New 55 Gallon

[Thaiboxer]

Hi all! I've read through every post in the FW getting started section, and I'm starting to feel like I'm ready to begin. I'm picking up a 55 gallon tank tomorrow from a friend who used to keep Oscars, but it's been sitting empty for a while. I'm hoping to get rock in there and some decorations by Friday night.

The tank comes with a Fluval 404 canister filter, under gravel filter, and power filter. My friend said I need to buy an air pump and that should be it. I'm looking at those bubble wands, they look neat! Do you see anything obviously missing? Also, the Fluval is plumbed to take water from a hole in the bottom and it pumps back in the top, so it should be good circulation.

Plants and decorations will all be fake, I'm going to put some driftwood and rocks in there, and some places to hide.

For fish, I'm considering:
- a bunch of tetras, maybe 2 or 3 small schools?
- 1 red-tail shark
- maybe some clown loaches, gouramis, and/or rainbowfish

For starters, does anyone see a glaring bad idea? Thanks for your help in advance, I'm very excited to get my fish going!

Oh, yeah - I'm going to introduce the fish a few at a time, any suggestions on order?

 

[Somethingfishy]

Well to start welcome,

Secondly: That many filters will probably not be too good as the bacteria that live in the filters to clean out all the nasties like AMMONIA and NITRITES will be spread over three filters, meaning that there will be no bacteria in your fluval as all the 'nutrients' that the bacteria require will be taken out by the U/G filter, also for the type of fish you are looking for the Fluval is more than adequate. Don't get me wrong nothing wrong with more than one filter but a Fluval 404 is MORE than enough to cope with the bioload that you intend to put on that tank, but there can be the extreme.

PS The above opinions are mine and mine only.

I speak for me only and not necessarily for anyone else anywhere, but I personnaly do not like U/G filters, I had one in a 7G and my fish did not take too kindly to it. I prefer the externals as they are easier to clean and maintain. The Fluval 404 is recommended for tanks upto 100G US, so the one filter would be more than sufficient. Not sure what you mean by a power filter, is this an internal one?

Also, the Fluval is plumbed to take water from a hole in the bottom and it pumps back in the top, so it should be good circulation.

What do you mean by this?

Plants are your preference but some might say live plants are better, they might be as they also use the bad goodies, ammonia and nitrite, but the decision rest on your shoulders.

As for the fish:
1. I would recommend the tetras first as they are rather hardy little critters and will probably be OK in a newly setup tank, do not introduce them too early as this might also be detemental to their health, you will get frustrated and so forth.....

Introduce the loaches fairly late on as they require a well settle substrate.

The rest of them would be OK to introduce as the weeks go by, but I am not too sure that the gourami and the rainbows will be too compatible with each other, if you are looking for gouramis I would personnaly recommend either the red dwarf or the blue dwarf as they tend to be the 'meakest' of the gourami family. he others can tend to be a bit aggressive.
It also depends on what type of rainbow you are looking at, doing a brief search turned up hundreds of different types of rainbow so choosing a compatible tank mate would take some looking into.

Also you have to look at the type of water you have as this could also dictate which fish you actually get. Is your water hard or soft, what level is the pH? There are a number of things to consider when choosing your fish.

Also it would depend on how much work and effort you are willing to invest in the water, as say you wish to get a species of fish that likes soft water with a low pH, but your water is hard and has a Hi pH, you would need to bring the water down in line with the requirements of it's occupants.

Hope this helps, I have to stop now as i seem to have rambled on... . I hope I have not put you off too much and you will throw everything you have into it?

 

[loganj]

55 gal

Not much I can add to the above post. I too would ditch the UG filter. I agree that the Fluval is plenty for this size tank and it's all I would use. I have had great success with Bio Wheels on FW tanks. The advantage, besides the fact that they are extremely efficient bio filters, is that you don't disturb the bacteria when you clean the filter. Marineland makes a setup called a Pro 60 which is 2 bio wheels that you can plumb into the return line from the Fluval. I have used the Pro 30 with a HOT Magnum on a 55 for several years and it has been great. I'd go with the Pro 60 though as it will give you a much better margin of filtration. I've never had a really heavy fish load in my 55 either. As to the Fluval pulling water from the bottom of the tank, I'm assuming the tank is drilled? You might want to consider adding a standpipe inside the tank if it doesn't already have one. This will, in case of a leak in the plumbing, prevent all the water in the tank from ending up in the floor.
Logan J

 

[robertmarda]

I don't see any mention of a heater. You will need one for the kind of fish you mentioned getting.

