Merry Early Christmas to me !! my boyfriend bought me a brand new AQUA culture 55 gallon tank with the stand and all assesories...including a brand new Emperor 280 BIO-Wheel filter. I cant wait to get it all set up ....any comments to help me get it ready for my goldies!!! Oh here are some pictures of what it looks like on the box!!

how do i condition it?

You lucky duck!! *totally jealous*
You might want to add another filter since you'll need to aim for at least 550-GPH total if you're planning to keep goldfish.

I'd recommend adding part of your old aquarium water and then using PRIME when adding enough water to fill it to 55-gallons. Then allow to run with your filters for a few days to make sure all your equipment and stuff is working.

Are you planning to go barebottom or have gravel?

I can't wait to see your pictures after you've decorated.

Set it up, add water, gravel (optional), decorations, get filter going, then go to the homepage. Once there, scroll down to Tip of the Month, then click on "Fishless Cycle." If you can't wait, put in one small fish, and be prepared to do water changes as dictated by the ammonia and nitrite concentrations. If you do a search here, you will find lots of information about this.

Dennis

Congrats Aimless on the new tank.By the way,what size type filter are you using now?You can always add that or the media into the new one to help things along.I also agree that you'll definately need a bit more filtration for that new tank.Good luck and make sure to post pics once you get it going!

The tank I am buying comes with the water test kit and some kind of double wisper filter....I bought the Emperor 280 as an additional filter.

Which is easier to up keep a barebottom....or a gravel bottom?...

Aimless, how cool is it that your boyfriend knows you like Goldfish and shows his acceptance by giving you a new, 55 gallon tank??? Tell him I said, "Good Boyfriend".

So far my wife has gotten me a 20X20 Firestone liner and a skimmer/filter for the Wakin pond I am planning for the spring... and a third Rena Filstar XP4 for my Wakin tank. {{{{all warm and fuzzy}}}}.

You're going to have so much fun with that. Be sure to post pics when it is all set up.

I want some wakin...

Personally, I'm SO happy I went barebottom. If you have extensions for your filters, you can have them reach all the way to the bottom so that poop and food get sucked up right away. No fuss no muss and no sludge sitting and degrading in gravel.

Barebottoms still leave room for decorating too! Sure it can be a little tricky figure out how to make things stay on the bottom, but once you get the hang of it, you've got just as many decorating options as you do with a gravel bottom.

Wow lucky you! You know of course we'll demand lots of pictures;

Alright I got it all set up and it has been cycleing for about 12 hours.....I love it and I have it all fully decorated all I need it a backdrop for behind the tank.....I will post some more pic.s when the fish are in!!!

It's coming along nicely.I'm sure your fish are going to love the room.

Looking like Goldfish heaven to me! Good for you.

Alright it's been runnin for almost a day and a half...so I got my grandma (she breeds molly's) to come check all my water and the levels and thing because Im not to good at that yet ....but she said every thing is at normal levels now ...she added some kind of stuff yesterday and she said it would regulate all my levels. So when she checked it about 20 min ago she said everythings good......So do ya'll thing its time to add my fishie's

Whoa, sista' ! In a coldwater aquarium it is going to take 4-6 weeks for everything to be "normal". The single biggest mistake well-meaning but unknowing fishkeepers make is setting up a new aquarium and immediately introducing a tankful of fish.

It is expected for everything to be at 0, right now. There is nothing in your tank to produce ammonia, so that will be 0. If no ammonia is being converted to nitrite, that will be 0. If no nitrite is being converted to nitrate, that will be 0. Capiche?

Please, please, please go read about the nitrogen cycle, now, before adding any fish to your new set up. It's going to make your life so much less stressful and your fish so much more comfortable as they settle into that new paradise you created for them. Cycling is a gruelling process, but doing it correctly is what good fishkeepers do... and that's you by the very fact that you're on KoKo's asking important questions like you are.

Give us the blow-by-blows of your cycling experience, when you add your fish [one by one] etc. But fir-irst... homework. Nitrogen Cycle 101, chum. Understanding the nitrogen cycle is as important to keeping all your goldfish alive as having added water to the aquarium.

Keep us posted!

Nenn, e-mail me privately! I'll help you find one/some... whatever you want. May be spring before you can get 'em, though. Most domestic breeders who are easy to work with are in northern climes and their Wakin are under ice, at present. I hope to breed Caesar and Maggie in the future. Caesar is the male in my sig who one breeder told me is the best he has seen in many thousands of Wakin. Maggie is his nearly as gorgeous, tank-mate. I love them, dearly and appreciate your sentiment!

Lucky you! The tank looks wonderful!

How wonderful! It looks great! You will have some very happy fish!