Questions For starting a 55 gallon tank

entice59

entice59

Active Member
Ok finally i cleaned out my dads 55 gallon tank, ack, freshwater smells worse then saltwater, i love the smell of the ocean
Here are some questions about cycling and equipment for a fish only tank
1. My dad has a emperior filter with the biowheel, yes i know this isnt as perfect as a refugium or a wet/dry trickle. It has a catridge thing where i can put media inside, what do you guys suggest i use in the media compartment?
2. Is there any type of filter you guys recommend for me? keep in mind i have VERY limited space in my dads cabinet, only enough for 2 ten gallon tanks, i wanted a sump/refuge, but im not handy with tools and have no idea how to operate a overflow and a pump properly, I was thinking about getting a canister filter maybe fuvual or enheim(is it good or bad)?
3. Obviously i will have to cycle my tank, but i want about 3 inches sand and cant afford that many lbs of live sand. I want to use that sand from homedepot, southdown was it? is there any other types of sand i can use that is cost effective?
4. Theres a trick you can do with a calculator that will tell you how many lbs of sand i will need to figure out how to get 3 inches, anyone know that trick?
5. I want to get 55 lbs of uncured live rock, and after the cycle they will become live rock(same with sand), will i still need dead shrimp to cycle the tank or will the uncured rocks do the cycling?
6. How many powerheads will i need? i was thinking about buying the 2 rio powerheads with the twisting motion add-on attachments to make a current. How do i distingish what powerheads to buy? gph?
7. im planning to get a intank refuge, how many watts will i need to actually grow macro?
8. I was planning to use florcent lights since they are cheaper then powercompacts, and since its only going to be a fish only tank. How many watts should i get?
9. Does anyone know anything about Fluidized Bed Filters and how they work?
10. I was planning to get a seaclone instead of another prizm
11. My dad has been using the same heater for 7 years, should i replace it?
thanks for your comments and answers
 
jonah

jonah

New Member
1. I wouldn't worry about it. Just run floss for now. Or fill the bin with live rubble.
2. The only salt tank I have with a filter has an Aquaclear500 on it. I just like the big bin and the high flow (428gph). And they're cheap.
3. If you aren't concerned about the color, any playsand would work. Just wash it real good first. Pool sand would work too. I use South Down in my small tanks and regular playsand in my main reef.
4. Sorry, I don't know that one.
5. I wouldn't add shrimp if you're using the live rock to filter. I also wouldn't bother using a power filter if you have enough live rock and sand (and are reasonably stocked).
6. At least two. I haven't been too impressed with the rotating powerhead I got. It seems to only rotate once in awhile. I haven't heard great reviews of Rio's either, but I've never used one before.
7. I had 45w of NO on a 20high and the macro was growing pretty good. Sorry I don't know what kind it was. I got it for free and I would feed the extra to my yellow tang.
8. That's just a personal preference question. I'd put 4x 40 watts on it if I setting up a 55g, because I know I'd want to add mushrooms to it later. 2 shoplights, total cost about $20-$25.
9. No idea, sorry.
10. I have one of the newer Seaclone100's. I'm not too impressed with it, but it was cheap and it does skim the water. It comes with a Maxijet 1200 power head.
11. I would replace the heater.
All of this is just my opinion, your mileage may vary.:D
 
entice59

entice59

Active Member
i want to get florcents lights for the tank (NO lighting), can i just buy some type of hood at home depot and just attach the aquarium lights? i notice that some hoods say, "glass top only" will it work for my acrlic tank?
 
jonah

jonah

New Member
You'll probably have to DIY the hood. If you make it high enough you could probably install light strips without the glass cover. Or you could just use some plexiglass as a splash guard. You'll probably want fans if you do that.
 
entice59

entice59

Active Member
i'll have to look into that,can i add a 2 inch thing to hold the hood for some ventalation? like my friend, can i do this Can anyone else answer my questions also? (on top)
 
F

fishkid1000

Guest
4.Assuming that southdown sand weighs 90 lbs per square foot you will need 100 pounds of sand to achieve a sandbed of 3 inches in a 48'' by 13'' aquarium.
HTH
Chris
 
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