Need suggestion on setting up a 55 gallon aquarium?
I have a 55 gallon aquarium that I used for years to house a bearded dragon (reptile). The aquarium is in perfect condition, but I need to ask a few questions about setting it up previously I actually put water in it.
First, the aquarium sit on a sturdy table when it was used to house the reptile. But I don't know if the table will be sturdy enough to hold the water-filled aquarium. It have solid 3" square hardwood legs, and I thought about reinforcing it at the joints. It is the same length as the aquarium, and like peas in a pod width...it would be perfect if it's sturdy plenty.
Next, I have no idea what kind of filtration to use. Any and adjectives advice here will be appreciated.
Also need to know how deep the gravel should be.
Finally, how long will I permit the aquarium cycle before I add fish?
Thanks so much to anyone who can help me out!
OK...
The table may be strong enough, the 3" wooden legs will certainly support the counterweight, as long as they are secure and cant twist and fold down. You could allways add plywood to the rear and sides of the table and reinforce it that way. It would be strong enough for sure next.
Filtration sorta depends on the fish. If you are keeping smaller community fish then a good 'Hang On Back' filter, preferably with a bio-wheel will be fine. If you are going to preserve larger messier fish, get a medium sized cannister filter
Gravel - it depends. If you want to have live plants consequently you need a deeper bed of gravel, and consider some other substrate under the gravel. If you aren't worried about live plants, after you dont even need gravel. But thats looks a bit barren. My 50gal just has a runny layers, about 1/2" to cover the bottom. Easier cleaning that way.
Cycling - it's not so much a event of how long. Either you need to set up the cycle without fish, by adding a source of ammonia. OR you can of late add a few small hardy fish and let the cycle build up naturally. But you MUST affix the fish slowly if you dont cycle your tank first.
Expect it to take 3 or 4 weeks to cycle short fish. With fish, well you can have some fish on day one, but allow 6 weeks to build up the cycle and fish numbers. Trying to rush cycling beside fish will just mean dead fish.
Have a read of the interconnect below for more info on cycling.
Ian
be care full.if u do not have a wooden FRAME round the cistern.put polystyrene under the tank.in year or to u your reservoir might crack at the bottom of your tank.
I woulds say maybe not to the table..ask a friend. Isn't it 7lbs per gallon. Could it beside stand that many lbs?
Filtration sysytems you want a Penguin or Marineland. You want a double sided filter that pumps the most gallons per minutes. Filters the tanks better.
Gravel at least 3" cavernous to plant live plants or plastic ones and that will add weight to the tank..and rocks whether any..
I have live ones which require a special plant bulb. Keeps the tanks cleaner.
Put in some amquel and your furnace should be about 78degrees...and fish can go in at that temp..
around 24 hrs latyer.
Enjoy!
I agree with jbird, a piece of furniture made for aquariums is best. You should also http://www.aquatic-hobbyist.com/profiles... for more information on how to jump start you cycle.
In order to oral exam the the water-tightness of the tank you're going to have to fill it up completely beside water, i recommend doing so outside, then permit it sit for a few hours so that any leaks would show. You can dump a whole bottle of CopperSafe in it to color the hose down and also treat the tankwhile you are at it. If the tank leaks at all you can buy aquarium class silicone and reinforce the seal [you can buy this at any petsmart or tropical fish store]. Another good way to verbs it is a heavy salt bath by putting surrounded by a full canister of morton salt and hot water to fill it to the top and tolerate that sit overnight, that should kill bacteria and parasites that may be living within there.
Bio-wheel filters aren't that good within my experience, and if you tank is that big then an in-tank canister filter shouldn't clutch up tht much space, just make sure doesn`t matter what you get uses activated carbon filters and a sponge filter since the sponge filter will house profoundly of the benficial bacteria. Also, if you can afford it, I recommend getting a filter labeled for a higher volume of river since it will help keep your tank cleaner. Make certain any decorations get cleaned with treated [de-chlorinator and heavy metal neutralizer close to Aquasafe or something else] water and are made for fish.
