# Lots of Questions About a 55G Planted Tank



## Plantlet (Jun 27, 2012)

Hello. I'm 13 years old (turning 14 in less than a month) and I want a 55 gallon planted aquarium.

First I'd like to start off by saying money is very limited to me since I'm so young and can't work. The only money I get is a $60 per month allowance. Right now, I have $57 cash. I went to the beach six days ago and my step dad gave me $50 to spend on the boardwalk, so my mom said she will gave me the boardwalk spending money she was going to give me too. So thats $57, plus however much she gives me, which I don't know yet. Also, I'm getting my $60 allowance on the first of the month. So say my mom gives me $40. $57 + $40 + $60 = $167.

With the $57 I currently have, I'm going to PetCo either today or tomorrow to buy a 55 gallon tank. Other things I will have to get (at a seperate time when I get more money) are:

Marineland Penguin Bio Wheel 350 Filter (Up to 90 gallons) - $37.49
250W - 300W Heater - $30
50lb bag of Play Sand - $2.50
Thermometer - $3
Hood (somebody has to help me with this) - $60 - $80?
Lights - $20?
CO2 - Don't know if needed for mid light
Plant Substrate - $40?

Fish:
10 Ghost Shrimp
6 Cardinal Tetras
12 Neon Tetras
5 Otocinclus
9 Silver Hatchets
5 Albino Cories
4 Dwarf Gouramis

Plants (from www.aquariumplants.com):
Moss ball
(All of these are carpeting plants)
Microsword (Narrow Leaf)
Bacopa Australis
Dwarf Hairgrass
About $40 with shipping.

QUESTIONS 
Do I need to use CO2 for about 2.5 watts per gallon if I can provide a planting soil? Also, can someone pick me out a hood and lights for a 55 gallon, because I can't do it. :/


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

Be warned, a 55 gal tank is expensive. But if your going to Petco I guess you know about the dollar per gal sale. You can always check craigslist and find a good tank with all accessories for a good price. That way all you have to buy are fish and plants.

aquariumplants.com has great plants, but their shipping is sooo expensive, try aquabid. They're are some great sellers on their who will discount shipping and some have auctions with multiple plants.

With your plants your going to need but stronger light for the dwarf hair grass. It may grow but I tried it at the same lighting and failed. I had Co2 even...maybe it was just me? But the plants you chose like very strong light, and strong light is expensive!


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## lohachata (Jan 27, 2006)

for lights i use either regular shop lights with daylight bulbs or i get the T5-HO strips from aquatraders.com .....48" 2 tube 108watt T5-HO strip for $60 or a 4 tube 216 watt for $99............
i have been using them for about 3 years now without any problems at all..
no doubt ; for the best deals and selection of plants go to www.aquabid.com


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

I agree with ZebraDanio, those are some really high light plants. I have Micro Swords and they are growing veeeeeeery slowly with 3 watts per gallon and CO2. Go for some java fern, and anubias. I have both of those in my tank and they are growing good.


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## Plantlet (Jun 27, 2012)

Okay I see... I do know about the dollar per gallon sale. I'm debating that it might be cheaper to buy a Top Fin 55 Gallon Kit which comes with tank, hood, lights, filter, dechlorinator, fish food, etc, for $200. It may be cheaper. Can I put any 48" light in?


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## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

It may certainly be cheaper to get the kit, but the standard kit IMO is poorly suited for plants. The lights are very dim and to upgrade the lights you will either need to replace or remove the tops. The filter is also going to be a HOB type, which may have to do for what you currently can afford, however HOBs are not the best for planted tanks. A canister would be much better suited.

If it were me I would just get a 55 gallon of Craigslist. Watch the site for a week or two to get an idea of the prices around you. Getting a setup with a stand, tank, and canister filter would be the best route IMO. 

I also agree that you should really rethink your plant selection. You are going to have major issues IMO with just a bunch of carpeting plants, especially a number of pretty high-demand plants. 2.5wpg is IMO too high to run without CO2, at least being your first planted tank. While it is possible to do without CO2 is a big headache and requires some experience and knowing proper EI dosing and such. Given the plants you picked I would also say CO2 is necessary, which is why I would again rethink your plants. 

My 55gallon was my first tank and then upgraded to high tech planted after 4 years. It was an expensive tank, but looking back 7 years it could of been wayyyy cheaper. 

This is my 55 gallon currently. It has 2wpg using an AHsupply power compact fixture. Pressurized CO2 and dry fertilizer dosing. Though is currently not very happy as its hot here. Been sticking frozen bottles in it for the last couple days, no lights today, finally got a thermometer and its 84 still. No wonder the rosy barbs are dying lol. I like plants and you certainly do not need a ton of light for lots of plants. The 55 is probably the least planty tank filled with with water I have.


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## Cory1990 (Jun 14, 2012)

I love that tank! Nice work!


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## ZebraDanio12 (Jun 17, 2011)

Mik, thats amazing! love it! Please list your plants for me!


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## Fuzz (Jan 27, 2012)

Co2 Regulator, bubble counter, and glass diffuser will cost you 200-300 bucks by itself. That's not including the Co2 tank that you're going to need to refill once every 6ish months. 

