Devastating filter fail

I've come back to the hobby after a long time and decided to start up with a nano tank to see if I still enjoyed it, with the plan to upgrade to a bigger tank and keep the nano as a breeder. All was going well with a bristlenose pleco and 4 neon tetras, nice minI LED set up, couple of plants, filter going well. Unfortunately the filter died completely with little warning sometime overnight on a Saturday/Sunday and no shops near me open, I started doing daily 50% water changes as plecs are messy bugger and the tank is really small. Plec didn't like this and by Monday midday had sadly died. Devastated as it was the friendliest plec I have ever had - I think the low light LED set up was perfect for him. Emergency chat with my dad who has been a long time fish keeper, freshwater and pond (although not for the last 10 years or so) and we decided to just go all out and get the big tank, new filter, move the bogwood, plants and filter medium over and then hope the tetras do ok with the change. Return late afternoon Monday from lfs with a 65L tank, new filter (fluval U1 sponge filter) a bigger heater, an air pump to attempt to reaerate the minI tank and eventually be used in the big one. Down one tetra on checking them, so immediate 25% water change as not looking so good, and set the airstone going to add O2. Set up new tank - moved bogwood, and java fern over, filled with spare sand (need another couple of bags though) and filled up but by the time it was up and running with filter spray bar adjusted and temperature in the right area the other tetras had died. Absolutely devastating. Feel so bad that I didn't have a spare filter and the whole thing just feels like a massive failure on behalf of the lovely fish. I don't think they coped well with the moveing of wood and plants and the water changes. So, having got this new tank partly set up, I will unfortunately be starting rather from scratch. My dad has decided to get involved again as he retires soon and wants to start up breeding various green mollies together to make his favourite fish. So he'll be using the nano tank as a breeder (once cleaned out etc, and new nano filter sorted). I'll be using the main 65L tank, but having lost all of my filter medium I'm a little at a loss - everything is much changed from when I had tanks before! The bogwood and a java fern were transplanted so hopefully still have a lot of lovely bac on them that will help the filter, and I'll be shifting the sand and the anubias into it once the nano has been cleaned out. Do you think this will be enough to kickstart the filter/cycle going? We've always been as chemical free with fishkeeping as possible, so would rather not use a "jump start" liquid. The tank won't be hugely stocked - just some neon tetras, a bristlenose pleco (maybe two now there is more space!) some mollies and maybe a couple of colourful male guppies. So the fluval U1 filter should suffice, if not I'll grab a minI and add it in as a secondary filter. It will be a planted tank and I need to get on and purchase some more plants, prefearbly low maintenance and not requiring CO2/carbon additions as I'm planning on switching out the horrible fluro light for an LED strip set. So any thoughts on those would be great. Is there anything I have forgotten or might pose a problem in this setup? Water temp is going to be at around 24C and I'm not 100% sure on our pH but it's not been a problem with those fish before. Just devastating to have failed looking after the little lives. Nano tanks are lovely, but when the filter goes, they are just so hard to save without backup equipment Thoughts on everything mentioned appreciated, and apologies for the essay!

 

Sorry to say, but 65L is still quite a small tank. How small was your old one? The footprint of the tank will decide if a bristlenose can fit comfortably (as well as neons), can you get the measurements of the tank?

You will have to re-cycle your tank, next to no bacteria will be left, and it will have all died from lack of food source (ammonia). The Fluval filter does not look like it will do a good job filtering the water, it seems to be literally the bare minimum. I'd get a second one and run both (or a different filter).

Since you have a small (~17 gallon) tank, I'd stick with guppies, maybe a couple types of tetras would work (ember), dwarf corys depending on footprint. Options are somewhat limited.

Sorry you lost all your fish , but starting up the new tank will be a lot of fun. Also, I recommend getting the API Master Test kit to be able to test your water and pH, especially since you need to cycle your aquarium again.

 

I know it's small, but no space for a massive 200l one I've always been a fan of sponge filters, but do know that the U1 may end up not doing enough and will require a secondary filter. Very old school approach in how I learned from my dad (also very old school) and trying to convince him about the benefits of internal cartridge filters is difficult (U2 for eg). Nano tank was a 6-8 gallon I think, but the plec was always destined for a larger tank, I just wasn't planning on needing one quite so soon. All the tetras were very small - about 2cm long, and the plec was maybe an inch and a bit as I was hoping to get a tank for him before he got much bigger (I think the specific type I got maxes out at 5 inches). The tank was cycling perfectly, crystal clear water, good levels, but filter death was destructive in the extreme. I've never had problems with sponge filters and am quite a fan, but I know others aren't. Then again, we've only ever used sponge filters so! The one experiment with an external cartridge was a nightmare, messiest most awful experience which ended up with filter in the bin. Footprint is 60cm x 40cm x 35cm so rectangle. I prefer tetras over guppies, but my partner has fallen in love with some of the more outragrously coloured guppies so I said I'd see what I could do my dad still thinks cardinals are the way forward, but I like the neons. He's very experienced, but very old school, and there are so many new products about now, he's somewhat second guessing himself and moaning about thr "good old days". Especially regarding siphons. Thanks for confirming my worst nightmare - recycling the tank!

 

I agree with the above post.

I will also mention that 24C is a little bit warm for Neon Tetras, turning it down to 23C would be better. Might not seem like much but that's about their maximum temp, even cooler than 23C down to 18C is in their range.

Neither Neon Tetra or Plecos should be in a 65L. You would need an 80L for Neon and a 110L for the pleco for minimum "best conditions" for those fish. Of course, there are those who ignore these suggestions because they have done it before and it worked. These "rules" are commonly accepted standards in the hobby based on expert experience and giving the fish enough room to thrive, not just survive.

 

The plec will be fine, it is a minI plec and will top out at 3.3" max and should fit fine I have checked stats. I'd rather have endlers than tetras but finding them is a nightmare.

The temp seems to have settled out at 23C with the heater set at 24C.

New test kit is on the list, along with a bunch of other small things.

We do have a fair bit of experience to rely on (40+ years) but as I said before, been out of the hobby for 10 years or so and a lot has changed (mainly filters and needing more stuff, less combI equipment).

Tank dimensions are 60cmx40cmx35cm if that makes anyone happier about the plec. It will also be fully planted up, and I need to swap the fluro for LEDs asI hate fluro lighting and it is not good for the plants I want.

I've also always been under the impression that neons are fine in tanks of 10 gallons or more. But as always, stats differ from info source to info source, experience tells me they are fine in smaller tanks and shoal happily, are bright and healthy, and live for a long time. I'm willing to accept they do better in larger tanks, but then to be honest everything does better in a larger tank. And the number of tetras would also need to be taken into consideration, I'm not planning on having hundreds only about 7.