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new tank to be set up

965 views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  MinaMinaMina 
#1 ·
hello, i have a dalmatian lyertail molly that was given to my daughter as a present. i was unaware that it would grow to be 5inches and it quickly did just that. she have peaceful community fish in her tank and it needed to be moved asap as it was eating and killing the other fish. I have used this as an excuse to talk my husband into getting a large tank (as i have always wanted one) and have my eye set on a brand new 60 gallon tank that will eventually house this molly (along with other semi aggressive tropical fish of course). i have never had a tank of this size and was wondering if anyone had any tips on a successful start up and products to use. my biggest concern is filtration and also i will be putting live plants inside the tank. i want to try to keep the tank as natural as possible, but would like to know if there is anything special that is needed for a larger tank then a smaller one.
 
#2 ·
hey, I also have a 60 gallon tank :) It's not that hard to set up pretty much the same as a small tank besides the plants. I would figure out what you want to do first... like if you want to have the fancy substrate and co2 canister and fertilizer ...also look at lighting .. see how tall the tank is and how much light is needed etc. or you can throw some hardy plants in and they might last a few months and slowly die or get torn up by the fish haha. after that I guess you can get your plants and wait until the tank is cycled properly like most people suggest you do which you can do buy testing the water with strips. if you dont wanna buy them most fish stores can test it for free :) also not sure how big the other tank is but just throw some of that water in the new tank and it might help with the cycling .
as for the molly being aggressive thats funny maybe he will be nicer in a larger tank? is it a male or female ? maybe get some females if it is a male so he has something to do lol, also are you sure its a molly? normally they are peaceful and will leave the other fish alone. but i guess some are jerks like that.

as for a filter i like aquaclear because there not that expensive and seem to work ok you can get the aquaclear 110 for extra filtration... you can also do a canister filter which is more expensive but really good as well its just annoying to clean sometimes . as for cleaning the tank most people will say you dont have to gravel vac a planted tank because the plants will break down or use the waste ..so this is good but if you want i believe you can just gently gvac the top around the plants a bit if it gets really gross.
a good declorinator is Prime in a red bottle it will last a long time because its really concentrated..and just get a bacteria supplement like cycle.
I guess thats the basics on what i did/would do lol hope this was a help anyways ... i have worked in a fish store for 2 years, i am not very good with live plants .. i kno basic things but im sure someone else here would be more help on that topic :)
<3 steph
p.s pearl gourami < such a cute fish i would get one! haha
 
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#3 ·
it is a molly, i brought it to the pet store to figure it out. i thought the same but the problem is that it is with fish that are considered it's food. so i had to separate him into a smaller tank so that he would stop killing the other fish. he looks so lonely...make me sad :( though i believe he is a male and i am going to get him a some beautiful women to occupy his time. i am going to start with them first and see how they do being in a school. i read that he may be aggressive because he is lonely. so i am going to work on getting him where he will be stable and tank mates of his own kind before i make a solid judgment on what to pair him with. though he will have a pleco as a tank mate, as my daughter's needs to be relocated as it is about 6 inches already and looking cramped in the 10 gallon tank. :)
 
#4 ·
Welcome to fishkeeping, and welcome to TFK!

I wanted to add to be sure to get your larger tank exactly level. It doesn't really matter with very small tanks like a 10g, but with a larger tank you will want to be sure to get it perfectly level to avoid future issues with stressing and leaks. :-D

And, to just clarify some previously mentioned things-

Research how to do a "fishless" cycle. It is cruel to use fish for a "fish-in" cycle, and there are quick and easy ways to cycle without harming fish. You can start by reading here http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/freshwater-articles/bacteria-freshwater-aquarium-74891/ and here http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...inners-guide-freshwater-aquarium-cycle-38617/
And on planted tanks here http://www.tropicalfishkeeping.com/...approach-natural-planted-aquarium-part-34861/
(You'll see that adding water from an established tank will do nothing, but "seeding" with biomedia from a HEALTHY established tank (filter media, substrate, decor, plants) will be very helpful.)

You'll need to purchase a API Master Kit, which is a liquid testing kit that will inform you of your tank's pH, Ammonia, Nitrite, and Nitrate. These are values you MUST have when cycling your tank and being a new fishkeeper. Test strips are notoriously innaccurate, pretty worthless. Pet stores may test for free, but they often use test strips or give you readings like "okay" or "normal". You'll need to know the exact values, the convenience of testing your water at home, and the accuracy of a liquid test kit.

While you're cycling your tank, you can decide on which fish you'd like to have. You can look up the fish and plant profiles at the top of the page labeled "Tropical Fish Profiles" in the dark blue navigation bar. The rest of the tank (plants, lights, decor, filtration, etc) should be set up around the needs of the fish. You can post questions here at each stage and we can guide you through the innumerable choices out there.

Please note that having female livebearers can lead to hundreds of babies within a short month or two. Females can even store sperm for months after having been removed from a male! All the babies are cute at first... until you're out buying a bazillion new tanks for all the babies, not being able to find homes for them, being turned down by stores that may have said that they'd take the babies back, etc. Its really insane how quickly you can get buried under a mound of livebearer fry! So first rule of fishkeeping- research, research, research! And we're here to do whatever we can to help! Good luck!
 
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