Aquarium questions?

Question

I just started a 55 gallon fresh water aquarium.

1. Heater
I have a 200W immersible heater, set to 76F. My room temp is 68F. My question is ... Does the heater need to remaiain
plugged in 24x7 with the thermostat regulating the heat or do I turn on the heater once in a while

2. Filter
Exact same question with filter. How often does it need to be turned on ?

3. Air Pump
Dont have one. Do I need one ? I expect to change 25% of water either when too cloudy or every 3-4 weeks

4. Fish Selection
I have a couple of semi aggressive fish (darn cant think of their names!) Can I put some mollies and goldfish
in there with them ?

Thanks

Thanks a lot fellas. Also wondering,
Is it OK to change water just every 4 weeks if I have an air pump ? Of course if the water gets too murky I will have to change it earlier...

Also I am a bit concerned about leaving the filter and heater on 24x7 when I am go to work and all, am I the only one concerned or what..

Also it does not make sense to me to turn on the filter as soon as the water is changed. I was thinking I'd turn on the filter after about a week or so for maybe 6 hrs at a time...

Also the thing with nitrogen balance and bacterial culture.. People say its not good to change all the water , every so often.. Is this true ?

Thoughts ?

Answer 1

A couple of answers go with the one. If you have oscars or cichlids you can mix them with godlfish or mollies but they will eat them or kill them. In a 55 gal aquarium most fish should not have too many territorial problems.

In a 55 gallon tank you should get more that one filter and run them all the time. Try a whisper brand. the kind to buy has a wheel that is sends water over as well as a filter that traps particles. The wheel that water passes over keeps good bacteria in the water but keeps bad out. It you can not fit two filters on there they have one filter with two different internal sides.

As far as a heater goes it also depends on the fish. most aggressive fish are tropical and need ti to be warm inthe water. the water temperature should be the same all the time. so yes run the heater all the time because most have a thermostat of their own and shut off when nesecary. Also get a palstic one instead of a glass one. If the water level gets low on a glass one they break ans stop working and youwont know it. Keep the water level full and over the top of the heater and you shouldnt have a problem.


Yes you need a n air pump.


As far as water changes go depends on the type of fish you have as well . some fish create a lot of waste especially the types that eat other fish. when you have goldfish in warm water they are messy as well so make sure you get a gravel vaccum and whenm you are doing water changes use it in the gravel. also get a kit to hook up to your faucet they work real easy in a big tank and you will appreciate it. Water changes might be needed more ofter. Try putting cat fish in there or crayfish if you can find them in your area. Any type of crab or lobster or stuff like that is an excellent bottom feeder but they will eat your gold fish. ther good thing is they clean up after themselves

You should also try putting aquarium salt in there every once in a while it replaces electrolytes in the tank and help s keep the tank calm. strees is the worst thing that affects fish and having stuff like salt in the water helps as long as you read the directions and do not use too much.


You shold find a good pet store near by and make sure they know what they are talking about. most stores like wal mart are poor places to buy fish.

Answer 2

1. you should leave the heater on it will regulate itself to maintain said temp.
2. The filter should stay on 24/7 it is what cycles the water
3.air pump is not a necessity however it should help with air flow it wouldnt be bad to get one generally inexpensive
4. Could not tell you if the fish would be good or not because you should definatly find out the name of them.
However in a 55 gallon tank goldfish will get rather large I had 7 comets(very common) and within a year they were all between 9-14 inches long and I had to get separate tank for mollies
furthermore mollies are not the hardy fish they were once. They become very prone to ick and must be well maintained my advice is maybe dempseys or convicts but dont put them in the same tank as the golds or mollies

In answer to your other Q's
turning off the filter will only cause it to work harder at trying to clean the water that is why you leave it on you should not do an entire water change but a 20% to 30% every month should do fine you should invest in a cleaner like pleco or snails that will help you cut down the ammount that you need to change i cannot stress how much you should leave the filter on but if you keep turning it on and off it you will find that not only your water quality will decrease but you will go through more filters and believe me the most costly thing in aquarium keeping can be the filter your new fish will feel more stressed in the water that isnt being cycled aswell

Answer 3

Your filter should always be on, unless you are adding a treatment to the water that can't be used with a carbon filter. It will tell you on the bottle if you need to turn it off. A heater generally should be left on at all times, but you should have a thermometer in there to watch the water temp. It should not fluctuate more than 2-4 degrees a day. I would Strongly recommend an air pump unless you plan on using live plants. Fish need oxygenated water to breath. The more aerated the water the healthier the whole aquarium is. I would not mix semi's with the goldfish family. it is recommended that Tropical fish and goldfish should not be put in the same tank at all. I, however, do have my goldfish in with my tetras, plecostamus', and guppy. They do really well together. You shouldn't add more than a couple of fish at a time when starting a new aquarium. The natural filtration needs to grow with the demand of fish and it can only do that gradually. I would bring in water samples every month to see how your aquarium is aging and check the levels of the chemicals is there. Good luck!!

