What would you do with an Empty 55 gal. if you were in my shoes??

d_thomas_cg

d_thomas_cg

AC Members
May 14, 2007
82
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Cleveland, OH
So i just moved to hawaii, i have an empty 55 gallon aquarium and cant decide what i want to fill it with (water obviously, but what else?) I wanted to go SW, especially since i can get a license here in hawaii to catch fish with a net for hobby use (license is free) but with work, i deploy too often to manage a SW tank properly. So I need you ideas, everything from types of fish, plants, filtration, and whatever else you can think of. The only thing i have decided on is that im going to use pool filter sand as substrate, aside from that, I am open to everyone's ideas....
 
First let me say thank you for serving. I have a good friend that retired from the CG here in Jax last year and many friends in the Navy so I know what you are saying. Depending on how long your upcoming deployments are, a properly set up and lightly stocked salt tank can be as easy to keep as fresh, maintenance wise. With long deployments no tank would be safe. I know if I were in Hawaii and could get a collecting license there would be no way I could pass that up. With hand collected native species the worst case scenario with a long deployment coming up you can release them and restock upon return. Good luck and enjoy Hawaii.
 
Perhaps its the military bearing in me, but usually if i do something, i go all out, meaning that if i went SW, i couldnt help but go with a all out reef setup. I am looking more towards FW, easier maintenance. The length of my deployments is not the issue, usually 1 week is avg, and i have a good neighbor that could follow good directions with a FW setup. The problem with my deployments are that they are random and rapid, I am on a team that is pretty much compareable to a maritime SWAT team, so we dont know we are deploying until **** hits the fan and we leave in a matter of hours, so its hard to prepare someone to cover for me with a SW setup, whereas with a FW setup, i can say, heres the food, once a day, this much, see you in a few days.....
 
well you could always send me the tank and i'll take care of it for ya J/K and thanks for serving in our forces, my son is in Iraq on his third tour god bless ya an keep ya safe
bushwhacker
 
Very cool, thanks for serving. What FW fish are available to you in local shops? A 55 offers alot of options. What interests you?
 
ok seriously if you like the sand bottom a nicely planted SA or CA cichlid tank is a really nice option for that tank
 
I've got a 50 gallon tank and have just worked through stocking, lighting, plants etc. Not quite finished but almost. So this is what I'd do if I were you.

1. Over filter it, just in case. An Eheim 2217 as a minimum.
2. Eco complete or similar substrate for planting. It's expensive but you will re-coup the costs in plant tabs and ferts you wont have to buy. I think it looks great but if you prefer the look of the sand, put some over the top.
3. Lighting - 2 X 4' T8s, on of which is a plant light, the other a 6500K.
4. Low tech plants - Anubias, bolbitus and java ferns on driftwood. Val, aponogetons, water sprite, wisteria, Echinodorus,and Crypts planted in the substrate.
5. A small school of SMALL bottom feeders - Cories, dwarf loaches (sids), or pictus cats. NO Plecos, they get big and they are messy.
6. A school of 6 Rainbows or Congo tetras. OR
A school of 12 Cardinals, or black neons or cherry barbs (not rosy barbs).
7. A pair of moonlight gouramis or pearl gouramis.
8. Once you get some algae, get three ottos or three REAL Siamese Algae Eaters.

This is a reasonably light stocking and a lively, entertaining and beautiful tank.

You don't sound like a newbie but just in case you are, read the cycling article, which is a sticky in the freshwater newbie section and post any questions you have. It is very important that you do this before you put ANY fish in your tank.
 
Some plecos will actually work well in the 50g.;) Otos, Sturisoma panamense, Rineloricaria parva, L010a (Hemiloricaria sp.), queen arabesque and Farlowella gracilis.
 
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