Bought A 55Gal Tank Today

[BaylorPerez]

Alright, so i have bought a 55Gal tank(with stand and a Quietflow 70Gal filter that came with it(store special), my question is how do i set this up to make sure when i add fish species to it they wont die off within a week or so.
 
My thoughts are as posted below....
 
1. Use Quickrete play sand thats left over from my 20Gal tanks(still about 45Ibs left in bag)
2. Fill the tank with some of my 20Gal fish tank water, the rest with Tap water(DeChlorinated)
3. Run the tank for about 1 week without fish to help start with a small colony of Good bacteria from my Old tank water
4. Get some snails(or move the pond snails over to the 55Gal tank) to start the fish cycle.
5. Let it run for about 2 weeks without actual fish in the tank
6. Test water levels, doing a Ph,ammonia,nitrite,nitrate test for the current snail occupants
7. Let run for another 2 weeks and test again
8. Start buying some plants(need suggestions)
9. after 1 week of plants being buried(planted) get some fish(5-10 to start off)(need ideas/suggestions)
10. complete fish tank with some shoaling/bottemfeeders(loaches/cories/algae eaters/suggestions on fish).
 
Tell me if i need to do anything else within the tank cycle, or if i should not do a specific step.
 
 
This is my 1st 55Gal tank(only had a nano and 2 20Gal tanks before this tank)

 

[RainboWBacoN420]

Moving on up I see...

1. 45 lbs of sand probably won't be enough.

2. Why are you going to fill it with some tank water from your 20 gallon?

3.The tank water does not carry over the beneficial bacteria. Running the filter media from an established tank in your new filter will be achieve this.

4. This coudl work, snails are usually very hardy, I did start a cycle for my quarantine using a Ramshorn.

5.You shouldn't have fish in the tank for less than 1-2 months. A slightly aged aquarium is best for fish. The more you wait the better.

6. Make sure you see the ammonia and nitrites spike and return to zero BEFORE putting fish in there at all.

7. The longer the better.

8. Tell us your lighting, soil substrate and what plants you would like. What style are you going with?
Some hardy plants you can go with are anubias, Java Ferns, cryptocoryne Wendtii.

9. Some easy fish would be corys, neon tetra, do some research on compatibility, pH and hardness, feeding and tank size requirements first before selecting any fish. Research prior to purchasing a fish is a must.

10. I think bottom feeders should be introduced first.

The nitrogen cycle is the most important step into setting up a tank. As I said, water from an existing established tank will NOT carry over the beneficial bacteria. The bacteria you want grows on the surfaces of the aquarium. The glass, decorations, in the substrate- but most notably in your filter. Especially in the media in the filter. Let the tank age for 1-2 months, check all your parameters at least once to twice a week using liquid test solutions. Make sure you see the spike in ammonia and nitrite and return to zero and stay at zero. Only then will you know that your cycle is complete and within a couple or a few weeks the time should be right for adding inhabitants.

 

[BaylorPerez]

thats why im not adding any fish for atleast 6-8weeks while having 3 weeks pass before adding some pond snails into the new tank, as with the plants i had java ferns before( i believe thats what it was ), and it died within 2 weeks, but my anubus is seeming to do fine( 3 months later and still alive), what i want for plants is one that will grow and make like hiding places for some fish, and for the bottomfeeders as i want to move my assassin snails into the 55Gal(im getting more soon) because i like their colors and the ability to help out with my pond snail population as they are working hard already, and for fish, i want to stray away from neons and danios(blackskirt danios are ok, but zebra danios i want to get away from them) so thats why i ask, i want to have "big" fish as in bigger then 2Inchs, with how i like my corys which seem to be 2-3Inches already in my 20Gal tank with 2 BlackSkirt danios

With the lighting im going to be getting another either T8 or T12 ZooMed 6500-9000K 98CRI 15-30Watt bulbs so i can get the plants to grow the way they need to, and with the soil i like the quickrete playsand type because it helps for the snails and cories to get more food out of it. I was also thinking of getting a betta since i would have alot of room for several of them if i wanted to get a male and female. And im going for a Semi to heavily planted tank as i want to have some "natural" plants in the tank rather to the fake ones, maybe adding a log or driftwood for the snails to climb on and eat whatever gets stuck on them

And since the tank has a bio-sponge filter and the way the bio-sponge is i dont think it would fit in the 70Gal filter i have as it takes up 1/2 of my current 40Gal filter for my 20 Gal tank and i dont have a spare bio-sponge that would be able to fit in the 40Gal tank unless i get a replacement for the current 40Gal filter

 

[RainboWBacoN420]

I was also thinking of getting a betta since i would have alot of room for several of them if i wanted to get a male and female.

No, do not ever have more than one betta in a tank. They will fight. Male or female. Male or male. Female or female.

Even though, there are plenty of tanks out there that have mixed bettas, it's a dangerous gamble. I highly advise against this idea.

Same for mixing betta fish with any other fish species. It can be done but shouldn't. Period.

 

[BaylorPerez]

i kinda agree with you even though the room would suffice i dont exactly know how i would keep them apart(besides using a piece of tank glass to separate the tank in 1/2. any other ideas on fish that would be suitable? cories over loaches? or keeping the snails in the 20 Gal tank and get several loaches?. i do kinda want to get some middle-top dweller fish along with bottom feeders/bottom-dwellers. Unsure of the species type if i were to try for a cory and loach mix tank, not a good idea based on how the Hierarchy of loaches work. Also arent they territorial as well?   

