Totally New Seeking Advice

[aqua71]

Hi, I'm totally new to the hobby. I've been spending quite bit of time reading all I can get my hands on that time allows while I'm cycling my tank. My tank is a 55 gallon, 48" X 12". I'd like to keep some Rasbora, Neon Rainbows & Zebra Loach. If these fish are compatible, I hope. (I thought I'd about Clown Loach but changed when my mind when I discovered how big they can become.) My first questions are what plants would you recommend for the tank and how many of them should I get?

I'm also wondering about the type of lighting system I should get. I have a Perfecto 40 watt fluorescent light with a Perfecto canopy (I just learned yesterday that some places call the lid for the tank a canopy.)

I do have a filter hanging on the outside of the tank and was also wondering if a glass canopy could work with my fliter? Is there a hole in the canopy for the filter? The Perfecto canopy was made of a light metal that could easily be cut out for the filter and other cords.

This past week I put in a new substrate and it's currently got about a 3" layer of Ecocomplete. Please feel free to make any other suggestions that come to mind. I really want to learn and take care of my fish properly. Thanks for reading this and have a great day!

 

[Purrbox]

With your current lighting you'd have to stick to very low light plants. This includes Anubias, Java Ferns, Java Moss, and Crypts.

If you decide to upgrade your lighting, there are many options that would work well depending on your goals. Do you want a low maintenance aquarium that will allow you to grow a variety of plants easily? Do you want an aquarium that will allow you to grow most any plant that you could possibly choose, but will require more maintenance? Are you willing to setup CO2 injection? These are the sorts of questions we'd need answers to as far as your goals in order to make lighting suggestions.

Glass canopies typically have a plastic strip that runs along the back and can be cut to fit filters and other equipment.

 

[neilanh]

Welcome to AA!

Like Purrbox said, you need to decide what type of setup you want before we can recommend equipment. Low light low tech tanks are easier to maintain, but limit your choices on what you can grow.

I think your fish selections are just fine, you're going to love those rainbows, mine are awesome.

The eco-complete was also a good choice, you'll be happy with that for your plants.

As for your glass top question, F&S sells a versa-top that is all-glass, except theres a lip on the back made of plastic that allows you to cutout where you need to fit your equipment. They're fairly cheap and are pretty good.

 

[gheitman]

Hi, I'm totally new to the hobby. I've been spending quite bit of time reading all I can get my hands on that time allows while I'm cycling my tank. My tank is a 55 gallon, 48" X 12". I'd like to keep some Rasbora, Neon Rainbows & Zebra Loach. If these fish are compatible, I hope. (I thought I'd about Clown Loach but changed when my mind when I discovered how big they can become.) My first questions are what plants would you recommend for the tank and how many of them should I get?

I'm also wondering about the type of lighting system I should get. I have a Perfecto 40 watt fluorescent light with a Perfecto canopy (I just learned yesterday that some places call the lid for the tank a canopy.)

I do have a filter hanging on the outside of the tank and was also wondering if a glass canopy could work with my fliter? Is there a hole in the canopy for the filter? The Perfecto canopy was made of a light metal that could easily be cut out for the filter and other cords.

This past week I put in a new substrate and it's currently got about a 3" layer of Ecocomplete. Please feel free to make any other suggestions that come to mind. I really want to learn and take care of my fish properly. Thanks for reading this and have a great day!

You've made a number of good decisions so far (I have zebra loaches and harlequin rasboras in one of my tanks) and been given a lot of good advice already but I would like to just reiterate that the standard canopy with the 40W lamp does limit your choices in plants somewhat. I'll think you'll find though that there are a number of plants that will do well in that aquarium and not require a lot of work. Check out this link Plant Finder - Encyclopedia of Aquarium Plants and search for plants with low light requirements. You'll see that there are a variety of Anubias, Cryptocorynes, ferns and mosses that are available. Then you can go to Sailfin (the LFS on Neil St in Champaign, web address www.sailfin.com) and buy plants there. They have a pretty good selection. If you have any questions you can talk with John the owner. He is extremely knowledgeable and friendly.

If you want to upgrade your lighting I suggest you consider one of the T-5 fixtures from Coralife. I have a couple of the freshwater double linear strips (one on a 30 gallon tank and the other on a 20 gallon long tank) and have found them to work quite well. The 48" fixture has two 28W lamps and you could start with one fixture and add a second in the future if you needed it. More information can be found at Oceanic Systems | Products | Freshwater Aqualight T5 Series - Double Linear Strip.

I have five planted tanks (four 10 gallon, one 20 gallon long) that have the standard fluorescent fixtures in them but my smaller tanks do have more watts per gallon than your larger 55 gallon tank. If you need any more help check out the local fish club that meets on the first Saturday of each month (see www.champaignfish.com) and I highly recommend the auctions held each January and July for some great deals.