Noobie To Aquariums

[WrestlingFan]

Hi,
I am very new to having an aquarium for fresh water fish.
I have just started getting into this hobby less than 4 years ago. I started small with the basic beta fish and bowl.
After my beta died, I wanted to try something completely different, and I bought my self a used 55 gallon fish tank for a fresh water tropical fish set up to get me in the right direction of things. I did not want to buy the tank new, as I am new to the hobby maybe later on when I am ready for a bigger, tank, then I will buy a new one.Anyhow
the previous owner, did not tell me how to set up my tank So I am clueless and I have the fear of messing something up if I set it up with out knowing what to do
as I have searched on line how to set one up, but there is no information ( at least I have not found any), and I thought I would join here, for the information, and some great ideas on the types of tropical fish I should start out with.
What I have for my 55 gallon tank.

I have two Air Pumps, Two Filters, and 1 heater as I was told I need a heater for tropical fish I also have Rocks, and some decorations ( Wanting to do the pirate scene.)

I was wanting to know, can any one explain to me how to set up my tank so that I can, enjoy it? Also can anyone share some ideas on some non aggressive starter tropical fish with some color to them. I dont like the dull boring fish. Any help, would be greatly appreciated, and I will gladly share photo's of my tank once it is set up .
Thank you in advance.

 

[sic0198]

Hi,
I am very new to having an aquarium for fresh water fish.
I have just started getting into this hobby less than 4 years ago. I started small with the basic beta fish and bowl.
After my beta died, I wanted to try something completely different, and I bought my self a used 55 gallon fish tank for a fresh water tropical fish set up to get me in the right direction of things. I did not want to buy the tank new, as I am new to the hobby maybe later on when I am ready for a bigger, tank, then I will buy a new one.Anyhow
the previous owner, did not tell me how to set up my tank So I am clueless and I have the fear of messing something up if I set it up with out knowing what to do
as I have searched on line how to set one up, but there is no information ( at least I have not found any), and I thought I would join here, for the information, and some great ideas on the types of tropical fish I should start out with.
What I have for my 55 gallon tank.

I have two Air Pumps, Two Filters, and 1 heater as I was told I need a heater for tropical fish I also have Rocks, and some decorations ( Wanting to do the pirate scene.)

I was wanting to know, can any one explain to me how to set up my tank so that I can, enjoy it? Also can anyone share some ideas on some non aggressive starter tropical fish with some color to them. I dont like the dull boring fish. Any help, would be greatly appreciated, and I will gladly share photo's of my tank once it is set up .
Thank you in advance.

Check into African Cichlid, they are very coloorful and aggressive. Good for beginners not fussy about water and very hardy. A 55 is a good tank for 'em.

 

[waterdrop]

Hi WrestlingFan and Welcome to the TFF beginners section!

Interesting that you have searched online for how to set up a tank and not really been satisfied but then found TFF and ended up posting here. I happen to think this is the best possible place a person could go who wanted to start from scratch and learn the hobby right. Its not necessarily always easy - sometimes people don't answer right away or the info is hidden in other places in the forums, but overall I've found it to be really great most of the time.

OK, let's get right to the reading assignments: You need to find our Beginners Resource Center. Its right up top here in the forum you're in. There are a lot of articles so let's start with specific ones: Read the "Nitrogen Cycle", the "Fishless Cycle", the "Fish-In Cycle" and then look for a tank startup article by Miss Wiggle. There's another one by Alien Anna somewhere but can't remember if its linked in the BRC. That's a lot of reading, so take it at your own pace and be sure to ask questions here in your thread when they occur to you, its all meant to be a learning and sharing experience.

Let us know the dimensions of your 55G/208L tank. What are the brand/model numbers of your filters? What media (the stuff in them) do you have? Do you own any water test kits yet? What type/number/wattage/tube-diameter are your lights over the tank if you have any?

