so I'm finally making the big jump from 2 small 10gals to a 55gal. I found an ok deal for a 2nd hand aquarium ($50 for the tank, stand, hood, and lighting). with a big tank also comes a few big questions.
1. would it be ok to combine the fish from my 2 old tanks into the new big one? would they get along? do I have too many different species? some species only have 2-3 or so. would the new and old fish school together if I bought more of the same species?
I plan to make this a planted tank. I've never done live plants before but I have done a little research.
3. for substrate Ill probably go with Flourite; is 5 bags (75lbs) enough for a 55gal? Flourite generally seems to be the brand of choice. is there any better?
4. I have no idea what plants to get so I'm leaning towards buying a pre-made assortment or package. are those safe to trust? the top 2 I'm looking at are from aquaticplantdepot.com and aquariumplants.com (a forum sponser).
5. the current lighting is a little low for plants (a 40watt 48" bulb). is there any way to retrofit a 48" All-Glass Deluxe Full Hood to fit 2-3 ballasts? if not then I would have to upgrade to a double or triple strip light, but that seems costly and a waste of a perfectly good hood.
6. since I might now have 2 spare 10gals, is it practical to turn one into a sump to make a wet/dry filter? I've seen some plans and it looks possible, but I dont want to waste my time and money if its not as good or better than store bought filters. which leads me to my next question...
7. what filtration is best for a 55gal? It'll eventually be a planted tank with mostly small tropical fish. my top 2 picks at this point is a Magnum 350 Pro System or 2 Emperor 400 BIO-Wheel Filters (1 on each side). which one should I get? or is there a better choice? keep in mind I want to keep the cost under $100.
the next two months will probably be spent cycling (fishless of course), aquascaping, and making a DIY C02 Unit. thanks for reading all the way to the end and wish me luck.
1. would it be ok to combine the fish from my 2 old tanks into the new big one? would they get along? do I have too many different species? some species only have 2-3 or so. would the new and old fish school together if I bought more of the same species?
I plan to make this a planted tank. I've never done live plants before but I have done a little research.
3. for substrate Ill probably go with Flourite; is 5 bags (75lbs) enough for a 55gal? Flourite generally seems to be the brand of choice. is there any better?
4. I have no idea what plants to get so I'm leaning towards buying a pre-made assortment or package. are those safe to trust? the top 2 I'm looking at are from aquaticplantdepot.com and aquariumplants.com (a forum sponser).
5. the current lighting is a little low for plants (a 40watt 48" bulb). is there any way to retrofit a 48" All-Glass Deluxe Full Hood to fit 2-3 ballasts? if not then I would have to upgrade to a double or triple strip light, but that seems costly and a waste of a perfectly good hood.
6. since I might now have 2 spare 10gals, is it practical to turn one into a sump to make a wet/dry filter? I've seen some plans and it looks possible, but I dont want to waste my time and money if its not as good or better than store bought filters. which leads me to my next question...
7. what filtration is best for a 55gal? It'll eventually be a planted tank with mostly small tropical fish. my top 2 picks at this point is a Magnum 350 Pro System or 2 Emperor 400 BIO-Wheel Filters (1 on each side). which one should I get? or is there a better choice? keep in mind I want to keep the cost under $100.
the next two months will probably be spent cycling (fishless of course), aquascaping, and making a DIY C02 Unit. thanks for reading all the way to the end and wish me luck.
