New 55 Gallon Aquarium!

iamntbatman

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.

n1zjd

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

n1zjd

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

Angel079

Awesome water! That opens doors to uhm like anything but hard water loving cichlids. So really its a matter what do you LIKE?

n1zjd

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

magic_marty

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 ...

iamntbatman

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.

n1zjd

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.

n1zjd

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

n1zjd

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?