Fish Newbie Here, Landed A 55 Gallon Tank For 30 Bucks!

[donny7]

Problem is, turtles lived in it for quite some time. It has a lot of built up calcium and I was wondering, A) the best way to go about cleaning this and B) can I use bleach, soap or chlorox?? Also, after the initial cleaning, I'm going out to buy the tank's necessities and what not, and so far my list is ...

Air stone, tubing, air pump (already purchased)

Filter (obviously)

Fish food

Water dechlorinator/stabilizer/whatever

Gravel/Decor/Plants

Heater

Are hoods necessary? I'd like to have a hood+light combo, but I'm trying hard to stay under ~200 USD.

 

[KittyKat]

Problem is, turtles lived in it for quite some time. It has a lot of built up calcium and I was wondering, A) the best way to go about cleaning this

Vinegar. Really. The cheapest you can find will do.

B) can I use bleach, soap or chlorox?? Also, after the initial cleaning, I'm going out to buy the tank's necessities and what not, and so far my list is ...

Best not to, unless you have to. We sometimes use a very mild solution of pure bleach for disinfecting. Nothing with fragrances and suchlike should ever be used.

Air stone, tubing, air pump (already purchased)

Good to have, but most of us don't use these often.

Filter (obviously)

Not so for some people! Glad you got one already, what type?

Water dechlorinator/stabilizer/whatever

Dechlorinator, there are other products too. Use a dechlorinator which removes chlorine, chloramine and heavy metals.

Gravel/Decor/Plants

Sand or gravel? Some fish can only be kept with sand (we use play sand often as it is much cheaper than aquarium sand).
Decor and plants can be added after the tank is cycled, if you plan to do fish-less cycling, that is.. which we highly recommend! Generally, a piece of bogwood and some live plants are the best options

Are hoods necessary? I'd like to have a hood+light combo, but I'm trying hard to stay under ~200 USD.

Hood only for some fish, but a light is a must and lights for open-topped tanks tend to be more expensive. Aim for 1 (or just over) watt of light per US gallon. T8s are fine if you're not going to go mental with high-tech planted set-up.

Also, you should have:
* Liquid test kit for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate and pH, API Freshwater Master Test Kit is highly recommended. Test strips are inaccurate, so almost useless.
* Source of pure household ammonia (if you plan to fish-less cycle, which you should do)

A 55 gallon is basically the perfect size tank to start with, and I wish I had been able to have that as my first one

 

[donny7]

Well I'm restricted to petco, petsmart, and walmart in my area.. why is a light necessary? I cannot find one fit for a 55 gallon under 80 dollars

 

[KittyKat]

Well I'm restricted to petco, petsmart, and walmart in my area.. why is a light necessary? I cannot find one fit for a 55 gallon under 80 dollars

How would you like to live in a dark room with no light source? Not good for you. Also plants are good for most fish and require at least *some* light.

Look online as well, prices there are usually lower. As I said, bulbs are usually only $5 or so if you don't go for aquarium ones and at least this side of the great pond a starter unit for a 3 or 4ft tank (which is what many 55 gallon ones are) are about $60 which would be approx. $70 in total. Won't look pretty, but will be functional. Also you don't need to get the light until you add the fish which will be another 4-6 weeks after you set up the tank, if you are fish-less cycling.

 

[OldMan47]

I bought a nice light today that would work for a 55 gallon. The beauty of a 55 is that it is 4 feet long. Have you ever checked the size of a typical el-cheapo shop light? Right again, it is 4 feet long too. Where that ends up is that a shop light that holds 2 32 watt T-8 lamps provides about 1 1/2 WPG of lighting for next to nothing. With the T-8 6500K bulbs, mine cost about $27 including sales tax. Since I will be using mine over two 2 ft long tanks on the bottom level of my stand, I will be hanging it directly above both tanks on the bottom of the top shelf of that stand. It will plug right in to my light timer so everything should be good to go.