55 Gallon Aquarium

[becka]

My Mom had a much smaller aquarium when I was younger and I always like to look at the fish. I was thinking of possibly setting up a fish tank for DS to have something fun to look at but I didn't really know where to start.

Someone at work is selling a 55 Gallon Aquarium with a nice oak stand for a very good price. I don't think with this size I would have any issues with it being pulled over but I still wanted some opinions on any safety issues I may not have thought about as well as some general information I might need to know about setting up and maintenance of an aquarium this size. How often do you clean it and how? How much money and how many fish do you put in a tank that size, etc.?

Thanks in advance...

 

[RUDisney]

We're waiting for our two clown fish to die. I won't do anything overtly to kill them, but I really want to get rid of our tank. We built a wall to put it in, and loved it from the beginning, but after 6 years, I'd prefer a plant ledge in the wall to a tank.... saltwater, nonetheless.

Anyway, here are my suggestions: For cleaning, you'll want to get magnetic scrapers. They are the easiest and you don't get wet using them. One side stays inside of the tank and the other grabs onto it from outside. You just slide it over the glass.

Research online all of the ins and outs of tank maintenance, filtration and setup. We set ours up on a wing and a prayer. One of my employees just set one up and hasn't lost a fish because he did everything right and waited for the tank to "explode." That's when all of you nitrates, nitrites and ammonia is finally all right.

If you do a saltwater tank, you can PM me for some advice. I can keep you from doing the wrong things that we did. I haven't ever had my own freshwater tank, so I'm not much help there.

My favorite place for fish and supplies is That Pet Place in Lancaster, PA. You can request a catalog for fish (and for your dog) at www.thatpetplace.com . They deliver and have experts on hand to give you advice over their toll-free phone number.

A 55-gallon tank on a stand is going to be pretty heavy and stable. I don't think you should have any problems with the baby and the tank.

 

[Serena]

That is a good size for a tank. Not to big, not to small.

It will be heavy.
You should start collecting water to fill it. Unless you do the stuff to get rid of the chlorine, just let it sit for about 4 days.

We have an undergravel filter and an expensive biofilter. That biofilter is the best thing we have bought.

Have plenty of gravel, but you don't have to over buy. Just buy a few bags at a time until it's a good amount.

A piece of advice. The natural stones and backgrounds look better longer. Mainly because the artificial colors get old pretty fast.

The fish will need some hiding places. Plenty of plants and decorations will be good for them.

Are you thinking of the african cyclids, tropical, or a salt water tank?

We have a tropical, also called a community tank. There are lots of fish that get along well. Including a Mickey Mouse Platy.

 

[jel0511]

I can't help you with the maintenance of the tank, but I can tell you that EVENTUALLY your little one will try to get in the tank. We have a 20 gallon tank, and all my DS 2 does is throw stuff in the tank, tries to grab the fish, bang on the tank (scares fish) etc. He does this by moving a chair, or something else to make him tall enough to get in. I've tried EVERYTHING to keep him out, even taping the lid shut, but it's not working. We don't want to kill the fish, even though DS is trying, and basically are waiting for them to die. Once there aren't any more fish, we're dismantling the tank. In my opinion, not a good idea with toddlers around. If I could find a good home, I'd give them away!!!! We got this tank as a gift for my daughter whose now 5 and she has NO INTEREST whatsoever. At least when they torment the cat, he can fight back, these poor little fishies don't know what/when it's coming!!!!

 

[sha_lyn]

Frist thing to do is the decide what type of fish you want. Then you can determine how to set up the tank and how many fish you can have. The general rules use to be an inch of fish per gallon of tank, but remeber that should be the size that the fish will reach when it is full grown.
After deciding what you'll need to buy (or what fish you will need to buy if you rely on on what the co owrker is selling) go ahead and set up the tank at least 3 days before buying the fish. A week is the ideal amount of time to wait. You should buy some starter bacteria, water treatment (such as stress coat) and a PH stablizer ( what ph level will be determined by what type of fish you will be getting). Be sure you have a natural spectrum light bulb and not a plain flouscent "kitchen" type bulb. Live plant do help make the tank more stable, but some fish will tear them up and or eat them. Be sure you have the temp set at the right level for the type of fish you will be buying. IT is also a good idea to use a small amount of aquarium salt in a fresh water tank. The brand we use is Doc Wellfish. You should also use some type of amonia controller. We prefer the amonia removing chips over the chemicals

Once you have the fish in the tank, start checking the water (ph, amonia etc) every 2 weeks for the first couple of months. Then once a month after that. With that large of a tank you should be able to do a partial water change every other month (no more than 40% of the water) and a filter material change, and top of the water level the other month.