so I am new to fish aquariums started with a 32 gal a couple of months ago with many mistakes to learn from , started with gravel , then switched to sand to fast and screwed up my cycle lesson learned only change substrate a 1/3 at a time luckily no fish lost , had whisper ex40 hob filter had lots water quality issues so switched to a whisper ex70 one side with purigen , one side with there carbon filter big big difference in water quality issues (still not sure if its because of the over sized filter or added purigen ) have 10 glowfish danio's and 4 cori's had 7 but 3 did not make it past the first 48 hours even with proper drip acclimation and proper api water ranges ,but think it was that they where week from the start (poor little guys) also have 7 nice size anubis plants in the tank that seem to be thriving even with out any added nutrients or co2 also added mts snails to stair up the sand ... so it seems so far this tank is good to go so now its time to set up the 55 gal tank the rite way this time 
so petco had a $1 per gallon sale on tanks could not resist getting a 55 gal tank for $55 lol so I been buying things for the tank as I find sales on them a little at a time to not blow out my budget
so I got
1.Marineland Perfecto Glass Canopy 48 in. x 13 in,
2. (2) Marineland Visi-Therm Deluxe Submersible Heater 100W
was told 2 smaller heaters are better then 1 big heater ? or should I have 2 bigger heaters ?note I do have a spared 150 watt heater as a back up for the 32 gal
3. whisper ex70 filter ( tanks are in my bedroom and these filters are the quietest of all I tested and seen in operation ) I also have the ex40 that I used on the 32 gal tank should I add that for extra filtration o will the ex70 be enough ? will set it up like the 32 gal tank 1 side with there charcoal filter and 1 side with purigen or is it over kill ?
4. I will be using sand as a substrate just trying to decide what color or type I love the black sand in the 32 gal but not sure if I want it in both tanks ...
so my question is can I start the fishless cycle with out a substrate and if I can when I do add the sand later will it mess up the cycling of the tank ?
it will be a low tech, mid to low light moderately planted tank what types of hardy plants should I consider for sand ? all of the plants I have in the 32 gal are tied to lava rock and drift wood so not sure how to do substrait planted tanks do you leave them in the pots or remove them ?
thanks in advance for any help or suggestions you all have so much info to learn and sift through can get overwhelming at times who knew you cant just put water in a tank and ad just fish and they will be fine so Iam great full for forums such as here with a wealth of good information to learn from ....
so petco had a $1 per gallon sale on tanks could not resist getting a 55 gal tank for $55 lol so I been buying things for the tank as I find sales on them a little at a time to not blow out my budget
so I got
1.Marineland Perfecto Glass Canopy 48 in. x 13 in,
2. (2) Marineland Visi-Therm Deluxe Submersible Heater 100W
was told 2 smaller heaters are better then 1 big heater ? or should I have 2 bigger heaters ?note I do have a spared 150 watt heater as a back up for the 32 gal
3. whisper ex70 filter ( tanks are in my bedroom and these filters are the quietest of all I tested and seen in operation ) I also have the ex40 that I used on the 32 gal tank should I add that for extra filtration o will the ex70 be enough ? will set it up like the 32 gal tank 1 side with there charcoal filter and 1 side with purigen or is it over kill ?
4. I will be using sand as a substrate just trying to decide what color or type I love the black sand in the 32 gal but not sure if I want it in both tanks ...
so my question is can I start the fishless cycle with out a substrate and if I can when I do add the sand later will it mess up the cycling of the tank ?
it will be a low tech, mid to low light moderately planted tank what types of hardy plants should I consider for sand ? all of the plants I have in the 32 gal are tied to lava rock and drift wood so not sure how to do substrait planted tanks do you leave them in the pots or remove them ?
thanks in advance for any help or suggestions you all have so much info to learn and sift through can get overwhelming at times who knew you cant just put water in a tank and ad just fish and they will be fine so Iam great full for forums such as here with a wealth of good information to learn from ....
