A Really New "Newbie" with Some Really Dumb Questi

[Thom46]

Hello Everyone!

I am so greatful for this forum with so many knowledgeable people.

Kindly allow me to bore you with my story.

I am not COMPLETELY new to Aquaria, as growing up in Ohio my sister kept a 10g (until she discovered boys) with less than average success.

My wife and I just moved to a lovely condo in the Myrtle Beach area, and I had not -so- secretly wished to start an aquarium. My wife, being the giving person that she is, purchased a 10g kit at Wal-Mart for me for Christmas.

To my dismay, upon opening the box, I found the glass shattered on one side. Needless to say, we took it back, and decided that we could use a few other things, and the aquarium would have to wait.

My wife related this Christmas tale to a friend of hers, and was promptly told that she had a 55g, with stand, that she would gladly see removed from her shed!

Now, for my dilema, I have a very large, but extremely filthy 55g with stand in my living room. No pump, filter, heater, gravel, (except some small granules laying in the bottom) nothing. A tank and stand are all that I have. (sigh)

My #1 question is: What is the best and safest way to clean the tank.

After that, I would so appreciate any and all recommendations regarding brand names and model #'s of all equipment that I may need to begin cycling in preparation to persue what has become an obsession.

Thanking you in advance for your patience, help, and understanding. I will be a regular here. (regular pain in the butt with my dumb questions

Thom

 

[Thom46]

OOP'S! Already Made A Mistake!

I apologize,

Using the site's calculators, I have determined that my filthy tank is a mere 29 gallon. ( I thought it looked smaller than 55g).

I only reported what the previous owner told us.

Anyway, that's what I've got, and would still greatly appreciate any and all help and advice.

Thanks.

Thom

 

[michealprater]

If it were me, (this is my opinion) I would start with a penguin bio wheel 300 for my filter. I would add two 50 or 75watt heaters. Maybe a maxi jet 1200 powerhead for water movement. Check out www.petwarehouse.com.

As far as cleaning it i would just use water, and lots of elbow grease. you can use bleach, but BE SURE TO RINSE IT OUT THOROURGLY.

Hope that helps.

 

[loganj]

new tank

Clean the tank with water and elbow grease. DO NOT use any kind of soap. If it has hard water deposits on the glass, you can fill the tank with water and add a gallon of white vinegar. This will soften the deposits so you can get them off. Before you start buying equipment, what kind of fish do you want to keep? The equipment you need will depend somewhat on this.
Logan J

 

[loganj]

questions

Forgot to add...your questions are not dumb at all. We can all remember a time when we were pondering the same things. Hope we are able to help you.
Logan J

 

[Thom46]

Micheal and Logan,

Thank you kindly for your helpful replies.

Logan, as a novice, I am only looking at community type fish to start with.

Perhaps, in a year or so, I can learn enough from this forum to be more adventurous.

I won't say that money is not an object, because it is...but I am fully prepared to take my time and do it the right way the first time, so I can buy more expensive equipment a little at a time to ensure the most success.

Thanks again,

Thom

 

[enjoyfish]

Are you going with fresh or saltwater fish . Living in S . carolina you can get some good deals on saltwater. But if money is a factor go with fresh to start then move to salt . Thats what i did

 

[loganj]

equipment

OK...community fish it is. Here are my recommendations for basic equipment. I would use an Emperor 280 filter. I like the Emperors because they have a Bio Wheel with it's own pump and they are nearly indestructible. If you want a canister filter, I'd go with a Fluval 402 with a Marineland Pro 30 Bio Wheel attachment. The Emperor hangs on the back of the tank while the canister goes under the stand. For a heater, I'd use either Visi Therm or Ebo Jager. Two smaller heaters are better than one large one...you want them in the 75w range. I would get a glass top and a twin bulb strip lite. Even better would be a Custom Sealife Britelite. Stay away from the cheaper "high output" lights like the Sholight and the AGA PC strips...they don't last. For gravel, you want something that is made for aquarium use. Don't get a marine substrate. IMO, the really bright gaudy colors are detrimental to the fish. Stick with a darker color or a natural brown. Stay away from the gravels that are sharp edged and stick with one that is sort of small and rounded. You will want some bottom feeders at some point and the sharp gravel is hard on their mouths and barbels. Don't let anyone talk you into an undergravel filter either...you don't need it. You also don't need an air pump unless you just want one of the bubble wands in there. And, just as important as any of the above, if not more so, you will need test kits. I would start with the Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Kit. It has everything you need to start with and they are pretty good tests...easy to use. Before you buy any fish, read the articles here on fishless cycling. Anyway, thats how I'd do it...JMHO as always.
Logan J

 

[fishfreek]

enjoyfish,

I would go under the assumption they are looking at freshwater fish given the specific forum that the message is in.

