# Advice on my 55gal



## steven78 (Nov 24, 2013)

Hi

I'm still pretty new to the fish keeping scene, but I do enjoy it
I have kept a couple of smaller tanks in the past, but this is my first bigger tank

I have a 55 gal tank
At the moment I have a under-gravel filter with power-heads as well as a HOB filter, I believe the HOB is a whisper 60
I figured this should be enough filtration, the under-gravel filter and power-heads came with the tank

Was thinking of keeping glofish, neons and guppies but not sure how many of each i should get
Also not sure on if to get a couple of catfish or corys or something along those lines or not

I will be making up my own lighting for the tank, mainly white and blue leds

Some advice would be wonderful

Also how to i know if my under-gravel filter is working properly and to its full potential?

Thanks in advance


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

First welcome to the site!
This handy site is a useful stocking,compatability and maintenance tool.AqAdvisor - Intelligent Freshwater Tropical Fish Aquarium Stocking Calculator and Aquarium Tank/Filter Advisor
Just input your info(tank size and filters) and then pick fish you like and they will tell you if stocking is safe or not.They'll advise you on water change schedule.
Not many people use UG filters anymore,but as long as you vacumm regulary,it should function.The HOB will be a safe haven for your beneficial bacteria incase you vacumm to much(if it is possible),so don't "clean " both at the same time(do one every other week).
I wouldn't put any pleco catfish in your tank unless they are bushynose(all the others will get to big and create alot of waste).The cory cats would be great in a peaceful community tank and prefer schools themselves.
If live plants may be in your future you may to consider ditching the UG filter and get a canister or another HOB.


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## Raymond S. (Jan 11, 2013)

12pcs 1W White High Power LED Lights 6000K 6300K 100LM 110LM DIY Energy Saving C | eBay
Had U/G filters for years. IMO the reason they aren't as popular is they filter the small particles and house the bacteria
with the same material(the gravel) and this tends to clog the space the bacteria live in. Water flow is imperative for
the U/G filter and I used to keep the rooted plants towards the back and vacuum the front so I'd have at least some
aria that is clear for the water flow to go through. A clear aria the size of a piece of bread x 2"-3" thick is enough(not that
you would deliberately limit it that much) for the quantity of beneficial bacteria to live in which the tank needs. But
that is only well vacuumed gravel. Clogged/w silt won't allow enough room for the bacteria to come in contact/w the
water flow. I would vacuum half of it each week and had no problems even though it was the only filter.
Still I believe that people who do many plants use other types of filters usually now days.
That link is the correct spectrum for the plants. They may have a red LED bulb(650nm/other plant spectrum)but unless
the spectrum is specified as in this bulb I wouldn't trust them. Internet adds regularly tell customers exaggerated
sales pitches about how wonderful their equipment is. But did they put the spectrum in writing ?
Unless you intend to spend quite a bit on fertilizers and injected Co2, you might want to limit the amount of bulbs
that you use to built your light. This link gives PAR readings on any light that you build from them. If your building
your own, then you can do this easily. Just make up a light/w the same length as you need. Put in all the same bulbs
you would use, and then check the PAR reading for it so you will know how many bulbs to eliminate on yours to get
the top of substrate down to 20-30 Par(or whatever you determine is appropriate) as he has a list of what does what
in each PAR level on there somewhere(estimated as it only can be). The bulb I gave you the link to is a 1W bulb
and theirs are 3W so take that into account also. The second link I believe has the estimated level of PAR= high/med/low
level light.
Of course any/all the above is info you can use IF you like.
Custom LED Strip - BML Custom
Lighting an Aquarium with PAR instead of Watts


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

PAR only matters if you intend to keep plants. If you don't just light to your liking. As long as you don't go too crazy you should be good.


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## SueD (Aug 4, 2012)

Take a couple of minutes to reconsider any glofish. They are just really not very nice looking and will contrast sharply (not in a good way) with some of the other, natural fish you might consider.

As an example, if you decide to go with some guppies, there are some really beautiful specimens available. They do breed like crazy, however. And while I haven't had neons, a large school of these can be quite stunning in the right setting.

With a 55 gal tank you have so many options. Don't rush into your selections. Do lots of research to find what really appeals to you and what will be compatible in a community tank. Consider live plants, some driftwood as well as these will provide a more natural setting for your fish.


