Asking the pros so I don't mess up. 55gal set up

[ConnivingFerret]

So if all goes well on this craiglist posting I'll have a 55gal tank soon and I want to do a run down of what I plan to do for it here so you guys can weigh in so I don't end up with 55gal of dead fish.
Plants:
Hemianthus callitrichoids
Amazon Sword
Anubius
Duckweed
hairgrass
(I have a couple -4- plants in my 10gal that will be switched over but im not sure what they are. at the time i was just in the mindset a plants a plant.
Fish: Starting out
Zebra danio x5
glow tetra x2
guppy (various types) x5
Betta M x1
^Those are our current fish in 10gal and will be moved first once tank has matured^
Fish after
Angle Fish x2
Mollies x 5
kuhli loach x1
snail (prob mystery) x1
ghost or fancy shrimp x5

https://www.petsmart.com/fish/decor...ora-max-planted-aquarium-substrate-16757.html this is the substrate I'm looking at. (plus normal tank gravel)
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Aqua-Tech-Power-Aquarium-Filter-3-Step-Filtration-30-60-Gallons/10291977
Filter I'm looking at
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-Submersible-Aquarium-Tank-Heater-30-60-Gallon-200-Watt/36135555 Heater
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-Whisper-Air-Pump-for-Aquariums-10-to-30-Gallons/10291813 I already have this one, I know its not meant for 55gal but I was wondering if this plus plants would be fine if not this one
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tetra-Whisper-Air-Pump-for-Aquariums-30-to-60-Gallons/10313014
I also want to try this with the potatoes to help with filtration plus the way he does the duck weed is what i plan to do aswell with the ring.

I have brine shrimp eggs ordered also to supplement fish flakes and betta pellets
i also have a small thing of aquarium salt

some of the plants are seeds so I'll probably give the tank a week to let them grow a bit as well as giving time for tank to mature.
the last 5ish gal of the 55 will be added straight from the existing 10gal so it has some maturity to the water when i add the first group of fish.

any glaring issues? or suggestions?

Thanks for your time
Ferret

*edit yes i know my 10gal is currently over crowed, when i got my guppies the guy getting the fish was terrible and he caught extra. i told him id just take them cause i was planning on getting a bigger tank and he already crushed one fish with the net and dropped several fish on the store floor, initially he tried using water from a cold tank aswell for the guppies.figured it would cause more harm if he tried to take back out the extras... also atm i only have 3 danios in the tank but ill get 2 more once i get the 55gal cause on previous post you guys have told me i need at least 5 for them*

 

[seangee]

What are your water parameters. Specifically hardness. We will need the readings for GH and KH as well as the unit of measure (there are several).

The live bearers all need hard water - and in the case of mollies very hard water. Most of the other fish you suggest would be better in soft water. Aside from that...

Betas should not be in a community tank (you will always find people to tell you its ok, but sooner or later you end up with stressed or dead fish

Loaches should be in groups of at least 5. The same applies to tetras and danios.
Personally I would avoid the angels. They should be in larger groups and in a larger tank. Again people will tell you its possible - but the most likely outcome is dead fish sooner or later.

If you post your water parameters someone can advise what would be best for your setup.

 

[ConnivingFerret]

GH appears to be around 120 KH 180 PH 7-7.5 (i think the strips i have are bad cause they always turn two color instead of just one so i go off of the color that fills up most of the little color square.

 

[Byron]

I concur with seangee and will overlap that post a bit. But right off, knowing the GH is 120 ppm [= 6-7 dGH] mollies, guppies and any livebearers will not manage in this softish water. Stay with soft water species (the other fish mentioned are fine in this regard; the shrimp should be OK depending upon species).

Male bettas are definitely not community fish, so leave him on his own. Angelfish poses problems with just two unless they are a bonded pair. Angelfish are shoaling fish that require a group of five or more so a natural hierarchy can form. But if a male/female pair should form from the group, the others usually have to be removed to save them. A 55g may seem a large space, but to angelfish it is quite small and there is no escape for targeted fish. A single angelfish might manage, but I am not one who recommends something that is contrary to the expectations/requirements of a species.

Danios, tetras and loaches are also shoaling fish as seangee mentioned, and need a group and the more the better for the fish. Before heading down that road though, plan out everything, as noty all shoaling fish are fully compatible with any other fish. Zebra danio for example are fast swimmers (active fish) and this can annoy quiet sedate fish like the intended angelfish so this would not be a good match anyway. Glowlight tetras by contrast are not active.

You do not want to be adding aquarium salt generally, but it can be an effective treatment for some issues. But my point is that you do not add it to the tank at all unless there is a problem. It irritates freshwater fish and weakens them.

On the substrate...I have not used the FloraMax but my general view of all of these so-called plant substrates is that they are more trouble than benefit, and they are certainly expensive. Plants will grow just as well in plain inert sand or fine gravel. And this should be decided based on the intended fish...if you want loaches or cories for instance, sand is better. And regular play sand is about the best you can get; it is safe, not rough, and inert.

The light is your main item when plants are involved. Decide on the light fixture first, then consider filtration. The potatoe thing is new to me, but frankly I wouldn't.

 

[FishGuest5123]

Bettas will mistake a fancy guppy or any long tail fish for another betta and fight with it.

