Rav's 55 gallon tank

[rav]

we currently have a 10 gallon gold fish tank - this is our first try at a larger tank setup.

here is what we have so far.
filled with water on 1-11-2012

55 gallon freshwater tank
Marineland stand
Marineland Emperor 400 filter
Aqueon Pro 250 watt heater
2 bubbles and Aqua Culture air pump
decorations - "jumbo tree root" and "two broken jars w/ air stone"
glass tops
48" single bulb fluorescent strip light
gravel substrate
Aqueon water changer

thought I would share/document as we went along. and advise/thoughts are greatly appreciated.
pictures are: location in family room and tank being set up.

 

[rav]

with water- the filter is making a mechanical sound so I called Marineland and they are sending me a new impeller. other than that everything is working fine. lots of bubbles on the glass but they are going away.

 

[Cichlid-dude]

Its looking good, great start. What are your thoughts on livestock?

 

[rav]

not sure about fish yet - going to look for plants this weekend.

 

[LyndaB]

You're not going to transfer the goldfish over? They actually need much larger accommodations than 10 gallons.

Nice 55!

 

[rav]

You're not going to transfer the goldfish over? They actually need much larger accommodations than 10 gallons.

Nice 55!

Thanks--
we will move some of them over when the water checks out, then in the spring we can transfer them to the garden pond.

 

[rav]

Aqueon water changer extension

made an extension for the water changer. used 3/4" PVC pipe (cut to length to fit our tank), male and female 3/4" ends. added a hose washer at the on/off valve so the original washer that comes with it sets in properly. tested it today and it worked great - as good as it did without the extension.

 

[rav]

Plants

stopped at Petco and got a few plants- I think we ended up with 10.
we just put them in and will do something with them tonight or tommorrow.

 

[rav]

got the plants placed!

 

[rav]

Picked up the API Freshwater Master Test Kit today.
pH- 8.2
Ammonia-0 ppm
Nitrate NO2-0 ppm
Nitrate NO3- 0 ppm

now to read up on what it all means!!

 

[tiger terror]

Picked up the API Freshwater Master Test Kit today.
pH- 8.2
Ammonia-0 ppm
Nitrate NO2-0 ppm
Nitrate NO3- 0 ppm

now to read up on what it all means!!

So how long has the tank been running?also were you able to get some seeded filter media to help with cycling?

 

[rav]

I tested it after 3 days. filled with well water
can you explain the seeded filter media further?

 

[tiger terror]

I tested it after 3 days. filled with well water
can you explain the seeded filter media further?

Seeded filter media: being part of a filter sleeve or a whole filter from a healthy established aquarium..by adding this to your filter you'd speed up the cycling process..simply by adding the live plants helps a lot..your main objective is to establish a bio-filter to handle the bio-load of the aquarium before assumes live inhabitants..once complete add the occupants in small numbers as to not overload the newly established hip-filter..

 

[tiger terror]

Does your marineland filter come w/bio-wheels?

 

[rav]

yes it has 2 bio-wheels

 

[tiger terror]

Bio-wheels are good for holding some beneficial bacteria,I reccomend adding another filter for bio-filtration alone..I use a magnum 350 canister filter for mech. filtration & a aquaclear 50 completely gutted packed w/bio-balls in a netted bag for bio-filtration..

 

[rav]

appreciate the info - right now I'll stay with the bio-wheel and see how that works.

 

[jlk]

Picked up the API Freshwater Master Test Kit today.
pH- 8.2
Ammonia-0 ppm
Nitrate NO2-0 ppm
Nitrate NO3- 0 ppm



now to read up on what it all means!!

You will have to decide on how to cycle this tank (fishless or fish-in). There is no source of ammonia right now, so getting zeroes on all of these numbers is normal & expected. It also means there is nothing detectable in tap water which is good! Looks good so far! The plants made a nice addition! Please dont hesitate to ask any questions!

 

[rav]

thanks - we are enjoying the tank with just the plants. can't wait for the fish.
I posted this in another thread, maybe you could give me some thoughts:

"so as I sit here in 11 degree weather planning some summer trips I got to thinking about my future fish and their care.
we are gone typically from 3 to 10 days

what would be a good choice for feeding: with the gold fish we are putting in the 3 day or 14 day feeders.

usually when we have go away, we turn the t-stat to 88 degrees. we can set it lower if need be but hate to waste the $$ if not home. not sure what that will do for the water temp. but really don't want to find out the hard way by killing the fish.

the neighbor (this is when having a nosy neighbor comes in handy) keeps a good watch on the house and will call should the power go out."

 

[jlk]

Dont worry about the feeders/vacation yet! Honestly, fish can go a week (or longer) with no food. But, your nosy neighbor may be able to come over every other day to give them a small meal. What type of goldfish are you thinking of stocking? I would not recommend doing a fish-in cycle with fancies (these are the only type of goldies appropriate for this size tank)- they will not handle it very well & will suffer long-term as the result. A fishless cycle would be your best option here if you plan on keeping them! Hope this helps!