Have I Got The Right Equipment In My Tank?

[kazzybabes]

Hi everyone, i was just wanting to check that if my tank was okay.. i currently have a 64L tank, with a heater, thermometer and a filter which is beneath the water and blows air up towards the surface of the water to move it.. is this enough? Its just when i go into pet shops they have things with lots of bubbles coming out, but i dont have anything like that. Is there anything else that i need? Also, i think my filter has carbon in it, should this be removed? Im not sure if i know how lol! Thanks for any help!

Karen

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, you're right Karen, bubbles are just for looks. Disturbing the surface water is all that's needed to enhance gas (O2, CO2 etc.) exchange between the air and the water.

You're also correct that carbon is an optional chemical media and is not needed on a regular basis. Its used to remove medications, yellow tannins from wood and the occasional organic smell that you can't solve otherwise. When its used it works for about 3 days and then needs to be removed and trashed.

It depends on the make/model of filter how easy it will be to substitute a different media in the spot where the carbon was. Its also good to determine that you don't have any zeolite or other unusual media in the filter that might upset the cycling prior to starting your fishless cycle.

The filter is not ready to handle fish until you've done what we call "cycling" it, which takes about 3 to 6 weeks while two specific species of bacteria take their good time growing in it! We have write-ups about that in our forum here.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[kazzybabes]

Thanks for your reply! I have already cycled my tank and have 4 fish in it currently, the carbon has been in for a couple of months so i guess i should remove that now lol! do you have to fill the gap with something or can you leave the gap? I bought some spare filter pads, so could i put in another one or would that be too much? Thanks for your help!

Karen

Yes, you're right Karen, bubbles are just for looks. Disturbing the surface water is all that's needed to enhance gas (O2, CO2 etc.) exchange between the air and the water.

You're also correct that carbon is an optional chemical media and is not needed on a regular basis. Its used to remove medications, yellow tannins from wood and the occasional organic smell that you can't solve otherwise. When its used it works for about 3 days and then needs to be removed and trashed.

It depends on the make/model of filter how easy it will be to substitute a different media in the spot where the carbon was. Its also good to determine that you don't have any zeolite or other unusual media in the filter that might upset the cycling prior to starting your fishless cycle.

The filter is not ready to handle fish until you've done what we call "cycling" it, which takes about 3 to 6 weeks while two specific species of bacteria take their good time growing in it! We have write-ups about that in our forum here.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[waterdrop]

Its ideal to replace it with other media that is optimized for biological surfaces like sponges, ceramic rings, ceramic gravel, but you could put floss pads in there too if you want to. Its good to get a feel for the flow rate of your filter so you can make a rough judgement when you change things as to whether you feel you've greatly changed its flow rate up or down. Its usually ideal for a filter to run at the same flow rate it was designed for.

~~waterdrop~~

 

[ChiNA MaN]

sounds fine but its ur choice in having a air pump