Tropical tank mates and tank sizes

First topic message reminder :

tropical, aquarium, tank, mates, fish, 10 gallon, tiger barbs, pictus catfish, plecostomus

you can either boil the driftwood or cook it... I'd boil it... a 55g me just plant biest.
and on a budget build....

center blocks and plywood for the stand.
aquaclear 110 for the filter.
driftwood from a lake.
150-200 heater.
shop light double t8with 6,500k bulbs. with low light plants.
substrate pool filter sand.

ok Im getting a 55 gallon tank Body soon I found one on craigslist and all I have to do is save up to $50-$60 and Its mine XD its already reserved for me so no1 can have it but me. The only problem is that I dont have an easy way to get the money can anyone help me out and recomend something I can do like mow the lawn? I already mow a lawn but Idk if I could find a close by house to mow. I guess babysitting but I dont know anyone that I could babysit. I need help right now and I would apreciate a ton of answers. My parrents dont pay me realy often so its going to be slow if I dont do other peoples work for them. =,( anyways its just the tank for now I could make a sponge filter for it but i cant find a sponge big enough to filter a 55 gallon. but I need answers fast or im affraid my fish will suffer greatly. I dont want to sell my tank. I have an electric guitar I havent used in years I could sell but my moms not so sure she wants me to do tht. I cant do a garrage sale because I dont have enough things to sell in order to make a significant ammount of money.

do it old school like in the movies. wash cars, pull weeds, clean gutters. I'm sure your parents have some friends that could use some child labor around the house. heck, my dad would have found me a TON of people to do little projects for. and don't worry about selling the guitar, especially if your parents bought it for you

XD PB&J time ok tht sounds easy thanks.

oh would angelfish go good with the fish tht i have now? just wondering so I have a good idea on what types of fish I can buy when I get the 55 gallon setup and ready to run. also please name a bunch of other fish too. it woul help a ton

IMO Tiger Barbs will view the longer fins of the Angels as snacks. Barbs are by nature nippers, and Angels would just be unresistable....sorry.

ok thanks for replying. thats ok but do u know any other fish tht i can get so tht i can have a variety of diff colors. Also im trying to stay away from larger fish so tht I can have a larger community of fish. I like a large variety because It, in my opinion looks better than a few big fish. im staying away from smaller fish too because my pictus will eat them for a snack. or medium sized fish. im trying to get things like barbs or larger tetras. maybe some harder to find fish that arent medium sized. I know I want some green tigerbarbs but I cant have any now XD. and Im trying to get some plants because I heard tht They help keep water clearer. also I took the rocks off of the driftwood and it sinks by itself. Is it done? it hasnt even been 2 weeks more like1&1/2.

also I heard tht silver dollars would be a nice fish but im worried tht they have large fins.

a school of cories would go nicely in there. a school of silver dollars should be fine with the tiger barbs, but i hear they like to tear up plants, and they can get too big for a 55.

and about the driftwood.

1. is the water staying clear after soaking the wood? if the water is still getting dark, then your tank water will get dark, also.

2. make sure you remove all bark from the wood because the bark will rot.

3. boil it to kill any parasites or other organisms. boiling helps with getting the tannins out, also. remember to let it cool before putting it into the tank

and it's good to go!

1. no dark water
2. i removed bark before the boil
3. I boiled before I soaked it is it still fine?

i'd boil it again, but i like to be 100% sure. i'm only 95% sure you'll be fine as it is. but then again, i'm not an expert on driftwood or statistics... just toss it in. it should be fine

ok thanks you helped alot XD

my pictus' barbel got cut halfway off and idk how it did. will it grow back? i just walked into my room, looked at the tank and 1 of the tinyer barbels was cut 1/2 off. im worried if one of the tiger barbs did it cuz then they might be biteing my other fish.

would you guys recomend sand or gravelfor a planted 55 gallon tank

my 10 gallon tank started leaking when i did a water change today. i need your help. im gonna have to get a 55 gallon but i have barely any ways to earn enough money to get it. i get paid $20 every 3 weeks but thats not fast enought because i have all of my fish in a 3 gallon. please help me out. i dont have time to joke around. i have 0 dollars right now. and im going to need to get a full kit. theres no time to buy everything seperately. i dont have a stand for it either. i could use my counter top but the room tht my kitchen is has alot of light. theres no furnature for me to put it on. i need major help. i dont have much to sell. all of the people in my neighborhood have someone that mows their lawn, and my dad said i cant have a job until im 16.

Wish I could help you out but at two hours away it is a little much.


I will say that if you can't get a tank you can also use a larger Rubbermaid container. The only reason why we use glass is to see the fish but as far as the fish are concerned glass or plastic walls it is all the same to them. So for 10-20 you could get a 30-45 gallon container and just throw in your filter and heater and away you go. (just don't set filter flat on the plastic.

Good luck!

In my opinion I would hit Craigslist. I've looked at the site for your area and there are some really good deals going.. like really cheap!

Fish folks tend to keep an eye on CL for bargains, so why not post that you are only 14, you are pretty much broke, and you have had a catastrophe with your tank and need anything!

You never know, you may find some one that is local to you, like me that has a spare 30G tank that would willingly give it to a young fish addict. I started out with a free tank and free fish (yeah their new Tin Foiled Barbs had eaten 80% of their other fish, but they liked the Tin Foiled) so I got the survivors.

I'm sure your Dad would take you to pick up the tank.

their in a rubbermaid like strikingthematch said. i went out to get a tube of aquarium safe silicone and ended up replacing all of the seams. im gonna have to wait til 6:13 tommorrow to set the tank up. ill try and see if i could get something off of craigslist.

im not planning on keeping the 10 gallon after i get the 55 gal because i dont want to end up continuosly replacing seams.

if i get a 55 gal should i get a sump for it?

you dont need to, you could just put a couple of emp 400s on it or a canister filter or something. i have one 55g with 2 emp 400s and one 55g with a cascade 700 and a emp 400. my tanks look great.

oh that was fast. thanks for the reply. can i find these at the average pet store?

Just get a HOB filter rated for the tank size. The emp are some good filters. I have used the whisper 60's as well.

If you get the money a canister would be nice but you could likely get many more HOB's for the price of one canister unless you find a steal (which is out there :) )

how well do the Tetra 60's work. i want to get one that will keep my water clear. im planting the 55 gal when i get it so i'll need some substrate too.

use aquaclear filters if yur gna do HOB. i inherited a 20yr old one and it still works perfectly