Answers: Get a TRUE stand. A 55 gal tank weighs hundreds on pounds. roughly 500 pounds.
Filtration. many choices
1. Underground filter - They still put on the market them but they really are no good. The only people who still use them are society who don't know any better or people who are so dead set in thier ways they don't amend.
2. Hang on the back filter - These are the toyota of filtration. They work, suitable for almost anything, they are cheap and super simple to use. The downside, they are not superpowerful and do not offer much volatility. For a begginer great choice. Best brands are Aquaclear or Penguin.
3. Canister Filters - Powerful, little more expensive, top of the line, and can be used for absoluty anything and usefull if you ever upgrade your tank. The downside is they are a short time more expensive, slightly more complex to set up but really not a problem. Best are the magnum filters or many people resembling rena (mine caught fire but don't let that sway your choice)
My advice get a canister, for a 55, the difference within price is about 20$ and so worth it.
type of filtrations
now that you have a filter you can in a minute choose how it works. 3 kinds of filtration
Mechanical - The physical removing of stuff from the tank. this is like when you appropriate a net and scoop out stuff. This is usually contained by the form of a floss
Chemical - Very popular in the form of Carbon. This is a material that chemically removes nasty stuff out of the river. Main ingrediant in Hang on back filtration. It works but personally not my favorite. downside, solitary last about a month before requests replacing.
Biological - This is my personal favorite. This is how nature cleans itself. This works by bacteria growing on the surface of stuff and as water flows former it the bacteria naturally cleans the water. downside, it take a long time to be effective, and needs a lot of medium to filter a tank. Not a problem for a canister filter and 55 gal tank.
The depth of the sandbed is often debate. The best or most common advice is for 1-3". the deeper bed is if you want to grow seriously of plants etc. But if you don't plan to plant a lot of plants 2 " is all you obligation to cover the bottom of the tank.
How long to wait to cycle? There is no right answer, because every tank take different times than other tanks. But it takes about 2 weeks to start to cycle and often is safe enough to start allow fish surrounded by. But for a tank to be fully cycled it takes about 40 days for the microbes cultures to fully grow. The best is to wait 2 weeks and then add enthusiasm that is natually able to cope beside unstable conditions like shrimp (ghost shrimp are $0.30 each, and compatable with anything or a great snack for anything.)
When you are cycling the reservoir add some crushed fish food and monitor the chemical levels once a week. once they become stable make the addition of some shrimp, wait a week and if they are living then hey! within ya go add fish.
Many people will recount you can go earlier but it is better to go slowly than rush and achieve problems.
Good luck! Have fun!
A gallon of water is 8.3lbs, so the waters going to add an extra 465lbs. A flawless rule for gravel is 1lbs per gallon, so whatever its on is going to need to support at least 510lbs, and thats simply the water and gravel (if you choose gravel as a substrate). If you're unsure, you might want to just go ahead and invest within a stand made for aquariums, can be a little pricey, but wouldnt you rather spend the extra 200 bucks to avoid a catastrophe?
A filter that hangs on the back or a cannister filter is your best bet, you can get these at any petstore and for a 55gal one that hang on the back will be around $50-75. I dont advise an underground filter.ever. The cycle depends if you want to use fish or use a fishless cycle. I other use fish so cant help you on the fishless cycling. If you choose to do it with fish, After the tank is set up and have been running for a day or two you can go ahead and supply the kind of fish you want to use to cycle it with. Zebra Danios, White Cloud Minnows, Barbs and guppies would be ideal for this but variety sure whatever fish you do choose they are hardy enough, lots fish cant survive in the rising levels of ammonia and nitrite and should only be enter after the cycle. The nitrogen cycle itself can take up to a couple months to complete, just cause sure to get a good concept of how it works and when to trade name water changes during it and make certain you test the water frequently during this time. During that time is perfect for figure out what kind of fish you should have! Here are some websites that make appropriate reading:
fishlore.com
badmanstropicalfish.com
theaquariumwiki.com
practicalfishkeeping.co.uk
