Beginner with 55g and a few questions

J

JimmyTheDriver

AC Members
Dec 13, 2009
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Good morning,

Just picked up a used 55g tank and stand, plus a few other goodies. Also bought an established filter off the guy. I have been doing a bit of reading around here and it appears that was a good move. The guy has about 30 tanks around his house, and I trust his established filter is good. From what I have read, this will help me in my initial cycle. While I plan to continue reading learning, I have a few beginner questions...


1) I plan to do a fish-in cycle. I filled the tank today and added some water conditioner ("Ammo Lock 2"). After I let the tank sit for 24 hours, I would like to add a few fish (6 danios and 6 cories) to feed the existing bacteria pending a good water reading. Smart move? After that, I would monitor water daily and probably wait a week or two until adding more.

2) Are live plants a good idea to start with? If so, what are some hardy ones that do not need any additional technology outside of standard lighting, filter, heater?

Thansk!
Jimmy
 
The established filter was a great idea. I wouldn't add cories yet they can be kinda iffy with newly set up tanks. The danios should be fine, just keep a close eye on the params for a while. You could do some mosses (java for instance) and some anubias to start with.
 
Thanks! I will head in the that direction.

Is 6 danios a good start for my fish-in cycle, or should I grab a few more? In the end, I want to have a bunch of smaller fish over a few larger ones. Will probably end up with a community theme of some danios, tetras, and a handful of other small, colorful, friendly species.

-Jimmy
 
My advice is to be patient. Do NOT rush.

Cycle with the Danios since they are extremely hardy fish. Slowly add fish to the tank in the upcoming weeks. Purchase SeaChem Stability which will help cycle the tank even though you transfered the filter.

I do not know much about plants but I believe you need to do some research in substrate.

What type of filter do you have? Its always a good idea to run a second filter.
 
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Hi Jimmy- Welcome. Nothing wrong with cycling with the 6 danios. I did the same when starting a 55 (about one year ago). Those danios are still doing great in my tank. As for the cories, I'd definitely wait on those. I know that some of the cats including ottos do far better when placed into a well established tank. Make sure you monitor frequently during the cycling process.
Andy
 
I would definitely add another filter. The current filter just meets your requirements. IMO, its a good idea to have double to triple the filteration power.
 
Thanks accord - I guess I will look into another filter in a while.

Andy - I plan to add the Danios tonight. I will head to the petstore first to grab a test kit to check out the water. Is there any one value (Ammonia, Nitrate, Nitrite) that should stop me from adding them? From what I have read, seems like all three may be a bit off at first. I read the fish-in cycle instructions, and they make it sound like the point of adding the hardy fish it to help normalize the water a bit.

I have already added the appropriate amount of "Ammo Lock 2" to condition the water.

-Jimmy
 
Also, any value of ammonia or nitrites would be a good reason NOT to add the fish. You probably will not find much other than nitrates in the first day or 2 of testing. I hope this helps.

Tim
 
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