Thom46,

I am sorry to hear that you purchased what you thought was a larger tank. I am glad to hear of people using the calculators. What are the dimentions on the tank? I guess size is relitive to what you have seen before but a 55 is usually 3 or 4' in lenght depending on the height and width. I think the average 55 is 48X213 (LXHXW).

As logan said using a vinegar/water mix will help with any hard water depostis. I have used water/hydrogen peroxcide mix successfuly in cleaning a dirty tank also. I want to repeat the warning abou using soaps. DO NOT! Soaps are toxic to fish so you dont want to use soap to start out with. You could also use a water/bleach soultion but make sure you rinse the tank very carfuly if you use the water/bleach route.

Hang on back or canister filters are an excellent source of filtration. If the tank ame with a UGF (Under Gravel Filter) you could elect to use this aswell or not. A UGF will be a white or brown plate with slits or small holes in it that would fit on the bottom of the tank.

Some fish are 'dirty' when compaired to others and this is why its best to have an idea of what yoru wanting first.

Check out or General Retilers forum for lists of other online aquarium vendors.

 

[redwing]

I think you've lucky to start with a larger tank. In my opinion the smaller the tank the harder to keep the water balanced. I use both fluval canisters and AC hob filters in my tanks. There are several good brands. Personally I like to get a filter thats a little bigger than recomended.
One of the best things to do is research, research, research! Find out about fishless cycling, compatable fish, and water chemistry. Make sure to budget for the plants, rocks, test kits since without the proper surroundings your fish (and you) will suffer.
IMHO the only stupid question is the one you don't ask, so fire away!

 

[Thom46]

Hello Logan and Everyone!

First of all, a very Happy New Year to all of you!!.

Yes, Betta, it will be a FW aquarium, community type. As I said, I want to do things right from the beginning, and SW would be a little intense in both price and and knowledge for me at this time.

Thank you all for such great advice and recommendations.

I will follow your advice and begin cleaning tomorrow....being sure to NOT use soap!

Thank you all again for being so helpful, I will keep you informed of my progress.

Thom

 

[Thom46]

I almost forgot!

Fishfreek, you said a normal 55g is apprx: 18x36x13. My tank is 17x36x12.5, and the calculator says that's a 31g. So I figured it to be a 29g standard. Am I correct?

Thanks,
Thom

 

[Thaiboxer]

I got a very dirty tank, too - water, a small amount of bleach, and lots of elbow grease! I think everyone else covered the rest

Good luck!

 

[Bearfan]

I really am against the use of bleach to clean aquariums. You have to make sure to rinse them incredibly thouroughly. If you have even small traces of bleach you can really mess up the aquarium. The best cleaner if elbow grease and a flat razor blade (assuming you have an all glass aquarium and are careful around the joints). Hot water and elbow grease have always worked for me.

 

[Thom46]

Great tips from Great people!

I am assuming that the general concensus is water, white vinegar, elbow grease, and perhaps a razor blade if necessary.

The journey begins!

Thanks for all of the help!

Thom

 

[enjoyfish]

I came up with . 17 36 12.5 = 32gal

 

[loganj]

your tank

From the measurements you gave, I'm guessing your tank is a AGA 30 gal breeder. Advertised mesurements for this tank are 36x18x12. That's actually much better than a 29 due to the increased surface area. It would have been hard to come up with a better tank to start off with.
Logan J

 

[Chrismac]

Here are the actuall measurements of my community tank 36.125" x 12.625" x 18.25"

which is listed as 33 gallons on the hagen website,
i'll try the calc here and see what it says.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
mine came up 33 gallons here as well

Very percise calc Fishfeek...

Oh and Thom, My grade 5 teacher always said and I don't think i'll ever forget it,
"There is no such thing as a stupid Question, just stupid answers". lol.

 

[roadster3043]

What about using baking soda to clean the tank? Since it is used for PH and many other things?

 

[Chrismac]

I think I'll try common sense on this one just because i never had to scrub a tank that was stuck away before.
what about FW Aquarium salt?
salt is used for getting inpuritys out and its definatly safe for your fish
I would dump a bunch in there with a enough water to make the salt like wet sand then use the elbow on it.
rise it well and see how that does.
hope this helps.

Chris.