Upgrading to a 55 gal or higher

[GhillieSniper115]

Hi! I know its been a while since I last posted and I need some advice with upgrading to a larger tank. I'm looking into getting a 55gal but I may go higher. I would like some recamendations for types of lighting, types of plants, what I should look for in a filter (I prefer HOB) and heater, what chemicals and solutions that I will need, plus the stand for the tank and all that good stuff. I'm also looking for the cheaper more effecient way of going about this however it has come to my understanding that its not allways the way to go and may not be avalable. I'm also going to note that I have a limited amount of money that I'm putting into this, but that shouldnt be a large issue. I also want to know if it matters what floor of my house this tank will be in because at the momnet its going on the second floor.

Thanks for your help, its greatly appreciated.

 

[fort384]

I wouldn't worry about a 55 on a 2nd floor, but when you start getting bigger, you will want to try to displace the tank across several floor beams perpendicular to the direction the beams are running.

As far as lighting, if you are on a budget, I would recommend t5ho. fish need it;lights; food;Sponge has some very economical fixtures that generally work well. If you want to spend a little more up front and save over the long run with energy costs and bulb replacement, consider LEDs. Taotronics fixtures on ebay have been used by a lot of folks on the sw side for coral, but there is also a FW model available. The cost is very reasonable compared to other ready made fixtures. You could also build an LED fixture with parts from rapidled.com if you have any DIY electrical skills.

As far as filters, I would really recommend going with a canister when you get to 55 or above. If you are set on HOBs, you may need to run more than one, depending on what size tank you land on. Aquaclears seem to be about the best from all the recommendations I have seen.

Are you planning on CO2 injection? How about fertilization?

 

[GhillieSniper115]

I wouldn't worry about a 55 on a 2nd floor, but when you start getting bigger, you will want to try to displace the tank across several floor beams perpendicular to the direction the beams are running.

As far as lighting, if you are on a budget, I would recommend t5ho. fish need it;lights; food;Sponge has some very economical fixtures that generally work well. If you want to spend a little more up front and save over the long run with energy costs and bulb replacement, consider LEDs. Taotronics fixtures on ebay have been used by a lot of folks on the sw side for coral, but there is also a FW model available. The cost is very reasonable compared to other ready made fixtures. You could also build an LED fixture with parts from rapidled.com if you have any DIY electrical skills.

As far as filters, I would really recommend going with a canister when you get to 55 or above. If you are set on HOBs, you may need to run more than one, depending on what size tank you land on. Aquaclears seem to be about the best from all the recommendations I have seen.

Are you planning on CO2 injection? How about fertilization?

Yes I'm set on HOB and don't mind running multiple filters. I'm not doing CO2 injection. I want to put plants in the tank that are relatively low maintainence and the tank will have fish in it; it's not only a planted tank.