Quick Couple Of Questions

[jpast45]

Hey guys, I've been on this site a while, but very seldom do I post. I have a 3 gallon plastic bow front tank that I have been using to keep smaller fish such as guppies, neons and an algae eater, because when I add fish to my 20 gallon a majority get eaten, and the smaller they are, the worse the ratio, but irrelevant to this post

The filter that this tank came with is a proprietary power head, which is not particularly effective, the water goes over the 2 filter packs it comes with, it's like having a filter for a normal power head but cutting it in half and laying it on the bottom of the container. The filter is so clogged now, despite washing it, that the water overflows from the sides and spills into the tank from the sides. So I am looking at replacing it with a filter which looks like a mix of a corner filter and sponge filter. It moves water on the surface, and since the fish are all small in the tank I think the slower current would be beneficial, especially for breeding livebearers. Opinions?

Secondly, in this tank I have noticed that it gathers algae on it's walls, 1 plant, and accessories (heater, filter thermometer) rather fast, I scrub it off every 2 weeks, but it eventually gets so bad I have to remove the fish, pour the water into a bucket and scrub it with hot water and a sponge to get it all, then put everything back in. I looked at someone’s website and it is described as green dust algae, and is caused by Low CO2 and nutrients. Any suggestion on getting rid of this?

Not directly related to the 3 gallon tank, but I have a 1 gallon tank that I’ve tried to use as a quarantine for a pregnant fish, to set it up I put a bit of gravel to hold down the under gravel filter and the aerator, and pour 1 gallon from my 20 gallon tank. The next day or so I checked the water before putting the fish in, and nitrate and nitrites were through the roof, and ammonia was a little high. What gives? The 20 gallon is completely normal, I’ve tried 3 separate 50% water changes from the same stuff over a week and still the same thing. It has become uninhabitable. Any suggestions?

Any advice you can give at all that may help with the management of this small tank? I would love to have at least a glass 5 gallon for the small fish but alas, I have no room until I purchase a house and move out of this cramped apartment, so it's not in the cards

PS: Here is a picture of that filter

 

[Geoff1991]

I would get a fluval 2 plus (or 3+... not sure what size you need for a 20G but ive got a 2+ in a 15G) i upgraded from a stingray filter and i found that it does a far better job.

What ive learned is, its better to pay out and get a decent filter right from the word go...

Edit: Re-read... is the filter for the 20G or the 3G?

 

[Anna Robinson]

It looks like your 3-gallon filter uses disposable cartridges rather than biological filtration, so these need to be replaced rather than washed out, to maintain water quality. I don't see why you couldn't replace this filter if you wanted, although I'm not sure the cost would be worth it - you might be able to upgrade to a slightly better complete glass tank of the same size, for the same money as the new filter.

Algae is hard to remove from plastic tanks, but I would be inclined to wipe it over (with the fish in there) more often, and just leave the bits you can't reach, rather than catching and moving the fish. Some tanks need to be wiped over twice a week, so doing it once every fortnight just may not be enough.

Regarding the undergravel filter in the 1-gallon, of course it's the gravel that holds the beneficial bacteria, not the water. Are you using old gravel from your established tank? And ensure it is of a good depth, at least an inch.

 

[jpast45]

I've been searching for a filter for this tank for a while, the one I made referernce to is the first one I found to be a decent size for a tiny 3 gallon tank, unfortunately, but I think its a better method of filtration for what I need.

I have an algae scrubber that has one side for plastic tanks abd one for glass, I use that but would prerfer not to, it freaks out the fish. If I have to I guess I will though

For the 1 gallon tank, I was told to not have much in it if it were being used for breeding, so I put just enough down to hold the plastic undergravel filter-like thing down, and the gravel was from a previous tank, but it's been sitting in a container for months, so I guess I need to grab some from an existing tank or do a fishless cycle.
Thanks for all the feedback guys