I have had some other small tanks for guppies and other small fish so I know the basics of fish keeping but I have never had a large tank and have been talking with some of my friends about it. I recently purchased a 55 gallon tank and was thinking about putting in some South American cichlids. If anyone could recommend some products i.e. filters bubblers etc.. it would be greatly appreciated.
new to the aquarium game
- Thread starter purplesmurf123
- Start date
depends on what kind of filter you want and how messy your fish are. I run 2 Aquaclear 70's on my 2 55's. My tanks are overstocked (they are growout tanks) but the aquaclear filters keep my tank crystal clear with ideal water quality.
On my 55g I ran to emperor400 and a double aqua culture bubbler, but that was also a grow out tank... And now its a snake tank :] But it all depends on what you want to do. You could probably do a really nice amazon community with some dwarf cichlids, plants, and other south American fish. It could be quite nice. Or if you could do a couple of firemouths and convicts. Just do alittle research and see what fish wont get to big so you can house it for life and has the kind of personality your looking for. Theres a cichlid for everyone :]
I'm not a huge fan of HOB, I prefer canisters. What are you looking to spend would be the first question?
Filter: I prefer Eheim canisters but those are not cheap. I'd go for a Pro 2 2026 kit for a 55. Has everything you need and can deal with outright neglect, never mind a bit of lax maintenance. The kit comes with everything. You can also buy used. I got a Pro 3 for $150 with all the media just had to replace the rubber seal.
Heaters: I use an AZoo Titanium heater. The stainless heaters will fail over time in acidic water. The Jager heaters are good but can not be fully submerged.
Air supply: Don't use one but I like the Tetra Whisper Deepwater. Get a gang valve to distribute the air and a check valve to prevent back flow during a power outage.
Filter: I prefer Eheim canisters but those are not cheap. I'd go for a Pro 2 2026 kit for a 55. Has everything you need and can deal with outright neglect, never mind a bit of lax maintenance. The kit comes with everything. You can also buy used. I got a Pro 3 for $150 with all the media just had to replace the rubber seal.
Heaters: I use an AZoo Titanium heater. The stainless heaters will fail over time in acidic water. The Jager heaters are good but can not be fully submerged.
Air supply: Don't use one but I like the Tetra Whisper Deepwater. Get a gang valve to distribute the air and a check valve to prevent back flow during a power outage.
I think they help, but honestly I don't have any real preference in brands of HOB filters. I count Aquaclears Marineland and Whispers as the same. I just put some extra foam in the whispers to make them a bit more of a bio-filter.
