55 gal tank

[brit0211]

hey
i think i'm going to be able to get that 55 gal. tank i was talking about. I'm going to check it out this weekend. When I get it how should I clean it? some one said boil some water or something? The guy told me he has only cleaned it with fish tank cleaner.. thats ok.. right?

 

[nicky1.8t]

just wash it out really good make sure he never used copper treatment on it cuz if he did its no good for sw fish

 

[cprdnick]

CHECK THE GLASS THICKNESS!!!!!!!! I went and looked at a 55 gallon reptile aquarium yesterday because of you. The glass was most definately not the right thickness.
Clint
P.S. I believe the glass should be 3/8" on a 55 gallon, the one I looked at was 1/4".

 

[brit0211]

cprdnick
thanks for watching out for me
i'll definitely check that out now.
what do you think? maybe i should just buy a brand new one so i dont have to worry about anything being wrong with it?
if i dont get the 55 from this guy, however, i'm going to have to get a 29 at first.. i was getting a really good deal on the 55 though. i know this is going to be really expensive to set up, so ive been saving my money as ive been reading about it...

 

[beaslbob]

glad your getting th 55g vice the smaller
I rinse out the tank then fill it with water to check for leaks.
You could also use bleach then rinse. I especially recommend that for used tanks.

 

[beaslbob]

There should be nothing wrong with the used tank that isn't obvious or extremely easy to fix. As long as the glass is not cracked and the seams seem intact, it should be ok

 

[cprdnick]

Check it, if it's not the right thickness, buy a nice snake. I'm thinking Brazilian Rainbow Boa, a little aggressive, but if you start with a juvy it'll be a walk in the park, . Seriously, check it first, it might just be a fish aquarium that just happened to be cheaper at the time than a reptile tank. I wouldn't worry about it until you measure the glass. I don't really remember but back in one of your first threads you said something about it not mattering what the cost was. Well, I don't know if that's the case, but remember that a 55 will be more of a cost to setup, and you use more saltwater on water changes than you would with a 29. I agree that the bigger the better. However, if you get a 55 gallon it'll be more permanent if you crash it and decide you don't wanna do it anymore. Which I doubt will happen, but there is a certain point where it gets discouraging, for me anyway. I started with an 18 gallon, it was a crash course. If you go with the 29 gallon you need to stick to a definate schedule on water tests and water changes, especially if you don't get a protein skimmer for a while. I feel you should get a 29, I think it would be more of a learning experience and force you to want to learn even more, that's how I feel.
Just my 2 Abes
Clint
OK that was more like an entire dollar of cents, but hey, I wanna try to help, I'll try to keep things more brief.

 

[cprdnick]

BTW brit, have you figured out if it's gonna be a reef or a FO yet?

 

[brit0211]

yea, its going to be a FO
reef is a LOT harder/more expensive, isnt it?
well the reason that cost is a factor now is because at first i wasnt going to use LR because some guy at my LFS said i didnt really need it, but now that ive listened to all of you, im getting LR which will be pretty expensive

 

[booya]

Brit
I was in the same position as you were about 5 mouths ago. I wanted a tank bad. I saved up and got a 55. Now I kick myself every day. I wish I would have waited a little longer and got a bigger tank. In a 55 gal you are limited to what you can put in it. I wish that I would have got a 75. It would not take much more room in your house and you will be able to put bigger fish in it. I don't know what you are looking to spend but I just tought that I would add my 2 cents about the 55 gal. I don't think that the 75 would be to much more exspensive if it was done right. A little more LS, you could use the same amount of live sand, and fill the rest with southdown. 1 more power head and a little bigger skimmer. I think that that would be it. maybe 1-2 hundred more but I think that you would like your tank much better.
Just a thought.
Jake
GOOD LUCK.

 

[temple2101]

I completely agree with booya ... I started a 55gal tank 3 months ago and I would definitely not buy a smaller tank. I now want to upgrade and wish I had gotten a 75! It is expensive, but the good thing is you can go slow. Slow is good in this hobby. If you can afford it I would go big, as big as you can ... if you are like the rest of us this will become a life long hobby and that 75 or bigger can take years to finally become the way you want it. Plus, everything I have ever read people always say they "wish they would have done that from the start." But, anyway ... good luck with your decision!

 

[brit0211]

thanks jake
will i need a skimmer right away for a 55 or 75?
or could i wait for that?

 

[temple2101]

I waited about a month for a skimmer ... a skimmer is not necessary while the tank is cycling, but highly recommended there after!

 

[lesleybird]

Originally posted by brit0211
hey
i think i'm going to be able to get that 55 gal. tank i was talking about. I'm going to check it out this weekend. When I get it how should I clean it? some one said boil some water or something? The guy told me he has only cleaned it with fish tank cleaner.. thats ok.. right?
Sounds kind of fishy to me. I have never heard of anything called fish tank cleaner. Don't think such a thing exists. I would check it for leaks and rinse it with clear water. Lesley

 

[booya]

I have heard both ways. I think the majority of us on this board would say yes (correct me if I am wrong). I put one on my tank. Some people might say that you don't need to but have you ever seen what they pull out of the water, Iwouldn't want to breath that.
IF any one thinks different I would like to hear it.

 

[cprdnick]

Hey brit, after you ammonia starts dropping I would go ahead and purchase your skimmer if you are going to get one, that'll give you a little time to get used to it. Like said above, it should get plugged in as soon as your cycle is complete, there'll be quite a few dead critters floating around in ther that you won't be able to see.
Clint

 

[beaslbob]

Originally posted by brit0211
thanks jake
will i need a skimmer right away for a 55 or 75?
or could i wait for that?
I don't like or use skimmers. Sure if they were $5.99 then maybe. To me the money for a skimmer is better spent on a larger system, plant life, better filtration or even livestock.