# NO CLUE what to do!



## TrueIrishFan616 (Aug 2, 2011)

Okay...i just bought my wife a 44 gallon corner tank that stands pretty tall. I have no clue what I need to make this tank operational. I know I need a fliter...but what kind? I know I need a heater...but what wattage? I know there are certain chemicals I need to make the water safe for the fishes...but what kind? I want to put a blown up picture on the back of the tank for decoration...but what method do I use to fasten the picture to the tank? Do I fasten the picture on the inside or outside of the tank? I have no clue what kind of fish to put in either...LOL. I know this is asking a lot...but i know ya'll are the people to ask these questions too. thanks for any help you can give me.

Noah


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## Rob72 (Apr 2, 2011)

congrats on the new tank, fiirst decide if you want live plants or not, depending on that answer would be your substrat, deffently a filter i use canisters, they are quite and easy to use and circulate water really good, you will need a heater, i would do at least 150 watt, as far as picture you place it on the outside, as far as putting it on i have never used on, i always painted or did nothen, hope this answeres some of your questions


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## TrueIrishFan616 (Aug 2, 2011)

thanks for your reply. I do not plan on using live plants. My wife and I are big big football fans so I bought about 30 lbs of Green rocks and about 10 lbs. of white rocks so I'm gonna make a little football field on the bottom of the tank. As far as the canister filter...how do those work exactly? Are they fastened to the tank somehow or do they float around? I'm CLUELESS on how fish tanks operate so I apologize for the dummy questions...LOL.


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## Rob72 (Apr 2, 2011)

sounds like a plan should be nice, as far as canister filters, the sit underneith the tank in the stand, you have i tube for inlet, and one tube of outlet, you put your filter media in the canister and hook it up and your good to go, they do cost more than HOB filters but the quality is alot better, i have canisters on 3 of mine


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Heaters should be 2-4 x tank capacity, but depends on how cold your climate is and how cold you keep your home in the Winter. There is a product called Prime that a lot of people use for dechlorinating your tap water.


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## TrueIrishFan616 (Aug 2, 2011)

thanks for all the help. I do appreciate it. Seems that most people on here are willing to help me out. Thanks a lot for the convo Rob.


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## Mushtang (Jun 15, 2011)

Go buy a copy of Aquariums For Dummies. It's a GREAT beginner's book and will teach you enough to get you started.

Look on YouTube and do a search for cannister filters. Watch about a dozen of these and you'll learn what they are, where they go, how they hook up, etc. I recommend Fluval filters, since I've had a lot of success with them over the years.

I'd recommend against trying to create a design in the rocks on the bottom of your tank. The first time you clean your tank you'll mess it up, and you might be tempted not to clean the tank because of that. Do a YouTube search on "vacuum fish tank" and you'll see what I mean. To clean the tank well you need to really move the rocks around to get as much fish poo out as possible.

Good luck!


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

Before you do anything I would recommend you research live plants.

As strange as it sounds to newbies, to me the live plants "trump" everything else. 

So in my tanks I use no filters, no water changes, no airstones yet fish thrive and live for years and years.

I have my own personal, methods which are call the beaslbob builds (or methods) here, but they are just low tech methods which are very common among planted tanks.

my .02


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Welcome to the gang and the world of aquarium husbandry!

Canister filters are the bomb. I use a Marineland Magnum 350 on my 29 tall tank, and the thing runs silent, very efficiently, and requires little maintenance (it's been running 3 weeks now, no problems or clogging yet).

Really, the only chemical you need is dechlorinator a.k.a. tap water conditioner. As mentioned, Prime is a great chem. I use API Tap Water Conditioner. Same stuff, different brand names.

I would suggest Aquariums for Dummies as mentioned above, and a good water testing kit. We like the API Master Freshwater Test Kit for its cost effectiveness, accuracy and precision. You could do test strips, but they are much less accurate. The test kit will help you determine when your tank will be ready to add fish, and comes in handy during times of sickness to diagnose what's wrong.

I also love love love my live plants. They grow like weeds, provide a more natural environment for my fish, help clarify the water, and in general just help the tank out tons.

Just my thoughts.


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## TrueIrishFan616 (Aug 2, 2011)

thank you so much everybody for the advice. I just bought a copy of that dummies book with expedited shipping...LOL. This aquarium stuff is addicting for sure...and might I add expensive! I went to Petsmart today to pick up a good filter and the test strips n stuff like that to get me started. I bought a nice filter(not a canister yet...too much $$$) and some test strips. Took a sample test of the water and OH MY GOD the ammonia level was about 5ppm! Treated the water with some ammonia reducer stuff and tap water conditioner stuff. I'll check her again tomorrow and hopefully I'll have some better results. thanks again everybody!


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

TrueIrishFan616 said:


> thank you so much everybody for the advice. I just bought a copy of that dummies book with expedited shipping...LOL. This aquarium stuff is addicting for sure...and might I add expensive! I went to Petsmart today to pick up a good filter and the test strips n stuff like that to get me started. I bought a nice filter(not a canister yet...too much $$$) and some test strips. Took a sample test of the water and OH MY GOD the ammonia level was about 5ppm! Treated the water with some ammonia reducer stuff and tap water conditioner stuff. I'll check her again tomorrow and hopefully I'll have some better results. thanks again everybody!


be *very* careful with chemicals especially dechlor and most especially with ammonia locks. What happens is the ammonia is locked up (and safer) but normal tests still test positive because they do not differentiate between locked and unlocked (dangerous) ammonia. seachem has a multiest kit that does measure both kinds.

the danger is you measure ammonia, add the chemicals, and still measure ammonia so you add more chemicals. Meanwhile the chemicals also locks up oxygen with the result the fish will suffocate. Prime is one of those chemicals.

By contrast live plants love consuming ammonia and will lower ammonia in a matter of minutes or hours. While actually returning oxygen and consuming carbon dioxide. A much better, safer way of controlling the tank.

still just my .02


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Having high ammonia readings already is just fine - good, in fact, because you'll need to read up on something called the aquarium nitrogen cycle BEFORE you add fish. Otherwise, high levels of ammonia and/or nitrite will if not outright kill your fish, make their lives pretty miserable.

Canisters are great but HOB filters are just as effective, in my opinion, just noisier and much more obtrusuve (all the hardware is right where you can see and hear it).

Also, in the future, look on Craigslist before you buy new - much less expensive, and definitely the way to go if you ask me.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Oh, and throw out or sell that ammonia neutralizer - if handled properly, your fish will never be in danger of being exposed to ammonia, and that bottle will sit under your tank forever. Dechlorinator is pretty much the only chem you will need (the pet store clerks will try and tell you otherwise).


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## TrueIrishFan616 (Aug 2, 2011)

good to know! Thanks for your .02 guys! I really do appreciate it.


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## Mushtang (Jun 15, 2011)

TrueIrishFan616 said:


> I bought a nice filter(not a canister yet...too much $$$)


Don't pay $180 for the Fluval 305 in the store, you can find it online for a lot less than that.

Amazon.com: Fluval 305 External Canister Filter - $110


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