New to hobby advice needed

C

Cheese Pope

Registered Member
Jun 12, 2006
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Alright guys, i am new to the hobby and i need some advice here, i am planning on getting a 55g tank, during my research i heard that was a good tank size to go with. I have read myself to sleep with the endless resources for this hobby for the past month and a half and ive finally decided that I know enough to start.

The books can only do so much, they provide the technical data, i need first hand experience.

1. Is a 55g tank a good size to start with?
2. What type of filter do you recomend (yes I have read about all types)
3. Live or Fake plants, ive always had a green thumb
4. Stocking Suggestions (yes i know most of you will say its up to you, well i want your opnions also so I can get the best possible stocking)
5. If i decide to keep live plants , what is the deal w/ chemical filtration? is it out of the question?
6. What type of substarte would be good for live plants?
7. FINALLY lol. A qt/fry tank, now i know i dont have to deal with fry right now but im asking the question now, what is a good size for that tank. and do you suggest one?

EDITED w. New Questions--- Thanks Again for i am a newbie.



I with out a doubt trust you more than my LFS (petsmart is bad ;) )
THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!
CHEESE POPE
 
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How much money are you willing to put into this setup?
 
1. Is a 55g tank a good size to start with? Yes

2. What type of filter do you recomend (yes I have read about all types) I've always used HOB filters. The whisper brand is my preferance. Many people go with the penguin brand because of the bio-wheel. Whisper has a bio sponge, which is what I prefer to have.

3. Live or Fake plants, ive always had a green thumb? Live looks 100 times better.

4. Stocking Suggestions (yes i know most of you will say its up to you, well i want your opnions also so I can get the best possible stocking). I was always a big fan of dalmation mollies and zebra danios. And a few cory cats for the bottom. They are hardy fish, easy for the beginer, and relativly cheap and easy to find.

5. If i decide to keep live plants , what is the deal w/ chemical filtration? is it out of the question? Chemical filtration (active carbon) can remove some of the trace elements that your plants need. You should only really use it to remove any type of medicine you might have to dose in the aquarium.

6. What type of substarte would be good for live plants? Eco-complete.

7. FINALLY lol. A qt/fry tank, now i know i dont have to deal with fry right now but im asking the question now, what is a good size for that tank. and do you suggest one? I don't suggest one, unless you want to raise and sell fry, which can be hard to do unless you raise a whole lot. I would suggest not to get anything. Any fry born in the tank will fall prey to the older fish. And every now and then one survives. So it is a good way to add a new fish slowly to your tank.
 
1. depends on how much patience/money you want to spend on this tank. If you want to do a fishy cycle, theres a high risk of you losing fish and getting discouraged from the hobby.

2. Aqua clear hang on back

3.fake is simple and offers an instant planting, live is harder and takes a while to grow into place.

4.I would do 8 three spot gouramis + a male betta or 12 drawf gourami variants+ a male betta or 25 buenos aires tetras and 5 corydoras sp. or 5 angels and a bristle nose pleco or 3 discus and 15 cardinals or neons or 20 female bettas or 5 fire mouths and 6 silver hatchet fish or a mix of some of these selections (although some of these fish won't get along with each other, do your research).

Please note: some of these fish are not the hardiest and probably not the best choice for a noob.

5. chemical filtration is only nessisary in reef aquaria where you have to combat chemical warfare.

6.shultz aquatic plant soil. the only one thats worth it's price IMHO.

7.10g is a good size for a qt/fry tank.
 
Cheese Pope said:
Alright guys, i am new to the hobby and i need some advice here, i am planning on getting a 55g tank, during my research i heard that was a good tank size to go with. I have read myself to sleep with the endless resources for this hobby for the past month and a half and ive finally decided that I know enough to start.

The books can only do so much, they provide the technical data, i need first hand experience.

1. Is a 55g tank a good size to start with?
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No.

IMO a 55g is *not* a good size to start with. It's a popular size and most LFS stock them. Because they are stocked, people buy them. The problem with a 55g is that it's barely 13" deep and that means that a lot of the bigger fish, which you *could* keep in there if it were deeper, will not fit.

Also, if you do decide to plant the tank, you'll find the 55g is way too narrow for any good plant mass. More plants and driftwood and more aquascaping can be done in a deeper tank.

Most people starting out tend to buy fish that get too big for the depth of the tank. If they spend a little bit more $$ and get the 75g, which is 5 inches deeper than the 55g, they have a lot more options about
a) what fish they can keep
b) whether the fish they already bought can continue to live in the tank without having to upgrade.

