Just got a 55-gallon tank....

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
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
gsk177 said:
One pump goes out and everyone got Ich???? How the hell can that happen??
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I'm guessing all the tanks that were affected are running on a centralized filtration system - most stores seem to do this.
gsk177 said:
And yeah, how does gravel color affect algae growth??
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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.
 
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