Answer 4

Yep, the heater needs to stay on 24/7. It will turn itself on and off as needed. Increase the temp to 78-79F as this is more approrpiate for many tropical freshwater fish (but research your individual fish before you buy them)

Your filter must also stay on all the time. Make sure you get a hang off the back or canister filter, NOT an undergravel filter.

You do not need an air pump, but it can't hurt to have one. They are like 15$, they look nice (I like to burry the airstone under the gravel) and the oxygenate the water, enabling the fish to breathe better. This also should stay on all the time.

You must change your water more frequently than once or twice a month. Waiting till it gets cloudy is too late - cloudy water means there is a bacterial bloom which is not good for your fish. It also means high ammonia and nitrite levels - toxic. 25-40% of the water every week (with gravel vacuuming) is a more appropriate cleaning schedule. Your fish will live longer and be more active and colourful as a result.

As for fish selection - which fish are you getting? You should not get any goldfish. Goldfish are COLDWATER fish requiring temps around 66-71F. They are also very big waste producers, churning out toxic ammonia, and even the small fancy goldfish require 20 gallons of water each.
You may or may not be able to put mollies with your semi aggressive fish. Probably not, as most semi-aggressives are fin-nippers and would nip at your fish. Find out exactly which fish you are getting, research them, and it'll give you some idea of good compatibility.

Also, do you know to cycle your tank?
First of all, have you cycled your tank? In the wild, and in established tanks, there are nitrifying bacteria that break down toxic ammonia from fish waste and excess food into less toxic nitrates. In a brand new tank, these bacteria don't exist, so any fish in the tank will produce ammonia, which, not being broken down by bacteria, will kill or weaken the fish. So, it is vital to cycle your tank.
There are a few methods. Do you have access to an established tank? These bacteria live in the gravel and in the filter cartridge, so if you can get some from another tank, you can put the bacteria right into your tank (don't let the gravel or filter cartridge dry out). If you do this, in a day or two, your tank will beready for fish.
Another way is to get Bio-Spira. It is the actual live bacteria in a little pouch, and your tank will instantly be ready for fish.http://fishstoretn.com/bio_spira.html

Other methods, which include putting a source of ammonia in the tank and letting the bacteria build up on its own, or putting a fish in and letting the fish produce ammonia (which borders on animal cruelty, because the fish will suffer from the ammonia in the tank), take 2 to 6 weeks before your tank is ready. If you rush that, any fish you buy may die, so try one of the instant methods I mentioned above (bio-spira or gravel from another tank)

Answer 5

Filter and heater = always on!
air pump = don't have to have one with filter, just makes pretty bubbles...
selection = mollies, yes as long as your semi agressive aren't huge, and get 5-6 mollies, you have the room with that large of an aquarium, safety in numbers... I would stay away from the goldfish, they will mess with your ph... they are pretty, but he!! on your ph and other fish!
I have a 55 gallon with 5 large angels, 10 neon cardinals, 2 algae eaters, 2 tiger barbs, 3 mollies, 4 plattys, 2 red eyed tetras, and they all get along... you'll have the occasional nip, but nothing damaging... more of a pecking order.... the angels RULE! LOL
you are better to wait about a week, and let the chemicals and all get adjusted in a new aquarium before putting alot of new fish in it...
once it is established, an aquarium is easy to maintain, it is getting it established that is the chore!
best of luck!

Answer 6

First answer is correct, just leave them on. If, you not run your air, they will deplete it in time, you will notice they start trying to breath off the top. It hard to keep the air level up without air going. Some fish like Goldfish, Gourami and Bettas not need the air.
You can try other fish with aggressive fish, but, if you notice them being the bully, you my need to remove one or the other. The larger the tank the less they can be aggressive. When I add a passive fish with my Oscars, I remove them, change things around, add the new fish and then add the Oscars back. They just assume the other fish there first and leave it alone, unless they not fed. They only eat what comes into the tank new to them.

Answer 7

The 1inch consistent with gallon rule is bogus ive had a 29 gallon with very almost sixty 5 inches and that they have got been super at first no pictus cat or pleco because of the fact they are going to get to important for a backside feeder get 2 coycats Her tank could have 2 or 3 neon guppies yet no tiger barbs because of the fact they are fin nippers and stay properly in communities of five or greater to maintain low aggresion P.S. i've got had 2 tiger barbs in an area tank and a few days when I have been given them my 4 hatchet fish jumped and my black skirt tetra and my molly had ripped fins yet then they died in some month or 2 so i didnt could provide them back

Answer 8

Filter and heater stays always on!