New 55 gallon freshwater aquarium!! Any advice/opinions is encouraged!!

Hey guys!! Sorry if this is the wrong forum, I’m new and not too certain how to use this yet haha. But I finally got my new 55 gallon tank, stand, heater, two lights, all for $150 CAD!! Here is a photo. Any advice on anything before I really start setting it up?? I’ve been taking a lot of notes on how to properly establish a new tank and introduce my 5 babies from the 20 gal into the 55 without any problems. But more advice/opinions is always greatly appreciated!! Hope y’all are staying safe and having a wonderful weekend!!

 

I don’t have any advice but I just wanna say I like the background!

 

Start by planning the stocking before you do anything. If you're adding live plants make sure you have a requirment needed for them. For example, If you're getting rooted plants, get the nitruitnal subtrate and maybe root tabs ready or if you're getting rhizome plants, get your fertilizer ready. Good luck with your aquarium.

 

Hey guys!! Sorry if this is the wrong forum, I’m new and not too certain how to use this yet haha. But I finally got my new 55 gallon tank, stand, heater, two lights, all for $150 CAD!! Here is a photo. Any advice on anything before I really start setting it up?? I’ve been taking a lot of notes on how to properly establish a new tank and introduce my 5 babies from the 20 gal into the 55 without any problems. But more advice/opinions is always greatly appreciated!! Hope y’all are staying safe and having a wonderful weekend!!

Welcome to Fishlore Congratulations on snagging a great deal.

First I will ask: Are you planning on running both tanks or is this going to be an upgrade?

Second: Is the 20 gallon fully cycled and firmly established? How long has the 20 gallon been up and running? The longer it has the more likely it is to be firmly established.

You may be able to simply move the cycle from one tank over to the other one.

 

Mattgirl is correct. Figure these things out before you go any further.

Keep in mind there are 2 different opinions on cycling a tank. Some say its necessary to do a fish "in or out" cycle and some do a fast cycle with bottled starter.
If your existing tank is completely cycled and you do not plan to use it again, move the filter and use the water for your new tank.
Or if the filter media can be seperated, get it in the new tank with most of your existing water. Make sure the new tank water is chlorine free. I use Prime.
You can then get a bottle of Seachem Stability and follow the directions. You will have fish much sooner. But if it was my tank, a few not so expensive fish would be introduced first until you are satisfied with your water quality..

 

Welcome to Fishlore Congratulations on snagging a great deal.

First I will ask: Are you planning on running both tanks or is this going to be an upgrade?

Second: Is the 20 gallon fully cycled and firmly established? How long has the 20 gallon been up and running? The longer it has the more likely it is to be firmly established.

You may be able to simply move the cycle from one tank over to the other one.

Hey! Yes it’s fully cycled. It’s been running for several years now. And the 55 gallon was actually supposed to be an upgrade , but honestly now I wanna keep the 20 gal as well. I want to move my 5 current fish to the 55. I’m super excited!

 

Hey! Yes it’s fully cycled. It’s been running for several years now. And the 55 gallon was actually supposed to be an upgrade , but honestly now I wanna keep the 20 gal as well. I want to move my 5 current fish to the 55. I’m super excited!

Since the 20 is firmly established you can still use it to jump start the cycle in the 55 and also keep the 20 going strong. Bacteria grows in everything in our tanks including the walls of the tank. You can split the cycle between the 2 tanks.

You could move the filter or just the filter media from the 20 over to the 55, also move as much decor as you can from the 20 to the 55. Once done, put a new filter or if you are using the same filter, new filter media in the filter on the 20 and the 20 will still have enough bacteria left to keep it going. If you have gravel in the 20 gallon, deep clean the gravel and pour that water in the 55. It may make the water in the 55 look murky for a little while but it should quickly settle down.

By doing this there should be enough bacteria in the 55 to handle the bio-load of the fish you have in the 20 right now. Just add a few fish at a time back into the 20 and it should catch right back up. Keep an eye on parameters on both tanks. You might experience a slight rise in ammonia in the 55 but it shouldn't last long. If you plan on adding more fish to the 55 add them slowly to allow the bacteria to catch up with the higher bio-load.