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the combination of filters really is up to you. Just try to aim for 500-600 gph turnover for best results.

Heater size prolly 200-300 watts depending on your location ( forgot to look ).

Might i suggest shopping www.bigalsonline.com for really nice prices within the states.

Spanky

You now have two threads basically with the same questions/answers why not close this one and continue with the other one to save a lot of confusion

Have a look in [link=My Profile] http://www.fishprofiles.com/forums/member.aspx?id=1935[/link] for my tank info
Look here for my
Betta 11Gal Desktop & Placidity 5ft Community Tank Photos

Keith

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Well because once I get the filter andheater figured out I'd like some advice on substrates and so on

well we can pick up substrate here and continue filter on the other one.

as far as heater is concerned anything from 200-300 watts will be sufficent i would recommend Rena cal or Jager. Both are top quality heaters. I own 5 rena cals without issue other then the dial is never right for final temp. dont think any heater is ever right with this though.

Now substrate. If you go with cichlids I would have to recommend sand. People use anything from playsand from home depot thats like $5 for 50 lbs to tahition moon sand which is black and is $20 for 20lbs.

I have tahition moonsand and love it but the cost has prevented me from really makeing great use of it. very shallow depth. There is another black sand out by 3M i hear is good. Harder to find though as its really for pools. Suppose to be half the cost of moon sand but still far more then playsand.

Other options are crushed coral to help buffer PH. this is white and personally i dont like the final look but this is coming from someone with black sand lol.

it all comes down to personal prefrence with types of sand. some are lighter then others and tougher to clean. before puttin any sand in your tank you have to dump it in a bucket and wash it over and over till the light stuff is washed out. this is so it doesnt get in your filters and kill your impellars.

I wouldnt go with gravel with any cichlid. they are not only messy and it can get trapped in the gravel but you miss SO much behavior with gravel. they love to dig and move sand around. some even sift through it looking for food.

Yea I was thinking pool filter sand mixed with crushed coral. Or crushed coral mixed with the black sand.I think my tap water is a P.H.of around 7.6 Will they like the crushed coral? And about how much would you say for a 55gal? Thanks a bunch ya'll I've learned so much from this site and everyone is so helpful and friendly most of the time.

7.6 ph is fine. crushed coral wouldnt be required but if you like the look it cant hurt.

as far as amount of ive never actually used crushed coral but prolly in the 50lb range for a 55g depending how deep ya want it. dont go to deep as its really not needed and can cause issues with air pockets in the sand which go bad. then you go in to clean and kick one lose and it ends up killin your fish...not a HUGE concern but should be in your mind when deciding depth. 1inch deep should be plenty but i wouldnt go over 2inches. at aroudn 2 inches your gona want to rake your sand every week to prevent gas pockets. ends up being a pain in the ---

Ok sounds good. Does crushed corral go bad? I got a bag thats a few years old im thinking. So could ya'll Give me some ideas maybe as to stocking a tank of this size before I get to carried away getting things set up.

well first the tank needs to be cycled. many ways of doing this. can do it with a few cheaper fish that are hardy such as danios or you can do it fishless.

fishless has a few different methods. can dose small amounts of pure ammonia or use helpers such as "Cycle" or "Bio-Spira". Ive used both cycle and bio-spira and can say without a doubt bio-spira is far better. you just pour it in the tank with some new fish and viola cycled tank.

you can also get some old filter media from a friend with a tank to kick start a tank very nicely. can be anything from a filter pad/floss to sand/gravel.

with fish takes about 4-6 wks sometimes longer depending on a few factors.

Now stocking is a tough one. I would go to http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/quick_reference_list.php and check out some cookie cutter setups. there is also a really nice collection of cichlid profiles and information located here. Have a look through the species and see what you like.

Malawi (Mbuna) which are 3-6 inches with loads of color. Creates a active tank from all the chasing as they are pretty agressive. eat mostly plant life and algae so lots of waste created also. No real interesting factors other then they are mouth brooders.
There is also haps and peacocks. less agressive but larger in size. peacocks have colors matching saltwater. i dont knwo much about haps honestly.

Tanganyika come anywhere from 1-13 inches and lack alot of the color mbuna have. they have unique patterns that are kinda cool. there are far more interesting factors with tangs. some live as colonies where brothers and sisters protect other brothers and sisters. some live in shells while others swim upside down to hug rocks. some have tall dorsal fins with pointed snouts and others are long and slender like a torpedo. really a high diversity of oddball characters. also agression levels are high but some have territories the size of 3 fingers.

have a look see what ya like. this is the profile page. http://www.cichlid-forum.com/profiles/
see how many people linking that pisses off lol.

Alrighty thanks! I tryed a post there but no one responded so.

Well I'm thinking most of what I see around here is mbunas/malawi. Had to tell as most tanks are just assorted.

So would poolfilter sand mixed with a little black sand look pretty good. Im going with a black backround,or rocky backround and some cream color rocks for caves. Also were at homedepot/lowes is that sand as the people that work there dont seem to ever know!!! Last time they sent me to playsand! And I've noticed looking online most tanks with more black seem to bring out the fish!!!!!

Y ai dont think you will find black sand at home depot. Need to google 3M color quartz and find a dealer near you or break the bank for tahitian moon sand at a fish store liek petsmart.

Yea, Naw I was meaning the pool filter sand