returning Hobbyist with a couple of questions....

[beatking]

Well, it's been thirty years since I have owned and cared for fish. Now, newly retired and relocated, I'm starting up my love for caring and keeping tropical freshwater fish. My questions are as follows....
1. Years ago, I had both a hang on back filter as well as an under gravel filter system with air pump etc. Having read recently that under gravel systems are outdated. Is this so and if so, why?
2. How deep should the siphon of one's hang on back filter be extended? Nearer the surface or nearer the substrate?
3. Should the heater be placed near or away from the filter?
4. What type of substrate should I be looking for (coarse or fine)? I currently have no plans either way as to having live or artificial plants.
Thank you

My old tank was 29 gal and my new tank is also 29 gal if that helps.

 

[AmyKieran]

Well, it's been thirty years since I have owned and cared for fish. Now, newly retired and relocated, I'm starting up my love for caring and keeping tropical freshwater fish. My questions are as follows....
1. Years ago, I had both a hang on back filter as well as an under gravel filter system with air pump etc. Having read recently that under gravel systems are outdated. Is this so and if so, why?
2. How deep should the siphon of one's hang on back filter be extended? Nearer the surface or nearer the substrate?
3. Should the heater be placed near or away from the filter?
4. What type of substrate should I be looking for (coarse or fine)? I currently have no plans either way as to having live or artificial plants.
Thank you

My old tank was 29 gal and my new tank is also 29 gal if that helps.

1. I’m not actually sure

2. The siphon should be as low as possible so that you can water change as much as possible each week

3. Doesn’t really matter, obviously not right on top of the filter intake because it’s more than likely plastic which (although very unlikely) could melt

4. Sand is almost always a good substrate for virtually all fish.

What type of fish are you looking into etc?

I imagine the advice from years ago has probably changed.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you want. There are many very experienced members of this forums with countless numbers of advice to give.

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum and welcome back to the hobby

1) Undergravel filters are considered outdated by pet shops because they are cheaper to buy than an external power filter and you don't have to replace anything in them. However, they are still very good filters. The main drawback is the noise from the air pump used to run the filter. You can use a powerhead or HOB filter to draw water through the gravel and undergravel filter if you don't want an air pump humming away.

You should get a basic model gravel cleaner to clean the gunk out of the gravel so it stays cleaner. The gravel cleaner is recommended regardless of the type of filter. See the link below for a basic model gravel cleaner.

2) I like the intake tube to be 1/2 to 3/4 of the way down the tank so it draws water from the bottom half of the aquarium. Don't have it too close to the substrate or it might suck up the substrate and damage the motor.

You can put a cylindrical filter sponge on the intake of most HOB filters and they act as a prefilter and help stop small things being sucked up.

3) Heaters should be located in the bottom half of the tank on a slight angle (30-45 degrees) with the thermostat and adjustment dial higher than the heating coil (where the heat comes out of). Heaters are usually located near water flow.

4) If you want catfish, loaches or eels, get a sand substrate. Other fish that don't live on the bottom can have gravel or sand. Geophagus cichlids like sand too.

Gravel cleaner link here. It's about half way down the page.

Aquarium Cleaning Made Easy

Aquarium cleaning should take 30 minutes every two weeks. Learn how the professionals do it in 18 easy steps.

www.about-goldfish.com

 

[GaryE]

I agree with @Colin_T on undergravels. They are great, but easy to make, inexpensive to buy, effective and cheap to run. That equals outdated now. They're perfectly good technology, but you buy them once and there's no more profit to be made from you.

I like to have filter intakes low, to roll the water a bit more. But with a UG, you'd already be ahead there.

If I use a heater, it's off the edge of the outlow, for distribution without having it contact the filter.

Substrates are determined by what fish you want to keep in the tank.