Brand new tank set-up + questions

HI all, totally new to aquariums here; I just bought a 29G Aqueon starter kit and am going to be cycling my tank in the near future. I've been looking through many of the threads and the guides on this site as I want to be prepared when I finaly 'go live'. I have never had an aquarium before so am studying up as much as I can. I just purchased a 10 gallon tank to use as a sick tank in for when I finally get fish. I've read threads on the filter for the sick tank, and had some questions...

Am I supposed to stick several filter media in my Aqueon HOB filter, so I don't need to cycle my back up tank? From what I read that seems to be the best method? How many cartridges can actually fit into a filter (I think mine is the Aqueon QuietFlow 30)? And how often should I change my media? I assume I use the same method to change my media; 2 or 3 weeks before I remove the old one I add a second one to the filter so it can support the tank?

I am also debating going with live plants in my tank or fake. I know I want a nice piece of driftwood in the middle, as I will have a Clown Pleco in there and I like the look of driftwood. As a beginner I don't know if growing plants and taking care of the fish at the begging is something I should try straight away.

As for Fish I am planning on having the following:

Either 2 German Blue Rams or Gourami (1 Dwarf or 2-3 Honey)

Then 2 groups of the following (still haven't decided):{

• 6-8 Glofish
• 6-8 harliquin rasboras
• 6-8 Neon Tetras

And Finally:
3 amano shrimp
1 Clown Pleco


I posted another thread earlier about my stocking ideas and I think the set I plan on should be okay. My 2 biggest questions are really surrounding the filter and the live vs fake plants. But I am open to any advice suggestions or tips on anything. Thanks for the help.

 

The aqueons aren't great for holding extra filter media, since the filter box is kinda small. But you could get an additional filter that is good for a 10 gallon tank and put it on the 29 in addition to the Aqueon. Then if you need to set up the sick/quarteen tank, you could just take the filter off the 29 and put it on the 10.

I'm a plastic plant guy myself.

 

Thanks jdhef; I thought it looked kinda cramped in there. The problem I see with the 10G filter is then I would have 2 filters hanging on my tank.... I guess that may be the best solution until I go out and buy another filter though.

What about changing the media in that filter? How often should I replace it, and when I do if there is only room for 1 piece of media how do I maintain my bacteria?

 

Another plastic plant person myself. My clown Pleco moves them on more or less an hourly basis. I was kind of heartbroken when after years I finally gave up on keeping live plants in my tank.

As for the filter I have an Aquaclear that can hold extra media AND a secondary filter rated for a smaller tank. I've been running cheapie box filters, I'm on my last one now. Next week I'm switching to a basic sponge. If I need to run a hospital tank I don't want carbon and it will be an easy move over.

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I'm fairly new to fish keeping but one thing Do not change your media. You can swish it in tank water when you do water changes. Only do this if it gets too clogged.

 

Ok, so in essence the media should last forever then?

 

Ok, so in essence the media should last forever then?

Not exactly. eventually the cartridge gets super ratty, and starts to fall apart. For my aqueon filter, I carefully cut open the fabric and remove the carbon. Since I'm not replacing the media, the carbon won't be useful anyways. If you did want to use carbon, I would still open it to add more. It's a very small amount. sometimes I stuff it with filter floss our polishing media. When it is getting to the point that it really needs replaced, I stick the new one (empty) lose in the box, behind the one in the holder for a while. I think it helps to seed bacteria.
By the way, manufacturer ratings on filters are really not accurate. Rather than buying a filter for the 10, I would use the aqueon 30 on ether small tank and get a bigger filter for the 29. I really like the aqua clear 50 I have on my 29. Plus, the media for them is really flexible, and does seem to last about forever.

 

The problem with the filter media in your Aqueon is that the carbon is encapulated inside the floss. Since carbon stops working after 3-4 weeks the filter manufacturer recommends changing the cartridge every month. But once you remove the floss, you remove all the bacteria that keeps your tank cycled. So what you can do is cut a slit in the cartridge and dump out the carbon. Then you can either add loose carbon back in (a bit of a pain) or just not use carbon.

Your filter cartridge should last a really long time (years). All you need to do is swish it out in used tank water with each water change to remove the debris. This way you do not loose your bacteria.

That is one of the reasons I like the AquaClear filters. The sponge, carbon and ceramic bio media are all separate making it really easy to clean the sponge and replace the carbon.

 

If you want the easiest option, get a sponge filter. they are cheap, then if you waited long enough for the bacteria to colonize simply put that in the new tank, and you should be good to go right away.

 

Thanks for all the tips! I plan on using this filter for a while, I definitely would like to upgrade as time goes on. I think the spounge filter option seems best for now.

