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[nicoga3000]

Man, I want to do a 29 gal REALLY bad, so I'm trying to exchange my 55 gal. I wanted to do the 55, but I realized that, after getting it all ready, I'm going to be moving relatively soon. -_- Need to find a buyer nearby.

Also, that crazy tall tank sounds like a...uh...Well, not good idea, haha.

 

[Hazaro]

The tank is about 1 foot in every dimension (Nano Cube)
Plants are different species of Echinodorus.
Light is 11W Amazon Day which is specifically made for this tank. Changed the 'bulb' only a month ago. Light is approximately 4" above the water surface.
Algae probably doesn't bloom because of the black water, the tannic acid from the black cones impedes algal growth.

Hmm... How about smaller off shoots or new stems?
Standard 11W PC clip on should be ok for low light.
I usually hear brown water for tannins because of most wood. What is your pH? Might be really low.

Again what are you dosing, and what is your substrate?

 

[scar tissue]

Hmm... How about smaller off shoots or new stems?
Standard 11W PC clip on should be ok for low light.
I usually hear brown water for tannins because of most wood. What is your pH? Might be really low.

Again what are you dosing, and what is your substrate?

Dunno about the pH, will test later. My tap water has about 8,5 so it really shouldn't be too low in the tank. Plus, snail shells would start dissolving if the pH was too low. Fuckers are still alive and kicking
Substrate is sand, with some kind of fertilizer (red clay stuff). I'm chucking in Ferka Aquatillizer, 10ml weekly.

Edit: Nope to offshoots and the like. The plants have gotten one or two additional leaves tho.

 

[Hazaro]

Dunno about the pH, will test later. My tap water has about 8,5 so it really shouldn't be too low in the tank. Plus, snail shells would start dissolving if the pH was too low. Fuckers are still alive and kicking
Substrate is sand, with some kind of fertilizer (red clay stuff). I'm chucking in Ferka Aquatillizer, 10ml weekly.

Edit: Nope to offshoots and the like. The plants have gotten one or two additional leaves tho.

Damn, 8.5 tap is pretty harsh. Definitely on the high end. With snails sounds like you have hard water as well. I'm pretty sure you can have snails in low pH.
I don't know what the fert is, but if it's similar in concentration to other kinds that could easily be too much for that size tank, especially with low light.
I'd expect the plants to get more surface area and spread out first in low light which is why I was asking. High pH and hard water with low light might be causing slow growth.
Do you not have any algae? I guess if your fert has metricide or something in it? Do you know if it is macro, micro, or carbon?

Just my speculation.

 

[scar tissue]

Damn, 8.5 tap is pretty harsh. Definitely on the high end. With snails sounds like you have hard water as well. I'm pretty sure you can have snails in low pH.
I don't know what the fert is, but if it's similar in concentration to other kinds that could easily be too much for that size tank, especially with low light.
I'd expect the plants to get more surface area and spread out first in low light which is why I was asking. High pH and hard water with low light might be causing slow growth.
Do you not have any algae? I guess if your fert has metricide or something in it? Do you know if it is macro, micro, or carbon?

Just my speculation.

Yeah, 8,5 is ridiculous. I'd be better off with some african lake cichlids, but I want a planted tank, not a rocky one.

I think I read somewhere that snail shells get brittle if the pH is too low. Mine definitely aren't brittle. I think the snails are chewing on the plants, because some of the bigger leaves show gnaw marks. I think I'll remove a few of 'em, how do I do this best?

It says "More than micro and macro fertilizer" on the fert.
How could too much fert be harmful, apart from the algae? Does it stem plant growth?

Anyway, thanks a lot for your advice.

 

[Hazaro]

Yeah, 8,5 is ridiculous. I'd be better off with some african lake cichlids, but I want a planted tank, not a rocky one.

I think I read somewhere that snail shells get brittle if the pH is too low. Mine definitely aren't brittle. I think the snails are chewing on the plants, because some of the bigger leaves show gnaw marks. I think I'll remove a few of 'em, how do I do this best?

It says "More than micro and macro fertilizer" on the fert.
How could too much fert be harmful, apart from the algae? Does it stem plant growth?

Anyway, thanks a lot for your advice.

