First tank ever and I need help

I will apologize now for having such a long introduction to this forum, but I am a totally clueless dad just trying to set up a tank for my daughter and I to enjoy.
I recently acquired a tank I found in the Free section of Craigslist. This is my first fish tank ever! I wrote down the little bit of information I was able to extract from the guy who gave me the tank, and this is what I have: it's a 55gal tank, it has 1 Penguin Bio Wheel 350 with an extra pair of inserts, 2 LED Marineland light hoods, two little suction cup Ph level readers (a red and a blue), a tube that has what looks like coils so I'm assuming is a heater?, a little temperature sticker, a digital reader that I think might also be for temperature, pebble-like substrate, quiet a few fake plants, a scrubber, some additives and fish food.
My daughter and I did a little searching and found some fish we liked: blue acara, bolivian ram, betta, red flame paradise, redtail shark, galaxy rasbora, minI puffer fish, endler's livebearers, pearl gourami, killifish and a couple versions of the barb(green tiger, electric green and red line torpedo). Would these all be ok for our tank?
I would also like some sucker/cat fish to help with the cleaning and maybe some help choosing snails? I read some snails are self breeding and it's good to counter that population with an assassin snail.
Since this is my first fish tank I haven't set it up because I have no clue how to go about it. I have a 4 year old daughter who is becoming anxious, and really wants to put fish in it. While scrolling through the forum I've found mixed opinions of the Penguin Bio Wheel, and have found most would rather use AquaClear 70. I would rather not buy another filter since the previous owner said it's working just fine; however, if the Penguin is a total pile I'd rather do it right once. Any input would be greatly appreciated from this beginner/new member from Ventura County, California.
I will be posting pictures as soon as I am home.

 

Welcome aboard, I'm in the same boat, my entrance to this hobby was going to the pet store with my little girls to pick up laser pointers for the cats. People are awesome here and I'm learning a lot. I'm on two weeks now cycling my tank...my little ones ask me everyday, "today can we get fish?"

 

HI and welcome to the forum.

Do you know about how to cycle the tank ? https://www.fishlore.com/NitrogenCycle.htm

If not you should read about that (you can buy stuff to hurry up the process)


First thing you should do is to look for the fish you might like (check since you did that)

Secoundly you know need to look up information about these fish. IE. Bolivian Ram and what they need (tank size, water parameters, etc) and what possible tank m8s they can be with.

IE. in your 55 gal tank you could easily host the Ram, with some neon/rummy nose tetra and a bottom feeder etc.

"This is merely my opinion btw and I am no expert"

But you should always try to get easy fish if you are a beginner and you should try to get fish that live in the same type of conditions, IE it would not be wise to get a fish that needs temperatur a lot different than the other fish you picked or some fish that might nip the fins of your other fish etc etc.

I am certain many others are much better in giving you advice on different builds, but I had great joy with my South American setup and tetra's are easy to get, so are rams..

So even if many "without any problems" do massive communities with tons of mixed fish, I would still rather suggest that you try some fish you really want and don't mix them with to much, but instead mix them with a few others that they get along with.

So my advice is to look up the fish you like a read about them and then post some of the "setups" you think could be good.

You can find some of the fish here on fishlore and the rest you can google about.
https://www.fishlore.com/freshwaterfish.htm


Edit - Also take not that its vital that you perform weekly water changes in your tank and that having live plants is abit of work (even I think its a lot of work and switched to MalawI setup "sand and rocks")

Those might actually also work for you, since they are often very colourful and some of them is easy to hold (some are very hard as well)

 

I'd get a schools of 15-20 rummy nose tetras. They school tightly compared to other fish and usually don't disperse.

 

Welcome to the forum! You got a good deal! A tank that size will be easier to maintain in terms of water chemistry. The short answer to your question about the fish is no, many of those fish are Not compatible, sorry. When kids are involved I think you may want to establish your nitrogen cycle with a fish in technique using Tetra Safe Start or Seachem Stability which are bacterial additives that make cycling take 2 weeks as opposed to 8-12 weeks.

 

I'd get a schools of 15-20 rummy nose tetras. They school tightly compared to other fish and usually don't disperse.

They are very easy to get and yes I agree they school very nicely (I had them in my old setup)

I had keyholes with them, but you could easily do the rams instead and a nice bottom feeder.


