55 gallon - what basic equipment?
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black hills tj
Aquarium Advice Addict
The XP3 will be more than sufficient for a 55g tank 
That's great, thank you.black hills tj said:The XP3 will be more than sufficient for a 55g tank
Any suggestions for media to start with?
I would like to plant lightly, then aim for this configuration:
Dwarf neon rainbow : 8
Congo tetra: 8
Flagtail cory: 6
Ancistrus: 2
Should I begin cycling with a pair of ancistrus? Or one or two corys?
For my filters, I use 1 each of the foam pads in the bottom basket seperated by one of the inserts. The middle basket I fill completely with bio-rings/stars/nanoballs. The top basket I have the bottom of it empty for inserting chemical filtration when needed then an insert with the polishing pad on top of that.
I actually don't have any xp3 filters just xp2s and xp4s. The xp2 has a set of pre-filters that prevent the canister from becoming dirty so its full from top to bottom with bio material. The xp4s have bio material in the middle 2 baskets with the top and bottom baskets the same as above.
If you want to go planted, I'd go ahead and get a fixture (130w or 260w) and plant the tank before adding fish. This will actually slow down the cycle, but if you add fish slowly the plants will prevent ammonia build up. If your going to go 260w, your going to need pressurized co2 injection.
I actually don't have any xp3 filters just xp2s and xp4s. The xp2 has a set of pre-filters that prevent the canister from becoming dirty so its full from top to bottom with bio material. The xp4s have bio material in the middle 2 baskets with the top and bottom baskets the same as above.
If you want to go planted, I'd go ahead and get a fixture (130w or 260w) and plant the tank before adding fish. This will actually slow down the cycle, but if you add fish slowly the plants will prevent ammonia build up. If your going to go 260w, your going to need pressurized co2 injection.
Many thanks.
I have a 40 watt "grow-light" strip, plus, on order, a 4x55W compact fluorescent fixture.
Can I use 110W of compact fluorescent lighting, plus the 40W strip (total 150W) and hope the pair of Ancistrus will deal with algea buildup (not injecting any CO2)?
I have not seen information on cycling a planted tank. Any suggestions on where to find that?
I have a 40 watt "grow-light" strip, plus, on order, a 4x55W compact fluorescent fixture.
Can I use 110W of compact fluorescent lighting, plus the 40W strip (total 150W) and hope the pair of Ancistrus will deal with algea buildup (not injecting any CO2)?
I have not seen information on cycling a planted tank. Any suggestions on where to find that?
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
For questions regarding plants you may want to post in the Planted Forum so it can receive the attention it needs.
An t-iasg
Aquarium Advice Addict
I would do a fishless cycle with ammonia. One or two small fish will not create enough bioload to cycle the tank quickly. Search on this site or the internet for fishless cycling.
If you're going to go moderate to heavily planted, the plants take care of the fish waste. The cycle is still happening, but you probably won't see the rise and fall of ammonia and nitrites on your test kits like you would in a fishless cycle with ammonia. It's still a good idea to do some testing even with the plants in there.
If you do start out with plants, don't add ammonia. Medium-high light plus ammonia equals lots of algae!
If you're going to go moderate to heavily planted, the plants take care of the fish waste. The cycle is still happening, but you probably won't see the rise and fall of ammonia and nitrites on your test kits like you would in a fishless cycle with ammonia. It's still a good idea to do some testing even with the plants in there.
If you do start out with plants, don't add ammonia. Medium-high light plus ammonia equals lots of algae!
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