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## steven78 (Nov 24, 2013)

Thank you all for your input and advice it has been greatly appreciated

I dont think i will be using any live plants so i will probably stay with the UGF and the HOB i have at the moment, if anything i might add another HOB cause i know you can never really have to much filtration

As for the actual fish, im still deciding on what to stock, was going to throw in a couple of glo fish for the kids the rest will be what me and the wife like, 

I have heard guppies can breed like crazy so im still deciding on them or not lol

but thanks again for all the input


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## MriGuy85 (Aug 29, 2013)

SueD said:


> Take a couple of minutes to reconsider any glofish. They are just really not very nice looking and will contrast sharply (not in a good way) with some of the other, natural fish you might consider.


I strongly disagree. I have 5 glofish tetras in my tank along with lots of other types of fish (see my signature). I think stocking the tank should come from what you want to stock, and if they're compatible of course. That being said, youll notice that I have to rainbow sharks in my tank as well. They're supposedly incompatible with all the rest of my fish but I have had zero problems and I have had them for several months. You can find pics of my tank in my section to see what they look like with regular and glo lights. I absolutely LOVE the way these fish look as well as all the rest of my fish. Just my 2 cents. Do what you will


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## henningc (Apr 17, 2013)

I agree stock what makes you happy and is compatable. I too have several types of fish housed together that would be considered a no, no. I have a ton of Endlers livebearers in a 40gal brooder with four Jack Dempseys. The Jacks have never eaten the Endles as far as I can tell. I would not try this at home!!!!

I have crayfish in most of my tanks and have never observed or noticed that they caught a fish. The crayfish are neat inhabitants and are entertaining to watch. They do a great job keeping leftovers from going uneaten. The dwarf crayfish, and several other types, don't burrow or dig so they are safe with a UGF. They do eat snails, so keep that in mind if you ever get a cray. If you skip the corys, no use tempting fate, you could safely get a Cherax Sp. Super cool big crayfish. Cherry shrimp would also work very well.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

I think some in general don't like Glo-fish because they are genetically altered. They aren't may favorite, but it is enough to keep me from ever buying them.


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## steven78 (Nov 24, 2013)

They may have been genetically altered, but i guess in a way at least it was in a more humain way, with other natural DNA than those ways that were seen as with spices like tattooed fish or painted fish that alot of them were laser modified


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I would never own such a fish.Not because of ethics or belief,but more to the fact that there are beautiful "non altered" fish.I think the science that went into this fish is AMAZING and should be noted.This fish was created to show things in the water we can never see.
I also see the interest of children in the coloring.
There are many (I mean MANY) worse choices available to make like; Balloon fish,blood red parrots and the list goes on, of man made defects.This fish is not a defect but a genetically modified animal.Sounds cruel?
All they did was add genes from marine life(corals,jellyfish) and such that already naturally have the coloring gene in them.And they were sucessful!
Hope your kids enjoy them,and for all more interested;
GloFish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I own silver labrador retrievers so can't really say anything bad about trying to control certain genes to get a specific result.
To each his own.


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## steven78 (Nov 24, 2013)

Well thank you all again for advice and input given

I had a friend come over late last night and with them some fish.... 
I now have 4 guppies and 2 yellow glo-fish in my tank...
The tank has been cycled and they all seem to be doing quite fine
I am still keeping an eye on them and the water 

Now i just really need to get my butt into gear to finish off my lighting as its not quite half way done...lol
But i do have to say under the blue leds the glo-fish do look pretty bright and cool lol

As soon as i get some more done on the tank i might post a couple of pics on here


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## steven78 (Nov 24, 2013)

Just a quick update

All fish are doing really well.... all swimming around and eating well and getting along

Thank you again for all the input

I will be starting another thread with pics of the tank and fish and any new additions i might get as well as the lighting and stuff as i progress


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## dalfed (Apr 8, 2012)

I know that there are exceptions to every rule but it is still better to tell newcomers to this hobby the more common facts then the exceptions: henningc even though your setup is working 99 times out of 100 it wouldn't so to tell anyone it is ok is wrong without a huge warning to go with it in my opinion and MriGuy85 your sharks are still babies give them a year or two and report back.
I keep all types of fish and even have my young mbuna grow out with young cpds but that doesn't mean I would tell someone that Bumblebee Cichlids and Celestial Pearl Danios are compatible.


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