Just thought I'd post a message here and introduce myself. Found the site today and love it. My name is Jack and I'm pretty new to the aquarium world, but I've caught the virus, bad. I always had an aquarium in my room since I was a youngster, but was never terribly interested, but things have changed. I currently own three tanks, one 20g goldfish tank, a 55g community tank, and another empty 55g tank. Looking forward to joining in the discussion about all things fishy.

I did want to ask for suggestions on my new 55g aquarium. I was checking Craigslist the other day and stumbled across someone who had a 55 gallon tank they were looking to get rid of, free to anyone who wanted to disassemble and haul away. I jumped at the chance and got myself the dirtiest tank I've ever seen. I wont go into great detail on how dirty, but believe me.... it was bad. The tank is now in my garage soaking in water, I've gotten most of the calcium buildup scraped off, and most of the smell is about gone. I've been searching for ideas for what type of setup to go with. Originally I was thinking African cichlids, and still may go that route although the more I read about the the more confused I get. I feel like I have a good enough grasp on them to set the tank up and learn by doing, yet I've also ready that 55 isn't really enough space. So, Africans are a maybe, with the idea of getting a larger tank as they grow. I was also considering a pair of Oscars, (again with the plan of upgrading tanks as they grew too large) I've read many great things about them, how they are the "dogs" of fish and have great personalities. I also love ugly things, the uglier the cuter I say. But I don't know how I feel about the idea of having a tank with just two fish in it. I've researched them a small bit and know that there are some possibilities of tank mates, but don't think I'd want to try Oscars, silver dollars, and some type of barb in a 55 gallon tank. But again, upgrading will happen, I'm not a fan of re-homing my babies. Another thought was to go for another community tank with different types of fish then my current setup, but this seems rather repetitive. I'd love to try saltwater but it is just too expensive for me right now, one day though! This is where I currently am.

A little long winded for my first post, but if you stuck through it all I appreciate it and am open for any suggestions. Thanks!
The goldfish
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55 gallon community
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Rainbows

Rummy nose

Betta

The fatties

Few of the Neons

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Welcome aboard!

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hello and welcome, nice lookng tank, good job

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Welcome!

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"Come to the dark side....we have cookies...and filters/heaters/and water changes!"

Welcome to the forum. Also nice looking aquariums.

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