Just got a 55-gallon tank....

[lshin037]

Hello all..
First off, I'd like to say this website was very helpful in my research before starting a tank. Im sure I'll be coming back alot more as I get it started. I bought the essential items and wanted to see if I got everything I needed.
- 55 gallon tank (duh...im sure I need this one)
- Penguin 330 filter
- Tetratec 200W heater
- Gravel (green)
- Seachem Prime
Are the items above all I need to get started? I'll be adding decorations and maybe another filter later but was hoping this is all I needed initially to bring the tank "alive". The owner of the shop told me to get some fish to start the cycling process and then bring some water samples later on to see if it was ready to start adding the fish I wanted (havent decided yet...i wanted oscars but the wife want "cute, colorful fish"). I've read about fishless cycling but it sounded too complicated (hikes, stability issues, etc...).

[Karnaaj]

Do you have a hood with a light? How about a thermometer? Other than that you look good to go. You'll want to start out with maybe 3-5 hardy starter fish (ask if you need suggestions) and then wait a few weeks for your cycle to finish. If you can afford it you might want to get your own test kits. They come in real handy when you need to do some diagnosing and the lfs is closed.

[lshin037]

Do you have a hood with a light? How about a thermometer? Other than that you look good to go. You'll want to start out with maybe 3-5 hardy starter fish (ask if you need suggestions) and then wait a few weeks for your cycle to finish. If you can afford it you might want to get your own test kits. They come in real handy when you need to do some diagnosing and the lfs is closed.

Thanks for the reassurance. Yes, I do have a hood with light. I didnt think I needed a thermometer since there's one on the heater itself. I'd greatly appreciate it if you could recommend some starter fishes.

[Nuriel]

gravel vac is a good idea.

[Swimfins]

Its baaaad to subject fish to the trauma of uncycled water. You can run into all sorts of problems once you introduce the fish you want to keep.
My advice is cycle the tank with biospira, if you don't want to wait to cycle the tank.

Or, you can add a dozen ghost shrimp to the tank to cycle it and give you something to watch while your waiting. Feed them flakes, and this will start up the amonia that will turn to nitrite, and then to nitrate. You'll have a safe healthy tank, and in turn have a better chance at keeping the fish you want without problems, but this might take 10 days to 2 weeks.

[gsk177]

You must get a thermometer. Heaters are not an exact sience, and a thermometer will clue you in on a heater that may be going bad.

You also must get a test kit. You WILL need it when you cycle your tank and for future testing.

The best "starter" or "cycling fish" are no fish at all. Fishless cycling is very common and safe....look around the boards here and you will find many articles on how to do this safely.

I would HIGHLY suggest going to your LFS and seeing if you could get some already cultured media from them. Since you have a 55g, I would suggest getting at least a quart or so of some of their media to start your tank out. Depending on what type of filter you have, you can either place this media in a filter bag, or just pour it in your canister basket.

Cycling WITH fish is almost on par with using a canary to test for a gas leak in a coal mine....it gets the job done, but you risk killing something you are spending money and time on creating an environment for in the process.

Your LFS will gladly sell you, if not GIVE you, some of there cultured media if you ask. If they have a similar type filter already in use on one of their aquariums, see if they will sell you that one at the same price a new one costs. If they don't have a filter similar to your, you can always get their ceramic or "loose" media and put it in a filter bag. Even if your filter has no room for the bag, you can always just drop it in the tank and let it sit there.

Whatever you do, offer them some $$ either in direct payment or by buying something in the store...like a TEST KIT.

[lshin037]

Its baaaad to subject fish to the trauma of uncycled water. You can run into all sorts of problems once you introduce the fish you want to keep.
My advice is cycle the tank with biospira, if you don't want to wait to cycle the tank.

