60 Gallon Hex Setup Ques

[TheVirus]

I have a 60 gallon hex tank that my father had salt water fish in. It has no lights, filter, or heater. It does have a hood, crushed coral substrate, stand, and coral in the tank. I would like opinions on what kind of filter, heater, and fish to use. I don't want saltwater fish. I was thinking either cichlids or discus. The only expierience I have with fish is growing up with my fathers saltwater tank and a freshwater 10 gallon tank that had gouramis, tri color sharks etc. Also does the fact that its a hex limit the fish I can have or does it not really matter. Thank you for all your help and opinions.

 

[Tolak]

Welcome to TFF! Hex tanks, being taller, are best for taller fish, such as angels. You will want to remove the crushed coral, this will raise your pH, a situation you don't want to start with. I would save it for future use; you may keep fish in the future that do better in a higher pH. Remove & save the coral for this reason as well.

With heater you want about 5 watts per gallon. A 250-watt will work in a warmer area; go with a 300-watt if you keep your house a little cooler. Don't skimp on heaters, it's false economy. Visi-Therm or Jager heaters are some of the better ones in the US.

Aqua clear makes one of the best power filters, I have around a dozen running. An AC 70 would fit in well with this tank.

Discus are not a fish you want to begin with, just like you don't want to start out with driver's ed when you are a kid with a pro stock car. You will want to work your way up to discus after some experience. It is something to work towards, as discus are beautiful fish.

Being a tall tank it has less surface area, which means you will have to stock lighter than a tank of more standard dimensions. Check out the pinned articles in the beginners section here, especially the ones on cycling.

Enjoy the tank, hex tanks are real lookers!

 

[TheVirus]

Thanks Tolak. Angel fish are nice also, they were one of my choices. I was going to work my way up to discus only because they're so expensive. If I lose a couple of $2 fish from trial and error it wont be so bad on my wallet. My wife wants a puffer fish do you think they would work well in a hex. Can I put some other fish in there with it or should I just get one that will grow? Thanks for all your help its appreciated.

 

[Tolak]

A puffer will work in that tank, but it will have to be kept by itself. Puffers, for the most part, are aggressive fish, and any that could be kept in the same water as angels would shred their fins in a short amount of time.