My new 55 gallon tank setup. Input encouraged

[AquaticTim]

I wish you guys worked at Petsmart. It would have saved me a lot of time, hassle, and money over the years. I am SOO glad I found this site. Thanks for the help, any other comments are appreciated. SO I will be making 'one last' trip this weekend, and once done, I plan to have:


My 300GPH Top Fin 60 gallon HOB filter
A canister type (any preferences?) filter

3 swords
3 lucky bamboo (that will be pulled out at the first sign of yellowing/dying, and not put back in until they are tall enough)
2 balls of moss
1 piece of driftwood with a java fern stuck in the middle

5-6 cories, hopefully a variety of colors (do the diff color varities get along)
2 angelfish (an altum or zebra (not for sure which) and a gold pearlscale I believe)
6 fancy guppies of various colors (have five, will be replacing him) (4 female, 2 male)
9 glofish danios (3 of each color red, orange, and green)(Have the orange and green, they were out of red)
3 sunburst platys


Thanks for all the help so far, any other suggestions?, is this tank well stocked?, could it hold more? Any other comments or thoughts about anything?

 

[AquaticTim]

Great to know! Thanks for all the help

I wish you guys worked at Petsmart. It would have saved me a lot of time, hassle, and money over the years. I am SOO glad I found this site. Thanks for the help, any other comments are appreciated. SO I will be making 'one last' trip this weekend, and once done, I plan to have:


My 300GPH Top Fin 60 gallon HOB filter
A canister type (any preferences?) filter

3 swords
3 lucky bamboo (that will be pulled out at the first sign of yellowing/dying, and not put back in until they are tall enough)
2 balls of moss
1 piece of driftwood with a java fern stuck in the middle

5-6 cories, hopefully a variety of colors (do the diff color varities get along)
2 angelfish (an altum or zebra (not for sure which) and a gold pearlscale I believe)
6 fancy guppies of various colors (have five, will be replacing him) (4 female, 2 male)
9 glofish danios (3 of each color red, orange, and green)(Have the orange and green, they were out of red)
3 sunburst platys


Thanks for all the help so far, any other suggestions?, is this tank well stocked?, could it hold more? Any other comments or thoughts about anything?

 

[bassbonediva]

Sounds good...

I would ditch the HOB filter completely if you're going to go with a canister, TBH. If you can get to Petco, the Cascade 1000 is a bit cheaper than the other canister filters and works just as well. Or, you could always check Craigslist (that's where I got my Cascade).

As for the stocking...I think it sounds good. The different colored cories will "get along," but don't expect them to school. I have four albinos and three (soon to be four) peppereds in my 55gal and the completely ignore each other.

 

[AquaticTim]

thanks for the heads up. That Cascade is a hundred dollar filter. I'm sure it is better, but do you think it's really needed. Also, do you ever have to change out the filter/media? Any other comments appreciated!

 

[Lotus]

I merged the two threads into one, so all the comments are in the same place. So, some posts may seem out of sequence, but hopefully it will give a comprehensive thread to help the OP.

 

[AquaticTim]

Thank you!

 

[bassbonediva]

thanks for the heads up. That Cascade is a hundred dollar filter. I'm sure it is better, but do you think it's really needed. Also, do you ever have to change out the filter/media? Any other comments appreciated!

Check out your local Craigslist. You might be able to find a canister filter on there for cheaper. Think of it this way...if you're running two HOB filters to make up the GPH you need, you're going to spend as much on those two filters (if not more) than you would on a decent canister. Just saying...

As far as changing out the media...I've had my canister running for about eight months and have yet to touch the media, other than to add the zeolite a few months back when I had to re-do my tank (had a major crash after a 5" featherfin catfish died behind my driftwood and I didn't find him until there really wasn't anything left but bone).

 

[AquaticTim]

Sorry to hear about your catfish.

As far as my filters, I agree that my two HOB's probably cost more than one canister.. BUT I already had one 30gallon HOB from a previous tank and the 60 gallon HOB came with this tank. If I did it all over again, I wouldn't buy the kit. I'd buy my lights and filter seperatly, but at this point it is what it is and this is what I have. I have these 2 filters, I know a canister would be better, but is it necessary to spend a hundred dollars to buy a canister instead? I don't know. As far as craigslist is concerned. I am addicted. lol I buy most of my stuff on there. It's where I bought my original 20 gallon tank, as well as a garage full of tools and toys over the years. I think I'll just keep what I have until something pops up on craigslist unless I have any issues before that. What do you think?

 

[bassbonediva]

That'll work. I got my Cascade off Craigslist for $20 (got several items from the same people, including another canister filter rated for 150gal for $20, and a 29gal tank with hood and light for free). Just keep your eyes peeled. I saw a brand new Eheim filter (one of the best brands) for $65 the other day.