But again and this is vital. You should try to get what you/your daughter want! Because having a tank with fish you like is what will motivate you to not only keep the tank in the long run, but also to maintain it.

 

I'm on the side that votes get an aquaclear while you can now because switching is hard and can crash your cycle. Your cycle will take awhile but it's important to wait it out.

 

I think a 55 would be too big for a betta, unless you could keep the water currents low. Tiger barbs are notorious fin nippers and would not be good tank mates for a betta.

Schooling/ shoaling fish like to be kept in groups of 6 or more, and the more the merrier. IMO tanks always looked nicer with larger groups of less species vs a bunch of random fish. You see a lot more natural behaviors that way, too.

You could also look into a biotope tank. The idea behind that is to have decor and species of fish that are from the same region (compatible with each other, of course). That could also become a fun and educational project for your daughter as well.

P.S invest in an API master kit to test your water. Don't rely on those hang on tank thingies, or your local fish store. API liquid test tubes are accurate and will be a life saver while you cycle your tank.

 

I'm no expert just starting out on fish keeping myself but I do know you don't want to get both the Betta AND the Pearl Gourami they are not compatible they'll fight and one will end up killing the other at all I don't know about the other fish though I'm not familiar enough with them yet since I haven't been caring for fish long. Just my two cents.

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Bettas usually in a big tank can't go with fish seen as the focus piece however they are good with smaller tropical fish that aren't aggressive. I would suggest getting at least 10 fish for each school you have. For a big tank such as a 55 just having 6 won't be enough and might still cause stress.

 

I'm horrible at stocking but I don't recommend bettas in with other fish. They are solitary fish, being in a tank with other fish is extremely stressful. I think a 55 is too tall for one, they are surface breathers which means they have a lung like organ that that uses air to breathe. If you really want a betta I would get a separate 10 gallon tank for one.

 

I will put my opinion in tomorrow. I am so tired gn.

 

That was a great deal! I also agree with all of the advice you've been given so far

I might be tempted to replace the heater (keep it as emergency standby) and test everything else. Also check all the seams and electrical components.

Did the previous owner say how long it had been since the tank was used?

 

Wow didn't expect so many people to reply. I really appreciate all the comments and advice. You guys are definitely a great community.
So I finally read a few articles on the aquarium cycle. I'm going to be doing the fish less cycle with tetra safe start pure ammonia and 80* water, which I read takes a couple weeks.
There will be no betta since it was unanimous that it was a bad idea.
Which are the school fish I'm reading to get 6-10 of?

 

Wow didn't expect so many people to reply. I really appreciate all the comments and advice. You guys are definitely a great community.
So I finally read a few articles on the aquarium cycle. I'm going to be doing the fish less cycle with tetra safe start pure ammonia and 80* water, which I read takes a couple weeks.
There will be no betta since it was unanimous that it was a bad idea.
Which are the school fish I'm reading to get 6-10 of?

If you want the Rummy-nose tetra's I would suggest to get around 10-16 (some of them might die, they are not very hardy, well neon is not very hardy in general)

I would also not go below 8 but that's just my personal opinion.

One of the advantages with having the rummy-noses are that not only are they good looking, they also help you remember to do water changes, because you can see it on their noses if water quality is going bad. well that and they also school tight together.

 

When doing water changes how do I get the water I'm putting into the tank to be "safe"?
API test kit will be purchased.
Haha good morning!
Replace the heater with a new one?
The previous owner had been using it for a year and had just turned it off the night before I picked it up. Which leads to my next question. I read a recommendation on a cycle would be to borrow or purchased used gravel. Since my gravel had been in use for a year and just recently emptied but only to the point where the gravel is still submerged, can I still use it? And will it speed of the cycle process?

 

It's not that the betta is always necessarily a bad idea, but it's a risky one and definitely not something I would recommend for someone new to the hobby! Nothing turns people off more than to see their beautiful community tank massacred by one aggressive fish. I doubt your betta would have the energy in a 55 to carry that out, but better safe than sorry

There are lots of schooling and shoaling fish that you'll want to have groups of, including tetras, barbs, endlers, rasboras, cories and such. Have you decided on your centrepiece fish yet?

 

Could have a pearl gourami as a center piece.

