Help with new tank setup.

[got2envy]

Hi folks, new to this forum but not new to the hobby, but it's been many years and I'm out of the loop on these newfangled tank setups. The last tank I had was a simple 10 gal. with just the basic components, it always worked well, but it's obvious that things have changed since the mid '90's when I packed up the old tank.

I've wanted to get back into the hobby for many years, and now that I have the space and money, I'm looking into about a 55 gal. setup. But looking at all the various equipment choices available now, it's kind of overwhelming. Powerheads, protein skimmers, sump tanks, wet/dry filters... I've read up on what these components do, but unsure about what I really need, and which are good.

So my question to you guys is, if you had say $500 to spend (not including the price of the tank) on filters, heaters, air pump, etc, what would you buy and why?

Thanks! :help:

So are you doing salt water or fresh..I am assuming fresh..in this case you don't need a wet/dry for a 55(would be nice but don't really need it) get a Hang on filter..I had an Emperor 400 on my 55..water was crystal..Petsmart will price match this from there website for $42.99, also a 200w heater should do the trick shouldn't be more than $22.00 (get a submersible) and gravel or sand..I use pool filter sand from Home depot (it has a larger grain than playsand..won't mess up the impeller on your HOB filter) $5.00 for a 50lb bag..do you want to do fake plants or live..if fake www.drsfosterandsmith.com you get a discount with 6 plants or more also here is a coupon code for $8.00 off with $50 or more purchase (1130/8421) If you go live plants you will have to take the lighting into consideration.. I am still thinking about going to live plants myself..the background I used black posterboard and maybe a powerhead for water circulation and oxygen (bubbles)

 

[tdg]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, they have been very helpful.

I've been thinking about live plants, I always used fake plants in the past, but live is something I have been considering to create more realism and provide a better ecosystem for the residents of the tank. If live plants are to be used, what changes, if any, are needed to the system to support them?

Also, I'm up in the air about what fish to get, something hardy while I get back into taking care of fish, something fairly active, a little splash of color and a little variety of species, as well as species that will get along in the same tank of course. Recommendations on fish would be great too. In the past I've had a few tetras, a siamese fighter, pleco's, molly's, goldfish, and a few others.

Also, this may be a dumb question, but with canister or wet/dry filters are air pumps still used, or is oxygen introduced in the filtering process. It seems like I don't always see a air pump in some people's setups.

Thanks for the help so far guys!

 

[BrkD]

Wow...$500 is plenty.
2 Visithem stealth 150W heaters - one on each end of the tank
1 Rena XP3 Canister filter
1 Aquaclear 110 HOB filter

This leaves over 300 for whatever else you may want.

Why??...Because these seem to be the best products and would do a good job.

the extra 300 can be spent on a lighting fixture if he wants live plants

 

[Hound]

If you can I'd go with a 75g or 80g myself. 55g is a good starting size, but having an extra 5" of depth (front to rear) can come in handy. Lighting can be extremely variable especially if you are thinking about planted aquariums. On a 55g a 2 x 40 watt flourescent with a good reflector is a good start for low light set ups. A 2 x 65 or even a 4 x 65 CF light fixture isn't out of place on a planted 55g though. If you go much above 100 watts your going to need co2. DIY is ok, but a pressurized system would be better. Also if you do decide to go with a planted aquarium you need to decide what sort of fertilizers you are going to use.

When I got back into the hobby I went with a 50g, but now just 3 years later I want a bigger aquarium already.

 

[got2envy]

Thanks for the suggestions so far, they have been very helpful.

I've been thinking about live plants, I always used fake plants in the past, but live is something I have been considering to create more realism and provide a better ecosystem for the residents of the tank. If live plants are to be used, what changes, if any, are needed to the system to support them?

Also, I'm up in the air about what fish to get, something hardy while I get back into taking care of fish, something fairly active, a little splash of color and a little variety of species, as well as species that will get along in the same tank of course. Recommendations on fish would be great too. In the past I've had a few tetras, a siamese fighter, pleco's, molly's, goldfish, and a few others.

Also, this may be a dumb question, but with canister or wet/dry filters are air pumps still used, or is oxygen introduced in the filtering process. It seems like I don't always see a air pump in some people's setups.

Thanks for the help so far guys!

no you don't need an air pump with those systems..but most people have them for a bubbly looking tank..to much oxygen is never a bad thing