turning my 55 into a community fish tank.

[93GTCANADA]

ok im pretty new to freshwater. i just dont have the time with my fishtank anymore so i am selling all the lifestock in it. now what equipement should i keep and what to sell. my powerheads are way to powerful for a fw tank right ? i want to buy a canister filter but know nothing about them which ones are good. i was looking at the renas but they are very expensive. and how big should i go ? the fluval 305 are nice to but again very expensive. im going to the auction tomorrow to pick up a few things so hopefully i can pick up enough stuff to get me started. also my lights that i have right now have atinics will this harm freshwater tanks ?  it is a coralife fixture. i dont like yellow lights that is why i want to keep my atinics. other then that any other advice for me.

[missmandy]

go with eheim filters...better in the long run! and depending on your fish some dont like strong current so i would look into that.

[PoisonJello]

well it might be easier to sell all your s/w stuff as a package with the tank and just start new with the freshwater sell all then go bigger with the freshwater maybe a 90g but thats just what i would do 

you can probably use most of your stuff with freshwater and if you don't have a lot to spend on a filter just get an aquaclear 110 HOB filter around $80... 2 powerheads would be lots for a 55g I think but some of the other on here have a lot more experience then me, so i'm sure you will get some great info on what to do

[Toss]

It depends on what you will put in it. If you understock with lots of plants then you might even get away without a filter all together  . To have more flexibility in the future (like from SA to African), always buy a bigger filter(s). Equipment wise, most of your money will probably go toward filtration. You can use shoplight for lighting. Have fun

[93GTCANADA]

thx everyone. the lights part i have covered. i have more then enough i am using the same lights i used for my reef. the filtration i will buy a good one. but i wont be keeping chichlids. im going for a tetra tank for now and maybe one or 2 plecos.

[Adam]

You can the old fluval canisters for much less new at SP...if they are still around.  The 304 was $99 and the 404 $130, but tack on the OVAS discount to that.  An AC110 would be great along with something smaller, so would two AC70s.  Two of the AC70s would run you around 60-70 dollars with the OVAS discount at SP.

Lighting is ok.  Plants don't use actinic lighting, so factor out half of your wattage for that.  If you are looking to plant it heavily, there are just a few things you need to know about.  lighting, CO2, fertilizer, etc...

If you just want a nice community tank with some low-light plants, you should be ok with what you have.  Lots of options...

Adam

[sniggir]

I would say that a ehiem would be the best for your canister but if you are on a buget I would talk to loyd at ottawa discus and get one of his ehiem nok off's they look great and they are a really good price

[93GTCANADA]

wow i just got a bunch of stuff from the ovas auction. i was the tall guy with the long sleeve yellow shirt and white hat. i got 2 big pieces of driftwood. i complete bucket full of reallly nice rocks. a bunch of plants and 2 albino long fine corys. and some other stuff that i cant remember. did anyone see me at the auction.

[Laura]

I wouldn't assume your powerheads are too much - the previous post saying it depends on your fish is true.  Many fish incl SAE and danios and some plecos love good current.   My cories like current close to the bottom of the tank, although I expect a long fin species wouldn't do well. Other's species don't like current, so it really depends what you decide on.
 
If you do decide to get rid of you powerheads, I've got my eye out for a cheap maxijet 900 or 1200

I did see a really tall guy at the auction - I tend to notice anyone who dwarfs me    Not sure about the hat though.

[beowulf]

All I can say about current is loaches    The vast majority of loaches are steam/river fish and love good current.  When my new 210g will be set up before the end of the year, I am going for good flow as the main fish in the tank will be my clown loaches!!!  For a smaller tank like a 55g you could go with things like yoyo loaches, burmese loaches, marble loaches, etc All very nice fish and you could get 5-6 for your size tank and they all stay in the 4 to 5 inch range.

[kennyman]

Plants do not seem to like much current and the high O2 that goes with it. The fast flowing stream biotypes I have read about are plant free 

And yes i did notice a bright yellow shirt out there. Sorry I didnt get to chat with you a bit.

[93GTCANADA]

ahright no more saltwater putting the freshwater tank together tonight,

[kennyman]

I switched my 55 from African Cichlids to a planted community with stuff from the auction. It feels so good to have a totally new and different tank in the house, just like my first time, keeping fish that is 

I hope we get see what you decide to make out of it soon 

[93GTCANADA]

just finished now. and im glad with the results. i will post some pics up soon once my plants are in the tank and some fish. but that will be in a couple weeks.