Anyone have an aquarium if so a little help!?!?!?

[watcher]

Long story I won't get into here about how it came about but we now have an aquarium and it needs a filtration system. I want to go with a quick and easy 'water fall' or pump types, the wife thinks the under the gravel filters would be better. It has been years (and years and years) since I have had fish and we used those under gravel systems then, I have to think techongly has gotten better than that. I seem to remember them being a real pain to clean and causing all kinds of problems.

So what kind do you use and which kind do you think is the best system.

[Just Little Me]

We have a house full of fish tanks from the small 10 to 2 -55's and a 90.
I would NEVER put a under gravel filter in them. Did it years ago and they are so nasty. They hold the fish mess under and cause amonia to breed in the tank. You have to destroy the bio ;evel tp clean the tank.
Get a outside hanging filter for the tank. You can clean it without emptying the water and messing up the bio level in the tank. I quit buying the cartriges for it and use fiber fill in it now. One bag will last 2 or more years.

[plowjockey]

DS has the "waterfall" filter, on his 10 gal. Works fine.

Every so often, "stir" the gravel and the crud will float loose, to be quickly captured in the filter.

[Arkansasfarmgal]

We also have the waterfall filter, works good for us!

[silverbackMP]

Canister pump all the way if your aquarium is big enough.

[NickieL]

undergravel filters are worthless. Go with a bio filter/wheel. I've never had issues with them!!

[Navotifarm]

Yep, I agree. The under the gravel filter is a poor choice. I know because I had one. They can get very nasty, cleaning is a lot of work and mess and the poor fish are terribly disrupted and discombobulated. The filters system over the back seems very unattractive but you can get a nice metallic reflectot or scenic wallpapery stuff to hide it from view through the tank.

[busymomof7]

We have a 55 gallon aquarium and use a canister pump filtration system. Our 21 year old son is quite the tropical fish enthusiast, and he highly recommends that the under gravel systems be avoided.

[fantasymaker]

The point of the under gravel filters is to develop a bio-system in them. YOU NEVER CLEAN THEM. At least I never have.

[Paquebot]

During the time when I peaked at 27 tanks in 1976, used every type of filter available. Settled on undergravel filter system all the way regardless of tank size. They are especially effective if there's at least 2 to 3 inches of gravel. I've presently got a 50-gallon which is set up just for the goldfish in the winter. That tank hasn't been emptied in 15-20 years. Now and then, a syphon is used to handle the accumulated mulm from about 5 times as many fish as should be in it. Houseplants love it!

Martin

[TedH71]

You'll never get a truly effective fish tank if you use a bottom filter because plants' roots will stop at the top of the filter and the plants eventually die out plus it's a pain to clean out. Best go with a bio filter.

[HoosierHog]

i used to bee a fish nerd about ten years ago i bred fish for pet stores every thing from gold fish to Oscars tropical fish you name it i had tanks from 5 gallon to 200 gallon the under gravel filters have a place but it depends on the type of fish and size of the tank and how fancy you want to get with your set up. i would look into bio-wheel filters or aqua-clear both are easy to maintain the aqua clear is easier to modify for special needs the bio-wheel you can get standard charcoal filter packs very cheap. i used under gravel filters when i needed to establish a bactieral base. as a fish tank ages it develops a bactieral bed that helps break down amonia, nitrates and turns them into nitrites and maintains a certain quality of water with an establish bacterial growth it helps and oxygen to the water and increases the carrying capacity of the aqaurium. for a home general purpose aquarium up to 55 gallons whit a pet store variaty of tropical fish i would go with the bio-wheel and standard filter cartridges. now if your using salt water or going to keep large fish such as south-American chiclids such as Oscars i would go with the aqua clear. under gravel filters have there place but not as a primary filtration system. I hope i have helped good luck
also how big of a tank and what kind of fish are you planning on keeping?

[jross]

Originally Posted by fantasymaker

The point of the under gravel filters is to develop a bio-system in them. YOU NEVER CLEAN THEM. At least I never have.

That is true unless the fish are over fed, then it becomes a cesspool in your tank. Outside cartridge biofilter is the way to go.

[mnn2501]

Go with the waterfall - pump type. under gravel filters are next to useless.

[watcher]

Originally Posted by HoosierHog

i used to bee a fish nerd about ten years ago i bred fish for pet stores every thing from gold fish to Oscars tropical fish you name it i had tanks from 5 gallon to 200 gallon the under gravel filters have a place but it depends on the type of fish and size of the tank and how fancy you want to get with your set up. i would look into bio-wheel filters or aqua-clear both are easy to maintain the aqua clear is easier to modify for special needs the bio-wheel you can get standard charcoal filter packs very cheap. i used under gravel filters when i needed to establish a bactieral base. as a fish tank ages it develops a bactieral bed that helps break down amonia, nitrates and turns them into nitrites and maintains a certain quality of water with an establish bacterial growth it helps and oxygen to the water and increases the carrying capacity of the aqaurium. for a home general purpose aquarium up to 55 gallons whit a pet store variaty of tropical fish i would go with the bio-wheel and standard filter cartridges. now if your using salt water or going to keep large fish such as south-American chiclids such as Oscars i would go with the aqua clear. under gravel filters have there place but not as a primary filtration system. I hope i have helped good luck
also how big of a tank and what kind of fish are you planning on keeping?

