Foo - Question for Aquarium experts

I have a 29 gallon warm fresh water tank.
It contains the following fish.
7 - Mollies of various sizes. One large 2" and six medium 1" - 1 1/2" range
3 - Corydora 1 1/2" or so. Full grown.
4 - guppies, all 1" or under
1- botia / angeilicus loach 2"

2 clumps of moneywort
1 clump of frill.

I do weekly water changes of around 5 -6 gallons each.

Aquarium salt is added on a semi regular basis

I do not check water quality, as I have no idea what I am doing. Water temp is upper 70's. It has an interal power filter by Whisper that uses a mesh filter element filled with carbon to clean the water.

I have a problem with water clarity. Really hard to get crystal clear water.

I have a feeling that I have too many fish in the tank and that I either need to decrease the number of fish or increase filtration.

Any thoughts? I would prefer not to decrease number of fish, so I quess I am really asking for thoughts on increased filtration and what type/brand/size filter to consider.

Clean out the fish litter box.

UV filter.

Needs moar bass.

Needs moar bass.

http://icanhascheezburger.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/funny-pictures-cat-sound-studio.jpg

You need a chocolate plecostomus. They suck the green stuff off the glass.

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o286/Flycrow/chocolatepleco.jpg

Plus if you go to the aquarium supply store you can get this stuff.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/images/Categoryimages/normal/p-210217-42101-fish-supply.jpg

Another problem could be algae. If the clarifier doesn't work, you might try going a few days with minimizing the light. Cover it or something.

I have used the tank clearing drops, Acurel F25 I believe, and I add water conditioner at each water change.

On the light isssue, it is not in a room with windows, so it never receives direct sunlight. The tank does get indirect light and incandcescent light from the room lighting, as well as flourescent light from the tank light.

I tend to leave the tank light on all day. Turn it on at 6 Am when I feed, turn it off at around 10-11 PM when I go to bed.

Is this bad, good, non issue?

UV filter.

Any brand of UV fitler you reccomend MV? I am assuming this uses UV light to kill stuff in the water? Do they also filter out the dead stuff?

Any brand of UV fitler you reccomend MV? I am assuming this uses UV light to kill stuff in the water? Do they also filter out the dead stuff?

they all work the same.....water flows under a UV light, which kills the algae....perfectly safe for your fish. The fish can still even eat the algae. Brand doesn't matter too much. They do not filter out particles...they just kill microbes. Your local store can recommend a size and brand to you.

Pick up a small canister filter to go under your tank. They run very quiet, they are very efficient, and low maintenance. I am a huge believer in over filtration. I run two canisters on my 55 gallon tank with just one Red Devil in it. It has enough filtration for a 125 gallon tank. On my 210 gallon tank I run three different canister filters, enough for approximately 350 gallons.

I generally clean one filter on each tank every couple of months.

Also, when you clean your tank are you vaccuming the gravel? If not that could be part of your problem. Check out a python to sweep it out. On a 29 gallon tank with that load you should be doing about 8 - 10 gallons every two weeks.

A UV filter should not be necessary unless you are having algae blooms. Also, chemicals should be a last resort. Also, pleco's create more waste than they get rid of.

Sounds like your number/size of fish is ok if you go by the 1” of fish/gallon of tank rule of thumb. I have a 20 gallon that I ended up adding a second filter to when I added too many fish. I haven’t had a problem since (except for algae when I’m unable to do the regular water changes). I use the Whisper brand that hang on the back of the tank. You might want to ask your local fish store or Google for a fish forum – I’ve seen them in the past so they do exist – can’t speak to how helpful they’d be though – Good luck.

they all work the same.....water flows under a UV light, which kills the algae....perfectly safe for your fish. The fish can still even eat the algae. Brand doesn't matter too much. They do not filter out particles...they just kill microbes. Your local store can recommend a size and brand to you.

Not exactly, some go straight through, some loop around the light several times providing more time exposed to the UV light.

Not exactly, some go straight through, some loop around the light several times providing more time exposed to the UV light.

and some use stronger lights than others....but basically, they do the same things.

+1 to what LowCel said about vacuuming the gravel

You might want to ask your local fish store or Google for a fish forum – I’ve seen them in the past so they do exist – can’t speak to how helpful they’d be though – Good luck.

Here are a few that I visit.

Aquatic Predators (http://aquaticpredators.com/forums/index.php?act=idx)
Aquatic Terrors (http://aquatic-terrors.com/forums/index.php?act=idx)
Cichlid Forums (http://www.cichlidforums.com/)
Cichlid-Forum (http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=13)
Monster Fish Keepers (http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/)
Oscar Fish (http://www.oscarfish.com/index.php?sid=c94e60c676300125bfa7d858aa7554d0)
Reef Central (www.reefcentral.com)

Here are a couple of good places to buy aquarium goodies.

Big Al's (http://www.bigalsonline.com/)
Dr's Foster and Smith (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/)

Just for the heck of it, here are a couple of videos of my 210 cichlid tank.

YouTube - 210 gallon cichlid tank occupants

YouTube - 210 gallon tank

Can I choose one for dinner? Like they do in restaurants with lobsters.