To kill inverts, just add something with copper in it. Many anti-snail products. You'll have to do a ton of water changes to remove the copper over time if you want to have snails and shrimp back.

Too much fert shouldn't be an issue that I can think of off the top of my head. I'm just surprised that you aren't getting any real growth or even algae problems. The amount of nutrients in the tank should be climbing over time if you've been dosing that much. Like I said, that's if it's in similar concentration to other things. What does it say to dose on the bottle? Most seem to be 0.2-2mL per gallon every other day.

Even if your water is high pH, hard, and unoptimal the plants should have adapted to some degree right now. I'd check something like the planted tank page and read up on what pH and temp your plants like. Maybe it's just some weird thing where everything is off.

I can't find anything on that fert either.
When's the last time you did a water change? What temperature is your tank at?

 

[scar tissue]

To kill inverts, just add something with copper in it. Many anti-snail products. You'll have to do a ton of water changes to remove the copper over time if you want to have snails and shrimp back.

Too much fert shouldn't be an issue that I can think of off the top of my head. I'm just surprised that you aren't getting any real growth or even algae problems. The amount of nutrients in the tank should be climbing over time if you've been dosing that much. Like I said, that's if it's in similar concentration to other things. What does it say to dose on the bottle? Most seem to be 0.2-2mL per gallon every other day.

Even if your water is high pH, hard, and unoptimal the plants should have adapted to some degree right now. I'd check something like the planted tank page and read up on what pH and temp your plants like. Maybe it's just some weird thing where everything is off.

I can't find anything on that fert either.
When's the last time you did a water change? What temperature is your tank at?

Well, I don't want to kill every last snail. They are useful in moderation.
Could I put in a piece of cucumber or something on a stick and just pluck them off that?
I think the fert is a german brand which would explain you not finding stuff on it.
It says 10ml on 100l per week. I put in 10ml on 60l because I figured more won't do any harm as long as there are no fish in there.
I did the last water change a month ago to clean up. I don't do regular changes if there are no fish in there, I'd just be wasting precious fertilizer.
Temp should be 23°C.

Edit: Got a link to the plant page?

 

[Hazaro]

Well, I don't want to kill every last snail. They are useful in moderation.
Could I put in a piece of cucumber or something on a stick and just pluck them off that?
I think the fert is a german brand which would explain you not finding stuff on it.
It says 10ml on 100l per week. I put in 10ml on 60l because I figured more won't do any harm as long as there are no fish in there.
I did the last water change a month ago to clean up. I don't do regular changes if there are no fish in there, I'd just be wasting precious fertilizer.
Temp should be 23°C.

Edit: Got a link to the plant page?

Net removal, hand removal, or something like a cucumber would be fine.
Germans make good stuff so if it says that it's probably good. I don't think anyone has all in one liquid ferts over here. Start importing me some . Germany to my understanding has a very good scene, especially with shrimping. If it says 10ml on 100l per week I'd do that. You probably need less than that with low light and not many plants(?)
Water change I was wondering because fert is building up. Most likely doesn't matter.

See if you can't post your issue on a german scaping forum. Planted Tank is the largest one I know of. APC is another.

Plant pages:
http://www.ewaterplant.com/plant/e1.htm
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/myplants/Echinodorus/0/2

 

[scar tissue]

Seems like I'm retarded.
I was cleaning up my cupboards and stumbled on the package of the light. I opened it and a warning note fluttered into my hand: REMOVE BLUE PROTECTIVE FOIL BEFORE USE
The fucking blue foil was still on the reflector, that's why the light was so weak.
I've had the tank for almost 2 years now, and never noticed.
The foil can't be removed in one piece any more, I'm tearing off small chunks with my fingernails. FML
Thanks a lot for your help, Hazaro! I'm pretty confident tearing off the protective foil will help things.

 

[Hazaro]

I'd do a big water change to clear out the month of fert in there. Put it aside to use as a top off.
Don't want a giant blob of algae forming.

 

[scar tissue]

Cleaned the reflector. Light doesn't seem much brighter but it is noticeably less blueish. Maybe the light spectra needed by the plants were blocked by the protective foil?

I'd do a big water change to clear out the month of fert in there. Put it aside to use as a top off.
Don't want a giant blob of algae forming.

Will do.

