That's right, #BigHeadJim agrees after almost two years since the aquarium crashed, it's time.
Will be setting up a 55 gallon freshwater tank. I'm super rusty. Advice welcome, my friends.
P.s., more Big Head +Jim Gomes to come now that he's resurfaced.
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Nice PJS +Scott Cramer !
Ha! Not I +matthew rappaport! Lol
What are kind of fish are you going to get?
Why fresh water?
+Sandra Berkshier Thinking freshwater community. Daughter and I want colorful fish. Due to the fluctuating temperature in the townhouse and fact that the room is lit quite often, I have to take those factors under consideration too!
+Robert Sheppard Maintenance and cost.
+Scott Cramer Good reasons.
Are those PeaceJ's?
Now that #BigHeadJim has resurfaced, are you sure it's safe to back into the water?
Nice. I am fond of rainbow fish.
Yay fishies!!
What, no lobsters?
Don't know much about freshwater, but I have a friend or two that have actually been involved in breeding freshies. I have a 90 gallon mixed reef, so I might be able to pass along some general advice about setting up, or more advice if you decide to be a salty.
I picked up the aquarium hobby again a few years ago after a long hiatus. I've always kept freshwater tropical fish, but in this last go-round, I added live plants too. It adds to the challenge, but it also adds to the appeal IMO. There are a few decent aquarium communities right here on Google+.
Blue or tangerine freshwater lobsters (actually a kind of crayfish) are very fun to watch, colorful, and very affordable (less than 20 dollars)
I'm also a huge fan of clown loaches.
Keep on top of water testing and have a good biological filtration system going before you introduce fish and you should be fine.
I currently keep a 45 and a 55 gallon with solitary cichlid in each tank. However, ive had dozens of fish in the last 5 years. Was breeding fancy guppies as feeders for a while as well.
Your G+ community is here if you have any questions. 🙂
+Bryan Beck — Agreed on the clown loaches. Playful and colorful, an excellent combination. They're a little prone to ick, but otherwise one of my favorites.
Which aquarium communities do you take part in?
Positioning is crucial. No sunlight.. or you'll be dealing with a nasty algae issue forever..
It's a large tank.. so if you aren't careful.. it will be a lot of work to clean.. so my preference was a great filter. Don't cheap out.
And lots of living cleaners.. to save you from having to drain and scrub.
I usually set up so that at most I had two cleanings a year.. the rest of the time.. I just added water (treated and aged of course) and changed the filters.
We have a local store that have some superb tank layout artists. I suggest strongly visiting a few dedicated aquarium shops to get ideas for your tank.
Initially, we cleaned it all off (dust) and I think next step is to get the substrate, water, and decorations in and get the filter back up and running.
Would live live plants. Started down that road before the crash but didn't get too far. Should I start with them before or after cycling?
Speaking of… Tap water and conditioner? Between a while and hoping this process is better.
+Tim Southernwood I'm stuck on the light issue. Front window and back patio doors. I put the tank on the side wall in the middle, but I know it's going to bite me when it comes to algae.
Filter is supposedly good up to 70 gallons. AquaClear with bio filter…
Lol
+Damian Sanchez, if he gets lobster I will #nom
Shield it as much as you can. Bracket it with shelves maybe? make sure you wash the prefilter often.
You should be ok. I really can't stress going with some pro setups..as opposed to your own imagination. Find a shop;.. or if you like I'll get some pics and post them of our local. They have some GREAT ideas for layout.
I like cichlids myself lots of color variety. I had a 55gal with 3 big piranha we had 2 waterfall style carbon filter on each side and an under gravel style filter since they wouldn't leave the poor placastimus alone. You can buy these scrubbers that are magnetic one with the scrubbed on the inside then a handle on the outside to move the inside around to clean.
Not near ready for fish but picked up new filter material, water conditioner, and substrate gravel (washing it now). Also picked up four Japanese moss balls ( http://www.aquariumplants.com/Moss_Balls_Cladophora_aegagropila_p/misc25.htm) to try and help with the algae. Will have to report back on that one!
#BigHeadJim nice jam jams! Class of 2019?
Those moss balls look quite interesting and just might work 😉
Just remember, get twice the number of fish you expect to have at the end of the cycle… or Maybe that's just me!
3 to start… A couple of Platys and a Mollie. 🙂
FYI – Male mollie's can be bullies. Especially to anything smaller than them.
The Mollie was super stressed just coming from the store. At present, it's still hanging at the top, whereas the other two are tucked away in hidey holes for the night after exploring. Not placing bets for the morning with the Mollie.
Fishy Fishy Fishy!!!
OK, +Mellie B you made me think of this. If the Mollie doesn't make it in the morning, there's always Plan B.
Fish Heads – Barnes and Barnes (1979)