LOL, if you do go for the 18" Giant Gourami. My wife would thank you for that one. She swears that it is going to have us for dinner one of these days. :)

I do use a gravel vac siphon when I do the weekly water change.

I have two 3 gallon buckets that I fill with tap water and condition prior to the water change, hence my 6 gallon per week change.

I do not use the drops very often, in fact, have only used them twice.

I do add salt every few changes, as I figure when I am vacuuming out teh water, whatever salt is in it is being removed as well, unlike when water evaporates and salt stays in tank.

My tank sits on a shelf ( the bar to our wet bar actually ) and since it is not on a stand, there is not room for a filter underneath. My current filter is the Whisper Bio Bag type that hangs on the back of the tank and it was inlcluded with the tank kit at purchase. I change the filter bag and carbon when I do the water change.

In fact, I decreased the amount of gravel on teh tank bottom recently to make sure I was getting it clean. There is only about 1/2" or so of gravel at the most.

you could dump out the water and replace it with acrylic....if you do it right you can even have the fish "floating" in it permanently. And it will always be clear.

you could dump out the water and replace it with acrylic....if you do it right you can even have the fish "floating" in it permanently. And it will always be clear.win.

I don't use any salt in my tank, if you research it you will find that a lot of people believe that aquarium salt actually does more harm than good. If your fish are sick then you can add some salt but it is not needed on a regular basis.

If you are replacing your filter cartridge everytime you do a water change you may be going through mini-cycles. Try just taking it out and rinsing it off in the tank water that you are getting rid of. You need to keep some of your beneficial bacteria in the tank.

How long has this tank been running?

Nice tanks LC.

Coupla these and they'll clean ya right up. Might lose a finger or two, but that water will be crystal clear!

http://img165.imageshack.us/img165/8094/giant20african20snail20mw9.jpg

I don't use any salt in my tank, if you research it you will find that a lot of people believe that aquarium salt actually does more harm than good. If your fish are sick then you can add some salt but it is not needed on a regular basis.

If you are replacing your filter cartridge everytime you do a water change you may be going through mini-cycles. Try just taking it out and rinsing it off in the tank water that you are getting rid of. You need to keep some of your beneficial bacteria in the tank.

I thought mollies needed slightly brackish water, thus a need for some salt.

+1 on the beneficial bacteria, it forms a biological filter. With only 1/2 inch of gravel there might not be enough bacteria there to compensate for the constant mechanical filter change.

How long has this tank been running?

Nice tanks LC.

Over a year now.

I thought mollies needed slightly brackish water, thus a need for some salt.

+1 on the beneficial bacteria, it forms a biological filter. With only 1/2 inch of gravel there might not be enough bacteria there to compensate for the constant mechanical filter change.

Some mollies are from brackish water but most are from fresh water. When I kept mollies I never used salt. Not saying it's right or wrong, just saying. ;) Also, I believe that the salt is bad for the loach. Corydora's and guppies are freshwater fish.

Here is a quote from wet web media (http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/mollies.htm).


For the most part though, mollies are inhabitants of freshwater streams flowing across coastal plains. The water chemistry is typically hard and alkaline, pH 7.5 to 8.0 and hardness 15-30˚dH. Although water temperature may vary depending on geographical location, most mollies seem prefer warm water environments and are most common where the water temperature is around 25-28˚C (77-82˚F). These streams aren’t saline though, and while mollies certainly are found in brackish waters, that isn’t their primary habitat.

On a side note if doing a brackish tank a salt such as instant ocean should be used along with a refractometer to measure salinity. A normal "aquarium salt" such as the type used when a fish is ill should not be used.

I didn't catch that you are chaging the filter media everytime you change you water. I hardly ever change that media for my tanks, and I think that you may be re-cycling your tank (which often clouds the water a bit). I would be interested to know what your Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrate reading is. (The first two should be 0 in a properly cycled tank).

In fact, I decreased the amount of gravel on teh tank bottom recently to make sure I was getting it clean. There is only about 1/2" or so of gravel at the most.

I am an aquarium minimalist. Try to let the tank ecosystem do the work. The more gravel, the more habitat for microorganisms to digest fish-poop and leftover food. I would bump it up to 2-3". I also would do a larger water change less frequently. 1/3 once/month rather than 1/5 per week.

Also, while the Cordyoras and Botia might tolerate the salt (that can actually be good for the guppies and mollies), they probably don't really like it and are less likely to truly thrive in that setting.

Coupla these and they'll clean ya right up. Might lose a finger or two, but that water will be crystal clear!

-snip-

not true. Snails do nothing to keep the tank clean. THey just breed like guppies. I want to get a couple of clown loaches, but the spousal unit does not want.

I would like to have some snails but I can't. They would all end up being expensive fish food. :(

not true. Snails do nothing to keep the tank clean. THey just breed like guppies. I want to get a couple of clown loaches, but the spousal unit does not want.

this is true....I bought a few (dunno what kind they were) for my gold fish pond, thinking they would help clean the sides. 4 become about a gazillion and the birds had a field day with them.....apparently mocking birds like the taste of snail.

this is true....I bought a few (dunno what kind they were) for my gold fish pond, thinking they would help clean the sides. 4 become about a gazillion and the birds had a field day with them.....apparently mocking birds like the taste of snail.