Or, you can add a dozen ghost shrimp to the tank to cycle it and give you something to watch while your waiting. Feed them flakes, and this will start up the amonia that will turn to nitrite, and then to nitrate. You'll have a safe healthy tank, and in turn have a better chance at keeping the fish you want without problems, but this might take 10 days to 2 weeks.

Isnt Biospira added the same time you add the fish? If so, does this mean I can get the fish I want right away as long as I put Biospira at the same time? It'd be great if that was the case.




You must get a thermometer. Heaters are not an exact sience, and a thermometer will clue you in on a heater that may be going bad.

You also must get a test kit. You WILL need it when you cycle your tank and for future testing.

The best "starter" or "cycling fish" are no fish at all. Fishless cycling is very common and safe....look around the boards here and you will find many articles on how to do this safely.

I would HIGHLY suggest going to your LFS and seeing if you could get some already cultured media from them. Since you have a 55g, I would suggest getting at least a quart or so of some of their media to start your tank out. Depending on what type of filter you have, you can either place this media in a filter bag, or just pour it in your canister basket.

Cycling WITH fish is almost on par with using a canary to test for a gas leak in a coal mine....it gets the job done, but you risk killing something you are spending money and time on creating an environment for in the process.

Your LFS will gladly sell you, if not GIVE you, some of there cultured media if you ask. If they have a similar type filter already in use on one of their aquariums, see if they will sell you that one at the same price a new one costs. If they don't have a filter similar to your, you can always get their ceramic or "loose" media and put it in a filter bag. Even if your filter has no room for the bag, you can always just drop it in the tank and let it sit there.

Whatever you do, offer them some $$ either in direct payment or by buying something in the store...like a TEST KIT.

What do you mean by cultured media?

[Harlock]

Tank setup checklist:

Tank
Top/Hood
Light
Filter
Gravel/substrate
Gravel vacuum
Decorations
Plants
Heater
Food
Water Conditioner
Net
Thermometer
Test Kits

and maybe a power strip to plug stuff in. These are the basics. If you go with llive plants, then you want to research your plants and determine what power of light you want, what fertilization they may require, if they need CO2 injection, and what type of filtration would best suit them, etc.

With Food, a variety is suggested as this tends to keep the fish healthier and less prone to certain problems.

For Water Conditioner, call your local water company and ask if they treat with chloramines. If the answer is yes, get a brand that actually eliminates ammonia like Prime or AmQuel.

Also, FWIW, I feel more than one Oscar can get a bit crowded in a 55 gallon, especillay since they are messy. You would need to overfilter this tank and be diligent about water changes and gravel vacuuming since they are messy eaters. In my opinon, the Penguin 330 wouldn't cut it.

And yes, when you use BIO-Spira, it directs you to dump in the BIO-Spira, the fish and sit back and wait. You would definitely want testing kits with BIO-Spira, as it has been known to sometimes "not take" and force someone into a fishy cycle. Trust me, if you are doing a fishy cycle, you will want to know for sure and keep track of it. Testing supplies are the only way to do this. I hope that helps and good luck! Oh yeah, and keep your eyes peeled to these boards. There are some great folks with so much knowledge about Aquaria it'll make your head spin. It's a great place to learn and grow in the hobby.

[mcps95]

The TetraTec heater isn't a standalone heater (no way to mount and isn't submersible), and is intended to be used inside a TetraTec HOB filter. Go with an Ebo Jager or Titanium submersible heater instead.

[gsk177]

By "cultured" media I mean media that has been seasoned with bacteria. Otherwise known as used media. This media is already established and has active bacteria already growing on it.

[LMOUTHBASS]

i cycled my first tank with fish because i didnt know any better -WHAT A MISTAKE!!! go the fishless cycle route with a bit of patience by holding off on buying fish in the long run you'll save yourself the headache, money, and heartache of killing fish from uncycled water - trust me

[Karnaaj]

You better be pretty sure of your lfs's tank health before you go getting some media from them. Its a great way to introduce something you do not want into your tank.