 

[Hazaro]

Amano is doing another stream of a tank setup. I think there's another hour or so left on it.
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/ada-view

 

[scar tissue]

Finally made a pH/kH test. Holy shit the water is still waaaaay harder than I thought.
7,5-8pH (couldn't say for sure, but it looked slightly more like 7,5)
14 dH°
Dumped the recommended load of pH-Minus in there.

In nature, Echinodorus occurs in regions with soft water (Amazon region) with a pH between 5 and 6,5. What would be the recommended dH° here? The booklet that came with my pH/kH tests says 5-10dH° is good for plants, but that's not very specific. I know the kH should be above 5 at all times to ensure stability of the pH tho.
Slight traces of algae have begun growing on the aquarium wood since I removed the blue foil btw.

 

[Hazaro]

Current mess.

Finally made a pH/kH test. Holy shit the water is still waaaaay harder than I thought.
7,5-8pH (couldn't say for sure, but it looked slightly more like 7,5)
14 dH°
Dumped the recommended load of pH-Minus in there.

In nature, Echinodorus occurs in regions with soft water (Amazon region) with a pH between 5 and 6,5. What would be the recommended dH° here? The booklet that came with my pH/kH tests says 5-10dH° is good for plants, but that's not very specific. I know the kH should be above 5 at all times to ensure stability of the pH tho.
Slight traces of algae have begun growing on the aquarium wood since I removed the blue foil btw.

GH (dH) can be whatever. I keep mine low (0-1) for shrimp.
KH I'd keep at 5

If you want Amazon region soil, buy some Shrimp Stratum or Shrimp substrate. They lower pH from 7.0 to 6.0-6.5pH. I'm using Reverse Osmosis water and Amazonia Aquasoil and my pH is around 6.0-6.4
Tap is 7.6-7.8 and I add 10-15% of that to the mix.

 

[scar tissue]

GH (dH) can be whatever. I keep mine low (0-1) for shrimp.
KH I'd keep at 5

If you want Amazon region soil, buy some Shrimp Stratum or Shrimp substrate. They lower pH from 7.0 to 6.0-6.5pH. I'm using Reverse Osmosis water and Amazonia Aquasoil and my pH is around 6.0-6.4
Tap is 7.6-7.8 and I add 10-15% of that to the mix.

Nice tank, how long has it been running?

I do have a reverse osmosis filter (got a used one for cheap), but the install facilities don't fit and I've been too lazy to find out what kind of adapter I need. I finally need to get going with that one, lol.
As for the soil, I do have some kind of soil substrate in the mix, I think it's laterite.

 

[Hazaro]

Actually planted, about 6 months.
Pretty sure those stems are going to lose their fast in my tank, lol.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

That looks like a great start.

Your tank seems low light which means plants are going to grow tall, so maybe move the crypts behind those nice rocks you have you have or they might cover it.
I have some Wisteria in my tank that I'm actually going to be removing since it's growing funny and spreading out too much.

Thank you. I took your advice and ended up rethinking my rocks entirely. I went out and bought a nice (and tall) piece of driftwood from my LFS, so that will be my new decoration. I'll post pics once I finish soaking it and put it in.

In other news, it turns out that the Green Tetras I recently bought had Ich. So now I have a nice little outbreak in my tank. Already lost 1 Tetra; I'm currently using the high temp + salt treatment. Really not too happy with my LFS for this, but I guess that it's my fault too for not using a quarantine tank. Hopefully the rest of them survive.

 

[Hazaro]

Thank you. I took your advice and ended up rethinking my rocks entirely. I went out and bought a nice (and tall) piece of driftwood from my LFS, so that will be my new decoration. I'll post pics once I finish soaking it and put it in.

In other news, it turns out that the Green Tetras I recently bought had Ich. So now I have a nice little outbreak in my tank. Already lost 1 Tetra; I'm currently using the high temp + salt treatment. Really not too happy with my LFS for this, but I guess that it's my fault too for not using a quarantine tank. Hopefully the rest of them survive.

Unfortunately with the amount of fish and upkeep a store has that's not uncommon.

 

[BorkBork]

I have a couple of 1/2 gallon glass canisters that I'm currently playing around with.

2 red cherries shrimps, 2 apple snails, some Elodea and hornwort in each. Super fun to watch them do their thing.

