Upgraded to 55 Gallon...Good deal? Now HELP!

[Bur01014]

Hey all, just upgraded to a 55 gallon tank. I paid 150 for the tank, stand, two filters, one is just a cheapo, the other penguin biowheel 300 or something, and also an undergravel filter with two powerheads (who knows if its any good, im a noob). Also gave me all the fish- about 30 african cichlids, traded them in at lfs and got 90 bucks of store credit :)! He also gave me about 20 dollars worth of fish food, 30lbs of gravel, several decorations, etc. I think i got a good deal, but some things really bother me. First of all, how do i get this tank cleaned? It looks kinda nasty, with brown gunk and algae and smells. Secondly how do i get those filters cleaned spotless, or is that impossible? They look equally as nasty. Third, he tried to paint (i think) the back side of glass blue, but looks like crap, i can scratch it and it kinda comes off. Anyways, is it possible to get the paint off? Scratch it off or will that ruin the glass? Paint thinner work? I thought i got a good deal, but it appears i got a good amount of work ahead of me. Just hope it cleans up some and looks presentable! Help me out with tips! I want to move me fish to this new tank in the next week or so! Any help or input on my concerns would be appreciated, thanks!

[MonkeyPox]

1. Vinegar and water will make great cleaners, just make sure to rinse well.
2. If you don't intend to keep the seeded media, you would be best off replacing it then trying to clean it
3. Paint thinner works as well as a razor blade.

[Bur01014]

Thanks for your help......ya i plan on replacing all the media in the filters, so can i clean them like with a tooth brush and vinegar water mixture and rinse well, then replace with new media?

[nicklt]

u did get a good deal on this stuff and there is always work when buying a tank from someone but its worth it in the end make sure you cycle the tank though before you add a bunch of fish and just wondering what kind of fish do you have

[Bur01014]

I have a leaf fish, 6 tiger barbs, and a kissing gourami. However, thinking about trading in the tiger barbs. They were my first fish, but since then, have found it hard to buy fish that go with them......they restrict me too much :). I think cichlids look really cool, but probably have to get rid of all my fish to add them. By the way, I am transferring the gravel, decor, and two hob filters from my cycled 29 gallon to the 55.....will the tank still need to be cycled? or will ammon/nitr/nitra be stable? Any input would be great! BTW, spent about 2 hours tonight scrubbin and removing paint, looks good now! Got it filled up, want to make sure it doesn't leak or anything like that.

[jaysee]

I have a leaf fish, 6 tiger barbs, and a kissing gourami. However, thinking about trading in the tiger barbs. They were my first fish, but since then, have found it hard to buy fish that go with them......they restrict me too much :). I think cichlids look really cool, but probably have to get rid of all my fish to add them. By the way, I am transferring the gravel, decor, and two hob filters from my cycled 29 gallon to the 55.....will the tank still need to be cycled? or will ammon/nitr/nitra be stable? Any input would be great! BTW, spent about 2 hours tonight scrubbin and removing paint, looks good now! Got it filled up, want to make sure it doesn't leak or anything like that.

You only need to transfer a filter in order to skip the cycle. While there are bacteria colonies in the gravel and on the decor, the vast majority of the work gets done in the filter. Are you dismantling the 29 you have?

Ditch the UGF. They cause more problems then they solve. I'd also ditch the penguin, but I hate them - I have 3 that I'm not using. If you want to stick with HOBs, I strongly suggest looking at AquaClears or emperors. A good filtration system will turn the water over 8-10 times an hour. With HOBs on a 55, that means multiple filters unless you go with an AC110.

You have a leaf fish? Is it a spotted african leaf fish?

[Lady Hobbs]

Congrats on the upgrade.

You can simply scrap the blue background off with a razor scrapper.

Lay your tank on it's side, pour just enough vinegar inside to wet the glass and let it sit for 5 minutes. The acid in the vinegar will dissolve lime scale. Rinse very well.

Having the UGF was OK with the cichlids but you likely will not want it. You can not have plants with an UGF if you should decide you want them.

