My First Aquarium!

[Yeti]

Hey all Im new to this forum and somewhat new to aquariums. My grandfather had a whole room what was basically a walk-in aquarium so I learned a few things here and there..

I now have a 55gal tank planning on doing freshwater. I have a powerhead and a filter and a heater going right now starting the cycling process etc..

the fish I plan to add are:
Twin Tail Beta (male)
Black Veil Anglefish
Gold Algae Eater
Hi Fin Lyretail Swordtail
Boesemani Rainbow
2 ghost shrimp
and a Japanese Trapdoor Snail

I looked up on diff compat charts and essentially the info i came up with was have lots of swim room but lots of little nooks and crannies for hiding places as well..

Ill have pix up soon.. Any info on cycling and getting the tank ready lemme know thanks!

when setting this up, what do you think the average temp, PH, KH, and such should be?

 

[Ketso]

My suggestion, as well as a few others I'm sure, would be to read the stickies at the top of this forum on cycling. Ask plenty of questions, never thinking that one is "too stupid" to ask. And find a store that sells patience. You may already have some, but you'll more than likely need more. So, pick up some extra just in case . Also, be sure to get a good testing kit. The API Freshwater Master Test kit is but just one of the better ones. Kits that use test strips are frowned upon by most that have been in the hobby for awhile. They are better than nothing though.

As for water params, allot of it depends on the fish in your tank. While there are a few that like cooler or warmer temps, most generally, from what I have read, temps need to be in the mid to upper 70s. Dont worry about your pH unless it is so high or low that it is unsafe for habitation. Your fish, with a few exceptions, will adjust to it. And manually adjusting it through means of adding chems will just stress out your fish.

And NEVER (cant stress the word NEVER enough) 100% trust what your LFS (local fish store) tells you. Some of the folks working at them have less experience than you do, it would seem. Have a read through the forums here to see what I mean. Dont get me wrong, there are allot of folks working at them that do indeed know what they are doing and will help you out nicely. However, treat your visit to the LFS like advice from a doctor about surgery. Get a second opinion to confirm what you have been told!

These are just a few of the things that pop in my head that I have picked up over my short time in the hobby. Hope it is helpful.

 

[Yeti]

yeah the city im currently stationed in is crap it only has 1 major LFS and she is a B****... I asked her how much her clown fish was and she screamed at me "im not even about to tear apart my tank just to catch them for you".. i was like okay lady you're a psycho and walked out.

 

[malloc]

"im not even about to tear apart my tank just to catch them for you"

LOL, I bet her business does well.....

 

[Yeti]

yeah seriously.. I need to find a place that has hoods though i cant find JUST a hood w/light for my tank...

 

[iceywater101]

you should check drs. foster and smith or big als fish supply, and welcome airman

 

[Yeti]

thanks for the welcome! ill google those sites

 

[MyCatsDrool]

Hola


For the angel, get at least 6 juviniles to start off with, then wait til a pair forms. Remove the rest. They do not do well solitary. Like to have mating pairs.

The swordtail: get at least 5, 1 male, 4 females or 2 males, 3 females. They will proliferate, which will be fine. The angels and betta will eat the fry.

The algae eaters and rainbows also need groups. no less than 3 of each. But even all this will be well within stocking for a 55, very similar to my level in my 55. Plant the tank and you can offset some of the nitrates.

Learn about the nitrogen cycle. I'd suggest going slow, with the swordtails first. They are hardy fish that are relatively small and low waste, and will be fine to help the tank cycle. Most here will tell you to do a fishless cycle using raw ammonia, but I am not personally a big advocate of that practice. Just go very slowly and monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels with only a few fish (like i said, a small schoal of swords would be good for this) and you will be just fine. Important to understand though that cycling a tank isn't letting it sit for 24 hours as the fish store will have you believe.
Cycling will take about 3-6 weeks. You can help move it along by adding seeded (old) filter media from someone else's established tank, or a product called BioSpira.

Big Als is a great place to get cheap lighting. If you are considering planting the tank, I have a 55 planted, and am using coralife t5 dual fixtures as my primary light source. I think they run about $70 on big als for a 48in fixture (which is what a standard 55 uses). Get two dual fixtures and you will be in business, planted or not.

Good luck, angels are great fish, I love mine.

 

[Yeti]

Hola


For the angel, get at least 6 juviniles to start off with, then wait til a pair forms. Remove the rest. They do not do well solitary. Like to have mating pairs.

The swordtail: get at least 5, 1 male, 4 females or 2 males, 3 females. They will proliferate, which will be fine. The angels and betta will eat the fry.

The algae eaters and rainbows also need groups. no less than 3 of each. But even all this will be well within stocking for a 55, very similar to my level in my 55. Plant the tank and you can offset some of the nitrates.

Learn about the nitrogen cycle. I'd suggest going slow, with the swordtails first. They are hardy fish that are relatively small and low waste, and will be fine to help the tank cycle. Most here will tell you to do a fishless cycle using raw ammonia, but I am not personally a big advocate of that practice. Just go very slowly and monitor the ammonia and nitrite levels with only a few fish (like i said, a small schoal of swords would be good for this) and you will be just fine. Important to understand though that cycling a tank isn't letting it sit for 24 hours as the fish store will have you believe.
Cycling will take about 3-6 weeks. You can help move it along by adding seeded (old) filter media from someone else's established tank, or a product called BioSpira.

Big Als is a great place to get cheap lighting. If you are considering planting the tank, I have a 55 planted, and am using coralife t5 dual fixtures as my primary light source. I think they run about $70 on big als for a 48in fixture (which is what a standard 55 uses). Get two dual fixtures and you will be in business, planted or not.

Good luck, angels are great fish, I love mine.

yeah thats all fine and dandy but I dont want a million frikken fish in my tank.. i know lots of people who have single angels and they are fine. I am substituting the beta for a german gold ram and i dont want a bunch of swords either..

 

[Yeti]

alright i decided to update my fish [wish] list

German Gold Ram
Black Veil Anglefish
Gold Algae Eater
Hi Fin Lyretail Swordtail
Boesemani Rainbow
Albino Rainbow Shark
2 ghost shrimp
and a Japanese Trapdoor Snail

got a new background for my tank too:

now to just save up for the powerhead and decor.. then i should be ready to rock.