My 55 gal. planted community journal

[IloveCichlids]

Welcome to my new journal that will document the trials and tribulations of a begginer into the life of the planted community aquarium. In the duration of this journal I will share with you the ups and downs as I recieve them while getting my 55gallon up and running as well as the transformations that the aquarium shall take on. I will also provide pictures within this journal as much as possible.

I hope this will help anyone else in the future by learning from this journal through the good and bad as I experience during my endeavors and as such please feel free to send me advice through private message or on this journal, but please note that if posting on this journal I will record advice and consider it greatly but please do not be offended if the post is deleted from the journal as I want to maintain a learning place for newcommers in the future.

[IloveCichlids]

1st Entry:

I will be picking up and evaluationg the contents of a 55 gallon setup that I am reicieving free of charge from a coworker of my girlfriends. Existing there are 1 Oscar adn 1 Plece residing in this tank. I will be taking these inhabitants to my LFS that I have dealt with for a few years now and trae them in for credit on future fish purchases.

I have an idea of the decoration I will start out with. I want to achieve a cliff or stair step look so I will be going to local landscape yards looking for thin flat slate and other inert rock to form this look. I want to build three "shelves" within the aquarium. I will add a thin layer of sand to the entire aquarium to help level the flat rock to biuld the walls. Then I will take more sand and fill up a layer within the first wall then put an inert substance for the plants over that. Then I will biuld the second wall and repeat the same process as will I repeat again with the third wall. I will also add some driftwood in there for more added decoration.

Being as I have never seen this tank before I am unsure of the filtration or the lighting of this setup so I will have more on that comming in future posts.

A beggining look at Livestock (which I am sure will change as time goes on):
2-3 Angel fish
a school of some type of tetra, around 20 or so
possible school of cories
possible school of clown loaches and or Kuhli loaches
Irridescent shark

More to come as time goes on.

Plant list:
No idea as of yet.

I will post more this weekend after I get the tank and figure out what I am getting.

[IloveCichlids]

2nd entry:

Sorry for the delay, been busy fixin up the basement so I can get the eank down there.

I went and picked up the tank at its former house and jsut about fell over when I saw the conditions inside. Picture a tank that probably has not been vacuumed in about a year with a full size oscar (formerly two) and a 12" pleco. The oscar had hith and was the remaining of the two after it had survived the battle of the fittest in that tank. The pleco looked exceptonaly good but was to big to put into any of my tanks. I took the tank down and put the inhabitants into a rubbermaid container to take to my LFS. drained water and cleaned out as much of the gunk as I could, then packed it up and headed to the LFS and home. I recieved a $15 credit for the pleco but could not get anything for the oscar because of its condition. Still not to shabby for a free tank.

Once I got home I started the arduous task of cleaning and inventorying what I recieved. heres what I got:
55 gal tank (needs new top frame which is not bad at all)
stand
canopy
4 ft flourescant light @ 65 watts (will need to be upgraded for planted tank)
Fluval 304 (awesome!)
some fake holey rock and driftwood (won't use)
undergravel filter system (wont use)
2 air pumps (one really good one)
2 air 4 way valves
Plenty of hosing
2 12" airstones
1 submersable power head
1 scraper
1 medium sized magnetic glass cleaner (name escpes me at this point)
1 hong on tank heater (wont use, hate them)
2 automatic feeders
large container carbon
4 bottles water conditioner (similar to stress coat)
mised food and other chemicals
bio-zyme
Nitrazorb
I trashed the glass tops for the tanks as they were too far gone to salvage plus the calcium build up was pretty severe. New glass panels for the top are not that expensive
10' python
and a couple gravel vacs
2 nets

All in all it was a great deal for me. Plus I felt good about saving those fish.
After I got home I put the ravel substrate into two 5 gal buckets and proceeded to rinse it which took about 45min. per bucket to get clean. It was so dirty it was a crime. I mean there was gunk (I am assuming fish excrament and leftover food) at 1/2" - 1" all over the tank, at least the wife of the previous owner got some great fertalizer water to put into her plants.

I have not got a chance to figure much of anything else out as I have been painting the basement and designing my bar that I am going to build for down there. I will get the tank down there tomm evening and put it where I want it. Then I will start figuring out and gathering my hardscape stuff. My LFS has some flat thin slate I am going to try and trade two large pieces of Holey rock that are too big for my 55 for a bunch of it. They should go for it since they have a large selection of Malawis and Tangs. I will post more in the next week or so and let you know how I do.

I do have a new kind of fish I wnat to put into the tank... Some Rams, they have them at my LFS and they are awesome looking. I just have to figure out what will go with them well and what they require as my tank inhaitants.

[Bear]

I woulda liked to have seen a pic of that Pleco, I don't think I've ever seen one that big.

Take pics, even of where ur gonna put it. Your putting so much work into it, show it off

[BV77]

I don't know if you know it or not, but the top frame is important for the strength of the tank...if it is broken, the glass WILL bow out more than 3/4 of an inch.....this is nearly the cracking point.....or beyond....depends on tank
New tops can be purchased, the hard part is removing the old top. I razor knifed up both sides as best I could, then had to break it off in small peices with my fingers.....DO NOT use a screwdriver or like items to pry on the top, as it may put chips in the edge of the glass, and make a potential crack or failier of the glass. After all is taken off, clean up with razor. ( silicone will not stick to silicone ) Then wipe with alcohol and lay bead of silicone in the ridge of the top, I then set the tank on the top, upside down, so the weight of the tank does the work of holding it on securely. Then...I hope you're not in a hurry, because the longer you let it cure, the better, IMO

I'd then fill it somewhere where a spill will have little consequences, ie. garage

Good luck with the top.....just my 2 cents from experience

[IloveCichlids]

Sorry, I have been slacking a bit. Working ont he bar and the basement, then will get the tank up and running. Still have a good plan for it and will take pics to post. Will be getting a new top frame here in a week or two. then will start on te setup and deco's.


untill then...

[IloveCichlids]

Alrighty, It has been a while since I posted on this journal. still have done nothing with the tank. The bar and basement is finished and I will not be doing any major remodeling on the house untill after the first of the year so I get a chance to play with my tank. I think I am going to start playing with it sometime this week. I have a selection of rocks that I am going to start shaping for the rock layout. I will keep posted once I get going.

[sushi_turbo]

POST SOME PICTURES OF YOUR TANK! I can't believe all that writing and journalizing with NO images of your tank man.

[IloveCichlids]

I have not posted any pics because I have done nothing with the tank as of yet.

And I am closing this journal because I have decided to make the extra tank my Tang. tank in the basement and use the one they are in now a FOWLR marine tank. Wish me luck!

[Phantom_Cichlid]

Good luck with it.

[Alin10123]

Any updates?