New 55 gallon!!! The journey begins!

[emilyekk]

Okay (thanks to all of you), I bought a 55 gallon tank today that included two hoods with lights - off craigslist today.


I currently have it soaking in water to check for leaks (but I'm not to worried - the guy said he was using it as a cichlid aquarium but just upgraded them to a bigger tank - he also offered to help me set it up so I'm pretty sure it's leak free). Is it better to clean it with vinegar and water or water and salt?


I want to try my hand at live plants. I have never attempted live plants before though. What are the easiest type of plants to start with and what should I look for when I go to buy them? (I made the mistake of buying "aquarium" plants from petco before and they were NOT aquarium plants and I had to return them).


I also want to try sand for the first time. I have heard play sand works just as well - is sand just as easy as gravel substrate is to clean? (I have a python cleaner - will it just suck up all the sand or will it still separate debris from substrate?).

Also - the tank did not include a filter - can anyone make some recommendations on what type of filter would be the best for my tank?


Thanks and I'm SURE I'll have many more questions to follow!:dive2:

[DoN_WoN]

Okay (thanks to all of you), I bought a 55 gallon tank today that included two hoods with lights - off craigslist today.


I currently have it soaking in water to check for leaks (but I'm not to worried - the guy said he was using it as a cichlid aquarium but just upgraded them to a bigger tank - he also offered to help me set it up so I'm pretty sure it's leak free). Is it better to clean it with vinegar and water or water and salt?


I want to try my hand at live plants. I have never attempted live plants before though. What are the easiest type of plants to start with and what should I look for when I go to buy them? (I made the mistake of buying "aquarium" plants from petco before and they were NOT aquarium plants and I had to return them).


I also want to try sand for the first time. I have heard play sand works just as well - is sand just as easy as gravel substrate is to clean? (I have a python cleaner - will it just suck up all the sand or will it still separate debris from substrate?).

Also - the tank did not include a filter - can anyone make some recommendations on what type of filter would be the best for my tank?


Thanks and I'm SURE I'll have many more questions to follow!:dive2:

if you want to do heavy plants your gonna need better lighting that the two hoods, they are about 17watts for each, C02, is also recommended for plants

Sand, sand is about the same as gravel, the python will suck it up, when u do water changes just stir it around a bit to get air bubbles out, siphon the surface of the sand to get debre off.

for a filter, i would do either, 2 hang on back filters, Aquaclear 70's, or 1 Hang on back filter with a canister

im not a big plant person just have minimal plants in my betta tanks

[DoN_WoN]

also, pictures of the tank?? make a setup thread/build thread and progress

[bushwhacker]

emily i have always used salt and a sponge to clean a used tank. just rinse it real well after. a little salt left behind wont hurt a thing. i have playsand in all my tanks. debris settles on the top just hover your python over the surface and you can clean it really easy... be sure to rinse the he** out of that sand before placeing it in the tank. my plants grow fine in sand with 1.5 watts per gall. filters are yur choice tho i do love my rena xp3 canister.. or a cple good hobs will do the job on a 55 like the aqua clears

[Flamfish]

I'm cycling a 55 octagon tank with only one tetra whisper ex45. should I have two filters on it?

[emilyekk]

Thanks for the advice so far. =)
I will def. start an "in progress" thread soon.


What do you all think of these filters? I am still kind of a newbie to this and I don't know if I'd feel comfortable using anything other than a HOB filter... being that I don't know how to use any other kind, ahha.


http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp19169/si1382174/cl0/marinelandemperorbiowheel400powerfilter


http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsUS/ctl3684/cp19169/si3478845/cl0/tetrawhisperex70powerfilter


http://www.bigalsonline.com/BigAlsCA/ctl3684/cp19169/si1378657/cl0/aquaclear70powerfilter

[Flamfish]

sorry, what does hob mean. at first I thought it was a name brand but I'm not sure.

[NeonFlux]

I would suggest you purchase AquaClear 70, it is a very durable filter.

[emilyekk]

flamfish - HOB is "hang on back"

neonflux- could I just get one aquaclear 70? or do I need 2?

[abarilot]

I personally love my eheim 2026 on my 55g. Its more expensive but I love the silence.

[Flamfish]

you can't hear the motor or anything on mine just the trickle of water. I love the sound of running water.

[NeonFlux]

You could get 2 if you like, the more the better. If you plan to have a lot of fish, then yes it would be necessary to have 2 for the fish bio-load.