50 gal. Tank setup

Question
QUESTION: I bought a 50 Gal. Fish Tank, from a friend and have no idea what I need to set it up? I was wanting to buy all new stuff so fish don't get sick, plus the stuff she gave me has no instruction, so I have no idea.  Filters, what kind? Fish, what fish are not to high maitenence, Temp of water, how to keep it clean, do I need bubble machines? Basicly all I have is the tank, with a couple of rock that were stuck to the bottom when I got it. Please Help

ANSWER: a hanging on the back filter that is rated for about 70 gallons will do nicely for your tank.  You will need a gravel vacuum, a bucket, a scrubber pad for aquarium, A heater to keep the tank between 78-82 degrees.  You will need bacteria, aquarium salt, and fish food.   I would recommend starting out with a small group of platy's.  Maybe six or so.  Do not add the fish yet though.   Did the tank come with lights??? a stand???? let me know... dave

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QUESTION: There is a stand, and hood light. So I found some things inside the stand for the tank. The first thing is a Aquatic Edge Undergravel Bio- Filter (no instructions), next is a Marineland Penguin Power Head 660(w/instructions)
and then theres a Marineland Emperor w/ Bio-Wheels (model#400B). So where do I go from here???

ANSWER: Hello Cresta:  OK... the undergravel filter and the power head are used together.  There should be one or two large plastic grates with holes in them.  These go on the bottom of the tank.  There should be an assortment of clear plastic tubes as well.  The short tube goes in the hole of the grate, the longer tube goes into the short tube and then there should be a cap type of tube that goes into the top of the longer tube.  The powerhead will fit onto one of those longer tubes so if you only have one cap... that is good.  You should also have an assortment of air hose and some small gadgets such as air stones... yes??? no????  let me know... the gravel for your tank goes on top of the grates after you have already assembled the tubes.  Undergravel filters are great filters and provide an excellent place for beneficial bacteria to colonize.  The Marineland Emperor filter is a hang on the back of the tank filter and makes an excellent filter assistant to complement the undergravel filter.  I would use the systems that came with the tank if they are complete... if they are not complete I would buy new ones. It is difficult to match up parts to filters and much easier to start new... but do not waste your money if the systems you have are complete.  Let me know where in the process you are... dave

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QUESTION: Dave, we hooked up everything in working order the only thing that we did differently is instead of the using the power head, we used an air pump that has two air lines running out of it. It's hooked directly to the two air lines that run down the big plastic tubes, and there is air stones at the bottom of those air tubes, which creates a bubbling effect, which goes back up the tube and exits out of the little incertable carbon filters at the spout of the tubes, is this Ok too??? Or do we have to use the power head? What is a good heater for this tank, we were interested in getting some clown fish so what do we need for those type of fish?? Are we missing anything for our tank? Besides the heater? What temp for the water, do we need bubbles in the tank. What about salt, what kind and how much? We put 5 teaspoons of Tetra Auqasafe in the water so it would be safe for the fish. Can you think of anything else we need??

Answer
a 150 watt or 200 watt heater is what you need for the tank.  You have hooked up the undergravel filter correctly... no need to use the powerhead unless you want to.  When you say clown fish???? do you mean saltwater or freshwater????  Temperature for tropical fish is 78-82 degrees.  You do not need bubbles as the underground filter is supplying air to your tank.  I do recommend salt at one table spoon per ten gallons of water.  Use only aquarium salt.  Did you add in beneficial bacteria???? dave