Birthday present!!

[Rach101]

It's been awhile. So last year I came down stairs to a monster tank, unfortunitly we had to get rid of it. This year, I came down..to not as much of a monster tank.. But I get to keep it!! I'm not quite sure how big it is, but it's a little more then a foot wide, and god knows how many peices of notebook paper in length.

We have guessed that it is atleast fifty five.
It has blue backing.
I want to try another planted tank as my betta planted has been a great success. Also, I need information on good filters/heaters etc. as it is missing those components.
What really urks me is that the previous owner decided to seal the hood onto the tank therefore making aquascaping difficult.


I would like to have large catfish(( 5+Inches )) , and cichlids. Would this work out? And if so do you have any suggestions of what sorts.
If possible I would -LOVE- to have a banjo catfish

[Zagz]

Congratulations! You could always cut the seal on the hood and remove it from the tank and clean the sealant off if you wanted. Catfish are an exciting species IMO. I have 3 cuckoo catfish and I love them, pictus catfish are also a fav of mine. As far as cichlids I prefer the Malawi cichlids and there are so many choices there! The colors are amazing too. First I'd recommend you decide if you want more or less agression. Then choose your cichlids.

[nitrous]

well you can find out gallons by dimensions and if it is a 55 i would recomend the filstar xp2 canister filter, i love it becuase it was easy to put together and it very silent but if you have chiclids they are very dirty so i would go for the xp3 even though it would be oversize for a 55 gallon tank but itll help keeping the tank clear

for a planted tank it has been done by travis with chiclids but to have plants you need to have the correect amount of light and maybe even co2 if you a lot of light.

for the compatibility i am not sure but i am sure that other people here know more about the compatibility than i do but good luck

[Rach101]

And the verdict is, Fifty gallons

[Blazeherd2306]

What is the length, width, and height?

Also what type of lighting is did it come with, if it came with any?

What type of cichlids do you like? South American, African, etc.?

A banjo catfish is a great fish, just make sure you provide it with cover.

[Rach101]

Alright, it is a fifty gallon tank. I have figured out that I am going to get some sort of large catfish such as a pleco and a banjo catfish etc. And the mid-upper swimmers I want to be the smaller tropical community sort, instead of the larger cichlids. Suggestions?
*Edit* we are also going for a south american theme.

Now I need help with the other stuff.

I was hoping to be planted, so what kind of lighting should I get.

There is also a filter at wal-mart, it's a whisper for 34 dollars I think.
It says it filters 40-60 gallons. Good Idea?

Also what sort of heater do I need.

[JodiMartin2003]

Here is a whiptail catfish, they are cool...

[nitrous]

i dont know if catfish have a high bio load or not but if they do you may want to upgrade to a canister filter instead of a hob

[Rach101]

I have decided to have a sand substrate.. The only problem now is.. sand-is-really-really-expensive. Now, I am only looking at the petsmart sand, where else can I get sand for more..Affordable prices? Thirty dollars for a twenty pound bag seems a little..Uh..Insane?

Another thing is, I know now that I definitly want a planted tank, so what would be better, a canister filter, or a HOB. I'm trying to keep things not ridiculously expensive mind you, but I'd be willing to pay an extra thirty-forty dollars for a canister filter.

[Fishyfanatic]

Check at your local pool supply store. Pool Filter sand is a great cheap alternative. Around here it is $6 for a 50 lb bag.

A canister would be a better option over the hob.

[SeymourFRESH]

many synodontis species of catfish are often kept with african cichlids, maybe you can check some of them out

[Apocalypse_Gold]

Aquaclear filters are almost a hob canister. Great flow rates and lots of flexibility. The disadvantage is that if you are going for high light and injecting CO2, you will lose more CO2 to surface agitation.

[greenmaji]

Ive only heard of good results with Aquaclear HOB's but if you dont have a filter yet, think canister.. (and not the Magnum 350 if you can avoid it)

[Elmware2000]

Found this on a Website. Thought it might help someone.

To calculate US gallons - multiply the length X width X height (all in inches) and divide that amount by 231= US gallons.

[Rach101]

Eheim Canister


AquaClear

Which?

[tropicfishman]

Congrads on the tank, its time to face all those horrible agonizing options you have when it comes to filtration, heating, lighting, gravel or sand, fish, plants, decor., etc. LOL I would think a 55 would be big enough for some chiclids and the catfish your wanting, prolyl be alot of cleanup to do lol

[Rach101]

I know I want banjo cat fish. I was looking at Bolivian rams and Apistogrammas. What else is there for SA fish and what are nice combinations for these fish? I also want to leave room for smaller catfish species such as corydoras and brochis.

[nitrous]

well if you want chiclids, they are messy so go with the canister filter. i dont know much about eheim but i have the filstar xp2 for my 55 gallon and it is wonderful. It is completely silent and i love it. but if the catfish are messy also then you may wantr to go with the xp3 for only 20 bucks more. and for me it worked a lot better to buy my filter online. at petsmart it was 150 and online at another site it was only 90.