# Tips and Recommendations



## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Hey guys. Obviously I am new here but I can't wait to become part of this forum family. Anyways, I have little experience with fish but I have a couple years under my belt in the department of reptile keeping (please stick with me as it is kinda long). I recently bought a 55 gallon aquarium starter kit ( Top Fin; from Petsmart). I let my tank do it's thing ( fishless cycle). After the tank cycled, I bought 5 Zebra Danios and 4 Emerald Green Corydoras. I waited a couple of days and bought 3 live plants for my tank. I then waited a couple of more days and bought 4 Rummynose Tetras and 3 Spotted Corydoras. I just did a 25% water change. 

Ok, do you guys have any tips or any kind of advice or anything like that for me? I appreciate all the help I can get. 

And second of all, what kind of fish do you guys recommend for me? I am open to many different kinds of fish. 

Thanks ever so much guys.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

increase the numbers of what you have...


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## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Okay, thanks but is there any type of fish you would recommend for me ( as I would like to mix things up)


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## BV77 (Jan 22, 2005)

rummies are great, the bigger the school you have , the better they look.


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

unless you have a really big tank ,(125 gallons or more) i would resist the urge to try to keep 2 or 3 each of a dozen different kinds of fish..especially species that school or shoal....in a 55 i would put 3 groups of 10-15 fish in each group for mid and upper levels and 8-10 cories for the bottom..


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## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Ok thanks everyone. And does anybody have any tips or advice on cleaning or anything else?


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

get yourself a Python drain and fill set up..a little pricey but worth it.it will make water changes and gravel cleaning much easier and you can use the waste water to water your house plants or garden....a couple of new 5 gallon buckets from home depot too.don't bother to use the venturi for water changes...it only wastes fresh water...just syphon into the 5 gallon buckets.
get one of those "magic eraser" pads too..
we do 30% water changes every week..wipe down the walls of the tanks with the pad first...allow everything to settle..then you can start the water change...
the only chemical you really need is a good dechlorinating agent..."Declor" made by Weco is cheap and very effective..i have used it for many years...although a few years ago i switched to a product called Chloram X...but i buy 10 lbs at a time...

give your fish a well rounded diet of good quality foods...i really do not use "staple" foods...our fish get at least 6 different kinds of food...meat based , vegetable based and spirulina based foods....they will keep your fish healthy , happy and colorful.


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## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Thanks. I believe my gravel vac is a Top Fin but I will look into getting the other kind you mentioned. Just did a water change yesterday. Thanks for all of the help.


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## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Also, what would be a good feeding schedule? And can you guys list brand name foods that are the best? Thanks!


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

well.....since i sell fish foods i would be silly not to tell you to buy mine.....lol
there are a lot of quality foods on the market...but there is no such thing a a single staple food..your fish need a balanced and varied diet..almost all species of fish are omnivores with their diets leaning more towards either carnivorous or herbivorous.....so giving them both kinds of foods works well for them.whether you feed flake or sticks or bits or pellets ; give them several different types...earthworm....brineshrimp...blackworm...veggie...spirulina...plankton...krill...or whatever.....mix it up a bit...
our fish are fed from 2 5 times a day...2 for most...4-5 for fry...young growing fish need a different diet from adult fish..that is the primary intent for Plecocaine....i just gave it the name Plecocaine because my plecos loved it ; but it is good for all species and it is fed to all of our fish..even cats and dogs and grandkids like it.
almost all young creatures on this earth need more fat and more protein than adults..and they need to be fed more often...they are more active so then need more fuel..

about the easiest feeding schedule is in the morning and late afternoon or evening...


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

ok...you already have a gravel vac...no need to get a new one..


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## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Ok thanks!


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

when cleaning your tank do not clean the filter completely at the same time you thoroughly clean the gravel. you can send the tank in to an ammonia spike again.
Do not throw out the old filter pad and replace it with a new one. It doesn't need to be changed until it falls apart( several years) Just rinse it out in the old tank water enough to get the sludgy stuff off it.
If the filter has charcoal in the pad just cut it open and throw the carbon out. A healthy tank has no need of it and it is expensive to keep buying new filter pads and charcoal. 
Do a google search for all the advice you are given here. There are reasons for what everyone will advise you.


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## mousey (Jan 18, 2005)

And keep a spare filter and heater in your cupboard for emergencies, a good test kit, and check your tank temperature twice a day along with seeing if the filters are all running.

If the hydro goes off some filters will not restart by themselves.

Clean your filter impeller several times a year.


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## bullseyejoey (Aug 30, 2012)

In regards to what you said about the filter, I have my own question: you really don't need to change the pads every month or two? They can last that long, if you maintain the tank healthily of course?


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## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Thanks mousey!


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## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Also, my friend is just getting his tank started (55 gallon like mine). He doesn't want to wait so he asked me what the best bacterial supplement/kick start brand is. (don't use supplements so I don't really know what the best brand is...) So my question for you guys is what is the best kind of bacterial supplement to start your tank with?


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## lmb (Nov 1, 2011)

bullseyejoey said:


> In regards to what you said about the filter, I have my own question: you really don't need to change the pads every month or two? They can last that long, if you maintain the tank healthily of course?


It's not recommended to change out filter pads due to the fact that they are what carry most of the beneficial bacteria in HOB filters. To clean the filter pads turn off your filter during water changes, take the pad out, swish it around in the water that you siphoned out of the tank, and place the filter pad back in the tank.


wpe_15 said:


> Also, my friend is just getting his tank started (55 gallon like mine). He doesn't want to wait so he asked me what the best bacterial supplement/kick start brand is. (don't use supplements so I don't really know what the best brand is...) So my question for you guys is what is the best kind of bacterial supplement to start your tank with?


As for a bacterial additive I'd definitely recommend using Tetra Safe Start (TSS). In my honest opinion it's the best bacterial additive on the market and quite frankly the only one that works. 

If he does plan on using TSS make sure that he follows the directions and that he adds fish in with TSS. Without the addition of fish with TSS, the bacterial additive won't work <no ammonia produced to feed bacteria>. Also with the addition of TSS you shouldn't do water changes until the tank cycles itself.


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## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Ok. I will let him know. Thanks!


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## Ice (Sep 25, 2006)

Or... you can get some gravel from an established tank in a piece of hosiery and stick it in the filter system for a few days.


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## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Ok I need help. I just got back home to find a couple of my fish extremely white (like all the color has drained from them) some of them are even lethargic. I don't know what is wrong with them and I am extremely worried. Please give me an answer for this, thanks.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Did you just turn on the lights. "morning" fish can look frightening. Then check the water, temp, pH, sniff for dead things, etc.


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## bullseyejoey (Aug 30, 2012)

To add what emc said, when it is very dark and you first turn the lights on, the fish will be drained of its normal colors for a 10-15 minutes or so, in my experience. Fish sleep when it's dark and their metabolism slows down, therefore causing the loss in color.


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## wpe_15 (Dec 18, 2014)

Okay. Yes i just turned the lights on. That's what happened. Thanks!


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