Just got a 55-gallon tank....

L

lshin037

Expert.....someday
Jan 25, 2005
38
0
0
47
Florida
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...).
 
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.
 
Karnaaj said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
gravel vac is a good idea.
 
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.
 
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.
 
Swimfins said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.



gsk177 said:
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.
Click to expand...

What do you mean by cultured media?
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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