My sister passed her old tank onto me. It is a big tank. I am not sure the size so I asked a few people and they don't know either. They are guessing around 50-55 gallons. Is there any way I can find out the size? I need to know so when I set it up, I will know what dosage of stress coat to put it, what filter to use, how many fish I can put in, and all the important things to keep it maintained and balenced. I am getting mixed ideas on what to do with the tank. I can't set it up yet until I switch rooms and then I will be able to put it in my new room and start. I bought a filter for it that covers tank sizes 45-65 gallons. I am guessing it is around that size. The filter is a QuietFlow55. It's the same brand of my Quietflow10 which I have on my 10 gallon tank. I am making this topic for many reasons. To figure out the tank size and how to take good care of it and some suggestions on what to do. I have many questions so I hope you are prepared to answer them if you know what I can do. I will need a list on things that I will need for it. I am probably going to buy a new test kit that is more accurate than the one I have. I asked my friend if he think I should use sand in my tank but he said not inless if I want a saltwater tank because apparently, sand has salt in it. Is this true that if I put salt in a freshwater tank, it will turn into a saltwater tank? I want Corydoras in the tank in the future and I learned that they need a sand substrate. Will I have any problems adding big rocks in the tank? I have one that I am going to clean off if I can use it. My 10 gallon tank has 4 danios. 2 zebra and 2 leopard. The water is foggy and dirty. I did a few water changes but it's still the same. I will probably end up adding them to the bigger tank after it is set up and then empty the 10 gallon and start it all over because the tank is a mess. Will I be able to switch them back to 10 gallon after it is set back up?
A new tank
- Thread starter Mako_
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eyring2210
Aquarium Advice Activist
measure length, width and height in inches multiply all three together and multiply the result by
0.00432900433 to get gallons. use inside dimensions.
0.00432900433 to get gallons. use inside dimensions.
you've got a lot of questions there. as far as the sand goes, if you want to use sand for a substrate (cories like it because it is gentle on their whiskers whereas sharp gravel can harm them) use PFS-pool filter sand. i plan on using it in my 10 gallon and possibly in my 20 gallon. it is super cheap and doesn't compact and cause harmful air pockets (so i've heard). it does not contain salt. in terms of filter, it depends on the bioload you plan on having. if you want a heavily stocked tank, you may want a bigger filter. if you are going to have a planted tank, the filter will probably be fine as plants will help in keeping good water conditions. it all depends on what you want in your tank. if you're getting a new test kit, go with the API freshwater test kit, probably around $35 but it has the four big tests that you will need (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and pH). there are probably other brands, API is the one most recommended around here. just make sure whatever kit you get is liquid tests NOT the strips (super inaccurate). as far as your 10 gallon goes, i would keep up on PWCs and get the test kit so you can test it. you won't be able to move them to the bigger tank until its cycled so just focus on getting the water cleared up. i personally couldn't tell you what's wrong with it, but i know for almost any problem PWCs can help.
taylorodw
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I believe eyring's method but if you find it easier aqadvisor.com has a calculator where you just put in the length width and height, and it will tell you your size in gallons.
Sand is perfectly fine in a FW tank. Just make sure you get Pool Filter Sand, Play Sand, or aquarium-safe sand. Marine Sand is the kind that is only for salt water. As long as it doesn't say Marine you're in the clear. Pool Filter Sand is generally the cheapest/easiest to acquire and maintain, most people say. I used aquarium sand in my last FW aquarium, this time around I am going for Pool Filter Sand.
If you put marine salt in FW, yes it will eventually turn to SW. But sand won't do that by itself.
You shouldn't have any problems adding rocks. Where did you find your rock? What kind of rock is it? I would be cautious if you found it somewhere that doesn't have a live fish population. It could have heavy metals in it that could poison fish, or pollutants from some other source nearby.
If you are looking for a new test kit make sure you get one with liquid test reagents, not test strips. Most people on here use the API Master FW kit, but at the very least you'll need to test for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate to make sure your fish have clean water.
Yes, you can switch the danios back and forth. This will be stressful though, so to minimize stress make sure you check out one of the stickies on acclimation.
Good luck! Hope this helps.
Edit: mommytron beat me to most of that
Sand is perfectly fine in a FW tank. Just make sure you get Pool Filter Sand, Play Sand, or aquarium-safe sand. Marine Sand is the kind that is only for salt water. As long as it doesn't say Marine you're in the clear. Pool Filter Sand is generally the cheapest/easiest to acquire and maintain, most people say. I used aquarium sand in my last FW aquarium, this time around I am going for Pool Filter Sand.
If you put marine salt in FW, yes it will eventually turn to SW. But sand won't do that by itself.
You shouldn't have any problems adding rocks. Where did you find your rock? What kind of rock is it? I would be cautious if you found it somewhere that doesn't have a live fish population. It could have heavy metals in it that could poison fish, or pollutants from some other source nearby.
If you are looking for a new test kit make sure you get one with liquid test reagents, not test strips. Most people on here use the API Master FW kit, but at the very least you'll need to test for Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate to make sure your fish have clean water.
Yes, you can switch the danios back and forth. This will be stressful though, so to minimize stress make sure you check out one of the stickies on acclimation.
Good luck! Hope this helps.
Edit: mommytron beat me to most of that
Yes, take the measurements and you can even use an online calculator to find the tank volume.
Here is one calculator:
Tank Volume Calculator
I am thinking on doing half tank sand and half gravel so if certain fish in the tank prefers one over the other, it will usually stay on that side or whatever it prefers. I was looking at some cichlids and their tropical colors look nice. Are they all freshwater fish? If I get them, can I mix them with other fish that aren't cichlids.
if you do cichlids you need to stick with cichlids. i'm pretty sure they will attack anything else. also, (i'm no cichlid expert here) you need to either stick with either african or south american cichlids. they are very pretty but very particular. and as far as mixing gravel and sand, it can be done but i've heard it's nearly impossible to keep it separate. it will eventually mix up from PWCs and vacuuming.
Then if I can't do that, is it possible to have scaleless fish healthy while in a tank with all gravel like corydoras? By the way, I don't know anything about the rock other than that it's a big rock, like a silverish/gray color that the owner who first owned the tank before my sister found in a yard.
Edit : Okay. I just measured my tank and the tank is actually 55 U.S. Gallons.
Edit : Okay. I just measured my tank and the tank is actually 55 U.S. Gallons.
personally i would just do the PFS. is there a certain reason you want gravel? i'm sure if it is rounded gravel and not sharp it should be OK but i would ask someone with cories. i think certain cories are more sensitive to it then others.
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