First 50 gallon tank

[noobzie]

ok so i gota a wooden table,50 gallon front curved tank, 3 bags of large smooth rocks, 2 fake plants, and 1 sucker fish (small one, about 3-4 inches)2 different bottles of water conditioner,heater, and an odyssea cfs4 canister filter,2 bags of koi food, all for 440 bux. I think thats an ok deal. I got a hookup from my moms friends cousin or something. Whattya guys think? And the tank is in my room. Caister filter is too loud =[ I am planning to get 2-4 small kois pretty soon too. Any1 wanna recommend me a VERY silent, efficient, long lasting canister filter for future replacement? Any1 wanna comment me on my stuff? BTW, im just a 16 year old kid interested in aquarium stuff ^^

[fishboy]

Well do you know about cycling? Without cycling the tank your sucker fish(with I'm guessing is a BN or CAE, or at least I'm hoping) is screwed. You need to run the tank with a ammonia source for one month before adding anything though the chemicals bio-spira and stablity can shorten this period(all other bacterial boosters are fakes). Ammonia is a poisonous toxin given off by fish's gills and rot from food and waste. By cycling with a ammonia source such as uncooked shrimp this chemical is introduced to the tank before the fish are added. By keeping ammonia constant bacteria forms in the gravel and filter which work to convert ammonia into a even more dangerous chemical called nitrite. Then another bacterial colony forms to convert nirtite into nitrate which is harmless to fish in small amouts. Once all this is done any ammonia in your tank will be almost instantly converted to nitrate and you'll be able to add your fish with no ill effects . Plecos(such as what I'm guessing your sucker fish is) give of alot of ammonia to begin with so they are in danger in a uncycled tank. Sorry is you knew all this, just checking.

Also kio are out of the question they grow to huge sizes and are unfit for a 50 gallon. Think smaller.

[TheOldSalt]

Don't hit the panic button yet, though.
I'm guessing this tank was already set up and now you've simply moved it? If that's the case, did you clean the filter or just fire it back up again? If it was only a couple of hours, then you should be fine. It you did clean it or take too long, though, then you'll have to start over again.
Do NOT put ammonia into a tank containing live fish. The fish are now your ammonia source, so instead just nurse the tank through it's rematuration process.

[noobzie]

im an ultra newb at fishes. My cousin set up the filter. I just remember adding water conditioner in it. Two different brands. One is amquel and the other one is novaqua. one removes ammonia, chloramines chlorine. The other is like a fish protecter helping it replace lost skin slime and all that stuff. I dunno waht else u guys are talking about cos im a newb

[Scuba Kid]

look up the nitrogen cycle or cycling a new tank on the site's search engine (it's at the top of the page on the green menu bar thing). one of the members here, ron v, made a post about it. after reading that you should have a better understanding. I also back up what fishboy said about koi. Koi are large, active fish and grow too large for most tanks. They are better suited for pond life and will not fair well in a tank of that size.

[Lexus]

I wouldnt have paid that for a 50 regular, bowfront maybe. How does a 16yr old kid like you have $440??

Have you cycled the tank? Have you tested your water perameters?
On my 55G I have a dual flow Aquatech filter that works just fine. I am not familiar with Odessas.

[ron v]

Originally Posted by Lexus

I am not familiar with Odessas.

Odessas are cool. Old Salt is working with a group now.

[lochness]

i'm guess ing his mom paid since that's his connection to the tank and stuff - congratz on your new tank and welcome to fishforums!

on the filter - first try placing a towel underneath it or a piece of carpeting and see if that doesn't quiet down the vibration - sometimes canister filters take up to 2 weeks to quiet down on their own - if you dont want to wait, you can get an eheim pro II which is known for being very quiet right away, but they run the price of $200+

read the posts above me cuz i would only repeat what they say as they are correct. good luck and feel free to post your questions on the forums anytime