It was mentioned to remove the Carbon from the filter... is that recommended? What does the carbon do? Using just the floss seems easier but I don't want to risk the well being of the tank.

 

Carbon will remove organic impurities in the water. It helps stop the water from yellowing and helps keep it from smelling bad. Additionally it will remove medications from the water. But it is not necessary to use carbon. Regular partial water changes will keep the water from yellowing and smelling.

The reason for removing the carbon is because after 3-4 weeks the carbon gets saturated and stops removing impuritites from the water. Many times it is a pain to replace the carbon with new, so people just choose not to use it.

But like I mentioned above, the AquaClear filters have a tray and then is stack with a sponge, a bag of carbon and a bag of ceramic bio media. The sponge filters out the chunks, the carbon filters out organics and the ceramic houses the bacteria. Changing the carbon is just a matter of removing the bag of ceramic media, removing the bag of carbon, putting a new bag of carbon in and returning the ceramic media.

 

My issue with carbon is the fact that it removes ammonia as well as color. This is good short term, but I believe that it hinders the ability to develop a thriving bacterial colony. Bacteria (like all organisms) need food to reproduce. Carbon works great if you keep it fresh, but I've been running all of my tanks without it for over 6 months, no smells or discolored water. I put extra bio media in the aquaclear, and keep some carbon around just in case (of what I'm not sure).

 

Hmmm; a lot to think about. But the general sense I am getting is that as long as I am diligent with my water changes then the carbon should not be an issue. If it becomes an issue down the road; then add the carbon to my existing filter... I like it.

 

I've never heard of using carbon to remove ammonia. There are carbon type products such as Zeolite that remove ammonia, but as far as I know, standard carbon does not remove ammonia.

 

I have ( or rather had ) the Aqueon QuietFlow 30 that came with my Aqueon 36 gallon bowfront. I ended up changing it to another hob Aqueon 55/75 about a month ago. The Aqueon QuietFlow 30 does NOT have room for additional media but the Aqueon 55/75 DOES as it normallly uses 2 cartridges. I use one cartridge and on the other side, I put in a sponge media to build up bb. Seems to work out great. Also, the Aqueon QuietFlow 30 is only rated at 200 gph and although it says its rated for a 45 gallon tank, I switched to the 55/75 ( 400gph ) and it made a world of difference on the filtration and cycling my tank. The 55/75 is rated for a 90 gallon tank.

I bought the 55/75 on amazon for $39.00

 

I could probably stand to upgrade my filter it seems. Its just so expensive to get a tank started from scratch, and I still need to buy fish, sand, plants, caves, testing kit, vaccume etc...

I'll probably stick with my aqueon 30 for now, and go with a sponge for quarantine. Then once I get established I can look into upgrading my aqueon 30, and using it for my quarantine tank.

 

well you don't HAVE to get all that. you don't need sand, plants, and you can make some caves. I got lucky and the tank I bought off craigslist came with a ton of crushed coral. I mean a ton. I have a full 5 gallon bucket of it i'm not using, but even if I had none, I would just have a layer of little rocks from outside. I used river rock. I used the same river rock to make the caves. I got some made with superglue and some made with aquarium epoxy. Although they are fairly inexpensive you can probaby make a vac at the hardware store to save a bit of money. So really you NEED fish and a test kit, and some people will say you don't need the kit after your cycled if you pay close attention to your tank, and keep up on maintenance. I should also mention I painted to back and the bottom of the aquarium black cuz I think it looks better with the rock bottom and bringing out the color in your fish.

 

Do I want to get an air pump or will the filter be good enough?

 

You can use Play Sand, it's very cheap:

For caves, you have all sorts of options. I made a couple from halves of terra cotta pots. I cut them in half(this is sort of a pain) covered them in GE Silicone 1, then rolled them in the leftover sand substrate I used. Let them cure and place them where you want them. You can go find some rocks and also use them, just test them with white vinegar first. If they foam, you can't use them. If they don't, you should be fine. Just clean them(bleach solution) with a wire or other stiff brush, use a file to take off any sharp edges and you should be good to go, at very little cost.

As mentioned above you don't *have* to have plants, but they do make a tank look nice. They are pricey, though. Since you're going to have at least a month to a month and a half before you can put fish in(assuming you're fishless cycling) buy what you can reasonably afford each week and add them to the tank.

The test kit there's really no getting around, but some folks on here have been able to get them for $20 rather than the usual $32.99 it goes for in pet stores. Take a look around the internet and you can probably find one for a reasonable price.

When I started, I was in the same place you are, thinking it was going to take my entire bank account to get up and running. But a little ingenuity can get you a long, long way.