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New 55 Gallon Aquarium!

3K views 22 replies 6 participants last post by  n1zjd 
#1 ·
I will hopefully be getting a new 55 gallon aquarium sometime next week so I just wanted to get a thread going for it. Im apt to have some questions along the way. Ill update the thread as things get progressing. Thanks
 
#2 ·
:thumbsup: Congratulations...apart from what I hammered you with in the other threads, I'll be quiet now unless new questions pop up :lol:
 
#4 ·
Thanks, I cant wait! I would like to have Angelfish in this tank. How many would you suggest I get?
 
#5 ·
I'd get a pair. You don't wanna "stuff" the 55g full of Angels and have no one else in it (eg your Molies).
 
#6 ·
Haha ok. I was actually kinda leaning towards having just angels and corys in it but maybe your right and it should have a bit of a variety. Besides that after doing more reading about Angels, seems thats about the most you would want in a 55 anyway due to their size. Although I will admit I was thinking about 4-6 hehe. Sure wish I had the tank already!
 
#7 ·
Oh yeah also wanted to ask whether or not its recommended to make a DIY canister filter? Im pretty darn handy with tools and see no reason why I wouldnt build one as easily as I could buy one. My only question would be as to what the filter material should be. Dont get me wrong, Im not so much trying to be cheap, well partially maybe, but I enjoy building things myself. If for some reason its not recommended then I will forget about it, but it just seems all to easy to do.
 
#8 ·
A good canister you can pick up for $70 (Like the Eheim 2213). How much a DIY in materials will cost you I have no idea. You'd need to make sure of a proper flow rate (pump rate) for one; for materials I pers use Bio balls followed by very corose sponges and they get finer & finer towards the top of the canister.

If you do DIY Canister PLEASEEEEE post with pictures in our DIY section here how you're going about it, there'll be plenty people REAL happy over a new DIY project!!!
 
#9 ·
Thinking about it cost wise your right it might not make much of a difference but would be fun nonetheless so I am still considering it. Now Ive got a difficult question, I really dont care for the substrate thats in my current 10 gallon community tank. I have some that I do like however. Is it at all possible to swap it out? I dont have to worry about damaging plants because there is only one newly introduced live plant that Im not even 100% sure is alive. The biggest thing will be moving the fish to another place for the swap. Let me know if its at all possible please, I suppose I also could just put another thin layer over the top.
 
#10 ·
I'd chose substrate based of the fish that live in there. Most fish like Angels, like Neon's etc etc come from dimly lit frost stream...so I'd chose something dark (dark brown, black sand or fine gravel).
Just suck out some water from you 10g into 2 buckets: Catch your Mollies put them in 1 bucket, catch your Neon's put in the other bucket, take your plants out split them into the 2 buckets.
Drain the rest of the tank (Turn filter & heat off) take the unwanted gravel out (I love shop vac's for this job that can do wet/dry) and replace with XYZ that you'd like to see in there. Fill up with conditioned water, put plants back turn filter & heater on put fish back.

I'd not suggest mixing...with each gravel vacuum cleaning you'll just mix that up and it'll look less then good over time. I have done this "rearranging of tanks" like described above sooo many time, no problem at all.
 
#11 ·
A really nice 55g stocking plan:
-A pair of angels
-8-10 corydoras
-8-10 rummynose tetras
-Maybe a single dwarf cichlid like a ram
-1 bristlenose pleco

Pretty heavy stocking but with good filtration, lots of plants and weekly water changes you should be just fine.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the replys everyone. Today I bought a Freshwater Master test kit as well as a GH and KH test kit. In my talks with Angel previously she had mentioned whether or not I have hard or soft water. I can figure this out with the GH test kit correct? I havent tested GH or KH yet but I have tested everything else.

Ammonia - 0 ppm
Nitrate - 0 ppm
Nitrite - 0 ppm
pH - 7.4

Ive only got a 10 gallon community aquarium right now, is my pH ok? Im going to test GH and KH in a minute so any replys would be greatly appreciated.

I also bought some plant bulbs so I can get some underwater farming going on. Unfortunately right now Ive only got Aponogeton and Waterlilly but its a start. Oh and a supposedly live fern I bought a while ago but whether or not its live is still in question. I wanted to get some Amazon swords but it was sold in the plastic container like the fern was and Im not sure of the quality and dont feel like throwing away another $10 when it might not be alive.

Cheers
 
#13 ·
This test was difficult for me because I am mildly color blind and I didnt have the wife here to help me with this one so I may not be accurate here but as best as I could figure it out....

KH took 4 drops so dKH 4
GH took 2 drops so ppm KH/GH == 35.8

Now these numbers make no sense to me so I would love some input. Also, I can retest later when the wife gets home at 6pm for a more accurate test result
 
#14 ·
Awesome water! That opens doors to uhm like anything but hard water loving cichlids. So really its a matter what do you LIKE?
 
#15 ·
Haha I told you we had good water here! Poland Springs wanted it for a reason! lol well thats good to know. I like cichlids but its not my ultimate goal someday, Discus. Ive done a little bit of research but need to do far more. I have a friend that has Discus who can help me out if I run into trouble, but like I said, I feel I need to gain more experience before spending that kind of money on fish. I dont like even losing a Neon Tetra, RIP, Ive lost two so far, one was weak when I got it and the other was the one the mollies did the most damage too.

