New to forums like to say hello

[Chilly Willy]

I'm new to this forum and semi new to the aquarium hobby. I've had tanks in the past but knew very little to nothing about maintaining them. My wife recently bought me a 55 Gal tank and I was very very happy to say the least.

However my wife made me do some research before I got to crazy with the tank. I happened to find this site and have read several of the posts which I have found to be most helpful.

Unfortnately I had setup my tank and bought fish already. Good news is my fish are all alive and seem to be doing well. I have added a product called Cycle since my local pet shop did not have Bio-Spira which I read in another post helps with good bacteria. Hopefully Cycle works just as well.

Maybe people can drop me some advice after reading my post on what or things I need to do to keep this tank and it's fish happy.

Here is what I've learned so far and please let me know if I read something here wrong as I'm very "green" at this.

1. 1 inch of fish for every Gal of water MAX!
2. 20% Water changes atleast every 2 weeks but I think I'll do every Sunday.
3. Check the Ph levels and make note of any drastic changes. (I was wondering if I could buy a digital Ph meter on ebay or if they are garbage and to stick with the drops ina vial and play guess work)
4. Do research on the fish you aquire and make sure they are compatible with the fish you already own (This is something I did do first thank goodness)
5. Feed only what the fish will eat and remove what they don't (I think I do ok in this one )

I have read many other things but I did not list them because I do not understand them fully. Any things I need and should do I would love for someone to post for me.

Right now my tank has 28 fish (10 Tiger Barbs - 6 Albino Tiger Barbs - and 12 fast swimming tetras) I bought the tetras because the pets store guy said they will be just fine with the barbs although when I asked him what they were he said something real fast and I didn't catch their names. I'll try to look at some pics and get back on what their offical name is.

The tank has lots of "fake" plant life and 3 pieces of drift wood. If I can get my camera to work I'll put this picture up in this post.

I have an Aqua-Tech 30-60 Gal Filter.

The heater is a 200W - 115V Hydra Heater.

I have an Aqua-Culture Air bubble making thingy (LOL brain fart forgot it's technical term oh well you know what I mean)

Am I forgetting anything?

Feedback good or bad is greatly appreciated.

 

[SerLunchbox]

First of all, welcome to AA!!! Great choice in coming here. You have a great looking tank. It is all personal preferance when it comes to what you want in your tank (in regards to decorational items like plants). Personally i only keep live plants in my tank, but that requires light galore (2W per gallon).

As for suggestions, I see that you are testing for pH, but i would also suggest tests for GH, KH, Nitrate, Nitrite and ammonia. These tests are always available at your LFS. Also, the 1 inch of fish per gallon is just a general guideline and it is also for the mature/full size fish. that means that if you get a juvenile angelfish (apx 1") its max size is about 6" so that means apx 6 gallons for that one angelfish. Again i stress that this is just a general rule. The other thing i can say is this, fish don't need to be fed every day. Infact they have such a SLOW digestive tract that every other day is plenty.

other then that your setup looks great. Good luck, and again welcome!

Cheers

 

[Chilly Willy]

Ah good to know about the feeding as I was feeding them 3 times a day. Only because I feed them everytime I eat

Also thanks for letting me know about the other things I need to test for. Any suggestions on a testing kit? I'm not sure what GH and KH are but I'll do my research on it.

My local pet shop although large seem to be more about the money then the fish. So getting advice from them is like opening your wallet and say here help me.

 

[TomK2]

Nice looking tank!

 

[SerLunchbox]

GH and KH are general hardness and Carbonate hardness. They help to determine how hard or soft your water is and how stable your pH will be. It is also good to know since certain fish require extremely specific GH and KH levels

 

[Chilly Willy]

Do you have any perfered style to test this like a digital meter or will a few drops in a vial do for this?

I purchased a digital pH meter so I can keep a constant eye on this.

Do they make digital meters for GH and KH or the other items I need to test for?

 

[SerLunchbox]

no ... it is a liquid test so far as i have seen. I have never seen a digital readout for it

 

[QTOFFER]

Welcome to AA, Chilly Willy!

Just so you know, the 1 inch per gallon rule is a vague rule of thumb that applies only to fish that are under 3 - 4 inches. For larger fish, the rule no longer works. For the small fish you are starting out with (barbs and tetras) it is a good guide.

I would do water changes (20 - 40%) weekly as you plan to. Look into buying a Python siphon/gravel vac - it will make water changes a breeze and you will be more likely to do them more frequently, or at least on schedule. Don't forget to add some dechlorinator before, or as you are refilling the tank.

Most fish are amazingly adaptable where pH is concerned. However, they don't like wild fluctuations. I use the aquarium Pharmaceuticals liquid pH test kit. When I was a noob, I used to check it every day, just to get a feel for how it fluctuated between water changes (it didn't).

The digital meters are cool if you like electronic toys, but don't feel compelled to buy one - the liquid tests are pretty accurate. Get a FW master kit or buy individual tests for pH, KH,GH, ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate. Like I said, I did them all daily when I was just starting out to get a feel for things, but now I test my water weekly.

I have never used Cycle, but the general consensus here is that it just doesn't work. Biospira is the only bacterial additive that seems to have a proven track record, but it's pretty hard to find. Did you check out the article about the nitrogen cycle? http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=21
Since you have already purchased fish, a fishless cycle is out of the question, so you will have to check your water parameters (ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate) daily, and be ready to do small water changes daily to prevent the ammonia from spiking. Fortunately, your fish are pretty hardy and hopefully you can cycle the fish without any losses. It will take 3 - 4 weeks to cycle your tank this way. In the meantime, keep looking for Biospira.

I like the way you decorated the tank - lots of places for the fish to hide out. Also, it's good that you got a decent number of fish - barbs and tetras feel more secure in a group of at least six individuals.

Keep your eye out for ich (white spot disease) - it's extremely common and very easy to get rid of. Feel free to post ???? here as things arise!

 

[lyquidphyre]

Welcome to AA!!!

most of the time its one inch for every gallon... but some fish, because of compatibility need more than that like goldfish and gouramis and puffers etc

Also, another thing I have learned is don't always trust the people at the LFS. That isn't to say they are all wrong... but listen to them and come back here and see if they were right before making anymore fish related purchases...

Your tank looks good =o)