Well, I figure now that I've been working on my first tank with very little help for over a year, and so far have fixed all of my problems the hard way, I'll join a community of aquariasts to maybe get some feedback on my choices and perhaps some good ideas.
I got the tank (55 gallon glass), a busted filter, some various accessories, a rundown lid and light bar, rocks, gravel, some driftwood and a water test kit from my neighbor as payment for letting him park his boat in a spare slot in my garage for a winter. It sat empty for a couple of years and then I got the itch to experiment.
The first step, of course, was a trip to PetSmart for some advice and to replace the beat up filter and air pump. I spent about $200 and ended up with a Whisper Model 60 filter, a heater and air pump and a bunch of chemicals. The setup took me no less than a month, because I really had no idea what I was doing. Once I felt comfortable that the water was decent, I bought three rainbow wags and three black mollies. The Wags survived, and bred. The mollies lived about eight months. I still have four of the wags in the tank, along with three bosemani rainbows, two silver angels, three congo tetras and two plecos. Given that the population of the tank has gone up by eight fish, I've decided on a tank overhaul, including new plants and a new filter. I just don't think the whisper is up to the task of 15+ fish. I've also put a new light bar in that delivers enough light to support the new plants and really show off the colors of the fish!
If you are still reading, you are most likely reminiscing about your experiences as a beginner, and quietly telling me I am an idiot for not seaking out expert advice earlier on (like when my water was literally pea soup for a week, I didn't know how to use the siphon! duh.). I even have a friend who is an expert and has offered me an Eheim 2227 that he has just sitting under his pool table. How's that for luck. I'm in the market and he just happens to have a barely used filter that he's willing to sell me! All the research that I've done points to this as the cream of the crop.
Now to my questions. There is a wave action inside of the Eheim 2227, will that action raise and lower the level in my tank? In the manual, it states that it converts CO2 to O2, don't I need CO2 in my chemistry? Does that eliminate my need for the air pump? When I install it should I recycle my biofilter, or just leave the HOB running for a week to establish the biofilter in the canister?
Well, that's all for now! Thanks for reading, and please feel free to comment and give advice. Obviously I need the help.
I got the tank (55 gallon glass), a busted filter, some various accessories, a rundown lid and light bar, rocks, gravel, some driftwood and a water test kit from my neighbor as payment for letting him park his boat in a spare slot in my garage for a winter. It sat empty for a couple of years and then I got the itch to experiment.
The first step, of course, was a trip to PetSmart for some advice and to replace the beat up filter and air pump. I spent about $200 and ended up with a Whisper Model 60 filter, a heater and air pump and a bunch of chemicals. The setup took me no less than a month, because I really had no idea what I was doing. Once I felt comfortable that the water was decent, I bought three rainbow wags and three black mollies. The Wags survived, and bred. The mollies lived about eight months. I still have four of the wags in the tank, along with three bosemani rainbows, two silver angels, three congo tetras and two plecos. Given that the population of the tank has gone up by eight fish, I've decided on a tank overhaul, including new plants and a new filter. I just don't think the whisper is up to the task of 15+ fish. I've also put a new light bar in that delivers enough light to support the new plants and really show off the colors of the fish!
If you are still reading, you are most likely reminiscing about your experiences as a beginner, and quietly telling me I am an idiot for not seaking out expert advice earlier on (like when my water was literally pea soup for a week, I didn't know how to use the siphon! duh.). I even have a friend who is an expert and has offered me an Eheim 2227 that he has just sitting under his pool table. How's that for luck. I'm in the market and he just happens to have a barely used filter that he's willing to sell me! All the research that I've done points to this as the cream of the crop.
Now to my questions. There is a wave action inside of the Eheim 2227, will that action raise and lower the level in my tank? In the manual, it states that it converts CO2 to O2, don't I need CO2 in my chemistry? Does that eliminate my need for the air pump? When I install it should I recycle my biofilter, or just leave the HOB running for a week to establish the biofilter in the canister?
Well, that's all for now! Thanks for reading, and please feel free to comment and give advice. Obviously I need the help.
