i think my tank needs... work.

[_brokenglass_]

ok~ long story short. was keeping a 30 gal at school, moved back home, couldn't take the tank with me. so i was keeping my bala and pleco in a 10 gal, looking for a bigger tank (and more fish). friend's coworker had a tank he was trying to get rid of, and friend later shows up at my house with this 30 gal tank and 7 fish 8O

this is my tank:

currently holding 2 balas (1 about 5in, the other 2-2 1/2), 1 pleco (5in), 3 clown loaches, 1... well, i still don't know what that is- he's small and greenish blue, 1 pictus cat (2-3in), a catfish (species also unknown), and.. i think the last one is a chinese algae eater. the fish do well together, no problems there. feeding (don't know if it matters, but i'll stick it in here anyways): 2 pinches of tetramin tropical crisps+some shrimp pellets in the am, and about 10-12 tetramin variety wafers in the pm. algae pellet once or twice a week.

filtration setup (this is where i really have no idea what i'm talking about and need help ): marineland (penguin?) biowheel pro30, and penguin 660 powerhead. the 2... tubes on either side (check the pic)... assuming there's something filtration-wise under the gravel? i really have no idea. 12 inch airstone running on the left side, as well as a little (1 inch) one stuffed down inside the left piece of tubing (causing a pretty nasty algae build-up on the lid, might i add :?)

problem is this (well, i think anyways):

all that crap in, under, around the rocks. the coworker was keeping things natural i guess, but i still get a weird feeling about the tank being so... dirty. like it shouldn't be, that it's really bad for the fish. they're doing alright so far, but the tanks i kept before stayed very clean, nothing at all like this. i pulled the powerhead out've the right piece of tubing today, it was covered in this stuff. to the point where water wasn't getting up into the biowheel (well, i assume that's the reason. it was working, now it's not.)

anyways. anyone who feels like increasing my tank-related knowledge (as to what stuff is... haha), please do so, and provide any thoughts regarding what should be done with the tank. thanks in advance~~

 

[mattrox]

First, the gavel should be vacuumed with a python or similar syphoning device to get rid of rotting organic matter. This should be a top priority. You should proably get a testing kit to keep an eye on the water parameters. Aquarium Pharmecuticals seems to be a popular choice.

It does look like there is an undergravel filter, there is probably so much gunk in there that it has stopped being effective.

I have no experience with penguin, but if you get the filter going properly atleast it is a start. An appropriately sized Aqua Clear will be a lot easier to maintain. They can have an extra sponge inserted instead of the activated carbon which mean less maintenence and easy cleaning.

 

[BrianNY]

Mattrox gave you some excellent advice. You've got 7 fish that get pretty large and will tax any filter. I would opt for the Penguin 330 biowheel for this tank. I've had good experiences with that filter.

When your friend showed up with this tank did you fill it with fresh water? How much tank water did he transport? I'm concerned about a pH crash and an excessive build up of nitrates. You need to get a handle on some basic water chemistry as a starting point for cleaning up this tank. KH, pH, and nitrate tests are in order. Both from the tank and your tap.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Besides the advice already given, I am concerned about the fish choices. The Bala's, Pictus Cats, and Loaches need a much larger tank than a 30 gal. If it were me, I would tare down the tank and start over. The fish do not belong in a tank that size and it needs a serious cleaning.

 

[vero]

Hi

It looks to me like this tank has never had a gravel vac.

My tank has big pebbles like that and the problem is that it has large interstice. Food and debris easily fall way down, where any fish can't get to clean it (beleive me, they try). Good care has to be taken to vaccum all that stuff out.

I think you'll have to vaccum it and this will have to be done over a few weeks. Try not to move the pebbles and stuff around too much.

Happy cleaning!

 

[Blazeherd2306]

1. Return all of the fish back to the fish store.

2. Tear down the tank: take out the gravel and decorations, take out all of the filters (never use the UGF again), clean the filters (get new cartridges), and clean the inside of the tank.

3. Add new water and gravel (or the gravel in it right now, make sure it is cleaned good), and some decorations.

4. Read about fishless cycling (it works for freshwater too) http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=15 and buy a test kit.