I know that some people are not going to like this but I see no reason not to cycle your tank with fish as long as you are willing to do the work necessary to keep them healthy. Maybe its because I started keeping fish before half the people on this forum were born and I'm too stubborn to change my ways but its my preferred way to cycle a tank. And I have not lost a fish this way in a very long time.

Bio-spira is an excellent product if you can find it. It is so popular the manufacturer can't keep up with the demand. But it is pretty expensive and if it was not handled properly from the warehouse to your lfs the cultures are not going to be viable.

[gsk177]

Good word of advice Karna. I forgot to mention that. My 2 LFS's have excellent water quality in their tanks so the thought never crossed my mind.

I keep so many biologicals in my main 55g tank that I never have to worry about cycling a new tank I may setup. Between me and my friends, I can find enough cultured media to setup enough tanks to stock 5 fish stores.

[Karnaaj]

I went in to my favorite lfs today to find that an entire bank of tanks (~25) had ich because a pump went out on the filtration system right after they closed up last night.

[Yo_Loach]

I wouldnt use green gravel like you wanted, Creates to much algea, same with brown gravel.

[Karnaaj]

How would the color of the gravel have any affect at all on algae growth?

[gsk177]

One pump goes out and everyone got Ich???? How the hell can that happen??

And yeah, how does gravel color affect algae growth??

[lshin037]

Thank you all for the tips. Thank God for the internet and forums like this. I'd rather hear it from experienced aquarists that I can ask and get answers from instead of reading a book. Got my tank running, waiting for the levels to go down. I've been trying to find slate rock for my aquarium. Any idea where I can get some? I tried the local Walmart gardening section but they only have large pebbles. Tried Petco but they dont sell slate rock.

[gsk177]

Try a garden center or a nursery, one that sells mulch and different landscaping stones. You might have to buy a huge stone and bust it into pieces. Might have a little more than you need, but if you really need some, that may be your only option.

[Blinky]

One pump goes out and everyone got Ich???? How the hell can that happen??

I'm guessing all the tanks that were affected are running on a centralized filtration system - most stores seem to do this.

And yeah, how does gravel color affect algae growth??
I'd like to know where this information comes from as well, and if there's any truth to it. I'm not a fan of coloured gravel myself, but don't see any harm in it, and I can't imagine something like colour affecting algae growth in any significant way, even if this theory has something to do with the way light is (or isn't) reflected off of different colours.

[gsk177]

If all tanks are running off of a centralized filtration system, then wouldn't it stand to reason that all the tanks had ich to start with?

[Karnaaj]

What I am thinking is that the ich was present before the pump failure but the fish were healthy enough to be able to fight it off. When the pump failed water conditions deteriorated to the point that the fish were weakened and therefore got infected. I don't know if this is true or not but it sounds good. :D

[gsk177]

Thats the only explanation I can think of that makes any sense.

[lshin037]

Finally took the advice and went to a landscaping supply store near my house. I picked out the rocks I wanted, which came to about 40lbs., and all the owner wanted was $5 for all of it. I only had $2 in cash and offered to pay by credit card but she just said $2 would be fine. Wow! I was going to buy them from a local LFS for $1.50/lbs. $2 sounds ALOT better than $60. All in all, Im content with my setup. Now all I gotta get is another filter (Penguin 170) to make it ready for the oscars.

[gsk177]

Stick with the forums a little longer and you will save even more $$$
The tips, advice and insider knowledge here is just something you really can't put a price on.
Before I joined this forum, I had no idea places like BigAlsOnline or Petsolutions even existed. Imagine my surprise when I saw the prices....it was like the day I found Ebay!!!!

The other tips and advice, such as fish selection, DIY projects and compatability are also invaluable. For example, buying sand from a home improvement store.....buying rocks from a nursery.....buying peat from a nursery....all the little "boy why didn't I think of that" sort of things. You just can't put a price on that.