First 55 Gallon Tank...help setup! haha

fishnjazz · 10-27-2009, 12:53 AM

Hey everyone! I just joined

. My family has ALWAYS had fish tanks in our house. We used to have a 40 gallon community tank, and now my dad has a 75 gallon cichlid tankin his office. This is my first tank setup on my own, and I'd love some pointers

. My ideas were to do a dark sand, maybe something like the tahitian moon? Also, a variety of cichlids in the tank. Does anyone have any info about different sands I can try? Also, can I use something like Texas Holey Rock in a freshwater tank? What would be a good filter to use for a tank with sand? Any and all info you guys have would be GREATLY appreciated! I will be getting the tank in the next couple of weeks and starting my new hobby right away, I'm so excited and I will DEFINITELY get pictures up as soon it's ready to go

, so PLEASE help me out here! thanks guys!!!

~John

carriej · 10-27-2009, 12:43 PM

Hi there,

I always have had good luck with geosystems sand. I have used a charcoal color before and it looked great. I also use a geosystems sand in my discus tank, it's almost white and it also has kept up very nicely. As for the texas holey rock I have used that in the past when I kept african cichlids and it worked for a little while, but I had a hard time getting it to my door without it being destroyed. Also after my cichlids got bigger they would get stuck in the holes so I just got rid of it.

It's up to you what you want to do with it, it's YOUR tank and have fun with it. If you run into any bumps along the road feel free to ask anyone will be willing to help you.

Carrie

mark razmandi · 10-27-2009, 03:18 PM

any filter is fine just be sure to turn them off while youre pouring sand or cleaning the tank to avoid stirred up sand getting sucked into the impeller housing and ruining your filter...as far as filter choice. if you dont mind the look of a HOB then get an ac110 or two or you can get a canister like a rena xp3 or eheim 2217....if i had your tank i would get a rena xp3 and an ac110 or two ac110s...texas holey rock is fine but realize that it will raise your ph, just the same, driftwood will lower your ph...so if you plan on keeping africans then i suggest texas holey rock but if you plan on keeping SA/CA cichlids then i would do drift wood and slate/petrified wood

mark razmandi · 10-27-2009, 03:19 PM

wait a sec, what size is your tank? i thought it was 75g but i just re-read

fishnjazz · 10-27-2009, 08:11 PM

hey thanks for the help guys. Mark, it's a 55 gallon. I think I'm going to go with slate and drift wood. Since this is my first tank, I've read that africans aren't the best choice for first timers. Once again, thanks for the help guys

mark razmandi · 10-27-2009, 11:03 PM

i say two ac110s or a canister and ac110

ZeroSystem · 10-28-2009, 03:50 AM

I agree with Mark on the filter recommendations. Aqua Clear has always been one of my favorites. I think if you really wanted to do african cichlids you probably could! The people on this forum will likely be able to steer you in the right direction, and prevent you from making many of the common mistakes made by new people to the hobby in regards to african cichlids. There are many other fish though that would work great in your tank, so make sure you research before you start buying! You've got lots of options. My first tank was also a 55g, and I remember keeping a pair of Jack Dempeys with a bunch of Giant Danio's and Black Skirt Tetras. It was a really cool tank.