suggestions on my "to buy" list

[bungle]

i'm finally ready to do some shoppin'! i'm starting from scratch as far as equipment goes, here is an initial list i have put together. please take a look and feel free to add/take items from the list and make reccomendations based on personal experience with said items. thank you in advance for your help

-tank/55-65 gal. (i am going with acrylic, my butterfingers don't want to mess with glass )

-stand

-lights - not sure what kind, i plan on putting live plants in there...

-filter(s)
Eheim Filter 2217 ?
Fluval 404 With Filter Media ?
Marineland Magnum 350 Pro System ?

-heater(s)
Ebo-Jager Heater -250 Watt ?
Via Aqua Titanium Heater 300 Watt ?

-misc equip. (thermometer, substrate, test kit, etc.)

 

[flipz]

Ok, I can't help you with the stuff at the top because I've never setup a tank that large, and I'm somewhat of a "newbie," but I'll tell you what I do know. And then I'm sure others will come in and help out.

Ebo-Jager seems to be pretty much everyones favorite heater. You want to have approx 5 wpg for your heater though, so you will most likely definetly went to go for a 300. Some will recommend getting two 150's as opposed to a single 300... just as a backup for your heating system.

For the thermometer, for sure get one. One that floats in the tank as opposed to the kind that stick in the side. Granted that's what I use but the pros will say to use one that floats. Also most won't leave them in their water 24/7... just incase.

For your test kit, get a master liquid test kit. They run $20-$30 and will include tests for nitrate, nitrite, ammonia, ph, and hardness. Don't get the dip strips as they aren't very accurate.

HTH

-brent

 

[Menagerie]

That will be a nice tank size!
I don't do live plants.
I recommend a canister filter for that size tank. Fluvals are good (my fiance no longer likes them, but I don't understand why). I like and use Ebos. I have not done the two heater thing; although, that is the safer way to go.
Thermometers are cheap. I thought I read that the ones that float are not recommended. The ones that stick to the sides of the tank are not trustworthy. I like the ones that hang on the edge of the aquarium. Personally, I have two of those and they stay under the big tank until needed.
Liquid test kit is definitely the way to go. Some Master Kit's do not have nitrite Just be on the look out!
Also, you will want to get a QT tank~there is an article in the Articles section.
As for substrate, it's up to you. What types of fish have you decided on?

 

[flipz]

Sorry, I didn't necesarilly mean the kind that float. I just meant the kind that actually go in the water as opposed to the kind that stick to the side.

-brent

 

[bungle]

thanks for the input so far! i knew i could count on you, menagerie i'm definately going with a canister filter. i always thought the "stick-on-the-outside" thermometer strips were a little hokey, so i'll check out one like you suggested. brent, thanks for the heater guidelines . i was not sure about that and figured just get a big one that could always be turned down, if needed. as long as i'm putting plants in there, i figured for substrate i'd do a mix of gravel and something the plants would like. i've decided on a community tank, and as far as fish go, i was thinking (i'm open to suggestions) some cory's, definately some dwarf cichlids, and a school of something (not sure what yet).

 

[Menagerie]

You've got my vote on the cories and dward cichlids--I love rams and Apistos. I have 4 Apistos in my community tank (and two rams). As they mature, their colors are coming out more and more. When I first bought them, they were quite drab. Also, consider a small pleco--clown, pittbull, rubber lip, bristle nose. I have a RL and BN in the 50 gal. They are slow growers and fun to have in there!
I asked about substate (forgot the plant thing) to see if gravel or sand might be a better fit. Gravel will be great for a community tank. In a planted tank, I would find a smaller fish in large numbers to school. I like the silver tip tetras. When I bought mine, I read they only reach 2 inches, then I saw some up here at 3+ inches. They are way cuter smaller. Mine are small--I know it makes a difference where the fish come from, who breeds.... Anyway, they are more active than the wide-bodied tetras and less of a fin-nipper. Plus, they have a great light orange/brown color with silver tips. As the males mature, the orange comes out more. Pretty fish.