 

When doing water changes how do I get the water in putting into the rank to be "safe"?
API test kit will be purchased.
Haha good morning!
Replace the heater with a new one?
The previous owner had been using it for a year and had just turned it off the night before I picked it up. Which leads to my next question. I read a recommendation on a cycle would be to borrow or purchased used gravel. Since my gravel had been in use for a year and just recently emptied but only to the point where the gravel is still submerged, can I still use it? And will it speed of the cycle process?

Pick up something like Seachem Prime, it neutralizes all kinds of nasties in the new water and is highly recommended around here.

You may not need to purchase a new heater, I was just concerned that the tank was "old" and therefore all of the equipment was, too. What kind of heater is it?

Used gravel (if it hasn't been without an ammonia source or water) does contain some of the beneficial bacteria you need for the cycle, but you'd be better off getting used filter media since that contains the majority of it. If you get the tank set up again fairly quickly the bacteria might still be alive in there and will give you a boost!

Was the filter media kept wet?

 

Welcome to the forum and glad you joined us. If you wash out the tank first do not use soap on anything that is going inside a fish tank. You can clean with a mix of white vinegar and water and then rinse really well. My first suggestion if it is feasible is to fill the tank on a level surface with clean water and let sit for a couple of days to make sure there are no leaks and that it holds water. Better to be safe than sorry. We use our garage and then drain it out with a syphon hose into the driveway. Picking up tanks with water in them can damage the seals causing leaks. Alison

 

Did you get a stand for it?

 

Not sure on the brand of the heater. I can check when I get home.
Would this be considered filter media

If so the ones in the filter are still wet.

 

Oh good! You might want to set up a bucket with treated water and put the gravel and filter (running) in it, then dose the bucket with small amounts of ammonia. You want to keep any bacteria there alive!

 

No stand :/

Any opinions on this? Was thinking of just a simple one to get going. Then maybe spruce it up a bit by covering it with pallet wood and end up something like this...
Do you guys know if the extra space on the right hand side is just for looks?

 

I've recently became a huge fan of neon and cardinal tetras. They are so beautiful! If you can get a dark background, they will look so nice, like little stars or fireflies
For your tank you could get maybe 20-30 of them (don't buy them on the same day! You need to add them slowly, like 5-6 per week. That's because there won't be enough bacteria in the beginning, even if you cycle)
Then you can watch their social behaviour. These fish love to live in societies. I have swordtail fish with my neons and there's absolutely no problem. The swordtails are like dogs. I don't know why but they remind me of dogs Just make sure they are two females, otherwise they will reproduce a lot!

 

That looks great! I think the extra bit of space on the right is most likely to cover up hoses and wires

 

Id definetley set up a bucket of some sort with your filter running and your gravel in there your media still has viable bb like Aquaphobia said.

As for the pallet stand that area to the right is most likely storage.
The stand will work many use it and you could wrap it with any thing.

 

I think I've seen the backgrounds painted. Which sounds like a great idea. Gotta search what paint would be best.
Are swordtail also community fish? They look good, I'll show my daughter a picture maybe we can get those as well.

 

Yes, you can paint the background and there are also wallpapers for tanks. On the more expensive side, 3D stone-like backgrounds are available as well.
As for swordtails, I think they are shoaling fish which means they like to have company, but don't always swim in societies like neons. I have 2 of them and sometimes they are together, other times they swim separately. I would get 2-3 of them, depending on how many neons or other fish will you have.
If you want to have peace of mind, get only females. If you want to observe their life cycle with your daughter, you can get 1 male and 2 females (so that one male doesn't bother one female too much) and teach your little girl about fish babies But in that case you need to think what will you do with the babies afterwards.

 

On the sword tails make sure you get two males not two females. Females at the fish stores will mostly likely already be pregnant and can store sperm for a while continuing to have fry for a few months. Just thought I would clarify. Alison

 

Thank you for correcting me, aliray

 

Wow 3D I have to look into that, must cost an arm and a leg.
Will the fish store be able to tell me if I'm picking male or female? Or are there some distinctions I can look for?

 

here are some pics

You can read about swordtail sexing for example here (hope it's not against the forum rules to post the link?)

