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hey there well i'm buying a 2nd hand tank.. it is 110cm long 35cm wide 45cm high.. if i am correct i think it is about 170 liters.. but yea..

just wanted to noe what filters, heaters, lights to look for so i noe how much i will be spending.. also the tank is a tad dirty wat do u recomend i was it with that wont harm the fish??

cant wait to get it!!!

r0b3y

I'd recommend a filter with a biowheel. Love those things. Heaters... I like Rena Cal, though I know there are a bunch of other good heaters out there. With lights, you want to get as much light in there as possible... if you're going to have plants, you want bulbs with a K rating of around 6500. Not sure of the sizes on everything, so either someone else will tell ya, or it should be fairly easy to figure out.

When I get used tanks, I scrub them out with hot water and disinfect with bleach. It's 1/20 bleach/water solution. Clean, then rinse-rinse-rinse-rinse-rinse and dose with LOTS of dechlor. Rinse until you can't smell the bleachy-ammonia smell, then rinse some more. Let dry for a day or two. Some people say to leave it out to dry in the sun, but I always wind up getting tanks in the winter. :%)

You'll want to make sure the tank holds water, too. Wouldn't be fun to get everything in there, then find 40 gallons of water on your floor. Set the tank up somewhere where a bit of water won't hurt anything (I set it up on the laundry room floor, out of the way) put newpapers under it, then fill (carefully!) with water. Try not to get water on the newspaper, because that's what you're using to make sure there's no leaks... newsprint crinkles up when it gets wet. Let it sit for a day or two.

After that... enjoy! Setting up tanks is so fun, isn't it?

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

hey there thanks for the recomendations ..
with the biowheel filter are there any i should look for in particular i should look for.. brands etc.. never used them before so really blind about them.. bio wheel gets rid of armonia and cycles the tank quiker yeh? .. also i was going to get a 200 watt heater or should i get x2 100 wats.. would it make a difference..
just want anything that will better the tank.. really wont it to go well
thanks
r0b3y

Marineland makes the Biowheel filters... Penguin or Emperor are the styles. The difference being that Emperor's are a little more heavy duty and have a spray bar that keeps the Biowheel moving instead of relying simply on the flow of water. *shrugs* Website: [link=http://www.marineland.com/#]http://www.marineland.com/#" style="COLOR: #202020[/link]

Biowheels are simply a better way of storing the beneficial bacteria in an aquarium. It probably won't make the cycle any faster, but it will help prevent minicycles (from changing the filter pad, gravel vaccing, etc) in the future. However, if you have issues sleeping with noise (if the tank is in your room), be warned that the biowheels DO create a bit of noise, likened to a fountain. I find it soothing (nice white noise to block out my family's random noises), but some people don't like it.

I've never used two heaters in any of my aquariums (mostly because mine are relatively small, with 20 gallons being the biggest). You'd have to get other advice on that...

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Congratulations on the tank. Very exciting!!!

Kitten identified the main difference between the Penguins and Emperors. I went with a Penguin on mine because I wasn't sure the Emperor was worth the extra $$$. Mine works pretty well, though I use it in conjunction with an Aquaclear. The key thing is to make sure that you get a filter that turns over the tank often enough. I would think you'd want a Penguin 330 or Emperor 400 as a minimum.

As for heaters, I'm a huge fan of Ebo-Jager (now just called Jager) heaters. They are built like a tank and very reliable. Definitely don't skimp out on your heater. It's worth spending a bit more. Two heaters is better because it gives you a bit more room for error. If one malfunctions, the other one is there to correct. You have to decide on your budget. I would have liked to have two, but ended up with only one because of limited finances. The price difference between a 100W and a 200W heater is pretty minimal. And 200W of total heating sounds perfect.

They are built like a tank and very reliable.

Okay that may be true, but mine insists on heating the tank @least 5degrees more than what I have it set for :%). Whatever heater you do get, make sure it's a submersible . I know they're a little more expenisvie but IME worth it .

If you're looking for a planted tank I'd suggest against a biowheel. The added surface agitation leads to CO2 loss, which will effect the tank even if you're not adding it.

Congrats .

^_^
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thank you for the information.. i was thinking of making the tank planted.. with vals, java moss, anubias and many other plants.. do u still recomend the bio wheel??

The ones you've mentioned are traditionally low light plants. However I can tell you that once you start a planted tank the desire to go with higher light, with CO2, with more difficult plants is going to be there. You might wand to consider that and go with a regular HOB filter like an Aquaclear, or go for a cannister.

^_^
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i've been looking into cannisters.. but i'm guessing i can still get away with a bio wheel.. the Penguin Bio-Wheel 170 seems to be good!! i try stick to hardy plants..
r0b3y

Last edited by r0b3y at 14-Jan-2005 01:19

Eh... you're going to need more filtration than that... I've got the 170 hanging on the back of my 20 gallon!

I like the RenaCal heaters... seem very reliable. Haven't had the EboJager, but I've heard good things about them. Also, if you want to splurge even more, go for the titanium heaters... they're small, shatterproof and seem to be of good quality.

I agree with DoctorJ - don't skimp on the heater. Cheaper ones have been known to fail, either freezing your fishies' wee lil fins (if you don't notice the heater not working) or parboiling them. Either way, not a good idea. My mom kept fish years ago and went through like half a dozen cheap heaters - thankfully not killing any fish! - before she splurged on a GOOD heater that lasted until she stopped keeping fish. In the end, splurging on a good quality heater will save you money.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Okay that may be true, but mine insists on heating the tank @least 5degrees more than what I have it set for

I have to say that that's been my experience with Jagers, too (but it's only a two-three degree difference in my case), but that's not a huge deal. Go with what the temperature says on the thermometer, not the heater!

I've never tried Rena Cal, but they often are recommended as good heaters, too.

Babelfish and I have been through the biowheel/planted tank thing before. I'm not convinced that biowheels agitate the surface more than, say, Aquaclear filters (I have both). An Aquaclear filter would probably work well for you, too, if you're concerned abou the biowheel and the dispersion of carbon dioxide.