New Tank - New To Fish - Need Help

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 live 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. The brands I use are Tetra, Hikari, and Wardley's. Research is key to discovering what are the best options for certain fish.

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. I use Prime. It is highly concentrate so usually requires a smaller dose.

Your tank is listed as a 120 Gallon (48x24x24) by All-Glass Aquarium. Yes, please read the stickies. You will learn so much from them. Especially look into the Cycling thread and consider a fishless cycle.

You are posting to the Freshwater section of Aquaria Central, so I am forced to assume you are going with a freshwater tank. If that's the case, you've no need of a coral filter. As for what brands and types, I suggest you research. There are Hang on back (HOB, HOT) filters, there are internal filters, there are Undergravel and Reverse Flow Under gravel filters (UGF and RF-UGF), canister filters, sponge filters... To me, a good all around choice is the HOB filters. They do the job effectively. In a tank that large though, it can be tough to get enough filtration without going the canister route or even something larger. For the money, I don't think the canister can be beaten in ease of use, ease of maintenance and lowness of volume for operation. A good rule of thumb is to have between 5 times to 10 times your total water volume turned over per hour by the filtration (more for messy fish, less for lower numbers or less messy fish). You are looking at ~1200 gallons per hour for your tank on the higher end. That can get expensive. Again, if money is no object, I'd go cainster all the way, but that's only my opinion. As for brands, Rena and Eheim have outstanding reputations from everyone I have spoken to that uses them. If you go with HOB filters, then AquaClear and Marineland (Penguin, Emperor) have solid reputations. I use Penguins myself.

For heaters, I've seen many folks recommend Tronic and Ebo-Jager. Some folks do not like the newer Ebo-Jagers manufactured by Eheim, but I happen to own two and so far so good. They control the temp accurately, as promised. If I set the temp to 79 degrees, the tank stays 79 degrees. None of that setting a heater to 81 to keep the water at 78 business.

For a test kit, I use the Nutra-Fin Master Test Kit by Hagen. For a gravel vacuum I really love my Python.

One more suggestion: buying the tank and stand locally is a great way to go since they are heavy and lot of places won't ship them anyway. After that, I would get some ideas on prices from your local fish store (LFS) and then check out Big Al's. They'll beat any price by 5% and generally, they don't have to as they sell things cheap. I ordered everything in my tank except plants and fish from Big Al's. Good customer service, best prices and nice return policy. That's about all I can think of off the top of my head. Please excuse any typos, I was in a rush.

Criminal_Colt said:

Sorry I should have said I am living in Sydney Australia. Still I'm sure a lot of the brands will be relevant, even if Big Al's is a bit far to drive.

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No worries, mate. We do have some Aussie members running about, maybe one of them can pitch in and let us know if there are some cheap sites to order from down under.

Criminal_Colt said:

For a tank that size what would you expect to pay? US $ is fine I will convert. I am currently offering $300 AUS ($230 US) for the tank and stand. I was cautious as I don't know how much the equipment will cost me. I will check out Big Al's for a guide I guess.

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That totally depends on a few things. Is the tank new or used? I cannot buy a new tank that size and a stand for it for $230 or less here in the states. Honestly, if budgeting is an issue, I might look for a smaller tank. Filtration for that tank is going to be quite a bit of expense and on top of that, there's all kinds of doovers you'll need to pick up as well.

Criminal_Colt said:

Thanks for the heads up on the pump. Now I know what to look for. I would prefer one that filters through the gravel so the bacteria live in the substrate. Could you explain what a canister filter system is? I am looking but I can't seem to find out how it works. I would be trying to avoid anything that hangs on the side as the tank has no roof.

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The beneficial bacteria will live in the substrate no matter what kind of filtration you use. It's where they colonize naturally. The bacteria will also live in the filter media of any filter you use as well as on ornamentation in the tank.

Criminal_Colt said:

As for the heater what wattage should I be looking for?

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I would get two 200 watt heaters. Place one at either end of the tank, makng sure at least one is close to a filter intake so its heat can be picked up and spread throughout the tank efficiently.

Criminal_Colt said:

I will do a fishless cycle as it will allow more time for bigger budgeting.

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Cheers, mate. Fishy cycling is hard on the fish and the owner in my opinion, as the poor buggers can die pretty easily and you have to do a lot of water changes. Water isn't cheap where I live, so that matters.

Criminal_Colt said:

Thanks for such a descriptive post. You guys have one of the most helpfull forums I have ever seen.

Thanks.

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Always a pleasure to help.

Criminal_Colt said:

EDIT: I had no idea pumps would be so expensive. Maybe I can find a second hand unit.

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Heh, yeah, they can get expensive. That's why I like the HOB Filters. Your tank could do with just 2 Aquaclear 110 Power Filters. That would be a great amount of filtration. Those filters are listed on Big Al's for $31.99 each and have a very good reputation. I know you're worried that the tank has no lid, but you can buy one. You mentioned the tank has a glass top. Usually glass tops have plastic bits on the back that are made so you can cut them with a utility knife to make room for heater cords, airlines, power filters, what have you. If that's the case, there's no need to worry about the power filters hanging on the back.

Criminal_Colt said:

2nd EDIT: I just saw that there are cheaper ones available. I will check some things out and post some equipment. Hopefully some people can rate it for me.

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Yeah, when I was first looking into strting up an aquarium again, I had to nix plans on a bigger tank and went with a smaller one that would fit my budget better. Prices add up quickly!

Criminal_Colt said:

3rd EDIT: Would something like a Eheim Compact 600 be suitable? http://www.aquaticlifeaquariums.com.au/

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First of all, that filter is rated at 265 gph. You would need about 4 of those for what I would consider proper filtration on that tank. Of course, I come from the school that says you cannot over filter a tank. Also, Internal filters are harder to perform maintenance on, and that will be an issue down the road. If you're worried about what the HOB filters may look like on your tank, back a backdrop that hides them. If you buy a black backdrop it will go a long way to hide even the intake tubes. Or, instead of buying a backdrop, you could always paint the outside back of the tank with black paint. Or take an even cheaper and less labor intensive route - buy some black posterboard.

Criminal_Colt said:

4th EDIT: I'm SO LOST!

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We all were when we started getting into this. Just hang in there and ask questions whenever you have one. There is no dumb question and I have yet to see anyone here on AC tell anyone off for asking too many.

Well, I don't know if you'll regret it or not. I would kill to have either of those tanks. I can't seem to find a tank that is 48x14x24 though. You were looking at 48x24x24 which is a 120 gallon. What I have found are 48x18x24 (90 g), 48x18x20 (75g), and 48x13x20 (55g, which is very common here in the States). I am one of the folks that will tell you to get as big a tank you can afford and have space for. Water quality problems are less lethal in a larger tank. Stocking options are better in a bigger tank (you can have more and bigger fish). If you have the means (and will power!) to save a while for a bigger tank, I would. If you think you would be happy with a tank in the 55 to 75 gallon range instead of the 120 gallon, then I say go for it.

If you're looking for perks of a smaller tank, about the only one that comes to mind is that they are much cheaper. Less filtration is needed, smaller heater(s), less light (light can get expensive on planted tanks rather quickly), fewer fish, fewer decorations, fewer plants, less water treatment, less fertilizers and CO2 for planted, less fish food, less water (I live in a dry part of the world, water is rationed and not nearly as cheap as it is elsewhere), less electricity to run it all... All of that adds up quickly. So, I repeat my mantra; if I could afford a bigger tank, I would get one.

tank volume calculator

I find this site is really good for calculating the volume of tanks.. http://www.ifocas.fsworld.co.uk/calculator.htm