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Thanks everyone again for the advice and help. Unfortunately, we suffered a loss yesterday -- "A" died. So now we have two goldfish "B" and "C" in this small tank. The ammonia in the tank was relatively low last night (0.5 ppm) after two days in the tank. I did a 60% water change, and the...

Thank you Allivymar for the kind words (I still feel responsible for these poor little fish :( ), in fact everyone has been very helpful and very nice to me -- this web site is great for getting help :D -- the guys at the local fish store were not too helpful last night! Thanks for the...

Thanks for the good advice SweetSUV and Harley! I did add the stuff that adds the minerals and other stuff back to the RO water, but I better make sure that it is safe for fresh water fish. I think I will just use the cheap 1 gallon filtered water at the grocery store in the future. I will also...

Also, are there any chemicals or conditioners that I can add to the water to help with the "bad" water conditions in this type of fish bowl? Will the 50% water changes every other day keep the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates in a safe range? I am very quickly coming to the realization that I...

Hi Zic, Thanks for your advice. I appreciate your helpful and "nice" replies (I was expecting to get yelled at by serious fish keepers -- which I deserve). My son is only 3, and he really loves fish. 2 months ago, we both wanted to have Nemo, Dory, Bubbles, and Bruce in a 50 gallon tank. After...

Hello, I am 6 weeks into the cycle process for a saltwater tank, and the grandparents won a goldfish for my son at the fair yesterday. They paid the extra $5 for the "deluxe" tank, which is about 1/3 gallon rectangular tank. I put some gravel and small plastic plant in the tank, and added a few...

Thanks reefrunner! I just wanted to make sure things were moving along correctly.

I have 40 pounds of crushed coral (2 to 3 inches) with no live rock.

Hello, I have a 55 gallon saltwater fish only tank (with no fish yet). I am using the "shrimp" method for cycling my tank. I do not have any bio-filtration yet (I have a 7 inch BIO-wheel on order), and I am using the Magnum 350 for chemical and mechanical filtration. I have my protein skimmer...

Quick Update: The tank is full now and it still has 1/2 to 1 inch bow in the middle... but I checked several other 55 gallon acrilic tanks... and they all have a slight bow in the middle (you need a yard stick to see it usually).

The center bar looks OK to me, and the acrylic is about 1/4 inch -- is that sub-normal?

Here is some more information: I think the tank may have been like this with no water in it, and it is almost perfectly level. I have put 6 more gallons of water, and it has not expanded anymore. Is it possible that the tank was designed to be slightly bowed in the middle?

Is it normal for a 55 gallon acrylic tank to expand in the middle of the tank as you add water. I purchased the tank from someone that used it for 5 years. I have the tank half filled, and the middle has expanded by an inch in the front side. I know that acrylic is a flexible substances, but is...

Thanks for your help again BillyZ. My tank is about 20 inches in height with about 2 inches of coral at the bottom. Would you recommend putting the intake somewhere in the middle of the tank, or even closer to the top? This is the type of information that is NOT in the manual.

I have another beginner question: Where should I place my heater? I have a 55 gallon tank (fish only - with no fish yet) with a 200W heater and a 350 GPH canister filter and a protein skimmer. The intake of the filter is positioned about 2 inches above the crushed coral base, and the output is...

I wanted to thank everyone for their excellent advice and support. Here is a quick summary of my situation: 1. This is my first tank. 2. My tank will be a fish only tank to start out with, but I would like to add some living rock, coral, and live plants later. 3. I would like to have a...

Thanks again for all of your advice and help with my first tank!

Thanks for the advice wabyrd and loganj. I just returned the BIO-wheel and protein skimmer. I did not know that cutting into the top would cause structural issues. I exchanged the skilter skimmer for a Prizm (which they said was better), and removed the BIO-wheel. Now everything will fit, but I...

Thanks for the advice loganj and wabyrd. I will be creating a fish only tank initially and then I would like to add live rock within a year. Since this is my first tank, I wanted to play it safe and over-filtrate the tank somewhat. Thanks for the tips on modifying the top of the tank. I will...

I am putting together my first tank, and I have a used (5 year old) 55 gal tank. I bought a new filter system with a BIO-wheel and a protein skimmer. The problem is: there is not enough room on the back of the tank to "hang" the BIO-wheels (about 24 inches) and the skimmer (about 16 inches)...

Hara... thanks for the advice on the gravel too. I actually purchase medium sided crushed coral (that said it was extremely well rinsed). I thought gravel and crushed coral were the same thing -- so I have already learned two very important things (the shrimp was the first). So, I am very happy...

Thanks Hara for the "shrimp" advice. I was very concerned about adding the first fish to the aquarium. This technique sounds much better and will not hurt any fish.

Hi BillyZ, Thanks for the warm welcome. Good question! We want to start with a fish only tank. Then we would like to add a few live plants, and maybe live coral at some point a few years down the road. But for now, we just want to have a nice fish only tank. My son really wants a Nemo fish and...

Hello, I have a new fish tank with: New Tank (no fish yet): 55 gal. acrylic saltwater tank with: Magnum 350 - canister filter and BIO-wheel Skilter 250 protein skimmer 200W Visi-therm heater Light and cover 40 lbs. medium gravel I purchased the tank, stand, light, and cover used, and then...