rileyrk190

I was considering upgrading the filter for my 55g aquarium. Its just a basic hang-on filter that came with the tank (its a walmart tank). The filter seems to be doing its job, but i have silver dollars, and a gourami in there..and they are pooping machines!!! My corys do a great job at cleaning up after the pigs, but after a while a lot of waste builds up in the tank, so i thought upgrading would help improve the water quality and increase the bio-load. My tank isn't by any means overstocked, but i am afraid that when the silver dollars get full grown they will produce so much waste that my corys wont be able to handle it all.
Its that time to restock on food, vitachem..etc so i figured while i am ordering i should get everything i need at once to save on shipping. The filter that caught my eye was the Rena Smart filter with built in three stage filtration, and skimmer. I thought the skimmer was a cool feature, because sometimes a thin film forms on the surface, from uneaten food, and my bettas bubble nest. I thought this would help with that. It says this filter is for fresh or saltwater aquariums. Is this a good choice? What about the aquaclear?
Also, what if i got a smaller filter and kept both running in my tank? Is that going to produce too much current?

peacemaker92

I've checked your aquarium info and you kinda have a lot of fish in that 55g. Well, I think having two filters in one aquarium like that ain't bad. It depends on how strong your filter current are. Just make sure they don't produce waves! lol Anyways, it should be alright unless the others have other opinions and suggestions that can beat mine? Well, good luck!

peacemaker92

Hey, do you have any photos of your 55g you can upload to? Maybe I can see how your fish are doing and what your aquarium's current situation is.

Lucy

Sorry, I can't answer your question about the filters, but I wanted to ask, you have a betta in your 55? Keep your eye on him, some people have luck with bettas in a community tank, others have had disasters.
Another thing that confused me, you said your cories won't be able to handle the waste your silver dollars produce.
Are you talking about fish waste or left over food? I don't have cories, but I'm pretty sure they don't eat fish waste.

How often are you doing water changes and vacuuming the gravel?

rileyrk190

I vacuum my tank about once a week for maintenance. Sorry i should have specified..waste meaning leftover food. I have seen them eat the fishes waste though. I'm not sure that they enjoy it much..but i have seen them eat it.. My tank isn't a disaster by any means, i am just thinking ahead. I haven't updated my tank info in a while, there have been some changes..i will get on that now. As for the betta..he absolutely loves it in the 55g. I have never seen him go after any fish at all. It's my Gourami that's the bully. I knew the risk I was taking when i put him in there, but i knew his personality, and he is the calmest betta i have ever had..he rarely ever flares at anything.

rileyrk190

I know it sounds like a lot of fish, but i have done the math and it all works out.
3 silver dollars=18inches
1 blue gourami= 6 inches
1 banjo catfish= 6 inches
5 corydoras=10 inches
4 colored skirt tetra= 8 inches
1-adf= 2 inches
1 betta= 3 inches

grand total= 53 inches

Now i know that rule is a guideline, and i am cutting it close, however i'm not sure whether the betta in the tank will be a permanent situation, although he loves it. Plus i have a spare ten gallon now that i don't know what's going on with my imbellis bettas. I may put my tetras in there, as they tend to be fin nippers.

pepetj

Hi Ryan:
I guess it's a good idea (that's what I do) to use multiple filters instead of one. I'm not sure I'm covering all the cons and pros, but I see are that:

Pros:
a) less likelihood of mini-cycle due to filter media rinsing (and replacement), increased flexibility for maintenance.
b) if a filter fails (one of mine stopped working due to sand particles that obstructed the impeler) the tank will still have partial filtration going on (better than nothing).
c) it makes MTS easier since I allways have planted media to seed bacteria in new filters.
d) probably better levels of dissolved oxygen, since more surface of water is agitated, and more evenly, across the tank.

Cons:
a) less efficient/optimal use of electricity (aka higher bill)
b) use of extra AC outlet(s)
c) makes it harder to create "quiet/calmed" spots in small tanks
d) increases the cost of purchase for equivalent gph capacity
e) probably makes more noise

Hope this info is helpful.

Pepe
Santo Domingo

rileyrk190

Thanks.. so if i plan on keeping the other filter running, what size filter should i purchase?
Two filters for a 55g tank would create a lot of current..so should i get one for say a 30 gallon?