We have a rescued African Clawed frog in what we think is a 30 gallon tank. One reason we didn't want to use the waterfall type is we have been told frogs hear better than fish and the noise is bad for the frog.

[HoosierHog]

they will get pretty big I have seen some eat crawfish but with a frog you don't have to worry as much about water chemistry your 30 gallon tank will be a good home for him. I'm not sure about the noise level being bad for the frog but i have kept them in a 30 gallon tank with a larger tank mate or two. i would look into a either a marine land bio-wheel or an aqua-clear by Hagen some thing that would move 150-200 gallons an hour which would be good for a 20-40 gallon tank. you should be able to find the bio wheel at Walmart and the aqua-clear at a local pet store niether should be to expensive but the replacement filters for the bio-wheel are cheaper. Also if you do get a tank mate for your frog make sure the fish is bigger so the frog wont eat it but not so big it tries to eat your frog. I hope you enjoy your frog
good luck

[suitcase_sally]

Originally Posted by Just Little Me

They hold the fish mess under and cause amonia to breed in the tank.

I bred clown loaches and guppies once. I've not tried amonia. Are they hard to breed? What colors do they come in and how big do they get?

[PyroDon]

your most cost effective on a tank would be a fluidized sand filter its a water fall like your looking for but is also a very effective bio filter. unlike others though you dont have to change the sand and the wet dry drum can be cleaned numerous times before needing replaced . these filters are able to handle aquarium bio load changes much faster than either an under gravel or packet water fall . Meaning you wont have to deal with the bacteria blooms near as often . they keep the nitrate levels and algi down as well.
just my two cents after many systems .

if you go with an under gravel you might try a reverse flow using power heads it keeps the need for vaccing out fish gunk from the gravel to a much more managable level .

[TRAILRIDER]

Power filters (or waterfall filters) are very easy to use and give you the benefit of being able to use any filter media you want in them. I personally like the Aqua Clear models, because when you have a power outage they generally start back up on thier own with out any trouble.

I have used these on fresh and salt water tanks with luck. I like to use a sponge type filter in there to pick up the floating stuff AND act as a source of beneficial bacteria (NEVER wash it in hot water, during a water change or filter maintenance just wring it out and replace it). I also like to use a filter media mesh bag with Chemi Pure media for salt water or a carbon mix for fresh. I also might choose some filter floss etc. You can experiment here. I've used undergravel filters with luck too, but the power filters are easy, inexpensive and create some water movement.

The biggest concern you will have is this....after you're set up, go VERY slowly adding fish to your tank. The slower you can go the better. You have to allow the nitrogen cycle to do its thing. Add a few fish and wait. They will create waste and it will cause a bacterial bloom of ammonia, which will slowly turn into nitrite (which is not quite as deadly as ammonia, but still hard on fish), the nitrite will slowly turn into nitrate (which will feed you plants if you have any, and they will create oxegen for your fish to use) and become safe again. Each time you add fish you will add to this cycle. Its all part of nature. You just go slow and it will be fine. This is why you only do partial water changes. Don't change too much at a time and upset your balance. Frequent partial water changes and any good quality filter will keep your tank healthy.

One last bit of advice. Don't skimp on your filter purchase. You want maximum gallons per minute going through that filter. And don't overfeed your fish : ) Good luck and let us know what happens! Mary.

[watcher]

Originally Posted by HoosierHog

they will get pretty big I have seen some eat crawfish but with a frog you don't have to worry as much about water chemistry your 30 gallon tank will be a good home for him. I'm not sure about the noise level being bad for the frog but i have kept them in a 30 gallon tank with a larger tank mate or two. i would look into a either a marine land bio-wheel or an aqua-clear by Hagen some thing that would move 150-200 gallons an hour which would be good for a 20-40 gallon tank. you should be able to find the bio wheel at Walmart and the aqua-clear at a local pet store niether should be to expensive but the replacement filters for the bio-wheel are cheaper. Also if you do get a tank mate for your frog make sure the fish is bigger so the frog wont eat it but not so big it tries to eat your frog. I hope you enjoy your frog
good luck

Are bio-wheel and aqua-clear brand names? If so I'll look for one next time I go to wally world.

The plan right now is to use the little tank, 5 gal?, we had the frog in and set it up to keep and maybe breed feeders in. Then just put a few at a time in the tank with the frog and let him/her eat them as she wishes.

The reason we got the frog is the owner before us discovered he was "eating everything else in the tank." They knew we were animal nuts so now we have a frog.