 

[ConnivingFerret]

Well crap because I already have guppies in the 10gal because things I found online said they could go between a certain range and be fine and my tank just hit that range.thats what I get for trusting stuff on internet

 

[ConnivingFerret]

I do not have any male fancy guppies the only male guppies I have Are tequila sunrise. I tried to pick one with shorter tails because once again stuff I read online said guppies were fine with the possible risk of what you said so look for shorter tails. so far the betta hasn't even bothered to acknowledge them

 

[Colin_T]

leave your guppies in the 10 gallon tank and get another 10g tank for the Betta.

don't waste your time with hair grass, it rots underwater.

 

[ConnivingFerret]

dnt have room for all those tanks, cause we got a bully gold fish in a small filter tank atm that was gonna go in the 10gal. also we have 1 glo tetras now one passed away, it has been acting weird for a few days now and not eating. so i kinda figured it would happen... so far all my walmart fish arnt lasting while the ones i got else were seem to do fine. If my betta continues to ignore the guppies presence do you think theyll be fine to keep together? what would u recommend instead of hair grass as a back drop sorta plant.

 

[ConnivingFerret]

heres them when feeding idk if you can tell anything from it though, body language or what ever? warning loud noise at start as soon as i hit record a notification happened on my phone and it picked it up.

 

[FishGuest5123]

10G is too small for a goldfish. Sorry.

 

[Colin_T]

Your tank water is cloudy milky and that is an indication the filter is not working properly or there is lots of uneaten food on the bottom. There were some flakes that sank to the bottom and these could be an issue.

If you crumble the food up a bit so the pieces are smaller, it will be easier for the fish to eat. You can put less food in and let them eat it, then offer a bit more a few minutes later.

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You need some Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta) to float on the surface for the Betta. It grows rapidly so you only need to buy 1 plant. If it spreads you can plant it in the gravel and it grows there too.

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If you get a double tier stand for the 55 gallon tank, you can have the big tank on top and put a couple of smaller tanks under it. Or you could have a 55 on top and another 55 under it. The goldfish could go in one tank and the tropicals in another. It takes up the same space but you get 2 tanks instead of one.

You can do the same with the 10 gallon tank. Buy a double or triple tier stand and have one tank above the other.

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Most fish health issues are caused by poor water quality and a dirty tank/ filter. The following link has information about what to do if your fish get sick. It's long and boring but worth knowing. I recommend printing it out and reading it in bed to help fall asleep.
https://www.fishforums.net/threads/what-to-do-if-your-fish-gets-sick.450268/

 

[ConnivingFerret]

Our water here itself is cloudy idk why like when its fresh from the tap, i had ghost shrimp cleaning up the bottom but the aforementioned goldfish killed them and a tetra so thats why he got banished. i have been trying to remember to grind the food into smaller bits between my thumb and finger didnt do it so much that time because my thumb is pretty much a giant popped blister atm from scrapping up the old kitchen floor (replacing it and had to remove the left behind glue stuff) and yeah idt the filter is doing a very good job either tho. I'm doing bout 33% water changes weekly instead of 25 cause i dnt want to spend to much on the 10 when I (just confirm in email) am getting a 55. the goldfish i'll probably give to my aunt she has a 40g tank. from what you saw do you think its ok to keep the betta and guppies together? The attached picture is the tank I'm be picking up on thurs, (they said the seals are fine but im still gonna double check) as far as the angle fish if i can get a paired two do you think that would be fine for a 55g for like a year? by then i should be able to afford a upgrade. or should i not even risk it with the angle fish? would platies be ok instead of mollies or maybe sword tails? sorry for dumb questions back when i use to have tanks 4-5 years ago i kinda just got whatever i wanted and hope it worked, now im trying to do it better. theres just alot of conflicting info online.

 

[Colin_T]

If your tap water is cloudy then you need to contact your water company and get it checked. It could contain something toxic that is harming you. If the water company says it is fine, tell them you want it tested for everything. If they don't test it, get a private company to test the water. You need to know why it is cloudy, because tap water should not be cloudy.

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If your GH is 120ppm, it's too soft for livebearers.

Guppies, platies, swordtails need a GH around 200ppm. Mollies need a GH around 250ppm.

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Bigger water changes are better than small ones. I recommend doing a 75% water change and gravel cleaning the substrate once a week.

You do water changes for 2 main reasons.
1) to reduce nutrients like ammonia, nitrite & nitrate.
2) to dilute disease organisms in the water.

Fish live in a soup of microscopic organisms including bacteria, fungus, viruses, protozoans, worms, flukes and various other things that make your skin crawl. Doing a big water change and gravel cleaning the substrate on a regular basis will dilute these organisms and reduce their numbers in the water, thus making it a safer and healthier environment for the fish.

If you do a 25% water change each week you leave behind 75% of the bad stuff in the water.
If you do a 50% water change each week you leave behind 50% of the bad stuff in the water.
If you do a 75% water change each week you leave behind 25% of the bad stuff in the water.

Fish live in their own waste. Their tank and filter is full of fish poop. The water they breath is filtered through fish poop. Cleaning filters, gravel and doing big regular water changes, removes a lot of this poop and makes the environment cleaner and healthier for the fish.

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Don't waste your time buying mated prs of angelfish. If you want angelfish, get a group of 6-10 young fish and grow them up together. When they pr off, take the pr out and put them in their own tank, or leave the pr and get rid of the others.

 

[ConnivingFerret]

Question when i do my water change on my 10gal should i just add that to the 55gal tank to help kick start the the filter/bacteria ect? or should i just let the 55g be for a week and let it just run its course normally? Also for almond leaves is there a number of leaves per galleon ration or just drop one in while the tank is being set up?