5. Oh... and read about the nitrogen cycle http://www.aquariumadvice.com/showquestion.php?faq=2&fldAuto=21

6. Once the cycle is finished, add small fish (research fish on the internet before buying them). It is best to present the fish you would like to keep on this website before adding them.

7. Read as much as you can about changing water, tank maintenance and so on. Just read as much as you can and if you have any problems, just ask on these forums.

 

[_brokenglass_]

probably best that i add a bit more info, thanks for the replies btw. the clowns are about 1 1/2-2inches. as far as i know, they've been around for quite some time (years) in this tank, and that's as big as they've gotten. the "coworker" actually said they were nearing the end of their lifespan. so their size i don't think will become a problem. i am, once i move into a more permanent residence, planning on buying a 55gal tank, in any case. oh, and to answer about the water - when it was brought over, there was about... 1-2inches of water over the gravel. filled it up with tap+aquasafe (my tap water has never caused any problems for my fish). i kept all the fish in my 10 (haha... that was interesting. 9 fish in that little tank) overnight while the water settled. next day added the fish in, all was well. the water itself (as of now) is not problematic as far as .. causing fish to die or anything. it's just.. i'm a bit uncomfortable with how dirty it is. that's why i'm here
i'm leaving in a few minutes to purchase a water testing kit, a more... "heavy duty" vac (mine's not gonna cut it for this job.. haha), along with a new filter. what i plan to do, over the course of the next few weeks, is vac the tank sections at a time (every few days or so, get a new part cleaned out), possibly remove the ugf... i still need to go read a bit more about that and see how things go from there. more advice or thoughts = great =) thanks again~

 

[_brokenglass_]

just did water test: nitrate: ~200 (eep) nitrite: ~0-0.5 (safe) hardness: ~200 (lower end of hard) alkalinity/buffering: ~80 ("add buffer-up") pH: ~6.8 (lil on the low side)

what i bought: aquaclear 200 filter, ac powerhead 50, & ac quick filter (powerhead attachment) -- not sure if i'll be keeping the last 2.

suggestions? :|

 

[rich311k]

You need to do same PWC. To get those levels down. Go slow since the fish have been living with all that nitrate for a long time. I would do 10-15% a day to lower it slowly.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I am assuming that you are using test strips? If so, they are notorious for being inaccurate. Take some water to the lfs that uses Liquid Reagent Test Kits.

If your Ntirates are really that high, I'd tare the tank down and start fresh. It will take forever to get that level down. IMO Nitrites are not safe at .5ppm. They are only safe if at 0. Do not add any kind of "Buffer up" stuff to the tank until you have a good test kit that will give accurate results. Even then, do not use chemicals.

The fish choices in itself are not ideal. They grow much too big for the tank and will end up suffering because of small tank size.

 

[_brokenglass_]

i talked to a guy from my lfs, he said that a good vacuuming should take care of the problems in the tank, so i'm gonna try that first.

couple quick questions~~
i've done some reading about undergravel filters... the new powerhead i got, it works as a reverse flow also, and the thing i was reading said that using a ugf that way could be quite effective if it was maintained properly. is it worth it? it seems like they're more of a pain than they are helpful... also... i think the powerhead got clogged up with stuff and wasn't really working, and it looks as if anaerobic breakdown of the stuff has already started happening. would it be best to do pwc + gravel vac until most or all of the stuff in the rocks is gone before removing the filter plates, if that's what ends up being the best way to go?

thanks again, you guys are amazingly helpful

 

[BrianNY]

I equate UGFs to phonographs. At one time UGFs were the tops in filtering technology because they provide excellent biological filtration capacity at an economical price. Just like the needle on a phonograph wears and scratches the vinyl record, so too does the capacity of the UGF break down. As the "gunk" builds up under the filter plates water movement through the gravel bed slows reducing it's effectiveness. It can be remedied by breaking down the tank or reversing the flow. Either way it's a mess.

I would consider your new tank to be in shape when another place for the bio colony is established other than the gravel bed, and when the nitrates are below 40ppm. You'll need another filter to establish the bio colony. The only way to reduce the nitrates is by doing pwcs. Gravel vacs alone will help but you must remember that the nitrates are part of the water column itself.

HTH