A stand will cost a hundred bucks or two unless you build a cheap one out of studs(total cost would be less than $50)

Lights you buy at the pet store are pretty much only for low light plants. You're going to have to double up the lights or buy something from the internet. T5HO's are expensive, but you won't ever have an issue with "not enough light". I have a dual T5 fixture with only one bulb in it because they are so bright.

Flourite worked great for me. It comes in black, red, and brown but most stores only sell the red and you will have to look pretty hard or use the internet to get anything else. You can use "dirt", but it takes a little knowledge and research to do it right. A few of the people on here swear by EcoComplete, which also comes in a few colors(I think?)

If you're getting a 55 gallon tank, you're going to need some taller plants other than just those shorties. I wouldn't do hairgrass and microsword. I would do one or the other, but not both. You could try Dwarf Saggitarria, which has much lower requirements, easier to plant, easier for beginners, and will eventually "carpet" a tank. 

Even if you'd like to have mostly short plants, you should probably get at least one or two tall plants to give your tank some kind of background. Amazon Swords grow really easily and get to be pretty big if you have them for long enough. They have low requirements and look pretty sweet next to shorter plants. There are a ton of background plants out there with a mess of different colors and leaves that you can look at and imagine in your tank.

If you ask me, it sounds like you're on a low budget and don't really want to spend a ton of money on this project tank. You should stick with a low tech tank for now and see how much you like it before you jump into a high tech tank. A high tech tank requires much more work and can be frustrating at times...and expensive!

With a low tech tank, you can stick with a Hang On Back filter and buy a circulation pump to get a little more circulation. Get glass tops for that 55 and get a hold of more than just one set of lights. buy a couple of those cheap 48" fixtures and you should be fine for low-medium lighting. Keep daylight bulbs or get the plant specific ones(avoid Actinic). Regular gravel will work in a planted tank, but it will take a while for it to get loaded up with nutrients. All that really leaves you with is fertilizer, which isn't super expensive.

You really came to a good place to find help/answers. Welcome to the forums!


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## Plantlet (Jun 27, 2012)

Ok thanks everyone. I'm just going to take some java fern from my 29 gallon tank and put them in the 55. I'm getting a Fluval Flora in a month too, so can someone explain how I use CO2 on that? Also, since a hood isn't included, how can I get a hood for a 55?


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

I have the co2 system from the fluval flora. It is really simple to do. All you have to do is fill the diving bell like diffuser it comes with twice a day for a 15g tank. Since the flora is like 8g you would only have to fill it once a day. While the diffuser is ugly and takes up a lot of space it works. Some people say that the co2 cartridge doesn't last long, but that is because they try to use a diffuser that bubbles into the water. For me, I'm still on the first bottle of CO2 after a month.


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## Mikaila31 (Nov 29, 2009)

Any non-refillable CO2 system is a rip off in the long run. Are you monitoring CO2 levels Betta Guy? Even using a system with a high rate of diffusion you should of used up that 8gram tank a while ago unless you are running CO2 levels low. Such a small system really has no chance of having any noticeable effect on a large tank and still being affordable. A full sized system is affordable IF you are really into the hobby. They maybe $200-300 upfront (for a complete system IMO) but the running cost is low. Getting a system for under $200 is possible if you have good DIY skills and use craigslist. Maximizing a systems use is also pretty easy, my regulator runs 2 tanks independently and has room to run a third. In the future though I may increase that ability. Filling my 5# tank is $18 and I use that on 75 gallons it needs 3-4 refills a year. 

As far as a first planted tank is concerned, honestly stay away from CO2. Especially given the OPs age messing with a full sized system or even paintball system can be dangerous if you operate it improperly. I have a paintball system in storage, while it worked well it was pretty leak prone and I had the safety valve on the paintball tank fail once. It made bits of dry-ice and I had to use some heavy gloves to stick the tank outside till it vented off as it was cold enough to burn you. 

CO2 is certainly not needed to run a nicely planted tank. I run low tech tanks too and as I stated before it can be more 'planty' then high tech. It takes time and effort either way to do high-tech or low-tech but IMO low tech is more enjoyable and rewarding. Below my budget 15 gallon tank which cost me under $100. I don't want to know how much my 55 gallon has cost me, but regardless I love them both. The 15gallon is a soil based tank, filterless, and runs 3wpg of pretty poor CFLs and T8s. Established it with 2wpg.


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## BettaGuy (May 6, 2012)

I agree with you that it doesn't have any effect on a large tank, but the fluval flora is 8g. In the post he/she asked on how the diffuser works because he/she is getting the fluval flora in a cuple of months, and I just answered how it works and my experience with it. The reason that the little tank has lasted so long so far is that I only fill the diffuser once a day since my tank is a 5g. I'm not monitoring my CO2, but I think it works since my anubias started new shoots the day after I introduced the CO2, and all the other plants are growing really nicely too which makes me think it works even more. But I agree that you shouldn't even consider this CO2 system for anything over 10g


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## grogan (Jan 23, 2011)

I think your budget will make a planted tank difficult. If anything build this tank slowly. I would buy the tank when they are having that special and pic up some eco complete. Then save your funds and slowly piece it together from there. A CO2 system is a little out of reach for you right now. You can always add one latter and use Flourish Excel until then. (liquid CO2)


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