I had a sunset gourami and an australian rainbow in my 55 gallon tank with many other fish. At first everything was fine, but as the rainbow grew it decided to pick on the gourami even though the gourami wasn't the smallest fish in the tank. Since I had no other tanks at the time I gave the rainbow to a friend to resolve the conflict.

 

[Thaiboxer]

note to self

Thank you all for responding! I went to my LFS today, and the kid there was super good - he kept telling me "no, you don't need that" and "that's a waste" to the same stuff you guys just told me not go get Also, he showed me a standpipe setup, makes sense to me! Yes, the tank is drilled.

I think I'll stick with the Fluval because I have it already, but I won't get an additional filter. I will buy a heater if I don't have one already (I'll find out tomorrow night). Maybe two? I'm a computer guy, and I like the idea of redundancy

I really like those bubble wands! I'm going to get one of those (13"?) for each side... my tank is 48" wide, I'll put them in the back.

I'm thinking for fish I'll start with the Tetras, then add a shark After that, I'll see that everything's happy and go from there. I saw the most beautiful male betta today, he might have to come home in a 1 gallon until I can get him in the big tank! I already have 2 bettas, but he was sooo nice...

I'm a junkie already.

 

[loganj]

55

You will definitely need heaters. Yes, redundancy is a great thing and two heaters of smaller wattage is preferred over one large one. That way, if one fails, the other will keep the tank within tolerable limits. If, God forbid, one were to hang in the "on" position, it will take it much longer to heat the tank to the danger level.
Nothing wrong with the bubble wands if you like them. They will add water movement and will help with gas exchange at the surface. I have even had fish that seemed to like swimming back and forth through them. I will caution you to buy a strong pump though. A cheap pump will not drive these things for long...if at all. Be sure you put check valves in the air lines also. If the power fails, a siphon can start back through the air line and put lots of water in the floor and/or ruin the pump.
If you do put the Betta in the 55, be sure you don't have any aggressive fish in there with him. I have had Bettas in community tanks before, but they really seem to do better by themselves. Their long flowing fins are often just too much temptation for other fish to nip at. They also prefer still water to current. I would think long about adding the Betta...just my opinion.
Logan J

 

[sunsplash76]

All these wonderful people have given the best info you could ask for. My suggestion could be down the road and not necessary really. I have a powerhead in my 55 to create current in the middle of the tank for better Oxygen exchange. The fish enjoy the current as well. Great filter you have on the tank! I think you will have some very have neons! best of luck.

 

[Somethingfishy]

Missed the heater thingie but then again it was late/early UK time

Gotta say that you might want to look at two heaters? I have one 150W in my 45 and it just manages to do the job. In my new tank, 130G, I have three heaters, 2 x 200W and 1x 150W which is intergrated into my power head.

Instead of a power head you could also look at getting an extention for the inflow from the filter to maybe spread across the top of the and act as a power head, the 404 is more than capable of producing an output to the equivlant of a powerhead. It is also what I have in my new one. Works like a charm.

 

[Grant R]

Well, not much I can say that hasn't been said already ! Obviously, the only thing I missed out on was the heater and therefore you'll also need a thermometer to keep track of the aquarium temprature etc. Temprature levels that aren't monitored and constantly go up & down can be stressful and even fatal in some fish, so a thermometer is compulsory. They are also very cheap, but if you have the extra cash, a digital one might be a good idea.

Don't forget also to buy the usual bits, like food, water conditioner, live bacteria, etc.
With regards to the food, flakes are obviously the default choice, but other fish, especially loaches, will be very partial to things like bloodworms and Tubifex ( Dried Worms in a cube ) . I usually treat my lot once a week with one of the mentioned. A varied diet is also better for fish, rather than just sticking with one type.

