bio-fish

I am new to the whole aquarium thing. My step daughter thought it would be funny to give me feeder fish for christmas, thinking I would just let them die. "I cant let anything die." So I went out and bought a 37g tank with all the starter equipment. I set it up and added the fish right away the next day I bought some mollies, a platy two tiger barbs and 2 glass catfish. (I did not know about the nitrogen cycle). So with that I lost a total of 5 fish 3 feeder and 2 mollies. I have since replaced the mollies. My tank is about 7 weeks old now and I think I am doing pretty good. I did have a problem recently with my water being green, so I changed out about half the water, cleaned all the decorations, vacumed the gravel, and changed the carbon filters. The water is looking much better. I basically have been learning as I go. I have been changeing out abot 50% of the water every week. I know I have alot of fish in the tank (20), but I like watching them all. I will be getting rid of some of the goldfish. I have just checked my water and the pH is 8, Amonia 0, nitrite 0.25 and the nitrate 80, the water temp is a constant 78 degrees. I cant seem to get the Nitrite or Nitrate down. I even have some live plants. My question is should I change my filter system to a canister, or invest in a better power filter with a bio-wheel. Im not sure if my tank is large enought for a canister. I would also like some advice on the brand. Any help would be greatly appriciated.

ryanr

Welcome to Fishlore.

The simple answer to your nitrite/nitrate problem is: 'Too many, too early'.

Don't worry, we've all done it

Your pH seems very high, I would be aiming to get it back down to around 7.4, but you need to do it gradually. Remember pH is not linear, so bring it down gradually. Your plants will appreciate it as well as the fish.

Keep up the water changes to remove the excess NitrItes and NitrAtes until your filter catches up with bacteria.

Regarding your filtration, you can definitely get an appropriate Canister, and I would recommend one. You want to aim for a filter that will turn-over your water at least 4 times an hour, you have 37G (170L), so look at 150G (680L) /hr or higher, especially with your population.

Depending on budget, I would personally go Eheim, the Classic 2215 does 620L/hr, the Professional 2224 will do 700L/hr. You could also look at Fluval for a cheaper, but still decent, the 205 is rated at 680L/hr.
If the flow is too strong for your community, you can reduce the flow rate on Eheims by drilling the holes in the Spraybar wider, Fluval's have a valve that can be controlled.

I run an Eheim 2213 on my 70L and a Fluval 105 on my 25L.

Remember: If you do put a canister on, you'll need to let it cycle up before completely removing the old filter.

HTH

David C

If you have the money, definitely go with a canister filter. They provide superior filtration and my Fluval is utterly silent. The only way I can tell it's on is either watch for the current in the tank or to feel the side of the filter for the vibration. The power filters work fine, but they will always be a little noisier and they don't hold nearly as much bio-media.

Dave

KevinCS

Ultimately it boils down to personal preferance. I believe if you go with a filtration system that incorporates bio wheels you can't go wrong.

You can get the bio wheel set up in both canister & power filters. Go with what ever is easiest and cost effective for you. Since you are just starting out a power filter may be the easiest way to go. Canister filters can be more time consuming when maintenance is needed. The plus side to a canister is it is generally a more effective way to filter your tank (that's my opinion).

Bio wheels promote the growth of good bacteria that feeds on NitrItes & NitrAtes which will bring down those levels in your tank.

Wet/Dry filters also do the same thing but they can be expensive & takes some know how when hooking them up.

I have two 90 gallon tanks & each one has a Magnum 350 deluxe (canister) w/bio wheel & I have never had a problem with my water parameters.

I have a wet/dry on my 210 gallon and only had issues when I over fed my tank. (totally my fault). Other than that the water parameters have been right on.

My 55 gallon has a Emperor 400 (power filter) which has bio wheels & it works as well as my canister.

Which ever you choose there is no substitute for regular 25-50% water changes, that's a must. I do my water changes approx every 2-4 weeks. More often when necessary.

