand and everything...i have been enjoying this for quite some time now...last week, my buddy's mother was cleaning out their garage and asked me if i wanted a 50 gal tank with hood and filter...

i jumped on it...i wanted to set this up Saltwater because i LOVE the way they look, so clear, so bright... but I know that I can not afford it financially as well as keep up with it they way i should...too much work for me at the time...so i am going to make it freshwater, i will be moving my little 10 gal to another room in the house and will have the 50 gal inbetween 2 large windows that get decent amount of natural light daily. I want this set up to be bright and clear, mimic a saltwater setup as much as possible.

aside from the tank, filter, and hood, what else will i need to set this tank up? what fish do you recommend as far as friendly, active, BRIGHT, and decent size for a 50 gal? should i do plants? etc?

thanks much for any help in advance...
Mario

 

[Billsgate]

Hi,

I would advice against putting your 50 gal in between two windows to reviece natural light. This will promote algae growth and it may turn out ugly.

There are allot of things you can do with your 50 gal, you could go for some African cichlid species, which would mean you'd have to put lots of rocks into your tank (like in SW).

Other then that i do not know how to mimick a SW aquarium in FW. Hope someone else can help you with it.

Good luck!

 

[BrianNY]

Well there are some things you can do to set up that tank where you want. The first tip is being that you're setting up the tank along an external wall, neatly tape some insulating foam sheeting around the back, bottom, and both sides (this will cut down on the natural sunlight and make your heater more efficient). Of course, tape your backgrounds on first.

An African Cichlid tank is as close as you can come to a SW tank.

 

[FishLover14]

Go with an African Cichlid tank, get white sand and lots of rock if you need any do you know a lot about african cichlids and thier needs?

Dan

 

[Menagerie]

[center:34fa34d24a] Welcome to AA, Gordinho8!! [/center:34fa34d24a]

Please post pics of the fish you already have and we can help identify them. Those catfish may be better suited for the larger tank.

If you want to see the look of an African cichlid tank, check out my gallery. There are different African you can own. If you want tons of color, I suggest peacocks. Some can be seen in this thread:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=37238
Also check out any of Verse914's threads in the Show Off Forum.

 

[pkremer]

Without pics, I would guess those orange fish may be platies...

http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=1067

I have not had good success with having my aquariums getting 'natural' light. My 10 gallon gets a little natural light and the algae grows so fast that even a chinese algae eater couldn't take care of it all. It looked like carpet all over my decorations. I would avoid a lot of natural light.

Aside from the tank, filter, and hood....

1) A stand capable of supporting the weight. Expect a 50 gallon tank to weigh over 500 pounds.

2) Heaters. I might go with 2 heaters in a 50 gallon, although you could get by with one. Go with a 250 or 300 watt heater if you get one. Maybe 2 150 watts if you get 2.

3) Whatever gravel and decorations you want!

What kind of filter do you have, by the way?


As far as fish suggestions for a 50, you have lots of great options! I know a lot of people have been suggesting cichlids, but that will make your tank fairly aggressive and you mentioned you wanted friendly fish. I personally love cichlid tanks, but if you wanted less aggressive fish that are still brightly colored, you could consider:

1) Rainbow fish
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=886&TopCatId=886
2) Discus (probably not for a beginner though)
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=834&TopCatId=834
3) Gouramis
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=882&TopCatId=882
4) Tetras
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/scateg.cfm?siteid=21&pCatId=890&TopCatId=890

Of course, not all those fish will work together, but those are some ideas!

Paul

 

[lyquidphyre]

could his mysterious fish be golden barbs??

ciclids are gorgeous, but if you want a peaceful tank and want the species to be different than you might look into some other options

Cherry barbs are pretty colorful as well a lot of the tetras you can get. Dwarf Gouramis are pretty as well.

You're best bet is to stop by various fish stores and write down what fish you really like and then see who is compatible with who etc

 

[Gordinho80]

Thanks for all the great information. I have checked out some of the info regarding African Cichlids and I dont think i'm gonna go with them...I dont really want to see my fish try to kill each other, if i wanted violence in my tank, i would get piranha...

I really liked the pictures of the Discus in the link pkremer posted. Please forgive my ignorance here but, can I do white sand with these fish?

As far as my current fish, I will be moving the cats over to the larger tank, they go crazy in the little one so i figured they could use some more room. I think lyquidphyre guessed correctly on my orange fish, I can recal my brother saying that when he gave me the fish.

Placement, inbetween the 2 windows is my only real option, I could always keep those blinds closed, they are a wicker material so no much light comes through but I will get the insulating sheets(where can they be found, Home Depot?)

Filter is an Aqua Clear, not sure model but it measures about 12" wide.

What kind of lighting is best and how often should I have the light on?

How about plants, how difficult are live plants?

I will try get some pics of my current set up tomorrow and post...

thanks again for all the great info, sorry if i am bombarding you all with my lack of knowledge...

Mario


PS:
Menagerie, I love the pics in your gallery with the Martin Brodeur figure...nice to see a fellow Dev fan here! Do you have any of the McFarlane figures?

 

[BrianNY]

Well Mario, it looks like you're interested in the same style of aquariums and fish as I am. You can have a great planted tank if you stay with plants that don't require a lot of lighting. Anubias, Java fern and crypts are the principal plants in my low light tank.

Discus are a beautiful fish and I don't want to discourage you from keeping them, however they really aren't for the pure novice. They have very special needs and fall victim to stress quite easily. Plus they are expensive so I'm sure you'd want to begin with fish that put less of a strain on your wallet.