Best of luck !

 

[Thaiboxer]

wow!

Sounds great! I will definately get two heaters and a thermometer, and I think I'm going to put a timer on the tank light - that way I can program the light to cycle on/off to have it on when I'm most likely to be home and watching.

I haven't heard much about powerheads? Is this necessary right away?

Thank you for all your help! I've gotten so much great info and some really good links!

One more question - how has everyone's experiences been buying their critters through www.liveaquaria.com? Their prices seem okay, and a lot of the more exotic fish aren't at my LFS. I'm sure I can order through the LFS, but curious about shipping them...

Thank you all!

 

[Somethingfishy]

No sure of liveaquaria.com. But IMO I don't think that a power head is needed right now. As I mentioned before your 404 has more than enough power to be it's own power head, if you position the inlet pipe in your tank just right.
I have known people to say good things about liveaquaria.com?

 

[Thaiboxer]

neato

I found out this morning that I'm getting a heater and a power head thrown in with the tank, me thinks I'm getting a really good deal. Can't wait to start!

I'll pick up a second heater, an air pump and 2 bubble wands, and should be good to go. I'll post pictures when I have progress to show! Thanks!

 

[Somethingfishy]

Excellant,

Good deal and a good start.

Can't wait for the pics

 

[Thaiboxer]

I'm back!

I picked up the 55 gallon this morning... there's some work to be done!

I've so far cleaned the rocks that game with it, and a lot of tubing and such. There are some plastic "under-gravel" pieces that came with it. They're in the pictures on the link below. Should I use these?

Right now I'm cleaning everything with a very diluted bleach/water mixture, seems go be getting things clean. I'll rinse well later.

Stand is rusted from previous brackish usage... any ideas on removing rust? I'm probably going to pick up some sandpaper for metal and I have this great silver spray paint - it almost looks chrome.

Anyway, here's the pics - go to the site and click on the "My Aquarium" link on the left. Time for dessert - later!

http://www.screwynoodle.com

 

[Thaiboxer]

well

Couldn't go right to bed after dessert at my buddies... oh no, had to come right home and clean the tank. I updated with more pictures on:

http://www.screwynoodle.com

then click the aquarium link on the side. Now time for bed!

 

[Somethingfishy]

WOW, 8O , nice looking tank. I see what you mean by a lot of work to do, but in the end it will be well worth the effort.

I had the same amount of work to do with my new 130G. I have cleaned and it is in the final stages of cycling and waiting for occupants.

Looking forward to your updated pics.

 

[Guest]

Looks good, you do have some work to do, but are well on your way.

About the stand. It looks a lot like one i have too, had the same thing to deal with, rust/corrosion from salt. I have a power sander that I used to get the rust off, if you do it by hand it'll take forever. However, you DO need to get all the rust off before repainting, very important. After all rust is off, I suggest you use some Rustoleum paint or some other type of rust-inhibiting paint, at least as a primer, then use whatever you want as your final color.

 

[loganj]

stand

Another way that works well on rusty stands is a 4" grinder with a wire brush on it. This will take it down to the bare metal and will reach into most tight spots. If you use this method, be sure to wear safety glasses as the wire wheels will throw a wire once in a while and are dangerous.
Logan J

 

[Thaiboxer]

me again

I did some looking this morning - after work I'm going to Home Depot to pick up a sanding wheel for my DeWalt drill, should make quick work of the rust. I'm also going to get some Rustoleum to prime it, and I have the final color at home already.

With the open stand like that, I'm going to build a "skirt" to go around the bottom as it will be in my living room - so I'll use that to cover the plumbing and electrics. I'll definately be posting pics throughout the process.

Thanks for all the help everyone!

 

[Guest]

Re: me again

With the open stand like that, I'm going to build a "skirt" to go around the bottom as it will be in my living room - so I'll use that to cover the plumbing and electrics. I'll definately be posting pics throughout the process.

A friend of mine got his mom to make a skirt for a stand like that. To attach and remove it easily, they put velcro on the stand and skirt. He can take the skirt off, and put it back on in an instant. Very easy solution if you hadn't thought of it already.