I really wanted to setup a 10 gallon nano reef today but my LFS doesnt do ANY saltwater. I did locate a store where I can get live rock and everthing else though. My kids will never be happy until we own a Nemo, lol. And its a new challenge. I like challenges. The petstore had a 29 or 30 gallon tank with stand, hood, and two filters today for $119. I almost did it! But I do really want a 55 so I opted not to. Im also waiting on a price for a 29 gallon tank locally. The wife isnt happy about me wanting all these tanks but she will get over it!

Is a pH of 7.4 acceptable for my small community tank? I cant wait for these bulbs to start growing so I can have some plant life in the tank. Cheers
 
#16 ·
if you like to build things you should check out some of the diy wet/dry sump filters they do a much better job filtering then canister filters.they add water volume to your system and are easier to clean plus move way much more water amounts then canister filters.plus a real good canister will cost several hundred $ and you can build a very nice sump filter for less then $100.00 which will pump way more , upwards of 800 g per hour , most canisters will only pump 300 g per hour if your lucky.just google diy wet dry sump filters and there is tons of info online and some very good ideas anywhere from using 5 gal buckets to using rubbermaid storage bends as media containers its very interisting what people have came up with that works very well and is very inexpensive to build..the most expensive part you will need to buy is the pump, i found on ebay a 1250 gph pump for less then $60.00 free shipping ..i myself am going to build one when i set up my breeder tank cause i want it to be super filtered clean so im targeting 500 g per hour filtration for a 29 g tank i know it sounds like to much but in my opinion you can never over filter a tank..

good luck ...
 
#17 · (Edited)
Assuming the fish you're buying locally come from similar water conditions to what you've got, you should be able to house the fish you're talking about with no problems. Since your water isn't incredibly hard, you should be able to lower your pH gently via driftwood and/or peat in your filter, if you want to get a real Amazonian sort of setup going. Keep an eye out on Craigslist for 55g tanks! 55's are common enough that you'll pay about the same for one as you would for something like a 29g. I was in Petsmart a week or two ago and they had brand new 55g tanks with lighted hoods for something like $115 or so.

As for the nano reef...even a 10g nano reef can run you a pretty penny in comparison to a much larger freshwater tank. That, plus saltwater tanks are a completely different animal in terms of care. I would recommend doing tons of research on them (we have a great saltwater community here that could get you pointed in the right direction) before making any purchases.
 
#18 ·
Yes Im aware that its a whole new world, part of the reason I want to get into it. Ive been reading most every thread on hear regarding saltwater as well as reading many threads on nano-reef.com Its something I just have to try! Personally I dont think I will have any issue getting into it. And yes I do plan to get a secondhand 55g tank. Ive had my eye on a couple of them around $200. I have the cash for it I just need time to go look at some now.

The 29 gallon tank was just something local that I think I might be able to get a good/great deal on and I just wont pass those up lol. Even if it sits in my garage until I actually put it to use. Ive got a 20g right now that still sits in storage. I know, I know, why you using a 10G when you have a 20? Simple reason is I personally dont like the tank. IMO its more of a terrarium than it is an aquarium with the built in background it has, but really I guess it is indeed an aquarium because its got a small water pump in it that creates a waterfall, I just simply dont like it.

The wife had her eye on some reptiles today at the petstore and I think its much better suited for that purpose.

I expect to have a 55G within a week or two.
 
#19 ·
Alright KH/GH test was done again under the much better eyes of my wife and now things have changed...lol

KH took three drops to get the desired color....

GH took 7 drops to get the desired color....

Now Im not fully understanding the diagram they provide with the test kit

The diagram is as follows.....

# of Drops | °dKH | ppm KH/GH
1 1 17.9
2 2 35.8
3 3 53.7
4 4 89.5
5 5 107.4
6 6 125.3
7 7 143.2

So can someone help me out here, what exactly does this all mean? Is my water not as good as we maybe thought it was? Thanks for the help folks.

Cheers
 
#21 · (Edited)
Did I read that your test kit is an Aquarium Pharmaceuticals? If so it's the same one that I have.

Your KH @ 3 degrees hardness is at the high side of the low scale. Meaning 0-3 degrees is the low range of Kh. If it gets too low you could see rapid Ph swings. But it's not horrible.

Gh of 7 degrees isn't terrible. It's a bit harder but HARD water is 11 degrees (200 ppm) and up. Do you have something in your aquarium that is possibly raising your Gh? To be at the lower range of Kh yet have a higher Gh is kind of backwards. Softer (more acidic) water has lower Kh and Gh readings. Are there sea shells, crushed coral, anything that may be adding calcium to the water? Limestone, marbel, etc...
 
#20 ·
Bump.

Anyone? Are these numbers ok?

°dKH 3
PPM KH/GH 143.2

Is there a good link on here I can read up on about water quality?
 
#22 ·
I haven't had my coffee yet and I went back reread the entire post. Your water parameters are not bad for a Ph of 7.4 I may be wrong but I am thinking that with a 7 degree Gh your buffering capacity (Kh) should be a bit higher than it is currently at 3 degrees. That's why I asked if you have something that could be adding hardness to the water or is this your tap water test? I really need some coffee...
 
#23 ·
Hmm, well it could be KH 4, it was yellow at 3 but not bright yellow. Yes, the wife did have a seashell in there at one time, and no this is the results of testing water out of the aquarium not tap water. The shell was removed about a week ago. And yes its the AP test kit. Thanks for the response!
 
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