55g newb

[vance]

hey, everyone i found this forum and ive been a lurker for a few days. Today decided id register and ask for some help. I'm a newb forsure, i have a 20g tank with mollies, and some african dwarf frogs, and its thriving. This is at work (i work at an afterschool care) and i would like to put a 55g into my room at home, im pretty facinated with the whole hobby, id really like to get plants into it as i think they are alot nicer looking then fake stuff and also i understand that they can benefit your fish. Im not looking to do co2 or super hightech so just easy low light plants. Im basically looking for suggestions on how to get the tank up and running and cycled. The 20g that i have was kindof a gong show, we let it run for 2 days and then put goldfish in who eventually got moved to someone elses tank cause we couldnt put the mollies in with them .

also im going to buy a 55g starter kit from petsmart it seems to be the most cost effective way to start, as i dont have to much money to put into it to start off ill be getting this Top Fin® 55 Gallon Starter Kit - Aquarium Kits - Aquariums - PetSmart

so ya any suggestions or tips would be rad, thanks so much.

 

[jsoong]

Welcome to AA!!

First of all, if you are thinking of plants, the Top-Fin kits won't cut it.

I would suggest heading over to the planted forum & look at some stickies, like the links in this one:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f24/read-this-first-resources-and-references-83826.html
that should give you an idea of what you need.

I would suggest getting the parts separately. The topfin kits have crappy parts & will fail very soon or not work well enough, so you need to upgrade in a short time & end up spending more money. If you get the tank alone & shop around (esp. on the net), you can get a better kit for not much more than the kit.

Of hand I'd suggest:
Get as big a tank as you have room for - the 55 is too narrow (front to back) for a good planted tank -- a 75 is much better & only a few inches wider fron to back. <And the 80 gal I got at Petsmart is the same price as the 55!>
Get a good canister filter & a submersible heater.
Get a T5HO light kit. <Off the net, this is about the sme price as the stock light at the lfs, and is 100x better for plants. <Stock lights don't grow plants well, if at all.>

 

[mfdrookie516]

Welcome to AA I totally agree with Jsoong, those topfin kits are not great at all. Check around on craigslist and see if there are any used tanks in your area. 55g are a good tank, but not good for aquascaping. A 40g breeder or a 75g would be a good place to start.

 

[BigJim]

Welcome! I also agree with what Jsoong and MFD said. I'm usually not a fan of the all-in-one kits. Other than the tank, the equipment is usually inferior. You'll get disgusted with it and either quit the hobby or replace the crappy equipment.

 

[vance]

thanks for the advice guys, i might go with a 40 gallon, and try to piece together the tank from online sources or see whats kickin around at "big als aquariums".

Will just a regular florescent light that comes with a tank/hood combo work for low light plants ?

 

[BigJim]

If you can, get an incandescent hood and put two spiral CFL bulbs in it. You'll be able to get a lot more light than the normal single tube fixture that usually comes with the hood. A single tube might put out enough light for some very low-light plants though.

 

[DragonFish71]

Welcome to AA

A 55 isn't good for aquascaping? Ummm, my 55 looks darn good *Sniffles* And will look even better when I turn it into the river tank.

But, I agree that a 40 breeder or 75 has more front to back floor space.

 

[jsoong]

If you can, get an incandescent hood and put two spiral CFL bulbs in it. You'll be able to get a lot more light than the normal single tube fixture that usually comes with the hood. A single tube might put out enough light for some very low-light plants though.

Depends on the length of the tank. A 4 foot tank like a 55 or 75 will have at least a 32W T8, that would be better than 2 CFL (esp if you only have room for 13W's). But to get good plant growth, you really want to go to at least 100W total light. <A double T5HO 2x54W would be great.>