Ok gang, here we go-55 gallon setup

[woodyblueeyes]

Afternoon everyone,

Ok, the 55 gallon is in the den, on its stand, full of water, the Aquatech 30-60 filter is going (yeah I know it's not the best, but I have an Emporer 400 on order, should be here in a few days, got a great price from Petco.com.)


I've put a couple of rocks in it just so it doesn't look so empty.
I put down some marine sand base, the peppered that with some aquarium gravel.
I've put one plant in it, a wisteria, still in the root wool, the Mrs. is at Wal Mart and is bringing home a few more plants to help start the cycle.

Before I put 5 tabs of start right in I did a water test, just to see what the tap looks like. I got the following results.

ph = 8.0
NO2 = 0.3, actually looks less than that, but that's the last color on the test chart.
Ammonia = 1.5 mg/l - according to test papers, that seems a tad high, so I'm going to do another test tomorrow after church, let the filter run and turn the water over and give the start right tabs a chance to work on the tap.

So....am I missing anything? Any of you that are farther along than I please chime in. Do I just wait for the spikes to occur? Or should I add some other ingredients to help it along?

Once the Emporer 400 arrives, I'll have it and the aquatech 30-60 turning the water over, so I'm hopeful the two in tandem will be sufficient for the 55 gal. tank.

OH...almost forgot. Driftwood. I'd like to get some and add it to the tank. Can I go to the river or a lake around here and find some? Or is it necessary to buy some from an LFS? Didn't know if there were any particulars...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v228/woodyblueeyes/55galstart2.jpg


Woody

[chunksofpoooo]

well, to start:

As far as cylcing is concerned go to http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquamag/cycling.html
to learn about fishless cycling. Its best to go to your local hardware store and pick up some pure ammonia, make sure the bottle says "pure ammonia" because often ammonia cleansers contain perfumes or other chemicals you wouldnt want. A quick way to test is to give the bottle a shake; the liquid will foam if there are other chemicals in it, pure ammonia will not. Next you have to worry about the concentration of ammonia. Ive heard the best thing to do is to add ammonia to your tank until the test reads 5ppm, record however much ammonia you added, and add that same amount every day until you get a nitrIte spike, then reduce it to 2/3 - 1/2 the original amount.

Second, picking up some driftwood from outside requires some extra work, from what ive heard. You often have to treat it by boiling it for a period of time. Also driftwood can color the water if not treated. I dont know much about treating the driftwood, so someone will have to help me on this one. I read that you have to bake it for a few hours to kill the bacteria, and then boil it for several hours to treat it so it doesnt give the water an orange tinge.

Third; the ammonia levels in your tap water....
anyone else see this as a bit high?

fourth, a question; what are you planning to put in the tank? you might want to consider a few more objects for your fish (plants, rocks, stuff), but thats just my two cents.

last, from what ive heard, plants compete with the bacteria for ammonia and nitrites, so it might be best to take the plants out of the root-wool and keep them in a different tank, or bucket....something else. Use the rock wool to help start the cycle, place them in the filter, or anywhere in the tank. Once your nitrIte levels drop you can add the plants.

Im going from what ive heard from other people, so if ive made a mistake please someone correct me. Hopefully i havent just reiterated what you already know

[125gJoe]

... ....
OH...almost forgot. Driftwood. I'd like to get some and add it to the tank.... ...
WoodyI prefer African driftwood since it looks unique and it sinks on its own - you won't need to anchor it down with rock or slate.

[woodyblueeyes]

Thanks for the thoughts. I don't have everything in the tank yet, I'll add a few more things as time permits. I just wanted to get it started and get the environment cycling.

Last night I checked again and the ph was still at 8.0, the ammonia was lower at just above 0.25, so I'm guessing that's getting better.

I'm waiting for my Emporer 400 to get here, should be about a week, then I'll have the two filters working together.

I do have a question though. I've seen some pics that have what looks like grass on their aquarium floor? Is there a name for that? I haven't seen any at either of my LFS's so I'll probably need to order it online?

[fishpoor]

and DR. Fosters has it in their catalog, so probably online. Try aquabid also