For the pond I really like using tadpoles. They help keep it clean and they turn in to frogs before winter gets here so they are able to move on before they have a chance to freeze.

Snails do help a lot in saltwater aquariums though.

I would like to have some snails but I can't. They would all end up being expensive fish food. :(

Most fish do not mess with the snails. We had a couple large ones for awhile.
The small ones are unwelcome arrivals. And they breed like crazy.

Snails to help a lot in saltwater aquariums though.

oh, I don't know anything about those.

Most fish do not mess with the snails. We had a couple large ones for awhile.
The small ones are unwelcome arrivals. And they breed like crazy.

I keep large agressive cichlids. Trust me, the snails wouldn't have a chance. :(

For the pond I really like using tadpoles. They help keep it clean and they turn in to frogs before winter gets here so they are able to move on before they have a chance to freeze.

Snails do help a lot in saltwater aquariums though.

tadpoles show up on their own...I was cleaning some leaves out one day and big assed bullfrog jumped out at me. Scared the hell out of me till I realized what it was, then I had a good laugh at myself.

oh, I don't know anything about those.

Here is a picture of the saltwater reef tank I used to have.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b148/LowCel/100_0115.jpg

that looks like a maintenance nightmare:p

Your filter sucks ( no pun intended) you need a good quality canister filter, if your tank is 29G get one that does a 55G and you'll be good.
(I feel over kill is best) Also do research on fish BEFORE you buy, why would you keep brackish water mollies that will be/are prone to disease when
placed in fresh water setups? If you get true fresh water mollies great, but chances are you are buying brackish water mollies.
Thats why 80% of the time you go to the pet shop and find that the mollies have either Ick or fungus or both. and most if not all Plecostomus
will out grow your tank in a matter of months. Add the canister filter and a few Chinese Algea Eaters.

I don't know too much about aquariums but Im pretty sure your problem is you keep washing/changing the media.

Since you have a small tank you might want to try an undergravel filter since you have no room for a canister. Basically what it does is create a space under the gravel so that water/waste is pulled into the gravel. Bacteria grows and the gravel at the bottom of your tank becomes a biological filter.

Also IMO you seem to have quite a few fish. I would either get a bigger filter or slap on another small one. The "rule" is cycle twice an hour (I think) but when I had an aquarium I preferred at least 4x.

that looks like a maintenance nightmare:p

I had about $9,000 in it so everything was pretty automated. The only time anything went wrong was when I was out of town. Just about every time I went somewhere my wife would call me and I would have to walk her through everything. It just got to be too big of a pain.

The good part was that while I had it I sold a lot of coral frags so I made a good bit of my money back. I ended up selling the tank, livestock, and most of the equipment for around $5,000.

Your filter sucks ( no pun intended) you need a good quality canister filter, if your tank is 29G get one that does a 55G and you'll be good.
(I feel over kill is best) Also do research on fish BEFORE you buy, why would you keep brackish water mollies that will be/are prone to disease when
placed in fresh water setups? If you get true fresh water mollies great, but chances are you are buying brackish water mollies.
Thats why 80% of the time you go to the pet shop and find that the mollies have either Ick or fungus or both. and most if not all Plecostomus
will out grow your tank in a matter of months. Add the canister filter and a few Chinese Algea Eaters.

Those don't work and they get big, too:notamused:

I don't know too much about aquariums but Im pretty sure your problem is you keep washing/changing the media.

Since you have a small tank you might want to try an undergravel filter since you have no room for a canister. Basically what it does is create a space under the gravel so that water/waste is pulled into the gravel. Bacteria grows and the gravel at the bottom of your tank becomes a biological filter.

Also IMO you seem to have quite a few fish. I would either get a bigger filter or slap on another small one. The "rule" is cycle twice an hour (I think) but when I had an aquarium I preferred at least 4x.

Undergravel filters are fine until it is too late. Once that happens your tank just goes to hell. I would stay as far away from an undergravel filter as possible.

CAE suck. For de-algae-ing things, the best things to get (if you're going to try adding animals) would be florida flagfish and malaysian trumpet snails. yes, they do work, no, they don't suck. If there gets to be too many, just throw in some zucchini slices and hoist them out the next morning.

If you have algae, you have two things wrong. First, you have the wrong wavelength of light, and second, you have too many nutrients, either in uneaten food, or in too many fish pooping...

Cut down on the number of fish in a particular tank and replace your bulbs and you'll be on your way. To clean up the tank right now though, go to blackout conditions (cover it with a blanket and dont' turn on the lights for at least three days). That should help.

Also, for light fish loads, UGF's are fine. With your fish load, you better have a big honkin' power filter on there.

My mollies are Dalmatian mollies. They have seemed to be very healthy. I was and am an aquarium idiot. The mollies seem to flourish. They have grown and bred in this tank, even though we were told our initial pair were of the same gender!!!