 

[purplestarfish]

Oh! Live plants!! SUPER labor intensive - at least the set-up is. You need to have recommended 3 Watts Per Gallon - minimum - for plants. So if you're planning a 55 gallon tank, you'll need at least (over) 150 WPG. You'll need supplements for the plants as well, and it's strongly recommended that you get gravel designed for plants that has clay in it - check out "Flourite." Also, you'll need to look into CO2 injectors, because - well, I'm sure you know photosynthesis and why they need it! Plants are great, though, so don't get discouraged! (I'm still working on my ideal planted tank, after, like, a year, and I still have so little equipment, but once you get plants there's no turning back to the synthetic world . . . ) I would recommend that you check out some on-line catalogs or order catalogs. I have used Drs Foster & Smith (drsfostersmith.com, I think) - only problem is super-slow delivery (but I didn't specify for a quicker delivery, plus with gravel - that's where I got mine - the shipping load was heavier). Well, good luck!!

 

[flipz]

you'll need at least (over) 150 WPG

I'm sure this was just a typo, but I don't want bungle to get confused, so I just wanted to point out that purplestarfish meant to say 150 watts total, based on the 3 wpg.

-brent

 

[Cichlidguy]

I recently planted a 55 for my dwarf cichlids and heres what I reccomend:
Unless you want to heavily plant your tank and spend $200 on co2 stuff, I advise you stick with low-medium light plants.
The 2x65 CF strip light $120
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=29553;category_id=1875;pcid1=1843;pcid2=

3 bags of flourite and about 30 lbs of smaller sized filler gravel - around $50
http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=28673;category_id=3145

Fluval 404 - $100
http://www.bigalsonline.com/search/...n=sitebuilder/catalog3-1&keywords1=fluval+404

300w Heater (Ebo, Visitherm, Thermal compact) - $20

PMDD Fertilizer - $10
http://www.gregwatson.com/products.asp

 

[Menagerie]

The other thing to do is find your local Aquarium Society and get involved. I recently started and they have a raffle every meeting. Those with extra plants donate them to the club to raise money. The plants go for cheap and the club makes a few bucks. Also a good way to network and get fish!

 

[smilla4]

You can also try eco-complete as a substrate. It costs the same as flourite, but I believe contains more nutrients. People say you won't have to rinse eco-complete, flourite is a pain when it comes to rinsing.

The whole plant setup can be costly, BTW.

I guess the plants you decide upon will depend on co2, light, the temp of your tank, water hardness, and degree of difficulty.

You might want to ask the plant questions over at the plant forum, and/or check out rex grigg's faq (http://www.rexgrigg.com/aa.htm). I also recommend the "Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants" by Peter Hiscock, I think it explains things pretty well in terms of plant needs, and it also gives you some examples of plant setups.

You're also going to need to work through whatever opening is available in the top to reach the bottom of the tank to plant/prune the plants and what not regularly. Something to keep in mind...

You're also going to be dealing with snails, algae and other possible hitchhikers on your plants, so you may want to treat them first before adding them to the tank.

 

[bungle]

thanks everyone for your responses all good stuff. i was wondering how set of a rule is the whole 5 watts/gal as far a heaters go. i ended up getting 55 gal. tank today, and am buying some other stuff online. so far, i have only seen ebo-jager heaters (i decided on them thanks to what i've read here, and other sources as well) up to 250 watts. would a heater that size suffice? or should i really consider two 150's?

 

[Menagerie]

On the back of Ebo Jager heaters is a chart. It starts with 5 watt per gal in the small tanks and as the tank size gets bigger, the wattage goes down a bit (I can't locate my ebo box). I believe this has to do with larger tanks loosing less heat to the surrounding air, compared to smaller tanks.

 

[bungle]

so i should be cool with the 250?

 

[Menagerie]

That will be fine (shh-don't tell anyone, but I only have a 200 watt in the 80 gal )

 

[bungle]

i swear, this has to be the toughest part of setting my tank up so far i bought half of my stuff (filter, lights, and misc. goodies) online, and the rest of what i needed from the lfs. so, i've got the stand, tank, heater, and bags of ecocomplete sitting around waiting for the rest to get here. i wanna start setting up, dernnit!

anywho, thanks everybody for your input and helping me get everything together.

 

[bungle]

oh yeah, even though my tank is brand new / straight from the manufacturer, should i give it a good rinse and maybe a sunbath before i start filling it?

 

[millipede]

Yeah, a good rinse is definitely in order... What do you have left that you are waiting for? Setup is a lot of fun... Have any ideas/thoughts on decorating: caves, driftwood, etc... ?

 

[bungle]

i am still on the hunt for a cool piece of driftwood... also, i saw the DIY caves someone made, and was thinking about trying to make one. i suppose now is the time to do it, rather than sit here, twidling my thumbs waiting for my delivery (filter, lights, test kit, thermometer).

 

[millipede]

Have you seen the coconut shell caves?