 

[fluttermoth]

What are the dimensions of your tank, and is your water hard or soft?
 
Don't forget that to cycle your tank, you'll need to be adding an ammonia source, although mature media from your current tank will give you a kick start.

 

[BaylorPerez]

121.9Cm x 33.0Cm x 53.3Cm or 48In x 13In x 21In 
55Gal long, with an assumption of me doing a hard water tank (Ph around 7.5 - 7.8 is what i prefer)

What are the dimensions of your tank, and is your water hard or soft?
 
Don't forget that to cycle your tank, you'll need to be adding an ammonia source, although mature media from your current tank will give you a kick start.

And i am not forgetting to cycle it, thats why its gonna be 6-8weeks before any real fish get added to the tank ( only adding pond snails to help start the cycling process)

 

[RainboWBacoN420]

121.9Cm x 33.0Cm x 53.3Cm or 48In x 13In x 21In 
55Gal long, with an assumption of me doing a hard water tank (Ph around 7.5 - 7.8 is what i prefer)

What are the dimensions of your tank, and is your water hard or soft?
 
Don't forget that to cycle your tank, you'll need to be adding an ammonia source, although mature media from your current tank will give you a kick start.

And i am not forgetting to cycle it, thats why its gonna be 6-8weeks before any real fish get added to the tank ( only adding pond snails to help start the cycling process)

It should be about what the fish prefer buddy..

 

[BaylorPerez]

with the fish ive been getting its usaully 7.5 Ph standard it seems as my corys and blackskirts seem to enjoy it in the 20 Gal tanks

so i am not exactly sure on to if i need to fix the PH on the tank or keep it the same 

 

[Byron]

with the fish ive been getting its usaully 7.5 Ph standard it seems as my corys and blackskirts seem to enjoy it in the 20 Gal tanks

so i am not exactly sure on to if i need to fix the PH on the tank or keep it the same 

 
First, you cannot adjust the pH successfully unless you deal with the GH and KH first, depending what these are in the source water.  The pH is connected to the hardness.  The carbonate hardness (KH, or Alkalinity) acts to buffer the pH, preventing fluctuations; the higher the KH of the source water, the less chance the pH will adjust but remain what it is in the source water.
 
Second, if your source water (tap water presumably) has a natural pH of 7.5, there will be no need to raise it unless you are contemplating rift lake cichlids.  Most other fish that prefer moderately hard water will be fine with a pH above 7.  But the important factor here is the GH.  "Hard water tank" as you mention will depend upon the GH, and generally speaking the pH will follow suit.  But it is the GH you need to ascertain.  If you intend soft water fish, many will manage fine in this pH 7.5 provided you are not considering fish that are more demanding of soft and acidic water.
 
Now that I've entered this thread, I'll comment on a couple of earlier issues.  First, the betta...do not consider Betta in community tanks.  Betta are not "community" fish, and really deserve their own space.  Adding dividers in a 55g tank is rather pointless, as you are then reducing the space that the intended fish for the tank will want to make use of for their benefit.  This non-compatibility works both ways: the Betta may take a real dislike to other fish (bright coloured fish tend to set them off), but many other "peaceul" fish will become fin nippers when confined with the sedate Betta.  If you are concerned about the health and well-being of the fish, consider all the factors each species needs.
 
Second, I would not advise mixing loaches and corys.  Not that this won't work, but in my experience it is better to go with one or the other, unl;ess you have a much larger tank.  Aside from that, some of the loaches get large, much too large for a 55g tank, and some species are downright nasty to any bottom fish and sometimes upper fish too.
 
Byron.

 

[ShinySideUp]

One loach that might work ok with cory's is the zebra loach. They do not get overly large (4" tops). In my tank, amongst others, I have seven Clown loaches, five Zebra loaches and eight Cory's; none have ever been in any way aggressive to any of the other tank members. I have even had Oto's breed without any predation from the Clown's. Clown loaches mostly get upset with each other rather than tank-mates and tend to 'grey-out' when upset but their spats do not last long and very soon they are all friends again.

 

[BaylorPerez]

im looking at the loaches that get to maybe 6 to 8 Inches, as with the cories if i were to get them i want to get different colored cories rather than the 2 albino cories i have already

 

[Byron]

im looking at the loaches that get to maybe 6 to 8 Inches, as with the cories if i were to get them i want to get different colored cories rather than the 2 albino cories i have already

 
Those sound too large for a 55g.  Remember that loaches are highly social fish and need a group; four cansometimes work, but it is better to have five or more.  They are also territorial, and each loach needs its own "home," so have lots of wood or artificial caves and crannies.  The loaches will stake out their homestead.
 
The Zebra Loach (Botia striata) that Shiny mentioned are nice fish.  I currently have a group of Botia kubotai, which max out at five inches, and these are also one of the more peaceful species.  The dwarf loach is another that will work size-wise, but upper fish have to be selected carefully as these have been known to get nippy.  I have a group of five in another tank.

 

[BaylorPerez]

i could get the zebra loachs, instead of corys

 

[ShinySideUp]

I have read up recently on Zebra loaches and they are classed as endangered in the wild so if you get some please ensure they are captive bred. They won't generally breed in tank but are bred using artifical means.
 
https/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra_loach