 

Rummy noses tetras are on of the closes tight schooling fish you can get. A lot of tetras if they feel comfortable in a tank or they are the only fish in the tank they won't school. Rummy nose will always school

 

Looking through, I didn't read everybody's replies but I did make sure to read the OP's stuff.
It seems in this hobby the two HOB filters that are the most popular are either the marineland bio-wheels or the aquaclears, some people swear by the one brand some people could care less, they are kind of your Chevy vs Ford of HOB filters, my preference is Aquaclear but I wouldn't tell you to rush out and buy one if the bio-wheel works without issue. If you did want to buy one then get a 110.

I saw the picture of the stand you posted, the Petco Brooklyn stand, if you haven't already, BUY IT, it is the best stand out there for the price, I have one for my 55 gallon and its the sturdiest thing around. If you are handy and have the tools already, you could build a stand for much cheaper using 2x4's as I just have for a 40 gallon tank. Cost me less than $20 to build (I did have to buy some tools that I didn't have though on top of that)

I won't go into the stocking as there is already plenty of people addressing that, but good job on acquiring a free tank, it's a great feeling getting one for free.

 

Ok so I'm on my way to Petco going to buy the Brooklyn stand. I read somewhere that Molly's are hardy enough to withstand a cycle and can actually speed it up? Is this true and if so how many should I buy?
Also when I get home and fill the tank with tap water and some safe start and ammonia, how long after can I add them into the water? I saw where you let them sit in the water while still in the bag.
Do I turn the heater on?

 

Ammonia is very harmful to fish. Please do not buy fish *and* add ammonia on top of that.

Fish in cycles can be done, but you will find most will advise against it. Any level of ammonia is harmful, and the higher the levels the more deadly it gets. Even when using products like Safe Start, you will have to do a lot of water changes to minimize stress on your fish, and it could actually slow the cycling process. I've done fish in cycles, and let me tell you, I will never do it again.

You add ammonia to your tank when you do a fishless cycle. The reason being is, without fish to give off ammonia, you need to artificially provide that in order to get things going. You will still have to test your water and do changes as your bacterial colony builds up, but you won't be torturing fish or wasting money when they die. It'll be a lot easier for you in the long run, too.

Please read up on the nitrogen cycle if you have not done so already. I advise against using live fish to cycle, but if you do, please only get 1 or 2 to start and *do not* add extra ammonia. Your fish will give off more than enough in no time.

Also, yes turn on the heater. Your bacteria will need it to grow and your fish, when you do add them, will appreciate it. You don't want to shock them with big temperature changes.

The idea of floating the bags in the water is to slowly acclimate them to the tank water. You should also slowly add your own tank water to their bag. Your water chemistry and the store's will be very different, and some fish do not take well to sudden changes.

Personally, I like the plastic tanks you can hang on the tank. It is easier to dilute the water that way. You do not want to add store water into your tank because you don't know what diseases may be in there. In fact, you should really consider a quarantine tank for that very reason.

The idea is to add small amounts of your tank water to the container, slowly diluting it over time until you've essentially flushed out the water they came in. The air in the bags is only good for maybe 30-45 minutes, and you can't add your water in there without the bag collapsing. You can float a bag for 20-30 minutes and get them used to the temperature, but water chemistry is different. If the store's PH is 7.0 and yours is 8.0, that is a really big change for the fish and can be very harmful.

It's not that the betta is always necessarily a bad idea, but it's a risky one and definitely not something I would recommend for someone new to the hobby! Nothing turns people off more than to see their beautiful community tank massacred by one aggressive fish. I doubt your betta would have the energy in a 55 to carry that out, but better safe than sorry

The more likely scenario is that the betta would be the one getting picked on, not the other way around. They will go after other bettas, gouramis, and mistake fancy guppies for bettas, but they are also prone to getting picked on by faster, nippier fish. Their long fins make them a target for fin nippers like tiger barbs, and they can't get away as quickly. Large tanks are also exhausting for them. They do much better in smaller tanks with a few peaceful tank mates. I've have bettas in a 20 gal that I kept lightly stocked and full of plants (fake) to rest on, but the sweet spot is more like 5-10 gal.

Just wanted to add my 2 cents in on the betta. I absolutely LOVE them and I just can't help but stick up for them. They are wonderful little fish and deserve so much better than the pet industry gives them.

 

What makes you think you need to"stick up for them"? They're one of my favourite fish! I don't like to see them unfairly maligned, but I am a realist and part of preserving the reputation of Bettas is keeping those unfamiliar with their needs out of situations where they might see the "worst" side of Bettas.

