New Filter...old Tank

Sweeden · May 12, 2011

Went around my Nana's the other day and her 4ft tank is green, so I asked what filter she runs and she said one with 2 tubes.

Now I thought this was an external filter with in out tubes, so I said how do you clean it. she said she doesn't so I had a look and its not external its a air driven filter.

So i'm looking into getting her an external filter, but she's currently got fish in her tank. Four massive things like a gun metal grey scales about 4" long and 3" Tall with orange fins, one Black shark with orange fins.

Now how would i go about culturing the external filter? could I use one of my fluval 2plus filter media in there for a few months?

mislisa · May 12, 2011

doesn't her filter have media? if it does, just put it in the new filter, and presto, a cycled filter!

also, if you can post a pic of the fish, you might get a better id. the shark sounds like a rainbow shark to me... not sure on the others (i've seen them, can't remember what they're called)

Athena · May 12, 2011

Sounds like she might have an undergravel filter..? That is what I used to use when i first started fishkeeping about 17 yrs ago - there were these long plastic tube things that attached to the undergravel plate (gravel went on top of that) and you would put airline tubing with a small airstone into the long plastic tubes...and...gosh, so long ago that I've even forgotten how it all worked LOL.

Does any of that sound similar to what your Nan has? And the only way of cleaning a tank with undergravel filter is to use a gravel vac to suck up some of the gunk that gets trapped under the gravel plate.

If this is what she has, there won't be any filter media pads to transfer to a modern external/internal filter, so in that case you could seed the new filter with some of your own media, as you suggested.

Does she know about doing water changes? Nice that you are trying to help her with it all, though. The black shark with orange fins - do you mean all the fins are orange or just the tail?

If it's just the tail that is red/orange then it is a red tailed black shark - if all it's fins are orangey and the body is a dark greyish colour, then it's likely to be a rainbow shark (I have had both and still have the rainbow).

Regards, Athena

Peggers · May 12, 2011

Be careful if she doesn't do water changes that when you do you only do small ones to start with, this stops the the parameters changing too rapidly which can kill fish even if the water quality improves. It's called old tank syndrome.

Tizer · May 12, 2011

If its a big sponge filter, you can chop it up and stick it into an external filter, but you are likely to kick off a mini cycle in the process so water changes will need to be done until its sorted. make sure you got a testing kit and do it daily along with changes if necessary. gluck.

StandbySetting · May 12, 2011

To help with the ID's of other species, the grey fish with orange fins you have described sound like Tin Foil Barbs.

Sweeden · May 12, 2011

Athena said:
Sounds like she might have an undergravel filter..? That is what I used to use when i first started fishkeeping about 17 yrs ago - there were these long plastic tube things that attached to the undergravel plate (gravel went on top of that) and you would put airline tubing with a small airstone into the long plastic tubes...and...gosh, so long ago that I've even forgotten how it all worked LOL

Yes that the on right there lol

Peggers said:
Be careful if she doesn't do water changes that when you do you only do small ones to start with, this stops the the parameters changing too rapidly which can kill fish even if the water quality improves. It's called old tank syndrome.

OK i'll pop up every other day and do a 25% change

Tizer said:
If its a big sponge filter, you can chop it up and stick it into an external filter, but you are likely to kick off a mini cycle in the process so water changes will need to be done until its sorted. make sure you got a testing kit and do it daily along with changes if necessary. gluck.

Yeah got all necessary stuff