getting a 55 gallon tank. have some questions

svtcobra22 · 11-08-2012, 03:05 PM

hey guys my buddy is giving me his 55 gallon tank. of course im gonna give it a good clean and start with all new gravel. my question is what would be a good filter to use. i was looking at the marineland penguin bio-wheel filter model 350. i currently have a 15 gallon tank.

Maine_Fish · 11-08-2012, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by svtcobra22

hey guys my buddy is giving me his 55 gallon tank. of course im gonna give it a good clean and start with all new gravel. my question is what would be a good filter to use. i was looking at the marineland penguin bio-wheel filter model 350. i currently have a 15 gallon tank.

Going from a 15 to a 55...that's pretty cool. I think you're going to love the bigger tank.

As for a filter, you'll get all kinds of answers from the folks here..and many of the answers will be good ones. But remember, it's kind of like entering a room filled with auto mechanics and saying, "I want to buy a car...what kind should I get?"

If it were me, I'd go with either an Aquaclear 110, or two Aquaclear 70's...plus a couple sponge filters. That configuration might change if I was stocking the tank with fish that preferred less water movement.

What do you plan to put in the 55?

svtcobra22 · 11-08-2012, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by Maine_Fish

Going from a 15 to a 55...that's pretty cool. I think you're going to love the bigger tank.

As for a filter, you'll get all kinds of answers from the folks here..and many of the answers will be good ones. But remember, it's kind of like entering a room filled with auto mechanics and saying, "I want to buy a car...what kind should I get?"

If it were me, I'd go with either an Aquaclear 110, or two Aquaclear 70's...plus a couple sponge filters. That configuration might change if I was stocking the tank with fish that preferred less water movement.

What do you plan to put in the 55?

well in my 15 i have danios tetras and a pleco. i was thinking of sticking with danios and tetras. my giant danio loves to swim against the current of the filter. another question i have would it be better to get two filters or just keep one?

BettaGuy · 11-08-2012, 03:54 PM

two filters is better than one for many reasons, the biggest i think is that if one fails while you are gone the water is still getting filtered.

svtcobra22 · 11-08-2012, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by BettaGuy

two filters is better than one for many reasons, the biggest i think is that if one fails while you are gone the water is still getting filtered.

yea you do have a point there thanks

svtcobra22 · 11-08-2012, 09:46 PM

im also going to be transfering the fish from the 15 gallon to the 55 gallon tank.

**emc7** · 11-08-2012, 10:26 PM

Run the 15 filter on the 55 if it will fit, then you throw in all the fish and add a new filter right away. Down the line you can get another big filter as you get more fish, and you can put the little one back on the small tank 2 filters are better than one. A penguin 350 is a nice strong filter for the money, but sometimes you get a loud one (call Marineland) and they all get noisy as they age. I prefer emperors as they are bigger and fit in the same space. Aquaclears are nice, too and are quieter than the other HOBs. Sponge filters are awesome, they work great and are cheap, but are ugly (you can screen them with plants or whatever). Get the aquaclear or a canister (even a HOT magnum 350) if you need it to be quiet (ie. tank in bedroom)

MainelyFish · 11-09-2012, 06:00 AM

I am running a AquaClear110 and 2 corner filters... Works great... and I love the 110 its real quite... But I am debating about adding a second filter at some point to make sure my water is as good as possible and as some other people said it will act as a security in case one of them goes down...

svtcobra22 · 11-09-2012, 08:10 AM

Originally Posted by emc7

Run the 15 filter on the 55 if it will fit, then you throw in all the fish and add a new filter right away. Down the line you can get another big filter as you get more fish, and you can put the little one back on the small tank 2 filters are better than one. A penguin 350 is a nice strong filter for the money, but sometimes you get a loud one (call Marineland) and they all get noisy as they age. I prefer emperors as they are bigger and fit in the same space. Aquaclears are nice, too and are quieter than the other HOBs. Sponge filters are awesome, they work great and are cheap, but are ugly (you can screen them with plants or whatever). Get the aquaclear or a canister (even a HOT magnum 350) if you need it to be quiet (ie. tank in bedroom)

i would have to cycle the tank correct?

MainelyFish · 11-09-2012, 10:57 AM

Yes you definitely want to cycle your tank first.

BettaGuy · 11-09-2012, 05:13 PM

Actually with the filter from the 15g you shouldn't need to cycle the aquarium again as long as you don't add new fish appart from the ones you already have. Just hook up the existing filter to the 55g along with a big filter that can actually filter a 55g. There wont be any spikes because you still have the old filter working, and the new filter will slowly build up beneficial bacteria.

**emc7** · 11-09-2012, 05:24 PM

Right, new water, old filter, new filter, old fish, feed lightly and you should only have a light "mini-cycle". Easy, breezy.

svtcobra22 · 11-10-2012, 01:49 PM

o wow i didnt know that. that saves some time. im going to try to post up some pictures of the progess of the tank. i ran to petco after work today and bought the marineland penguin power filter 350. so far the tank looks alot better than when i got it.