Howdy!

[frizzlefish]

Howdy all. New to the boards. Had a very large tank growing up - my father is a welder so he hand made one, I'd bet it was an 80-90 gallon one - stainless steel 3 sides and glass front. BUT, I'm new to the hobby as an adult.

Today is the day however! Picked up a 60 gallon, a bio-wheel filter rated for a 75 gallon tank, test kit, (some water conditioner and a bacterial suppliment that the lady talked Himself into getting while I was watching the Boy, don't know about these though?) and the associated accoutrements that the Boy thought he'd like in the tank.

We're going to get it in place and filled today.


I have little ideas of where to go next. I know we'll cycle it fishless for a time. But then what? What levels should I be seeing before adding any fish?

I'll be searching around for info on the beginners forums.


:)

[hungryhound]

Welcome to the A.C.

Your HOB may be a little to small for your 60 gallon tamk. Most filters are rated for more than they can reasonably handle. I am guessing that you are going with a penguin 350 an emperor 400. You may want to check out this link. IT explains how to get a canister filter for only about 20 dollars more than what you are going to pay for a HOB.

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aqua...ead.php?t=5098

personally I have a penguin 350 on a 46 gallon planted tank and it is barely pulling its weight. I am upgrading to the rena XP3 as soon as it arrives in the mail.


The other link that you may want to check out is the one on fishless cycling.

fishless cycling

ome water conditioner and a bacterial suppliment that the lady talked Himself into getting while I was watching the Boy, don't know about these though?

What water conditioner did she get talked into. You will need a conditioner to remove the chlorine from the water, or did she get talked into bio spira which will pretty much cycle your tank in a day. Of course biospira for your size tank will run you close to 50 dollars.

good luck and enjoy the wealth of knowledge that is on these boards.

[jeffs99dime]

welcome to a.c.

[Abbeys_Mom]

Welcome the to forum :)

[Drumachine09]

Welcome to the A.C.!

I reccomend you download the free aquarium Ebook in the left hand menu.

[jweintraub]

Welcome to AC! Any ideas on what you're putting in the tank yet?

[frizzlefish]

Ah -thanks for the welcomes!

The water conditioner and bact suppliment are both Top Fin brand from petsmart.

So with a 60 gallon tank - I should or can have 2 Biowheel 350 filters? Or would that be overkill? I didn't get any actual Bio-Spira but the saleslady said she "...thought this was a similiar product". Hmmmm.

At any rate it's together, the heater is in place but not plugged in yet, filter and airpump working and the tank looks clean and clear so far. I had some course sand substrate from another tank plus I added some larger gravel pieces so it's a mix.

I have a few plastic plants in place right now, mainly to hide the filter post and the air tubing. I'm heading into town again on Thursday to a LFS and thinking of getting some live plants then.

As for fish, I have been reading up and I think a nice grouping of Danios? with some Tetras, maybe some small (catfish?) at the bottom. I like the thought of the faster swimming fish for the Boys to really enjoy watching.

It's a tall tank - 24" tall, 48" wide and 12" deep.


Any other suggestions for me? Would it pay to even do a test strip of the water now, after adding the liquids the store suggested to get a baseline reading or should I just wait til tomorrow?

[Drumachine09]

Ah -thanks for the welcomes!

The water conditioner and bact suppliment are both Top Fin brand from petsmart.

So with a 60 gallon tank - I should or can have 2 Biowheel 350 filters? Or would that be overkill? I didn't get any actual Bio-Spira but the saleslady said she "...thought this was a similiar product". Hmmmm.

At any rate it's together, the heater is in place but not plugged in yet, filter and airpump working and the tank looks clean and clear so far. I had some course sand substrate from another tank plus I added some larger gravel pieces so it's a mix.

I have a few plastic plants in place right now, mainly to hide the filter post and the air tubing. I'm heading into town again on Thursday to a LFS and thinking of getting some live plants then.

As for fish, I have been reading up and I think a nice grouping of Danios? with some Tetras, maybe some small (catfish?) at the bottom. I like the thought of the faster swimming fish for the Boys to really enjoy watching.

It's a tall tank - 24" tall, 48" wide and 12" deep.


Any other suggestions for me? Would it pay to even do a test strip of the water now, after adding the liquids the store suggested to get a baseline reading or should I just wait til tomorrow?

First of all, you can NEVER have too much filtration. Second, your small catfish could be a nice school 5-7 of corydoras. i recomend albinos.

[hungryhound]

Ah -thanks for the welcomes!

The water conditioner and bact suppliment are both Top Fin brand from petsmart.

the bacteria supplement will definitely help. I am guessing that by water conditioner, you mean something that will remove the chlorine from your water. Make sure that you have a chemical to remove chlorine from your water. Otherwise your fish will die.

So with a 60 gallon tank - I should or can have 2 Biowheel 350 filters? Or would that be overkill?

You can have two biowheels on it no problem. I was just trying to point out that you may run into a problem later with the quality of your water. You can never have too much filtration, but since it is up and running I would not recommend going out and buying another biowheel right now. Use it for a few weeks and see how it is working and then you can decide if you need more filtration. IT was just a heads up that it may happen as the ratings on most filters are for very lightly stocked tanks.

I didn't get any actual Bio-Spira but the saleslady said she "...thought this was a similiar product". Hmmmm.

My guess is that you have Stress Zyme or a similar product which is what i have. TI works okay, but it will still require you to cycle your tank. It will just help speed up the process. Bio spira is the only additive proven to cycle your tank in 24 hours. Just remember to go slow when adding your fish or start with Fish less cycling.

At any rate it's together, the heater is in place but not plugged in yet, filter and airpump working and the tank looks clean and clear so far. I had some course sand substrate from another tank plus I added some larger gravel pieces so it's a mix.

the gravel from your other tank should help out your cycle emensliy as it should be already seaded with a fair amount of bacteria.

I have a few plastic plants in place right now, mainly to hide the filter post and the air tubing. I'm heading into town again on Thursday to a LFS and thinking of getting some live plants then.

There are a lot of factors that go into growing plants. Any tank can grow plants, but not every tank can grow every plant. Research the plants you want to buy and make sure they will grow in your substrate and under your lighting conditions before you buy. There is nothing more frustrating than buying a plant and then realizing you do not have the equipment to grow that particular plant.

I highly recommend plants as they add a beautiful look to a tank and do a tremendous job with biological filtration. Anubis nana and Java fern a couple of plants that can be easily grown in low tech set ups.

Any other suggestions for me? Would it pay to even do a test strip of the water now, after adding the liquids the store suggested to get a baseline reading or should I just wait til tomorrow?

It never hurts to have a baseline reading and it might be a good idea to test your tap water so you have a good idea of what you are adding when you do water changes.

good luck and have fun.

[Lady Hobbs]

Welcome aboard. Actually, you are in the Introduction thread right now so may not get as many responses as you would if your questions were posted in the discussion threads. You may want to bring those questions up in Tank Setup, Technicial, or whatever threads apply.