Gravel really makes a statement in a fish tank so stick with neutral colors as are in the wild. A piece of wood would be nice to make your tank look natural instead of expensive decorations? Some of those fish decoration can be their death trap.

Don't worry about the filters not being beautiful as long as they perform. You can add things as you go along. It's probably just lime scale on them, as well. The filter media he had has probably lost it's value as far as good bacteria goes and he probably tossed it out anyway. Get yourself a bottle of Tetra SafeStart, your dechlorinator and read the links below about cycling.

Spend some time here talking with others before you stock your tank to prevent over stocking and aggression issues.

[jackson17]

Well everyone has pretty muched covered what you needed to know, so I'll just add this lol.


You got a hell of a deal. You payed 150, but then got 90 store credit for the fish. So you go a tank, decor, gravel, stand and filters for $60 really. Great find! Can't wait to see pictures when its up and running.

And welcome to AC!!

[Bur01014]

Thanks for input guys.....I've been browsing these forums for months, but now making an appearance and everyone has been nice and helpful. My current 29 gallon as its stock "aqueon 30 filter" and I added a aquaclear 30 to it as well. I figured I would transfer both of those filters and purchase an aquaclear 70 as well. Would that be enough filtration without breaking my wallet? So under gravel filters are crap? Okay, I will try and sell it? I guess it sounded like it is good for cichlids only....perhaps because of their bioload? I plan on selling the 29 gallon, just no room for it, so will transfer all my stuff over. My leaf fish is the "african one" from petsmart, but it is actually a bush fish from the research I've done. He is really cool! As for the penguin 200 filter and the top fin crap one, i figure i will just get rid of them in a package with my old 29 gallon. I don't want to waste my time cleaning them if they don't work well like you guys said. Anyways, another question- light hoods have white crusty film....assuming its hardwater stains....how to remove those? Scrape and sweat? Also I assume i can drain water from 29 to bucket, put fish in temporarily, take out decor, python out all of water, remove gravel and put in 55 tank, add decor, and fill. Then just add filters, let water warm up to proper temps and drop fish in? I have been reviewing the whole process in my head, just want to make sure I don't forget something and mess something up halfway through the whole ordeal. Oh and I do have a conditioner I add, I have done a ton of research about cycling tanks and what not. (I think its called stress coat) BTW, when using this fancy "python" that hooks to the sink (another good deal he through in for free) how do i condition the water? Doesn't all water already affect the fish while its filling? Perhaps I should dose for conditioner then fill? Tips and advice? Btw, what to do with $90 dollars worth of fish credit? Its for livestock only....my tank will be overstocked after i add a couple.....guess buy really expensive ones? ;)

[Bur01014]

Btw, found a aqua clear 70 one year used for 20 bucks....good deal? Or is it not good to buy used filters?

[megastealer]

Btw, found a aqua clear 70 one year used for 20 bucks....good deal? Or is it not good to buy used filters?
get it. that is an incredible deal. jump on that one before it gets away!

[jaysee]

get it. that is an incredible deal. jump on that one before it gets away!
Agreed. Even if its dirty like the ones you want to get rid of, you can clean it up. The 70 and 30 on the 55 is a pretty good filtration system. As your tank becomes fully stocked, you may want to look into upgrading the AC30 to a 50.

Good luck trying to sell the UGF:hmm3grin2orange:

The leopard bush fish, sold as a leaf fish, is soooo much easier to keep than a true leaf.

With the python, you should fill the tank up with the same temp water that you drained, so there's no need to wait for the temp to rise. Also, you can dose the tank when you begin to refill (for a water change). When you are filling the tank up for the first time, I would dose halfway, so that the rest of the water added will mix it up well.

[jaysee]

As for $90 worth of fish...it's not as much as you might think. I think you'll easily spend it.

What kind of a tank do you want it to be? If you get rid of the tiger barbs, you certainly have more stocking options. The bush fish will eat small fish, so small tetras and rasboras are out.