Questions about a new tank

[laurafish]

this forum looks wonderful!!!!!

i am starting a 55 gallon tropical freshwater community tank, and i want to do it right, so i have a few questions....

1. i've been reading the threads about sand in aquariums, and i'd really like to use white sand for mine. in some of the previous postings, people mention that you can use playground sand or blasting silica or pool filter sand, all of which are supposed to be cheaper than the sand at the LFS (i am already using your abbreviations.... ). but i think i also saw mentions here and there that playground sand can be ugly or dirty, or that silica either causes algae to grow or is too sharp and hurts cory cats. can anyone give the definitive opinion on sand? i don't have much money, so i'd like to go the cheaper route if possible, but i also don't want to cause problems that could be avoided by spending a few more dollars.

2. also, can i grow plants in sand? would it be best to mix it with a little kitty litter (also trying to find a cheap option...)? or is there another route to take?

3. i also am wondering about light in the aquarium. i have a 55 gallon, and it has places for two flourescent tubes of 19 watts each. there are 15-watt tubes in both now, and the aquarium looks kind of dark, still. it may not help that it came with black gravel, which i plan to remove. but i am thinking that even two 19-watt tubes may not provide sufficient light to grow plants in there. how bright do the tubes come? and can i use brighter ones in housings that say 19 watts? i am unsure of how to light the tank adequately, if i am limited to 19 watts per tube.

4. the aquarium comes with an emperor 400 filter with biowheel, which i'm guessing is just fine (supposed to be okay to 80 gallons). when i had my last tank, i made the mistake of fooling with pH up and pH down chemicals, but i have now been reading about cycles and am realizing i don't need to do that stuff, right? is there any other advice for a starter aquarium? what is bio-spira, and do you recommend it?

thanks for your help. this looks like a fabulous place, and i am excited that i'll be able to look at all the pictures of your aquariums.
laurafish

 

[Allivymar]

Sand is fine for plants; the type of sand you need is dependant on the type of tank. I know the SW folks look for Southdown sand at HomeDepot, but don't think its right for FW tanks (someone correct me here if I'm wrong). I use Tahitian Moon sand in my planted fw 10g (black sand), its LOVELY stuff but yeah, it was expensive. I personally would pass on playground sand.

You'll need to add something to the sand to provide nutrients to the plants; I've heard of folks using kitty litter. Think its really messy tho. I use laterite (also not cheap) but I know there are cheaper products on the market. If no one pipes up here about them, throw a post into the planted forum.

You are going to need a minimum of 1 watt per gallon (55 watts) of light for that tank if you are doing plants. 110 watts would be much better IMHO. Thing is (and I'm having the same prob), flourescents that size are too big for the hoods. Retrofitting can be an issue as well, as the subcompacts will most likely melt the plastic in the hoods. I put a post into the plant forum (which was moved to the DIY forum) about the same issue; go take a peek

The most important part of PH is it being stable. Most aquarium fish (with some exceptions like discus and african cichlids) can handle the Ph our taps put out. Keep in mind, the lfs you are buying from probably has the same or similar Ph levels. Plus, the hardness of your water and its buffering abilty wil affect your ability to change Ph. Better to leave it as you have discovered.

The cycle is the basis for keeping a healthy aquarium. If you haven't read this article yet: http://faq.thekrib.com/begin-cycling.html I strongly suggest you take a moment and peruse it. Explains it all in a nice easy to understand manner.

Bio_Spira is the only product on the market currently which will cycle a tank instantly; it contains the correct nitrifying bacteria. I've used it twice with great success. Means you instantly have the bacteria needed to convert ammonia and nitrite to nitrates; the fish won't be exposed to deadly levels of either. Of course you'll want to test your water frequently to make sure you didn't get a batch which was exposed to heat (it kills the bacteria; the stuff is kept refridgerated).

Generally all you'll need for water treatments is a dechlorinator/dechloraminater (I may have made that last word up LOL). Basically its product which removes chlorine and chloramine. Don't bother with one that removes ammonia; you only need that IF you have an ammonia problem IMHO.

Theres lots more LOL I'm sure the others will chime in with what I haven't covered.

 

[TankGirl]

On the sand issue, I have tried many types. I don't think you can get any cheaper than paving sand (sold next to the bricks and slate and rocks at the hardware store) as it is about $2 for a 20 pound bag. You gotta rinse the heck out of it, however, as there is a great deal of residual dust, and some of it is colored, but the color washes away instantly. I like it because it is coarse with some grains almost 4mm in size, most of the grains less. There are issues with sand, related to its tendency to pack (plants will help this, and they grow great in sand, just add some root tabs) so you need to stir it up once a month and/or get some Malaysian Trumpet Snails that burrow into sand. Sand also gets into your filter impeller and will fry your motor, so a foam prefilter over your intake (PM me if you need more info on that) is a must. Otherwise, I love it! You have to be gentle with the vacuuming, but once you get the hang of it, you can suck up the mulm that collects and leave the sand behind. Keep in mind that you will suck up a certain amount of sand, and it will go down your drain, so be ready for that.

The lighting issue is tricky, as Allivymar and I both have the same probelm on our 55's. Many will tell you that you need 3-4 watts per gallon but you can certainly grow low-light plants (java fern, java moss, crypts) with the standard tubes that come on a 55, dim as they are. There are retro-fit kits galore, or you can get shop lights and build your own hood. Depends upon what you want.

As you can see, you came to the right place for advice- we got plenty!

 

[tkos]

As for filtration it all depends on what you want to keep in the tank. A tank full of tetras will do fine with that sort of filtration. But add some plecos and all of a sudden it is no good. Some fish just produce tons of waste and need more filtration (goldfish and other colder water fish are super poopers). Small bodied fish tend to be much easier and also tedn to follow that silly 1 inch per gallon rule.

What fish are you thinking of in the tank?

And yes, stay away from messing with the pH. Find the fish that fit you tank instead of trying to make your tank fit the fish.

 

[Terry]

Find the fish that fit your tank instead of trying to make your tank fit the fish.

What a fantastic bit of advice.

All done with one sentance. I get so many people that come into the store with very hard water and want to keep Discus, then you will get the person with soft water that want's to keep Malawi's. If they looked at the fish and there conditions they would find it much cheaper than buying one thing to lower this and something else to make it higher. I am a shop keeper i love it when they spend there money, but i am also a hobbiest and i know how people feel when they are spend, spend, spend all the time.
Make the hobby easyier for yourself, if your waters is hard go for hard water fish. and if soft go for soft water, and it also save you money when you introduce a fish that you think might learn to adapt to the water and it dies.