Probably one of the first things we'll want to do is have you get the right types of water test kits if you don't already have them. Its also great that you are already asking about fish and you should continue to explore that all along at the same time as figuring out all the startup stuff. There are just great people here for all the different fish types and it makes a lot of sense to take your time with fish stocking plans. Most of our beginners do an Add&Wait Fishless Cycle that takes between 3 weeks and 2 months and during that time they work on their stocking plan and learn about other startup things and when the cycle is finished, they are off to a great start with a beautiful tank.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[WrestlingFan]

Hello thank you for the replies.
I do not know, the serial numbers to the tank, as I bought every thing used. Only thing on the sticker of the tank it self says, is do not drill.lol
and nothing came with boxes, or serial numbers. I bought the tank when it was still set up in someone's home.
all I know is, the tank is a under gravel tank, and I think like 40 inches long.
Since we had to measure it for the back ground I have on it (That is all that is on the tank now)
I have been to several pet stores. All tell me different things, there is one that I do trust a lot more than the others that I have visited, as the owner raises fish for his living.
and He doesn't mind speaking about it to help new costumers out. He did explain to me the cycling process, and told me do not be in a hurry to put expensive fish in it, as it needs to cycle for about 2 months with cheap 2 dollar fish.
he also told me to bring my filters in the store, and he will show me the type I need for when I need to change them.
Most stores near me has not offered that service.
So I find his to be most qualified.
I actually, saw some beginners videos, but, im not good with video instructions Im more, of a reading instruction person lol.
and as far as a community forums. The guy from the store, that I found more helpful then any other store, told me to find a community forums, as he told me a lot of people has been in to it for years and can help me out with things when he isnt available to. So I thought Id look around, and I found this place

 

[waterdrop]

OK, it sounds like you may have a pair of undergravel filters. We need to figure out if this is the case. Do you have two large flat plastic plates with slots in them that then have tubes that stand up in the corners? Perhaps that's even why you have the air pumps, to run air into these tubes (are there airstones in the vertical tubes?) If this turns out to be the case, we call these things UGFs for short.

UGFs are a type of filter that can work very well (eventually) as a "biological" filter, but they are quite poor at containing the debris they collect from performing their "mechanical" function, which is catching debris. They also do not provide space for "chemical" filtration media which is an optional type of media sometimes used for special needs. Perhaps the main problem of UGFs is that they tend to clog up underneath and it sometimes becomes very hard to clean this out without tearing down the whole tank. Its also next to impossible to have rooted plants. And finally, a more minor disadvantage is that you have to keep the gravel (it must be gravel, can't have sand) flat and even so that the whole substrate will filter evenly.

For all these reasons most members consider the UGF technology to have been surpassed by other types, internals, hang-on-backs (HOBs) and external cannisters (ECs.) The flow rate of UGFs driven by air is also low and most members like to recommend a filter flow rate that helps you turn all the water over about 5 times per hour (referred to as "5x turnover.") For a 55G tank that is 275 US gallons per hour. The flow rate is not the same thing as the claim a manufacturer makes for how big a tank their filter can handle, but they usually won't be too far off from each other.

Working out what kind of filters you will use and that your budget allows will be one of the first things you need. Then we will need to confirm what types of filter media are in those filters. Once you have filters we can move on to growing the bacterial colonies in them.

The method of growing the colonies that your store fellow is describing (your good fellow out of the ones you checked on) is called Fish-In Cycling. While this can work well if done carefully, it is usually more laborious than a newer method called Fishless Cycling where we directly put pure ammonia in the tank to feed the bacteria, rather than having the fish wasted provide the starter ammonia. This allows you to mostly just run tests on the tank rather than performing a lot of water changes and it guarantees that the fish are not killed or hurt by the cycling process. It takes patience but most beginners come out of it very happy that they had the time to work on their fish stocking lists while learning about aquarium water chemistry and other startup topics.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[Assaye]

Waterdrop is doing a sterling job, I'll just drop this link into the mix - tah dah!

