55 gallon tank questions?

Question

Alright, so I recently got a 55 gallon tank, and I have a few questions.

1.) The tank came with a Whisper 60 filter, and a Whisper 200 watt heater. I've heard kind of iffy things about Whisper stuff. Should I replace these with better brands? If so, what?

2.) I'm planning on making this a planted tank, but I've never done one before. Is cycling different in PTs? How should I go about it? (I'm doing a fishless cycle) Are they harder to maintain than non-planted tanks?

3.) I was planning on stocking the tank with 6 congo tetras, 2 german blue rams, about 15 neon tetras, and 10-12 cory cats. Does this sound do-able? Am I at my bioload limit, or could I add more? I know about the whole "1 inch of fish per gallon" rule, but I also know that some fish have more/less impact on the bioload than others. If I can add more, what else would you suggest I add?

Forgot to say I have a sponge filter rated for up to 40 gallons that I'm also going to use.

Answer 1

1.)
The filter you have is absolutely fine, i would just suggest adding another submersible one for up to 20 gallons, then you're definately covered with filtration

2.)
The cycling process is the same
the only suggestion i have, is that you get really good lights for your tank
I like my T5 lightning system, it's a 2 strip fixture which comes with 2 lightbulbs in it, whereas one is pink in color and promotes plant growth, the other one is white, works wonders on my tank
I bought mine which is 48" in length for 75 bucks
They're not any harder to maintain then just a fish only tank

3.)
your stocking sounds fine
You could actually add another pair of blue rams, as well as another school of 6 as example buenos aires tetras or rasboras
And the 1inch per gallon is BS IMO
All the fish you chose, especially your neons are extremly lowwast fish, and won't have much impact on your tank



Hope that helps
Good luck


EB


Edit*
Then you don't need any other additional filter
these 2 will be absolutely effective for your tank
I myself use a submersible for 30 gallons and a whisper for 40 gallons, and my fish are happy and my tank is well established :)

Answer 2

there is TOO much cory cayts.......cut it to 5-6