New Member with Q's?

PonyMan

Hello guys, I'm not new to the fish keeping world but I am new to the NEW technology of fish keeping today! I kept fish as a kid but I can see now that things have drastically changed, for the better of course! I have a 20g tank and a 10g tank already setup and running. I just purchased a 55g tank and am in the process of setting it up. I am in no hurry and I intend on doing this tank right, from the start. I am building a stand for it this weekend and will take my time with the rest of the tank setup. I plan on giving it 3 to 4 weeks run time before introducing fish. The tank is the one you can purchase as a kit from walmart. It is about 7 months old and I got it for only $50.00! It has an aquatech 30-60g HOB filter system. Two questions: 1. Would it be a good idea to add a 2nd HOB filter for better filtration? And if so, do I upgrade to a higher gallon HOB filter or just add say a 10-30g HOB filter? 2. Will I need a powerhead to help circulate water and if so, 2 small ones or 1 large one? Do I even really need a powerhead for this tank. Oh and it will be a fresh water tank. TIA for any help you guys can offer! I look fwd to participating in the forum and getting to know the members here!

Steve

GwenInNM

Welcome Steve! It's an informative forum. I don't know anything about the aquatech, I'm sure someone will chime in. Have you checked out reviews on it? I would see how that one works for you, before you add anything else. You may decide you don't like it (noisy, etc) and want to upgrade. Some fish prefer less water movement, so that may be a consideration, before you go to overboard on filtration. I think just doing weekly water changes is the best course of action, IMO. Are you familiar with the cycling process? I'm not sure just letting a tank run without introducing waste, will give you the right results when you start introducing fish. See what others say.

Gwen

PonyMan

Hi Gwen and thanks for responding! I did read up on the sticky notes here about the cycling and am actually considering doing the straight ammonia technique.

Steve

GwenInNM

That's a better way to go than putting fish in danger. I did the fishless method with a piece of jumbo raw shrimp in a small net bag, and it worked wonderfully.

Gwen

Byron

On the filter, decide first what type of fish you intend in the tank. As Gwen said, different fish have different needs with respect to water movement, plus there is usually a need for more filtration if you intend larger fish as opposed to smaller fish. Also, live plants have a bearing on filtration needs, and filters can affect the plants negatively.

And welcome to Tropical Fish Keeping forum.

Byron.

PonyMan

Hey thanks for the replies and the warm welcome you guys! I am thinking I'm going to go with a sand substrate, been reading up on it and am looking hard at the pool filter type sand, thinking a large nice piece of driftwood and some medium to large river stones. In the process of converting an old coffee table into the tank stand. Should turn out nice. Will attach a pic if I can. Thanks again guys for the warm welcome and getting back with me!

Attached Images

The55G 002.jpg (64.1 KB, 22 views)

Byron

That will make a very nice stand.

Pool sand is usually white and that is not good for most fish that feel more relaxed over a darker substrate. I have heard there is a black pool sand, if you can find it, I've never seen it myself. I like sand in aquaria, and use playsand that is a gray/tan colour. This is a bit light in the aquarium compared to dry, but it tends to darken and with plants, wood, etc. can look very natural. It does take a lot of initial rinsing to get most of the dirt out, but once in the tank it is worth it.

Byron.

PonyMan

Thanks Byron! I read about the quickcrete play sand at the local home improvement stores. So that would be a better choice than the pool sand? And I know that you have to clean, clean, clean, clean, clean the sand like crazy before adding it to the tank! LOL

Steve

Matt68046

small grade grit would work too, dark in color and it traps stuff above the surface just like sand.

PonyMan

Hey Matt and thanks for the reply! I'm not familiar with small grade grit? What is that?

Steve