Good Luck & enjoy!

ryanr

PS - forgot to mention, canisters also have the advantage of increasing your water volume, as you need to also fill the canister.

bio-fish

Thanks for all of the input. I have someone who is willing to give me a canister filter to try before I make the purchase (since they are so expensive). This way I can get the feel for how much work is involved. What type of plants would you recommend that the fish will not eat on, and should I get a piece of drift wood. I heard this could help with amonia levels.

Danionins.com

I'd go with the HOB power filter with a bio-wheel. The bio-wheel is probably the single biggest advancement in the field of aquaculture.

Dennis

Cichlidude

Not all canister filters are expensive. Here's one that works.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums...d.php?t=215102

Nate McFin

Welcome to Fishlore!
How about a $190 XP3 for $109?
Awesome filter and an awesome price. If the price doesnt come up at $109 PM me for details on how to get it.
http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.co...6139&catid=113

Regarding your tank, you have a nitrite reading which means your tank is not fully cycled or on a mini cycle. You should be doing daily 50% water changes using prime which detoxifies Nitrites. These should be done until the readings are- ammonia-0 Nitrites-0 Nitrates- under 20 is what we shoot for. The mini cycle may have been caused by cleaning out so much of the tank at one time. Cleaning of decorations, substrate,filters, etc should be done in small amounts at a time because that is where the good bacteria live. When you clean too much you wipe out the population which stops the cycle.
If you do change out to a canister eventually please follow the advice above and leave your current filter in the tank for awhile until the new filter is seeded with bacteria.

Hope this helps and welcome again!
Nate

jglove276

first of all welcome to fishlore. IMO on the filter you get what you pay for also keep in mind when you change your filters you must run both for about a week so the good bacteria can grow other wise you will end up cycling your tank again

Prince Powder

I think everyone has you covered here. IMO regardless of the filter you decide to go with, I would not recommend changing filters until you're out of this mini cycle. Then run both filters for at least 2-3 weeks to allow the new one to seed. Once you remove the old filter, be prepared for another mini cycle since you will also be removing half of your colony. If you go with a canister, leave some room so when you do remove your current filter you can add the media from it to your canister. That way you're not removing your biological filtration, just moving it.

Oh and driftwood can help lower pH, but I'm not so sure it helps with ammonia.

I also see you mentioned goldfish. If I were you I would rehome ALL the goldfish. If you want to keep some of the goldfish you will need to get them a separate tank. Goldfish are cold water fish and should not be housed with tropical fish. Plus they are high waste producers. Due to their size and waste, one goldfish needs a minimum of a 20 gallon tank with an additional 10 gallons for each additional goldfish. And that is the bare minimum. Feeders, in proper conditions, can get to be over 12 inches long so even the bare minimum would be a crowded place with very little swim space for full grown goldfish.

OldMan

Driftwood does not help with ammonia but plants do remove nitrogen from the water if they are growing well. They will also release nitrogen into the water if they start to die. They can be a blessing or a curse in terms of your nitrogen build in the tank.
As far as keeping the feeder goldfish, comet goldfish, the kind often sold as feeders, are very large fish when they grow up. They are not suitable for any reasonable sized aquarium but are great fish for outdoor ponds.

GoGreen

One more point about driftwood, I don't think it affects pH all that much, so if you want it just for the look, make sure you soak it for at least 3 weeks before you add it to the tank. I bought some from Big Als when I started my tank and made the mistake of soaking it for 24 hrs only. Well, I didn't see that it was leaching any tannins into the water at that point, and I added it to my tank. Within 3 days the water was tea coloured and remained that way for a good month or more, despite water changes. My water changes at the time were not big enough, but at the time I didn't know any better. Newbie disease.
Just something to think about.
On the filter side of things, I have a Fluval 250 for my 30gallon tank and it is pretty quiet, it seems to be a good system.