Sand Questions

593 Views 2 Replies 2 Participants Last post by Mudkip, Sep 13, 2012

Mudkip

Discussion Starter · Sep 13, 2012

I just set up my 55 gallon tank. I put in about 45 pounds of sand, the substrate is about 1" deep in pretty much all of the tank, more in other spots.

The water is pretty cloudy at the moment, but I put a bowl in upside down to pour the water off. That disturbed the sand a LOT less than just pouring the water right in. You can see in the bottom of the tank a little, it's not extremely cloudy where you cannot see anything, but it is still pretty cloudy.

My step dad wants to go for fish Saturday, which is three days from now. Will the sand be settled by then?

Should I turn my filter on? It's an Aqueon QuietFlow 55/75 filter for aquariums up to 90 gallons.

Also, any ideas on fish? My step dad wanted to name a fish, so I am looking for larger fish so I can tell them apart, rather than trying to name and keep track of a schooling fish.

I was thinking dinosaur bichirs, but I can only have two of those and I would like more. As long as the fish are about 5" and you can have at least 3 or 4 without them killing each other, I would be happier.

I know nothing about cichlids so please explain about them if you say cichlids.

Also do plecos need driftwood? I want to get one to go with my fish but I hear they need driftwood. All I have is a small piece, about 8" long and 3.5" wide.

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Diana

· #2 · Sep 13, 2012

Yes, the sand should settle by then.
Turn on your filter. Rinse and reuse the filter media daily. It will be removing the fine dust from the water.

Get the beneficial bacteria when you get the fish. Look for Nitrospiros in the ingredients and do not let them sell you anything else. All other 'cycle in a bottle' products have the wrong species of bacteria.

I like Bichers, too. Make sure there are things for them to hide under and play around. They are predators that will eat some surprisingly large prey.

For other fish that are compatible (and too large to get eaten) you could get ONE Gourami such as 3-spot, or any color variation of that species. They are territorial, and often attack each other. So just one.

Any of the larger Barbs are safe, but that is a small tank for the larger barbs. I have Filimentosas with my Bichers, but mine is a 6' long tank. You might try Clown Barbs, and hope they do not get eaten.
There are many species of Rainbow fish, and some of the Australians get pretty big, but are still OK in your tank size.

I would not add Cichlids to this tank. While the Bichers are predators, they are not pushy or aggressive fish. I think the Cichlids would push them around too much.

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Mudkip

Discussion Starter · #3 · Sep 13, 2012

Diana said:
Yes, the sand should settle by then.
Turn on your filter. Rinse and reuse the filter media daily. It will be removing the fine dust from the water.

Get the beneficial bacteria when you get the fish. Look for Nitrospiros in the ingredients and do not let them sell you anything else. All other 'cycle in a bottle' products have the wrong species of bacteria.

I like Bichers, too. Make sure there are things for them to hide under and play around. They are predators that will eat some surprisingly large prey.

For other fish that are compatible (and too large to get eaten) you could get ONE Gourami such as 3-spot, or any color variation of that species. They are territorial, and often attack each other. So just one.

Any of the larger Barbs are safe, but that is a small tank for the larger barbs. I have Filimentosas with my Bichers, but mine is a 6' long tank. You might try Clown Barbs, and hope they do not get eaten.
There are many species of Rainbow fish, and some of the Australians get pretty big, but are still OK in your tank size.

I would not add Cichlids to this tank. While the Bichers are predators, they are not pushy or aggressive fish. I think the Cichlids would push them around too much.

Ok. I decided to not get bichirs just because you need to leave like 2" of air at the top for them to periodacally come up for air, and I didn't want that. I would get tons of schoolers but then you can't tell them apart.

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