NEED HELP

[PMK]

So I am new to the hobby I started off with a 55 gallon starter kit from petsmart. Went back looked at there fish and they sucked.

Sorry for the long post but I cant seem to get any good help from my LFS.

This is were it get by my lfs(local fish store i think). After going to a couple of places i find this one store that has fish i like and lots of them. So i tell him what size tank i have and ask him how many fish i can get and which ones(at this point i thought salt water and fresh water could go together ) So he let me get all these fish and said they would be fine and i DO NOT have to worry about them getting to big which i believed cause i got them when they were less than 2 inches.


Green Terror-Dead
Black Convict-Dead
Buttorkafri X2-1 Dead 1 Alive
Jack Dempsey-Dead
Tiger Oscar X4- 4 Alive
Albino Tiger Oscar X2-1 Dead 1 Alive
Texas Cichlid- Alive
Red Devil- Alive
Firemouth-Dead
Common Pleco- ALive


So i now have in my 55 gallon tank 3 tiger Oscars 1 Albino 1 bottorkafri and the pleco. with just some fake plants and a couple pieces of wood on the ground so they can have the most swimming space and no terratories.(1 Tiger oscar is at My girlfriends friends house Super aggressive. The red Devil and Texas are in a 20 gallon really aggresive both of them but they get along with each other.) But i have a problem I know I cant keep them in this tank forever so I got a 110 Gallon rectangle tank 60x18x24(L-W-H) But is this going to be able to sustain these fish cause i will be putting the red devil and texas in the 55 and the rest in the 110. I am pretty sure i will have to get rid of some fish but i am not completely sure. I cant go bigger than 110 for awhile so i dont know what to do.

Also i am having a problem with filtering in the 55 I have the topfin 60, Penguin Biowheel 350, with a undergravel with an air pump ,and a Aquaclear 70 powerhead as a filter. But my water is still a little dirty what else can i do? I do 50% water change every 2 weeks and always change the filters when needed. And I have a python gravel cleaner.



For the 110 tank I wanna get 2 aquaclear 110 a aquaclear ,70 powerhead maybe 2 ,and a FX5 or 2 XP3 will this keep my tank clean or is it just something i gotta deal with.

Also i have read you can use powerheads for undergravel and i think HOB filters but don't know how and what the benefits are and disadvantages.


Sorry for the million questions but i don't know what to do.

 

[Chad55]

Well you have come to the right place for all of your questions. The only thing you can do about your water is to add more filtration and do more water changes. Also what do you mean by dirty. Because if it looks dirty it might just be a decoration or something in your tank. Also I think if you get rid of the butti and one oscar you would be good in the 110. You might want to upgrade the filtration just a bit. You always want alot of overkill when you are stocking to the limits. In the 55 you are going to have to choose between the RD and GT. I would recomend the GT because the RD gets on the large size for a 55. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask questions.

Chad

 

[Lockness' Oscar]

WoW. I wouldn't go back to that place again. (Maybe to badmouth them, but otherwise, nah.)

 

[cichlid savage]

I agree never return to that LFS again. Unless youre going to that sales person. Since your tanks are stoked to the max youre going to need to up your filtration and do more frequent water changes. I do 2 30%-40% water changes on my tanks each week. You'll get all the help you need here keep those questions coming you and your fish will benefit from the help.

Also drop a line to some people in your area to reccomend a decent LFS for you to go to.

 

[TankBuster]

I wonder if what you are calling "dirty water" is discoloration due to the driftwood you have in there. Did you soak the wood or boil at all? The driftwood will make the water turn brown. If you have a ton of gravel in there, maybe thin it out a little also. If there is debris moving around in the water, at least that says you have good water flow so it is not all sitting on the bottom decaying. I like the XP3 but everyone raves about the FX5. I have 2 XP3's onm my 250 and it stays fairly clean.

 

[PMK]

For the 110 tank I wanna get 2 aquaclear 110 a aquaclear ,70 powerhead maybe 2 ,and a FX5 or 2 XP3 will this keep my tank clean or is it just something i gotta deal with.

Will this be enough for the 110. And I think I am going to keep the red deivil in the 55 by himself. Green Terror died a long time ago

yeah the unclear tank started when i added the driftwood I didn't boil it but I bought at petco and it was all ready to go they said just rinse it and put it in.

I am thinking to go with the XP3's better price.

I also got the 110 gallon tank 60x18x24(L-W-H) for $175 US used less than a year old looks almost new besides a couple of small scratches on the bottom and one on the side. He also gave me a a bad homemade stand, gravel,4 filters which i think dont work but they are a fluval 204 ,proqautics 1600 canister ,aquaclear 70 powerhead doesnt work ,a hot magnum boi wheel pro 30 and a broken deocration. I did fill the tank on my lawn for a couple of hours and it held no leaks. Not sure if i overpayed?