 

Lots of good advice going on here.
I started out with marineland penguin and have that exact filter on my 55g. I stick with them on most my tanks because I can buy cartridges in bulk, lol. They have served me well, however I also have a canister filter because I think you should have filtration at 10x tank size in gallons per hour minimum. A 55 needs at least 550 and that filter is 350gph max (without media in box). Having two filters also provides security in case one goes out. You can add another hob or a canister later as your stocking levels go up.

The fish you listed are way too many and not all compatible with one another. I would suggest picking the "gotta have" fish and build around that.

 

I strongly agree with what was said above about not adding both fish and ammonia at the same time.
I also thought about getting a molly but than I read that they have high bioload (they poo a lot which means dirty water ) and while they are usually peaceful, some of them may be aggressive to other fish as they get older. I've never had one, so owners of mollies correct me please, but this is what I read.
If you are only looking for a fish for the cycle, you can do it with the swordtails.

Another idea: your tank is quite big, maybe you could get goldfish instead of tropical fish? They grow quite big and can live for a long time, yet are easy to care for. (but have high bioload as well) Here's an old thread about goldfish in 55 gallon

 

Ok so I'm on my way to Petco going to buy the Brooklyn stand. I read somewhere that Molly's are hardy enough to withstand a cycle and can actually speed it up? Is this true and if so how many should I buy?
Also when I get home and fill the tank with tap water and some safe start and ammonia, how long after can I add them into the water? I saw where you let them sit in the water while still in the bag.
Do I turn the heater on?

I fear this advice is coming too late but:

If you are going to use Tetra SafeStart to cycle your tank, you either add SafeStart and fish at the same time. or you add SafeStart and ammonia at the same time...not both fish and ammonia.

But here's the advice I really fear is coming too late. When using SafeStart you need to wait at least 24 hours after a water conditioner was used before adding the SafeStart. Using it less than 24 hours after a water conditioner was used, can cause the SafeStart to fail.

If you are cycling with SafeStart and fish, here is what you want to do:
Fill tank with conditioned water
Wait 24 hours minimum
Add acclimate fish and add to tank
Immediately pour in an entire, well shaken, appropriate size bottle of SafeStart
Do nothing but lightly feed fish for the next 14 days (no water changes, no adding and chemical...nothing)
On day 14 test and it all worked correctly...congrats, you're cycled.

Best of luck!

 

I guess last night I just got excited, but nothing went as planned.
Good news is I didn't get any fish to add to my tank with ammonia, which means I'm not a dish murderer; however, on the downside I still don't have a tank stand. Everything in Petco was priced WAY higher than their online store which has free home delivery.
I swear with all the fish cycle pages I've read I was still confused, but with the responses I got to my latest post I'm pretty sure I got it now. Special thanks to jdhef, put it probably as simple as it gets.
Once again thanks to all of you who've taken the time to respond to my dumb/rookie posts.

 

Your posts aren't dumb. Feel free to ask any and all questions you may have, that's what we are here for.

Did you try asking at the Petco store if they would honor their on-line prices? Sometimes a store will, but you gotta ask.

 

I asked, but they said they couldn't price match. I'll just have to order the items online and wait for delivery.

 

I asked, but they said they couldn't price match. I'll just have to order the items online and wait for delivery.

If you have a Petsmart near you you could check to see if they honor their online prices mine does.

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Petsmart doesn't have the Brooklyn stand :/ thanks for the suggestion though.
While at Petco, I saw air pumps by the fish supplies. Is a pump necessary?

 

Not necessarily, but if you have an air-powered filter you will need it, plus you can run some fun stuff like air curtains and animated divers and other decorative objects with it

 

No it can be beneficial if the surface of the water is rarely disturbed but normally that's nlt the case with hob filters

 

Not all the time your filter provides surface agitation which puts air into the water build if you are treating a sickness with the heat and salt method you will need it because the hotter the water gets the less air it holds so it depends though I Would recommendation you get one in case your filter goes out so you can provide oxygen until you can get a new filter but if that happens make sure you get a new filter as SOON as possible. But if you get a air pump you'll have to get tubing and a suitable air stone for your tank most air pumps don't come with tubing and air stones.

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