new 55 gallon setup

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extra300xs

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Apr 12, 2004
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Hello All,

I have been into this hobby for a number of years, and have maintained smaller aquariums, under 20 gallon.
now I am moving up to a larger, 55 gallon tank.

i have just bought a flurval 304 canister filter, for upto 70 gallons.

my questions,

1, I have always had underground filters, from reading articles i hear you don't need them. is the canister filter all i need, and where is the ideal pickup in the tank for the filter? also, should it be in the center of the tank or to one side?

2, as for air pumps, i would like to just have some simple air stones in the bottom of the tank and also some decorative air pieces, the ones that move, as I like the small air bubbles. Is a power air pump required or can i get away with air stones?

3, i have always had live plants, and have used gravel. what about larger size sand? or is this too small for the roots of the plants?

4, I want to maintain a setup so that I don't need to take apart the aquarium, frequent water changes should be how often for this size tank, and how much?


GB
 
1. A canister filter is all you need for filtering. But it is normally recommended to have two filters for redundancy in case one breaks down. I have a Fluval 204 and a Duetto 100 Power Filter on my 29 gallon. One thing to keep in mind with your Fluval. It has a ceramic impeller that is very fragile. Occasionally you will need to take it out and clean it. If you accidentally break it during maintainance your fish are screwed. When I set up my 204 I immediately bought another impeller and motor seal ring from Big Al's online. I have read personal testimonies that these are the two most common wear outs or broken parts. As for placement I simply put my intake on the back left behind some plastic plants and it works wonderful.

2. I'm confused by this question. I haven't heard of anyway to make an airstone work without having an air pump attached to it.

3. I have never had plants in my aquarium but I believe that most people use sand or some other substrate other than gravel.

4. This will vary depending on how many fish you have and what type. Also it will vary depending on how often you clean out your filter. The less often you clean out your filter the higher your nitrAtes will go, necessitating more frequent water changes. I'd suggest buying a nitrAte test kit and try to not let them rise higher than 30 ppm. Less is better.
 
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i use sand in my 55, and it works great.i have my intake about 4" off the bottom in one corner, and the output in the same corner, but about 6" from the top, pointing to the other end of the tank.then put some plants infront to hide and your set.
what did you pay for your setup, i went to incredible aquariums and got my tank and stand there, was the cheapest i found, then went back for the cannister.
 
Hiyas,

I have a 50g lightly planted and what I'll call moderate stocking atm.

One, I have a Fluval 404 with a prefilter sponge going full blast in my tank. I also have a penguin 330 moving at about one quarter speed. I know either filter is adequate for my tank, but for now I like them both on there. I am planning on removing the penguin sooner or later, but if I do I'll probably add a powerhead and a sponge filter on that also.

Two, I don't like the noise and the excess bubbles so I don't really use airpumps or stones except on my quarantine tank.

Three, I've never had sand either. From what I understand if you rinse it well and prepare the underside for plants it works great.

Four, I'm currently probably considered a bit lax on maintenance. I do a 20-25% water change every 2 weeks. My nitrates have never gotten up to 20ppm however. Yes I do test usually twice a week. I generally use a magnet type algae remover on my front glass about once a month. As for plant pruning I have been doing minor pruning about every other day. I try to do my major stuff on Sundays since I also fast the fish on that day I figure I won't scare them away from any food inadvertantly. Well, my raspborra have been known to tag my hand when its in the water from time to time. Glad they stay little. Guess I should mention I feed lightly 6 days a week. Usually twice a day about an hour or two apart.
 
thank you all for replying,

as for some of the questions, i got my fluval on sale, 50% off, so it was pretty cheap here in canada. As for the stand and aquarium, i am going to get them at soon, going to be moving to another place so i will begin setup once i am settled down.


one more thing, i asked this before, but would like to get some more oppinions.
sand or gravel? i will be using lots of plants, and want something that can be easily cleaned. if i use sand, how can i vacume it, is it the same as gravel or not. is the sand better for the roots then gravel?
 
I like the small gravel myself. See mine here. I think it's great for plants and easy to clean.

Good Luck!! :)
 
I like sand, but not fine. With 100% clay kitty litter underneath for plants. The kitty litter MUST have NO additives. You don't vac the sand like gravel, just surface vac, don't stir it up, get the vac just close enough to the surface to pick the junk on top up. Kuhlie and horsefaced loaches love to burrow in it as an added plus.
 
thanks for all the great replies,

i will try fine gravel, and might even go with a sand. one question, will kitty litter disolve after time, or not?

i was reading articles about a special additive that you put benith your gravel, or sand that will promote the growth of plants. does anyone know what this is and is it a good thing to use?

also, i want to buy some good books more about larger aquariums, plants and fish, can anyone recommend any good books that are really good to get?

thanks

GB
 
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