Also got Walstad's book Ecology of the Planted Aquarium. Very informative and grounded in science. Interesting read.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

I'd like to throw a little update in here: The high temp (my water is ~88 °F) and salt treatment has done wonders. The Ich spots slowly started decreasing on my fish and finally today I can see none. I thought for sure all of my Green tetras were going to die; they were absolutely covered in Ich. But nope, only that one I mentioned in my last post died, and the rest are alive and kicking. My other livestock seems perfectly fine too. I had a Ghost shrimp die the other day, but having bought 6 of them for $1, I wasn't very surprised. They are probably past their prime.

 

[Hazaro]

Once I get to cleaning up (Probably sometime next week) I've got some updates.

 

[Baraka in the White House]

Need some advice from aquarium-age.

I'm looking to start a new freshwater tank in the 45-55 gallon range and need a good canister filter that can keep up with a bio load in the ballpark of a fully grown rainbow shark, small schools of serpae and cardinal tetras and a few bottom dwellers (loaches, maybe).

This will be my first tank to not have a power filter so I'm getting into unfamiliar territory here. I've always been interested in canister filtration but am terrified of leaking equipment, so a well-sealed unit with minimal leak issues is a must.

 

[Nostalgic Nightmare]

Need some advice from aquarium-age.

I'm looking to start a new freshwater tank in the 45-55 gallon range and need a good canister filter that can keep up with a bio load in the ballpark of a fully grown rainbow shark, small schools of serpae and cardinal tetras and a few bottom dwellers (loaches, maybe).

This will be my first tank to not have a power filter so I'm getting into unfamiliar territory here. I've always been interested in canister filtration but am terrified of leaking equipment, so a well-sealed unit with minimal leak issues is a must.

Canisters are fantastic. Once you have your water where it needs to be chemistry-wise all you will want is bio media and if you want to save some money, get pillow batting (poly) from wal mart or a craft store to add as a cheap floss.
I own a marineland magnum 350, a Rena XP3 and two Fluval Fx5s. I would recommend in terms of quality and ease
Fluval>Rena>Marineland.
Also if you ever think you might get a bigger tank, get a beefier canister now, adjust the outputs as you can never have too much filtration.

 

[Blackface]

I read nothing in this thread.

Is there anyway to build a Freshwater aquarium where you don't have to clean it all the time.

 

[Nostalgic Nightmare]

I read nothing in this thread.

Is there anyway to build a Freshwater aquarium where you don't have to clean it all the time.

You will eventually have to clean out your filters and clean out your substrate to keep ammonia levels/nitrites/nitrates down. You can also reduce on algae by getting fish that eat it, but if you're going for a full on cleanup crew etc you're getting into saltwater territory.

 

[AMUSIX]

I read nothing in this thread.

Is there anyway to build a Freshwater aquarium where you don't have to clean it all the time.

What do you mean by 'all the time'? You can set up a freshwater aquarium that needs almost no maintenance, but, depending on how it's done, you might not be able to see your fish very well.

There are things you can do to alleviate the need to clean. A large sump and good filtration is one of them, having a 'cleaning crew' in your tank is another (snails, bottomfeeders, etc). But ultimately you'd need to do regular water changes....unless you live near a stream. In which case, run piping that diverts from a stream, through a filter system, and into your tank, then run the water back out and to your stream. You'll be confined to having local fish, though.

 

[elseanio]

Was testing out my Xperia S camera, but stumbled upon this thread.

Here's a short vid of my 36 gallon tropical tank. It's home to Guppies, Glass Catfish, Zebrafish, Gouramis and a 13 inch Plec

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHfli_2sH4g

 

[Baraka in the White House]

Canisters are fantastic. Once you have your water where it needs to be chemistry-wise all you will want is bio media and if you want to save some money, get pillow batting (poly) from wal mart or a craft store to add as a cheap floss.
I own a marineland magnum 350, a Rena XP3 and two Fluval Fx5s. I would recommend in terms of quality and ease
Fluval>Rena>Marineland.
Also if you ever think you might get a bigger tank, get a beefier canister now, adjust the outputs as you can never have too much filtration.

Thanks for the advice. I was leaning toward either Fluval or Marineland. Both seem like great canisters but it sounds like Fluval gets the nod for being quieter.

 

[Staccat0]

I read nothing in this thread.

