little help

[LestWeForget13]

im not new to the fish deal but its been a while and i was wondering what i need for my 50 gal freshwater tank for the water all i remember is something about chlorine and thats it...........can i get a little help please?

 

[TankGirl]

Welcome to AA!

For the water you will need a dechlorinator, unless you are on a well. Most water systems now use chloramine also, so get one that neutralizes both.

Where is Keller?

 

[LestWeForget13]

keller is a little town where, if you were to look at a map of virginia, its the little peninsula that is connected to maryland. and by the way thanks, is that all i need?

 

[TankGirl]

Eastern Shore? Cool! Stone's throw from Tangier. Do you have a LFS nearby?

Nope that is not all you need, but maybe a better question to ask you is what do you have already?

You need a stand, filter, substrate, heater, lights, a plan for cycling the tank, and some test kits, like ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, and maybe pH too, but that's not critical right off the bat.

Then we can discuss what kind of fish you want to keep. I do love to plan a new tank!

 

[LestWeForget13]

yes, where i live i can look out over the bay on a clear night and see tangiers light, and yes there is a local fish store, i have my tank sitting on a table because it was the sturdiest thing in my house, i have a filter, substrate is too big a word for me, i have a heater, uv light, and i need a test kit.




i plan on getting gouramis or something not tiny because i do have a rather large tank

 

[TankGirl]

Okay, lets start with the table, since I not too long ago helped my neighbor clean up a fallen tank on an emergent basis, because the desk he had it sitting on suddenly gave way. There was broken glass fish and fry everywhere!

A tank that size needs a stand that is sitting on the floor, no "legs" unless the stand is made of wrought iron and is made for fish tanks. So a bureau that is solid wood with center supports and a solid frame might work, but you need to be very sure.

Substrate is gravel or sand or whatever you want on the bottom. I recommend a canister filter, but there are HOB filters (hang-on-back) that could work for that tank as well. Go to bigalsonline.com and check out all of the options there. Gouramis are great but often they don't do so well together, but that depends, so we'll have to narrow that down. Consider doing a fishless cycle while you choose your fish, as it will give you time to make the best choice.

Here's my favorite link discussing fishless cycling: http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquamag/cycle2.html

I need to get myself off for some shuteye, but you'll get plenty of help here, every step of the way! I don't get up to the Shore much anymore, so color me jealous!

 

[BASSNMAN]

Tank girl is right on about a stand. A foll 50 gal tank weighs about 600 pounds. If you are handy, there are good DIY plans for wood stands available. I would not trust some of the cheap stands at your LFS, especially if they are made of particle board. Good luck with the new set up.

 

[Toirtis]

especially if they are made of particle board.

Which, of course, swells and weakens if it gets damp (perfect material for an aquarium stand).

Go with pine or some such....it will give you a great stand, and one that can actually be an attractive piece of furniture.

 

[deeni0z]

remember!!! no paper dipping tests! they're not as accurate as liquid!

 

[LestWeForget13]

thank u all, i am very greatful. and with the stand u guys were right because i noticed that the desk did sag and my dad, which of whom is a carpenter, suggested that he put 1" sheet of plywood under the tank or a few 1x6s, now houses are ususally built with 3/4" plywood so my dad might be right here. and for the sides he said to reinforce them with 4x4s 0r 2x4s

i think i may need to do some research on gouramis and others and im gunna stick with the gravel until anyone gives me a reason why i should use sand and im pretty sure someone will too.

(P.S.) is it ok to leave the water level an inch or two low beacause i like the sound and appearance of the little waterfall effect.

 

[deeni0z]

it's okay to leave the water level lower than the very top of the tank. just make sure you know exactly where the water is so if a lot of water evaporates, you know that it's evaporating and you don't think it's your default water level.

 

[LestWeForget13]

ok cool, now tests.................

(P.S.) my dad who thinks he is the expert because hes done it a few times says that gouramis tend to attack and sometimes eat other fish, is this true?

 

[smallfry]

Hi there,
Gouramis are most aggressive to each other but tend to be peaceful toward fish not of their species. You could consider rainbow fish they are nice "show pieces" and they like to school. The size of rainbow fish depends on which type you choose...but a school of 8 or so would look gorgeous in your 50g tank! You may be ok if you pick one male gourami and a female gourami...with a tank that size and with lots of hiding places..it should be ok. You may even have space to add them in addition to the school of rainbows. Just some ideas for ya.... For the bottom you could get 5 or 6 panda corys and a 5 or so otos for algae...this may seem like alot of fish...but pandas, otos and gouramis aren't big waste producers. (I don't give my pandas extra food, they just scavange off the bottom and do fine that way).

 

[LestWeForget13]

ok good now i just put in all the needed things to get rid of ammonia and metals and chlorine and whatnot now what are these tests people speak of.


and is it possible to take like a peice of slate or something and scrub it with baking soda then put it in?

 

[TankGirl]

Support directly beneath the tank is not going to help, if that is what you mean with the plywood. If you put a heavy tank on a desk the top (lateral) surface of the desk is not going to crack, the (vertical) legs will go.

Gravel is a fine substrate for your tank, and no reason in the world not to leave the water level a little low.