Why not try a planted angelfish tank. They're fairly peaceful, mix well with many other species, and are a great fish to watch. I'd get 5 or 6 young ones for that 50 gallon and try your best at growing them to adulthood. I think you'll find it to be quite rewarding.

 

[rubysoho]

Can you describe your catfish some more? What markings do they have, color, and anything you might believe is important to identification. This way, we can figure out how big those two will get, and that will make choocing other fish for your new tank a lot easier. (ex: small fish are cool, but if these catfish will eat anything that can fit in their mouth)

 

[MarkLehr]

Great advice from Brian, a planted Angelfish tank would be a great experience and a beautiful display.

Let me offer a 2nd alternative. My favorite FW fish are Tiger Barbs, which are beautiful after they are acclimated. Don't believe most of what you read, because this is not an aggressive fish at all, they just need LARGE groups. I would recommend 15 - 20 Tiger Barbs, a pair of Kribensis, a Jurapari, and a Green Severum. I think aquariums are more interesting with a mix of small & larger fish, and are more attactive when you limit your fish selections to only 4 or 5 species. Check out these fish when you visit your LFS and see what you think.

Good luck!

 

[Gordinho80]

my 2 catfish look just like that...

the 2 tiger barbs i have are nice, but they seem very intimidated by the catfish...i might end up going with the African Cichlids as i just realized how much i like the activeness that the catfish display...

sorry to bounce back and forth here...my ultimate tank must consist of white sand/gravel, plants(fake or real), and bright, semi-active fish

i liked some of the pictures i saw of angels and of the cichlids, what specific ones should i look at as far as being friendly to the other inhabitants?

thanks...
Mario

 

[rubysoho]

okay, that looks similar to the Pictus Catfish, which sounds about right because they are pretty common in LFS/Petsmart/Walmart etc... They can get to around 10 inches so I'd be safe and say have no other fish under three inches long once the pictus is approximatly 7-10 inches (or plan for disappearing fish!). They like lots of hiding areas so plants, driftwood, those fake hideouts found in LFS, or coconut shells (someone on here customizes them for tanks) would help them stay happy. Also, if you are planning on going with the white substrate, I'd recommend having a lowlight-medium light tank just because the fish, especially the pictus cat, will feel safer.

Here is some more quick information on the pictus cats:
http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod_Display.cfm?pCatId=933

Good luck with your tank!!!

 

[Menagerie]

nice to see a fellow Dev fan here! Do you have any of the McFarlane figures?

Thank goodness there's another Dev's fan!! Now, if the lock-out would just end, the world would be a better place Marty is the only figure I have--with all the moving I have been doing, my collection is limited.

The idea of a planted discuss or angel tank sounds wonderful. I have seen BrianNY's tanks and they are gorgeous. If you can get the plants established, natural light should not be a problem. My 50 gal gets a bit of natural light (much less now that's it's winter) and there are no algae problems. Of course, I have 3 small varieties of plecos in there that help out

 

[Gordinho80]

OK...here is how i stand as of now....

I went with my brother to the LFS and looked at quite a few fish...I am digging the Angels mostly...i spoke to the gentleman there and get his insight on this...

start off with 10 young angels, my 2 current cats, add 2 more cats, and 2-4 plecos.

does this sound like it would work out?

I will be cleaning out the tank this week and getting it up and running. i picked up an undergravel filter, a heater, and the components needed for my AquaClear 500, which now goes by AquaClear 110...

I want to do a very light color gravel, white or off-white, how much would i need for a 50 gal tank? I was told somewhere along the lines of 80 lbs...

also, i am going to be doing fake plants for the time being, what type of other decorations should i consider to keep the fish content, i know hiding spots for the cats, what do angels and plecos like?

thanks again to all for your wonderful help...i will be taking MANY pictures once this is all set up and going...

Mario

 

[BrianNY]

Well Mario your lfs gave you some bad advice. 10 angels in a 50 gallon is way too many. Remember, those young fish will grow. To give you an idea, I have 3 large black veils in my 55g. However they're companion fish are lots of rasboras and small tetras. It makes for a great look IMO.

Start with 5 (no more than 6), and you should be fine. Make sure you buy angels that are large enough not to become a meal for those pictus cats.

 

[lyquidphyre]

NEVER trust the people at the LFS. Half the time they don't know what they are talking about... the other half they are trying to sell you as many fish as possible

You should go in and tell him he is an idiot for suggesting that many angels

Anyways, Brian has a good idea.

You could get a dwarf gourami as well as some tetras =o)

 

[Menagerie]

start off with 10 young angels, my 2 current cats, add 2 more cats, and 2-4 plecos.

8O 8O 8O 8O 8O 8O
I would stick with Brian's advice of 6 angels max~don't forget, they can get nasty with each other.
I would not add two more cats, unless you were absolutely positive that they will not grow over 4-5" Some of those "cats" can get quite large. I was going to say something about 4 plecos being in a 50 gal, but then someone would have to kick me. Make sure you go with small varieties of plecos. Bristle nose, rubber lip, clown, bulldog. I have 2 rls, a bn and a clown in my 50. The smaller rl is going back to his old home--once I can catch him again

 

[Gordinho80]

ok...thinking this would be a nice setup...

4 Angels, 4 Neon Tetra Jumbos, 2 Pictus Cats, 2 Plecos

also ponderring a snail or 2...

should make an interesting little bunch, no?

thanks again...Mario

PS...dont worry, soon this will all be over and this thread will disappear into the "Archived Thread Section"

 

[wynn]

Welcome to the hobby Mario! You're getting some great stocking advice from everybody, so I won't offer any more suggestions for that. The one thing that I wanted to mention is that the Aquaclear 500 is still called Aquaclear 500. Make sure that the parts you are getting for your filter is correct.