The 75g does not cost that much more than the 55g overall and IMO it's a far wiser investment. A 75 is the min for clown loaches and it will do a common pleco for a couple of years.

Most people that I have asked have said that they would have bought a 75g over a 55 or 50g had they had the option. Actually, I ran a poll at one time:

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=62349&highlight=75g+55g

Changed my mind from buying 50gs to 75gs based on this poll and I do not regret my purchases one whit.


2. What type of filter do you recomend (yes I have read about all types)
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Cannister, two of them or one and a powerhead. IMO anything above 30g should have water movement at both ends. I'm partial to Eheim.

Also heaters -- get two of them, again one for each end. Buy two heaters whose total wattage is what is required for your size tank. Eg: 150w x 2 for a 75g. That way if one blows and dies, the other will keep the tank steady. If one blows and rockets the temperature, the other will shut off. Safety factors.

3. Live or Fake plants, ive always had a green thumb
Click to expand...
Real
4. Stocking Suggestions (yes i know most of you will say its up to you, well i want your opnions also so I can get the best possible stocking)
Click to expand...
I'll let others give you options there. It depends on what type of fish you want. Like I stated above, you'll have more options in a deeper tank.
5. If i decide to keep live plants , what is the deal w/ chemical filtration? is it out of the question?
Click to expand...
You don't really need it, is the answer. Plants or no plants, it's not necessary unless you need to remove medication from the water.
6. What type of substarte would be good for live plants?
Click to expand...
Flourite or Eco Complete
7. FINALLY lol. A qt/fry tank, now i know i dont have to deal with fry right now but im asking the question now, what is a good size for that tank. and do you suggest one?
Click to expand...
Depends on the type of fish fry. Can't really answer that until we know what kind of fish you want to keep.

Roan
 
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There are so many configurations for tanks available that going by mere gallon capacity can become almost meaningless unless you already know what
you're wanting to do with it--planted vs non-planted, what style of planted, species or community tank, agressive or peaceful tank, what species. etc.

When I decided to start up an aquarium again, I started with a 20gallon with the full intention of using it as a future quarantine or breeding tank with a 100-150gallon set up within six months to a year. I only bought plants and fish that I *knew* could continue to be happy in the 20gal and were mostly hardy so any loses were minimized. If I had to do it over, I might have bumped it up to a 30gallon to give me more options for plant propogation or breeding, but I'm still happy with my little 20.
 
1. Is a 55g tank a good size to start with? [Many folks love that size tank, I have never had that size as I feel 12 inches is not wide enough for a 4 ft tank esp if its planted. However, it is a decent tank and you should be happy with it.]

2. What type of filter do you recomend (yes I have read about all types) [It depends on what fish you will have and if you decide to go with live plants. Probably you will need to choose between H.O.B.s or a canister. If going the H.O.B route you may want to consider using two filters, one at each end.]

3. Live or Fake plants, ive always had a green thumb [ I have 15 tanks, all have plants, need I say more ? :) ]

4. Stocking Suggestions (yes i know most of you will say its up to you, well i want your opnions also so I can get the best possible stocking) [That depends on what your water params are. Keep what works well in your water rather than trying to adapt your water to what you might want.]

5. If i decide to keep live plants , what is the deal w/ chemical filtration? is it out of the question? [Even if you don't keep plants chemical filtration is only needed with cause- ie something in tap water, removing medications etc. Carbon will remove some elements plants need. If you decide to go with live plants my advice is to start simple- not high light etc- and learn your way up the plant curve.]

6. What type of substarte would be good for live plants? [Small pebbles or sand- it is great for plant roots to spread in.]

7. FINALLY lol. A qt/fry tank, now i know i dont have to deal with fry right now but im asking the question now, what is a good size for that tank. and do you suggest one? [10 gals will work fine- be sure you have a heater, and a sponge filter and air pump for it. If used for Q or fry growout, fishless cycling it is fine and for Hosp, use, it doesnt need to be cycled. You can avoid having it cycled for Q if you do 25% water change every other day. However, some day you may find yourself with fry and new fish or a sick fish etc. all at the same time.]
 
For the tank, You definitely need to get the biggest you can afford. Once you get bitten by the aqurium bug, youll be hooked onto this hobby. you will definitely start buying more exotic fish that will eventually need way more room. you could try ebay

filter needs to have a gph 3 times of your tank 55 (about a 170gph filter)

Live plants, healthier, i think it looks way more decent and also gives the tank alot of healthy o2 .. and c02 at night.lol

i gotta go! in vietnam right now.. going out to breakfast, ill finish answering your questions!
 
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