Read that and come back if you have any questions. There is a lot of information BUT this is a complicated hobby and for the sake of the little lives you'll soon be looking after, you want to do it right.

 

[WrestlingFan]

OK, it sounds like you may have a pair of undergravel filters. We need to figure out if this is the case. Do you have two large flat plastic plates with slots in them that then have tubes that stand up in the corners? Perhaps that's even why you have the air pumps, to run air into these tubes (are there airstones in the vertical tubes?) If this turns out to be the case, we call these things UGFs for short.

UGFs are a type of filter that can work very well (eventually) as a "biological" filter, but they are quite poor at containing the debris they collect from performing their "mechanical" function, which is catching debris. They also do not provide space for "chemical" filtration media which is an optional type of media sometimes used for special needs. Perhaps the main problem of UGFs is that they tend to clog up underneath and it sometimes becomes very hard to clean this out without tearing down the whole tank. Its also next to impossible to have rooted plants. And finally, a more minor disadvantage is that you have to keep the gravel (it must be gravel, can't have sand) flat and even so that the whole substrate will filter evenly.

For all these reasons most members consider the UGF technology to have been surpassed by other types, internals, hang-on-backs (HOBs) and external cannisters (ECs.) The flow rate of UGFs driven by air is also low and most members like to recommend a filter flow rate that helps you turn all the water over about 5 times per hour (referred to as "5x turnover.") For a 55G tank that is 275 US gallons per hour. The flow rate is not the same thing as the claim a manufacturer makes for how big a tank their filter can handle, but they usually won't be too far off from each other.

Working out what kind of filters you will use and that your budget allows will be one of the first things you need. Then we will need to confirm what types of filter media are in those filters. Once you have filters we can move on to growing the bacterial colonies in them.

The method of growing the colonies that your store fellow is describing (your good fellow out of the ones you checked on) is called Fish-In Cycling. While this can work well if done carefully, it is usually more laborious than a newer method called Fishless Cycling where we directly put pure ammonia in the tank to feed the bacteria, rather than having the fish wasted provide the starter ammonia. This allows you to mostly just run tests on the tank rather than performing a lot of water changes and it guarantees that the fish are not killed or hurt by the cycling process. It takes patience but most beginners come out of it very happy that they had the time to work on their fish stocking lists while learning about aquarium water chemistry and other startup topics.

~~waterdrop~~

Yes, the air pumps have the two large tubes that stand up .

 

[OldMan47]

A nice link you have given for the beginner's resource center Assaye.
Welcome to the forums WrestlingFan.
Here we go. The basics are indeed covered nicely from the beginner's resource center. I have links in my own signature area only to the fishless and fish-in cycling threads. The other threads there are often less urgent to a new fish keeper. With a new tank that has been used in the past, you need to try to recapture some of the benefit of having a previously cycled filter. If the filter has stayed moist from he old set up to now, you may find that you can just set things up and experience a very rapid cycle of the new filter. It is certainly worth trying IMO. Set up your filter and heater and tank as you can and try adding some ammonia to get to around 4 or 5 ppm of ammonia. If you have managed to carry over any bacteria from earlier set up you will see the ammonia drop to near zero concentration in less than a day. That would be great if it happens. It would mean that the present filter configuration contains some live bacteria from the earlier owner's efforts. If that is the case you will be cycling with a big leg up in getting things running. If you do not get any benefit from a prior owner, you will nonetheless benefit from doing a typical fishless cycle. That cycle is well described in the referenced material.
Please let us know where you think we are starting with your cycle so that we can help you going forward from that spot. Each of us has some expertise in helping with a cycle but it means we must adjust our thoughts to match the reality of your particular cycle. Unlike some places, we customize our responses to what you really need, rather than simply give you canned standard responses. That means we need more information than other sites might normally require. It also means, to you, that we are giving advice customized to your individual situation.

