Noob needing help -- 55 gal setup

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Bamm69

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Dec 27, 2009
Messages
17
Location
Michigan
5o gallon tank looking to purchase all my equipment this week in westland mi area. checking prices tomorrow 12/ 28/09. still undecided on what type filter to get.
 
I just started out 3 months ago and was in your situation I bought and Eheim canister (2213) and love it. If you go for an eheim, you'd need a bigger filter, though, since your tank is bigger, or to double it up with another.
 
canister filters

I was told that the canister filter systems were difficult to clean and very expensive for the filters.
 
not at all. they are, if anything, easier to set up and clean than HOB's... all my canister requires is a twice a month rinse. no cartridges to buy, just squeeze out the sponges in a bucket of tank water, swish the bio-rings around in the bucket, rinse out the can in the sink, and hook it back up. They are a bit more expensive, but HOB's dont even compare to the filtration of a canister imo
 
i am clueless

and maybe the guy that i spoke withwas too. He told me that the canisters had some type of filter that had to be replaced monthly that costed an arm and a leg.
 
i dont know of any canisters that require anything to be changed monthly, unless you use carbon (but that doesnt mean they dont exist).... ive never used any except the fluvals, but all mine have in them are 4 sponges and ceramic bio-rings... the sponges will last at least a year, the ceramic rings are pretty much a lifetime thing
 
Have to agree with mfd here. My canister is the easist filter I have to clean. The pads only need to be rinsed out, not replaced monthly. I have changed 1/2 my bioballs once after around a year and a half, but only cos I bought too many and had a heap left over. I haven't yet changed my pads. They seem to be holding out fine.

It takes me around 20 minutes all up.
 
OK Guys This is what I ended up buying: Rena xp3 canister($160),
Rena SmartHeater 300($45.99),
Dual hood and light set no name i dont think($70)
Start Right water conditioner w/ Allantoin ($4.99),
The guy in the store gave me a bag of ceramic rings/media free and about 2 cups of what he called TLC he said to treat my water.
Algae scraper, net, 50 lbs of gravel
I am going to start setting everything up today. any suggestions would be welcome:bowl:
 
I want to thank all you guys so far even though I spent a lot more money I feel more ssecure about my purchases
 
Appreciative

Thank you, I really am enjoying the whole site the information is overwhelming
 
i hear alot of people say good things about the rena canisters, and the rena smartheaters are supposed to be good too... just make sure you cycle the tank before you add fish (see my signature for link on fishless cycling if you dont know how).
 
MFD thx for the help but i was lost on this"(see my signature for link on fishless cycling if you dont know how" I am new to forums so you through me on this
 
He meant that under his message he posted is his Signature. You can setup a signature so that every time you post to the site it posts your signature at the bottom. In his signature he has a few links to some articles the one he is talking about is:

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/artic...ks-for-your-fastest-fishless-cycle/Page1.html

Another good article to read would be:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/articles/articles/24/1/Nitrogen-Cycle-/Page1.html

PS - If you look below this, anything under the line you see is my Signature.
 
Guys the guy at the pet store gave me a liquid that looks like swamp water (brown with a bunch of floaties in it) he said it was called TLC would this have the bacteria I want in it? if not what is/was it.
 
Never heard of it and I couldn't find anything about it on a google search. Can u post a pic of the bottle?

In any case, I wouldn't use it. Bacteria-in-a-bottle is largely a con (in my opinion). Bacteria can only live in oxygenated water that has a food supply. A bottle doesn't provide the basic living conditions needed for bacteria to survive.

A source of bacteria you may want to consider is from someone elses tank. If you know someone who has a healthy tank, as them to squeeze some water and gunk from their filter. Take it home and dump it in. The dirtier the better. You should get enough bacteria from that to shorten the cycle time significantly.

But the key to that is to have a sample from a well-established and healthy tank. I (again, my opinion only) wouldn't consider a fish shop tank as well-established and healthy. They have hundreds of fish turn over quickly and there is high risk of something bad getting into your tank. Then you have more issues to deal with.

Otherwise, be patient and let nature take its course. Once your tank is cycled and healthy you can relax and enjoy :)
 
TLC

He poured it out of a gallon jug into a plastic bag. after testing my water today everything was fine so i purchased my fish several hours ago.
 
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