Is there anyway to build a Freshwater aquarium where you don't have to clean it all the time.

You really don't need to clean an aquarium that much. Don't put it in direct sun light, clean the filter out when it gets slow or loud, change like 10-20% of the water once a week (be sure to put some drops of dechlorinator or whatever) and you are good. "cleaning" it usually does more harm than good.

Google "aquarium nitrogen cycle" and you'll be better off than 99% of people who own aquariums.

 

[Hazaro]

Thanks for the advice. I was leaning toward either Fluval or Marineland. Both seem like great canisters but it sounds like Fluval gets the nod for being quieter.

It seems most hobbyists use Ehiem to me. You can get one of their smaller filters quite cheaply.

I read nothing in this thread.

Is there anyway to build a Freshwater aquarium where you don't have to clean it all the time.

Larger tank, low bioload (few fish), low light plants or moss, low light.

Shouldn't be that big a problem besides some side scraping of algae once in a while.

 

[Baraka in the White House]

It seems most hobbyists use Ehiem to me. You can get one of their smaller filters quite cheaply.

I picked up a Fluval 406 at a good sale price. It sounds like the filter gives plenty of options for media customization. I haven't quite settled on a tank yet but it won't be any bigger than 60 gallons and the 406 is rated for up to 100 gallons so I should have plenty of wiggle room.

Now to find a good tank/stand combo...

 

[elseanio]

I have the fluval 305 and have no complaints so far. I have the tank in my room, and its quiet enough for me to sleep. Its inside the cupboard under the tank, and has a humming noise when the door is open. Simple enough to change media when needed. I also use it to swap out a few canisters of water every couple of weeks.

 

[Nostalgic Nightmare]

I picked up a Fluval 406 at a good sale price. It sounds like the filter gives plenty of options for media customization. I haven't quite settled on a tank yet but it won't be any bigger than 60 gallons and the 406 is rated for up to 100 gallons so I should have plenty of wiggle room.

Now to find a good tank/stand combo...

Craigslist for the tank and stand. Inspect for leaks and damage and if possible a fill test by the seller.
One other thing, when you go to clean out your filter sponges or media, use water from the tank to wash them off, not the tap. If you have high chlorinated water, it could ruin your good bacteria.

 

[Stasis]

I'm really interested in planted tanks, but it just seems like a TON of daunting information to digest in one go. It also seems like a really fun learning process so I think I'm going to give it a go this Summer. Good info in this thread, so thanks to those who have contributed!

 

[J-Roderton]

Any recommendations on what to do with a few fish I don't want any more?

I'm never home and have no time to keep my 35 gal up to speed. So, I'm trying to get rid of a couple of my fish. They are small ones, not really expensive or anything, but I still don't want to just flush em. Think a pet store might take them or something?

 

[Hazaro]

Any recommendations on what to do with a few fish I don't want any more?

I'm never home and have no time to keep my 35 gal up to speed. So, I'm trying to get rid of a couple of my fish. They are small ones, not really expensive or anything, but I still don't want to just flush em. Think a pet store might take them or something?

Craigslist or local fish forum.

I'm really interested in planted tanks, but it just seems like a TON of daunting information to digest in one go. It also seems like a really fun learning process so I think I'm going to give it a go this Summer. Good info in this thread, so thanks to those who have contributed!

It's not so bad. Really depends on what you want to grow.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

I have an extra tank so I was just messing around by throwing extra pond snails from my planted freshwater tank into it, and mother of god, they have blown up. I lost count of how many snails are in there now. It's honestly kind of gross. I'm so tempted to buy one of those dwarf puffers just so I can see him massacre them. Plus, aren't they adorable‽

*Edit - Oh and my tank is completely Ich free! I can't believe how well the hot water + salt method worked. I have had no further deaths and everyone is going great, now that my temperature is normal again and all of the salt is out. My plants seem to have had the roughest time, as they got yellow and many leaves wilted away. But now that the tank is stable again they seem to be recovering well.

You really don't need to clean an aquarium that much. Don't put it in direct sun light, clean the filter out when it gets slow or loud, change like 10-20% of the water once a week (be sure to put some drops of dechlorinator or whatever) and you are good. "cleaning" it usually does more harm than good.