 

[WrestlingFan]

Oh cool thanks for letting me know of the cycle thing, I was just told what type of fish to get for my cycle for the class of fish I may get for after it cycles completely.
The fish Im gearing more toward are the red tail shark, and angel fish, and anything that is compatible for angel fish.
I need to find out the capacitiesSince of the amount I can hold in my 55 gal. Since I am gearing more toward angel fish , and I know they grow decently.

 

[OldMan47]

A red tailed shark is a fish that deserves its name. It will eat any small fish in the tank that you set up. Angel fish are often advised to only be put into tall tanks. The thing about angels is simple. They can easily grow to be a total of over 5 inches in body size, plus the fin size. That means that a short tank is not really suitable for them. You will get lots of advice on the subject but it boils down to not putting them into a tank that is less than 18 inches, 45 cm, tall. If you decide to get some angels, make sure that you do not stock your tank with small fish, like the ones that I favor. An angel will just eat neon tetras and similarly sized fish like my Heterandria formosa.

 

[WrestlingFan]

Well I dont consider my tank to be a starter tank, it is just my first tank that isnt a 5 gallon tank. Or 10 gallon tank It is a 55 gallon tank.
The price for it was 600 new in stores near me with everything I have for it, but I got it for 150 used.
Which I think is an awesome deal for a 55 gallon tank!
Every store that I have been to told me angel fish are good enough for my size of tank I have.
If I wanted to go that route with getting them I just cant put a whole lot of them in there, which I wasn't planning on doing.
The owner who raises fish also told me, if I wanted red tail sharks, to be in same tank surrounding I needed to get them while the angel fish and red tail sharks are young Other wise Id be taking a chance on them .
He also suggested I had some hiding spots in the tank. which is why I got some ornaments, and plants
I really appreciate everyones advise and help a friend of mine that I have not seen in years is coming over on Friday, I told him of my tank, he told me he knows how to set them up, and has no problem doing it for me when he comes, so I am excited finally getting it done.
After it is set up I still plan on posting here, seems like a bunch of great people here.

 

[waterdrop]

If you have some running 5 and 10 gallon tanks then you will probably have some mature media from their filters you can use. This can make a huge difference, speeding up the fishless cycle.

Local fish shops, Parents and Friends, the three main sources of Fish-In Cycles!

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

Glad to hear that you have some experienced help coming to help you get going. Something to be aware of is that many of us old timers, myself included in that group, can be unaware of the more recent developments in fish keeping ideas. What that means to you is that your friend may well have great advice from 20 years ago and know nothing of the more recent ideas that we use here. I myself am one of the fossils that has been keeping fish since the 1950s when water changes were an emergency only measure. Today we are quite comfortable advising people to do a very large water change as the first option when there is any problem at all with their fish or the health of their fish. Times do change and many of us learn as we move forward. I am not the same self confident fish keeper that I was as little as a decade ago. These days I have adopted the "modern" methods and I am as quick to recommend a water change as the youthful folks among us such as Wilder.

 

[WrestlingFan]

How often would you recommend a water change? The pet store owner told me every other month is good for my two filters I have, he also suggested, that I do not change all the water at once, he said once I add the water and fish the water should never be completely empty, or I would have to re start the cycle changes again.

 

[WrestlingFan]

If you have some running 5 and 10 gallon tanks then you will probably have some mature media from their filters you can use. This can make a huge difference, speeding up the fishless cycle.

Local fish shops, Parents and Friends, the three main sources of Fish-In Cycles!

~~waterdrop~~

Awesome I do, I still own a couple gold fish in a 5 gallon tank, not the kind that will grow big, I own the tiny ones.
But will not own them once I get the tropicals, plan on giving my gold fish to my cousin that has a 30 gallon tank with nothing but goldfish.
Dont want to take the chance of gold fish killing my tropicals.