Want to start a 55g planted.

[Dekz]

Ok so it looks like I'll be getting a 55 gallon tank a lot sooner than I thought. I want to get all my planning and everything done now so that when I get the tank I can dive right in.

I've never done a planted tank before but my friend just started getting into it with his so we've been doing a lot of research together.

So I'm thinking a mix of Eco Complete and black gravel for substrate, think 2 bags of Eco Complete will be enough? Stuff is pricey.

What are some economical ideas for CO2? My friend just has the homemade thing going on with a milk jug reactor and an old gravel vac diffuser. It works, but I'd prefer to have as little clutter in the tank as possible. What about getting a tank, is that expensive? What is a good/cheap method for testing/monitoring CO2 levels?

I think we've got the lights figured out, he got his from a good local place so I will do the same and retrofit them into the stock hoods.

I'm definitely going to do fishless cycling, I did my other 3 tanks with fish and I didn't lose a single one but man doing daily water changes gets old real fast. Is it better to put the plants in before the fish, can I have the plants in there while it's cycling, will ammonia/nitrite hurt them?

Now, on to livestock. I think I want to go with a whole bunch of relatively small fish. I'm just gonna list a whole bunch of fish that I'm interested in and we'll see what will go good together.

Angels
German Rams
Dwarf neon rainbows
Threadfin rainbows
Rummy nose tetras

I really like rainbows so I was thinking about doing almost a species tank. Like 6-10 dwarf neon rainbows, 6 threadfins, 3-4 bosemani, and then a big school of ~20 rummy nose tetras. And maybe a bunch of cories for the bottom, 6ish?

I'm open to all kinds of ideas though. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Turbosaurus]

My only tip (and I run 11 planted tanks from 10 gallons to 125) is to buy the best gear you can when you start out. I have more money laying around in junk and DIY than I spent when I finally did upgrade.

 

[NeonFlux]

Ok so it looks like I'll be getting a 55 gallon tank a lot sooner than I thought. I want to get all my planning and everything done now so that when I get the tank I can dive right in.

Congrats on the tank.

I've never done a planted tank before but my friend just started getting into it with his so we've been doing a lot of research together.

Be sure to research about the nutrients NPK and trace, watt per gallon and co2. Be sure to get a co2 drop checker

So I'm thinking a mix of Eco Complete and black gravel for substrate, think 2 bags of Eco Complete will be enough? Stuff is pricey.

2 Bags will not be enough... You will need like 4 bags to get 2 and a half inches of substrate which is highly recommended for most aquatic plants.

What are some economical ideas for CO2? My friend just has the homemade thing going on with a milk jug reactor and an old gravel vac diffuser. It works, but I'd prefer to have as little clutter in the tank as possible. What about getting a tank, is that expensive? What is a good/cheap method for testing/monitoring CO2 levels?

Trying Do-it-yourself co2 for a 55 gallon may be a tough one, you have to experiment a lot..plus you would not want to mix sugar and yeast every month now do you?. You should get yourself a cylinder tank. Preferably a 10 lb cylinder would suffice and may last you for a year for co2. You should get a regulator

I think we've got the lights figured out, he got his from a good local place so I will do the same and retrofit them into the stock hoods.

I'm definitely going to do fishless cycling, I did my other 3 tanks with fish and I didn't lose a single one but man doing daily water changes gets old real fast. Is it better to put the plants in before the fish, can I have the plants in there while it's cycling, will ammonia/nitrite hurt them?

That is not a problem

Now, on to livestock. I think I want to go with a whole bunch of relatively small fish. I'm just gonna list a whole bunch of fish that I'm interested in and we'll see what will go good together.

Angels
German Rams
Dwarf neon rainbows
Threadfin rainbows
Rummy nose tetras

I really like rainbows so I was thinking about doing almost a species tank. Like 6-10 dwarf neon rainbows, 6 threadfins, 3-4 bosemani, and then a big school of ~20 rummy nose tetras. And maybe a bunch of cories for the bottom, 6ish?

I would go for 10 dwarf neon rainbows, 20 rummynose tetras, and 6 corydoras.

I'm open to all kinds of ideas though. Thanks in advance for your help!

Good luck with the co2.

 

[Dekz]

2 Bags will not be enough... You will need like 4 bags to get 2 and a half inches of substrate which is highly recommended for most aquatic plants.

I'm going to do Eco Complete AND Gravel, either in 2 layers or just mixed together, I'm not sure yet.

Trying Do-it-yourself co2 for a 55 gallon may be a tough one, you have to experiment a lot..plus you would not want to mix sugar and yeast every month now do you?. You should get yourself a cylinder tank. Preferably a 10 lb cylinder would suffice and may last you for a year for co2. You should get a regulator

Good luck with the co2.

I posted this on a few other forums as well and a few people are saying that if I shoot for 2.5 WPG then I don't need CO2, is there any truth to this?

 

[BrkD]

I think you should buy a pressurized co2 system instead of using diy systems especially for a 55g tank. Its a bit expensive but its not hard to set up and its gunna save you the hassle of mixing yeast and sugar every other week or so.

i used 3 bags of eco complete for my 55g but if you plan on mixing gravel, 2 bags will do.

its best to put the plants in and arrange them the way you want before you put fish in. ammonia and nitrites are harmless to plants.

i like your idea with stocking your tank with rainbows, they go really nice with planted tanks

you should read up on this: http://www.rexgrigg.com/index.html rex has helped me alot when i started out. although i have no experience with his products, i believe he has top quality co2 equipment

 

[7itanium]

I also like the rainbow species idea... go with some rainbows and corys that would be cool.

Dont recommend DIY CO2 on a tank that large (though it is possible)

you could always go with lots of java fern and wisteria like plants (LOW light).. run less than 2 WPG and there will be no need for CO2 (although they will grow a bit slower)

 

[steveywinet]

In a heavily planted tank you will need to add CO2. There's just no getting around it unless your raising algae. For 2.5 watts/gallon (moderate lighting) you "might" be able to get away with Flourish or fizz tabs. I don't have any experience with this, but I'm apprehensive that it would be successful. I have seen people do DIY CO2 on tanks this size, but it usually requires several reaction chambers in line. It would need to be monitored as fluctuations in CO2 do not have very good side effects. Try a search on "Tom Barr" or "Plantbrain". He has some suggestions on setting up a low cost pressurized CO2.

 

[angyles]

I've succesfully kept a 55, and now a 150, heavily planted with >=2/wpg and no added CO2 (and only root tabs and a bit of flourite). Unless that extra .5wpg is the turning point, you should be fine with a little patience, and the right plants. GRanted, if you want to play with ferts and co2 and lighting, you'll open up more options as far as what plants you can keep. But I've always found that just some tabs, some light, and TIME can create a bueatifully lushly planted tank without all the fuss, money, etc.

 

[NeonFlux]

I'm going to do Eco Complete AND Gravel, either in 2 layers or just mixed together, I'm not sure yet.

Ohh, all right.

 

[Dekz]

I've succesfully kept a 55, and now a 150, heavily planted with >=2/wpg and no added CO2 (and only root tabs and a bit of flourite). Unless that extra .5wpg is the turning point, you should be fine with a little patience, and the right plants. GRanted, if you want to play with ferts and co2 and lighting, you'll open up more options as far as what plants you can keep. But I've always found that just some tabs, some light, and TIME can create a bueatifully lushly planted tank without all the fuss, money, etc.

Ya I'm really not concerned with how fast the plants grow. In fact slower might be better, less trimming to do.

I just don't want to spend a bunch of money on plants and then have them die.