Filter Advice?

[Meggie :)]

I recently bought a fifty gallon aquarium that I will be setting up soon. The person who sold it to me also gave me two filters for it. They are Dual Top Fin 60 filter pumps...now my questions: are these okay to use? I will also have a few air pumps in there. Is the carbon for both of the filters okay or should I use something else like sponge? Do the sponge ones fit into the dual top fin 60 filters? If these filters are NOT okay to use, what do you suggest I buy?

Any advice is appreciated!!! Thanks,
Megan

 

[minnnt]

Can't comment on the filters you have with the tank, but i would recommend an external on any tank, especially one that is a decent size like the one you have bought.

TetraTEC
Fluval
Eheim
Aqua One
All Pond Solutions

All make good external filters.

 

[Meggie :)]

Would I have to have an internal filter(s) still if I got the external for the water flow?

 

[coldcazzie]

The external filter would take over the role of filtration. The external wouldn't be for "water flow".

As for your question about media, sponge is fine. You don't need carbon really unless you're removing something specific from the water like medication. If the sponge doesn't fit, chop it up with scissors until it does fit. Also, there is no need to have air pumps. By all means have them if you like the look of the bubbles, but they don't do much apart from move a b it of water around, and your filter should be doing that sufficiently if it is suitably sized for the tank.

 

[Meggie :)]

Since I have 2 dual top fin filters could I just replace the carbon for sponge? Would that be okay?

And also is it bad to use carbon? I've been using carbon for almost 4 years in my ten gallon and I hope I wasn't doing anything wrong if I were to buy a new filter (internal) for my ten gallon, what would you suggest?

 

[ian]

Carbon won't do anything wrong in your tank. Carbon will only adsorb for a few weeks until it becomes 'full', it then turns into a biological media. Contrary to what people think, carbon won't leach back into your tank under conditions in the aquarium. In fact i use carbon in my planted tanks to take up some of the organic waste.

 

[Meggie :)]

If I were to set up a fry tank for a new ten gallon which filter would you suggest?

And is this the sponge you were talking about coldcazzie? http/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754144

 

[minnnt]

I have a small Aqua One internal running my 10 gallon tank and it is excellent. Stats are always zero and all in consists of is a sponge. I have also added a few noodles from my other tank to help out with bacteria build up.

Externals come with a spray bar which is a nice even method of introducing flow into a tank and it free's up internal space due to you being able to remove the internal one.

 

[Meggie :)]

Okay thanks another question: I have baby guppies in my current ten gallon that are almost four weeks old, so I need to separate them pretty soon...I am buying another ten gallon to house my females so that breeding doesn't get out of control. Because of this, I need an instant cycle...I currently have carbon in my top fin filter for m ten gallon...if I were to buy a small aqua one filter would I be able to use the used carbon in my current filter and put it into the aqua one for an instant cycle and then replace that carbon with sponge as soon as it is cycled? And also is this the sponge that I should buy? http/www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754144

 

[coldcazzie]

Sorry, I didn't mean it's bad to have, just that there's no generic need for it in most tanks...

And yes, if you took media from one of your current filters and put it in a new filter it would be cycled, or nearly cycled.

And yes that sponge looks fine, but if you get unbranded it'll be cheaper!

 

[Meggie :)]

Thank you! And also how often doi have to change out the foam filter media?

 

[minnnt]

Never unless it is falling to bits in your hand. i wash mine in old tank water once a month on my main tanks. Once a fortnight in the fry tanks.

 

[Meggie :)]

Thank you so much for all your help! I know that this question probably doesn't belong here but I get so much algae buildup on my decor so I constantly have to wash it...like once a month...but I want make my new tanks into planted tanks and change my current ten gallon to a planted tank with sand as well...how do I avoid this algae buildup since I won't be able to remove my decor/plantsnot clean them In the planted tanks?

 

[coldcazzie]

You dont' change it. Unless, like minnnt said, it is actualy falling apart. There's no need the filter media is where your bacteria grow. If you throw it out you throw out your bacteria.

 

[coldcazzie]

As for the algae, it's a bit complicated. PLants should out compete the algae for nutrients, but in reality it's usualy a bit more difficult than that.

If you are setting up then the key thing is to plant heavily from the outset. However, it depends on how heavily you want to plant it...