Google "aquarium nitrogen cycle" and you'll be better off than 99% of people who own aquariums.

Fantastic advice. Also, I'd like to add this link about fishless tank cycling, which was really helpful when I started my first aquarium: http://www.fishkeeping.co.uk/articles_51/fishless-cycling-article.htm

 

[Hazaro]

I have an extra tank so I was just messing around by throwing extra pond snails from my planted freshwater tank into it, and mother of god, they have blown up. I lost count of how many snails are in there now. It's honestly kind of gross. I'm so tempted to buy one of those dwarf puffers just so I can see him massacre them. Plus, aren't they adorable‽

Dwarf puffers are fantastic. One is not going to do population control though if it's as bad as I'm thinking it is.

Having 300 snails in an aquarium is disgusting and now you have to purge it to get rid of them.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

I had a bad snail problem once in my 25 gal. I ended up cutting down the feeding of my fish and dropped a piece of zucchini in the aquarium every night and would then fish out the dozens of snails on the piece in the morning.

A week or two of this constant fishing them out eventually got the population back under control. I must have gotten rid of at least a hundred ramshorn snails

 

[Head of Vengarl]

Dwarf puffers are fantastic. One is not going to do population control though if it's as bad as I'm thinking it is.

Having 300 snails in an aquarium is disgusting and now you have to purge it to get rid of them.

It's a 12 gallon tank so I'm thinking I could get 2 dwarf puffers and maybe a couple Assassin Snails to do the dirty work. I wouldn't say it's at 300, but it's a lot. They're all really young and small though so it's hard to tell. I might just end up purging it, I dunno. It could also serve as a snail reservoir as I really want to buy a Green Spotted Puffer one day, and they require a steady diet of snails to wear down their teeth.

I had a bad snail problem once in my 25 gal. I ended up cutting down the feeding of my fish and dropped a piece of zucchini in the aquarium every night and would then fish out the dozens of snails on the piece in the morning.

A week or two of this constant fishing them out eventually got the population back under control. I must have gotten rid of at least a hundred ramshorn snails

The weird thing is that this is my extra tank and there's no fish in it, so I don't put any food in there. All that's in the tank is a big piece of driftwood and some rocks. They seem to be eating the driftwood because I see shavings all around it. And that's where they've been laying their eggs. :S I didn't know that they ate driftwood...

 

[Dinokill]

I hope you guys can help me. I have a 20gal with about 13gal of water housing two baby turtles(One RES and one Musk) with some rocks, water heater and a U2 Fluval submersible filter rated at 15-30 gal. The water temp is stable a 78F.

My water has been milky white(cloudy) for almost a month. I tested the water yesterday and the readings were: Ammonia .25, Nitrate 20 and nitrite 1. Are this normal readings for a tank during cycle? Should I do a partial water change? How long should the water stay cloudy?.

I'm asking this question because someone told me that the problem is the filter. But every pet store I go where they sell turtles they have a similar tank(They use filter that hang on the top instead) with 15+ turtles and the water is crystal clear!

 

[Baraka in the White House]

I hope you guys can help me. I have a 20gal with about 13gal of water housing two baby turtles(One RES and one Musk) with some rocks, water heater and a U2 Fluval submersible filter rated at 15-30 gal. The water temp is stable a 78F.

My water has been milky white(cloudy) for almost a month. I tested the water yesterday and the readings were: Ammonia .25, Nitrate 20 and nitrite 1. Are this normal readings for a tank during cycle? Should I do a partial water change? How long should the water stay cloudy?.

I'm asking this question because someone told me that the problem is the filter. But every pet store I go where they sell turtles they have a similar tank(They use filter that hang on the top instead) with 15+ turtles and the water is crystal clear!

I'm not sure what filter you're using but turtles are hell on filtration systems. The only turtle vendors I've ever seen use enormous systems to maintain their stock tanks.

 

[Baraka in the White House]

Hate to keep bumping this thread but I'm moving along in my tank project and need more advice.

I'm picking up a 60 gallon tank next weekend and already have a canister filter rated for twice its size ready to go, but I also purchased an undergravel filter system to supplement it. I figured I won't be using live plants and it will be a community aquarium with no diggers so the extra biological filtration would be beneficial.

