New 55 Gal Fish Tank!

[arlamanda]

Hi, tomorrow I am going to go pick up a used 55 gallon fish tank, it comes with a Pleco, a zebra fish, another bottom feeder she forgot the name of, and an "eel/frog thing" (?). It also comes with the air pump, a filter, , water heater, gravel, a few decorations, and other supplies. Do you have any idea what kind of fish the last two I mentioned might be (she didn't give much description), and do you think they will eat live plants? I really wish I didn't have to take the pleco, as I heard they eat plants, are messy, and probably need a larger tank. However, I will try to make the best of it. Also, what other types of fish could I keep? I already have 5 tetras, 2 mollies, and 5 ghost shrimp in a 10 gallon that I will be moving over. I also love the look of guppies, but I don't know of too many other types of tropical fish. For a peaceful beginner tank, what would you suggest?

As far as maintnence goes, I am planning on cleaning out 25-50 percent of the water every Sunday, do you think that is the right amount? The filter is an Aqueon 55 gallon, anyone have any experience with this brand?

Sorry for all the questions! I just want to do this right, and I am very excited. Thanks!

 

[KISSfn]

Welcome to the forum! I know when I post questions here I look forward to responses right away and am disappointed when I have to wait for responses. I think you have not received any responses because the questions you ask are very difficult to answer without more information from you. For example you say your new tank comes with a Pleco. There are many types of Plecos and without knowing which type you have it is very hard to offer advice. The same goes for "zebra fish", it could mean a zebra danio but I'm not sure. If you could post pictures of the fish you want advice on that would help. The best lesson I have learned about tropical fish is you have to do a lot of research and a lot of reading. The Beginners Resource Center (link under my pic) is a great place to start. As far as your maintenance question changing up to half of the water once a week is a good thing. But there is more maintenance involved of course (in the Center). A friend of mine had an Aqueon filter and it died in a couple of months so that's all I know about them. It seemed like a cheap filter to me. Sorry I couldn't be of more help but I think you will get more responses after you do some research first. Good Luck!

 

[eaglesaquarium]

When you say you have 5 tetras, which ones? There are some very different tetras. In only a 10 gallon, I would assume that they would be fairly small. Are they neons?



You will want to only have fish that are compatible with one another. As KISSfn recommends, you need to do a LOT of research about your fish and what fish you want to put with them. The key is to find fish that are perfect for your tap water conditions and go from there. Trying to keep fish that are completely incompatible with your water and constantly trying to adjust it is a bad idea. For example, if you have hard water, mollies are a great option (as long as you don't mind lots of fry). If you have soft water, neons are a nice choice. But, generally, neons and mollies don't go together too well, because they have such different water requirements.

 

[fluttermoth]

I'd get your new tank set up (don't wash the filter out in tap water! Leave it as it is ) first and let things settle down in there.

Then take some pics of the fish so we can identify them for you, and then you can think about moving fish over and sorting out your stocking

 

[arlamanda]

I will take some pics of the fish tomorrow, and send them in. I was planning on keeping all the gravel in one big bucket with water, so I will not have to filter it. I am going to take the pics tomorrow, because that is when I am getting it, I was going to get it on Monday, but know I am getting it tomorrow. Sorry.

 

[fluttermoth]

lol, no worries; just take your time; this hobby is meant to be fun, not stressful!

 

[Aqua Tom]

Your "wierd eel/frog thing" could well be an Axolotl, great looking creatures but a risk to anything smaller than them in the tank & often things a bit bigger.


Tom

 

[This Old Spouse]

Welcome to the forum! And how wonderful you're getting a nice, big tank. Both hubby and I love our 55g.

I don't understand your comment "I was planning on keeping all the gravel in one big bucket with water, so I will not have to filter it."

Have you considered using sand as a substrate in your new tank? Much easier and cleaner than gravel IMO. And a 25-50% water change each week is good.

Good luck, take pictures and let us see!