But it sounds like everyone hates UG filters. I can certainly see the problem of junk staying trapped underneath the plates where it can't be easily removed but wouldn't the vigorous mechanical filtration provided by the canister (combined with regular water changes/gravel cleanings, of course) take care of this problem?

Will I see any additional benefits from the UG filter or would it just be a waste of time and effort to install?

 

[Hazaro]

Hate to keep bumping this thread but I'm moving along in my tank project and need more advice.

I'm picking up a 60 gallon tank next weekend and already have a canister filter rated for twice its size ready to go, but I also purchased an undergravel filter system to supplement it. I figured I won't be using live plants and it will be a community aquarium with no diggers so the extra biological filtration would be beneficial.

But it sounds like everyone hates UG filters. I can certainly see the problem of junk staying trapped underneath the plates where it can't be easily removed but wouldn't the vigorous mechanical filtration provided by the canister (combined with regular water changes/gravel cleanings, of course) take care of this problem?

Will I see any additional benefits from the UG filter or would it just be a waste of time and effort to install?

Waste of time for UG imo. Too much hassle and messy. No one has told me real benefits to it.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

Small update: I took out the driftwood from my extra tank and let it dry for a few days. It was a massacre; I basically committed baby snail genocide. If I find any dwarf puffers at my LFS I'm gonna nuke the tank anyway, because I want to give them a sandy substrate instead of the gravel I currently have. I really wanted to put that driftwood in my main tank but I can't risk having the snail population explode in there. So instead I'll make my dwarf puffer tank unplanted and put the driftwood in there so I can be sure that there are no snails in the vicinity.

 

[Hazaro]

Small update: I took out the driftwood from my extra tank and let it dry for a few days. It was a massacre; I basically committed baby snail genocide. If I find any dwarf puffers at my LFS I'm gonna nuke the tank anyway, because I want to give them a sandy substrate instead of the gravel I currently have. I really wanted to put that driftwood in my main tank but I can't risk having the snail population explode in there. So instead I'll make my dwarf puffer tank unplanted and put the driftwood in there so I can be sure that there are no snails in the vicinity.

If you aren't going to have any inverts you could just copper bomb your tank.

 

[Head of Vengarl]

If you aren't going to have any inverts you could just copper bomb your tank.

Negative. I love Ghost Shrimp and I plan on having some with my Dwarf Puffers. Even if they get eaten, who cares? They're only $1 for 5 of them.

 

[Baraka in the White House]

Waste of time for UG imo. Too much hassle and messy. No one has told me real benefits to it.

Thanks, I've got everything needed to set it up but I may start digging for receipts after I think on it a bit.

Know any sites selling large fake plants that don't look like total ass?

 

[Hazaro]

Thanks, I've got everything needed to set it up but I may start digging for receipts after I think on it a bit.

Know any sites selling large fake plants that don't look like total ass?

I'd toss in some root plants and Java Fern if possible.

If fake, no idea!

 

[blackwatchplad]

So by some stroke of luck, I now have 3 goldfish. Comet goldfish, I think.. going by google searching for pictures. Right now they are in a 1 gallon glass bowl. I'm having a hard time arguing with everybody that its not the best living conditions for them.
--
I say luck because I know this guy through where I work, and he has several fresh and saltwater tanks and they interested me. He mostly does them for raising the plants now.. but he still does a really good job.
I've never had "my own pet" as a kid, per-say, but I've helped with plenty of other animals, except fish.
--
So I'm thinking about picking up a 10 or 20 gallon tank, maybe? (depending on what I can find or make)
POSSIBLY plants, I'll see if my buddy can help me there, or go for advice from you guys.
Are there any other fish, or aquatic life that thrives well with goldfish?
I know, nothing too small so they don't get eaten by the goldfish, and nothing to nip at the goldfish.. but other than that I'm clueless, and I would of just went with pure looks and what the info labels say on the fish.

I really wanted a saltwater tank, just because i feel in love with how it looked. The outlandish coral reefs and clown fish and eel and a lot of the invertebrate are just too cool. ( And I still consider a lot of the ocean floor to really still be truly un-pioneered territory) But being goldfish and freshwater, I think it's better in the end.. hopefully easier to maintain.

Alright! This is my first pet(s) ever of my very own!! I want to do this right!!
(I feel like a little kid again)

edit: finally took a picture.