First day with new 85g tank

[jaswartz55]

All,

Moving up from my Fluval 12g Edge, which I've had going for a good year now, to an 85g tank (Crystalline by Planet Aquariums). A local vendor convinced me to go with a sump system rather than a canister because he said it would provide better filtration and I could more easily convert to saltwater if I decided to do so down the road. The sump is a Sicce Multi 4000 (990 gph/45W). The tank has a ghost overflow to drain water into the sump system.

Today I loaded in 5 bags of the Caribsea Eco Complete gravel, dumped a large number of buckets of water until the system was full and turned the thing on. It seems to be working well except that it is noisy in the overflow box (sounds like a toilet tank refilling after a flush). I thought it was supposed to be quiet. A saw a few things on line indicating that the sump might be too powerful but it seems the right rating for a tank this size. I called the local guy from whom I bought the tank, and he said to expect some noise but that I might put a small sponge in the overflow box (not blocking the drains) to quiet it down. Haven't tried this yet but thought I'd ask. Anyone have any experience with this issue and if so, what did you do/recommend?

The Caribsea product is supposed to speed up the initial cycling. Is that true and how long will it take (approximately) for this tank to cycle? I am in no rush and planned on waiting at least 1 to 2 weeks before considering moving my small community from the Fluval over to their spacious new home.

And recommendations on led lights? I will have plants in the tank - several very nice African swords that have flourished in the small tank as well as dwarf hairgrass but I don't want this to be a heavily planted tank. Just enough to give it a nice look but not the point of emphasis. I have seen the Finnex Planted +24/7 recommended, but there appear to be comparable products made by Fluval as well as the Satellite Freshwater LED as well as Marineland. Hard to decide between these. Any thoughts on which would be best?

Any thoughts/help would be much appreciated.

James

 

[Dragon.goby]

I had the same problem with my overflow box and used the sponge idea. It defiantly helped but it still did make some noise. Eventually though you do get used to it.

 

[jaswartz55]

Thanks for replying... That is pretty much what the aquarium store guy said regarding noise level even after sponge...

Did you get any particular kind of sponge or will any sponge work as long as it does not have any chemicals or detergent in it?

Thanks again.

 

[galacticcookie]

This isn't going to help with your post, but what did you think about your Fluval Edge and what did you stock it with? I'm very interested on purchasing one myself and would love some thoughts from previous owners.


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[PoppaRyno]

There is no substitute for the 24/7... The others are poo comparatively. BML is also high quality. Amazon swords will do wonderfully under a finnex.

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[Laeris]

I use Porex from Swiss Tropicals. Email Stefan, he'll cut whatever size you need and has several densities. None of it is treated with fire retardant. You can also go to the hardware store and get pond foam. +1 on Finnex Planted + 24/7. I'm using only one on my 40b, stuff grows like crazy even in 24/7 mode.

 

[jaswartz55]

This isn't going to help with your post, but what did you think about your Fluval Edge and what did you stock it with? I'm very interested on purchasing one myself and would love some thoughts from previous owners.


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I really liked the Edge for what it is. At the time, I thought it was expansive as I had a few Bettas in those small, poorly filtered plastic tanks they sell at Petco. I had no idea what I was doing with those and killed maybe 5 or 6 Bettas because I knew nothing about filtration or cycling or that they needed water at a certain temp (the Petco guy told me none of that).

So rather than harm more fish, I got the Fluval 12 g because it was complete (lighting, filter, etc.) and it looked nice. So the pros about it are:

It is very sleek and it does look nice if you like that look (I do).

The filter works reasonably well but you have to keep after it. The uptake tube is especially prone to clogging with plant materials. I clean the filter system about once a week and do a partial water change every 2 weeks. That keeps the water flow running nice and smooth.

The light is fine if a bit powerful for the tank. If I left it on for any length of time, I get considerable algae growth.

Cons:
The small opening that lends to its sleek design makes it hard to clean the glass. You have to use one of the magnet type cleaners, which I don't find to be as thorough as a scraping device.

The narrow opening also makes it hard to do gravel sweeping during a water change but you figure it out and it can be done with a little nimbleness.

I did have to add a UV sterilizer as I got a nasty bacterial bloom that nothing seemed to help. The sterilizer cleaned it up in a few days and I have run it ever since. The cords from it and the Fluval heater I put are a tight fit back through the column where the filtration system resides but it works.

You must be sure when cleaning the filtration to pull out and clean the small impeller because it gets "gunked" up easily. Fluval says that people return the systems as not working all the time but in fact, it's just that the impeller needs to be cleaned. I do that routinely now.

Stocking:
I've had it going a year. I stocked it with 3 Cory cats (they are wonderful, fun fish, comical, and they have thrived. They recline at night on the African sword leaves - like little hammocks.) I also have 4 mollies - they were initially out and about the small tank more but became more reclusive. I also have 3 of the glofish (tetras) that are also fun and seem to thrive.

That was it for a long time and then my grandson won a Betta at the recent aquatics expo. With some trepidation I put it in and watched closely for aggression but am happy to report it has done well and is peaceful with the other fish. I leave the water level a bit lower now so the Betta has some space at the top for air. It doesn't present a problem.

I've only lost two fish during the year - one was a molly that was constantly pregnant and giving birth. I was told sometimes they die during birthing when one of the fry gets stuck in the birth canal. Another was a molly I had just gotten from the aquatics store. It died within a few days and probably was stressed by the transition. The other mollies I got that day did fine.

One other tip: when aquascaping, these tanks are best (IMO) when the aquascape is centered and away from the sides of the tank. Looks better and it is easier to clean the tank. I put too many things near the sides of the tank.

More than you wanted to know but I hope that is helfpful.

 

[galacticcookie]

I really liked the Edge for what it is. At the time, I thought it was expansive as I had a few Bettas in those small, poorly filtered plastic tanks they sell at Petco. I had no idea what I was doing with those and killed maybe 5 or 6 Bettas because I knew nothing about filtration or cycling or that they needed water at a certain temp (the Petco guy told me none of that).

So rather than harm more fish, I got the Fluval 12 g because it was complete (lighting, filter, etc.) and it looked nice. So the pros about it are:

It is very sleek and it does look nice if you like that look (I do).

The filter works reasonably well but you have to keep after it. The uptake tube is especially prone to clogging with plant materials. I clean the filter system about once a week and do a partial water change every 2 weeks. That keeps the water flow running nice and smooth.

The light is fine if a bit powerful for the tank. If I left it on for any length of time, I get considerable algae growth.

Cons:
The small opening that lends to its sleek design makes it hard to clean the glass. You have to use one of the magnet type cleaners, which I don't find to be as thorough as a scraping device.

The narrow opening also makes it hard to do gravel sweeping during a water change but you figure it out and it can be done with a little nimbleness.

I did have to add a UV sterilizer as I got a nasty bacterial bloom that nothing seemed to help. The sterilizer cleaned it up in a few days and I have run it ever since. The cords from it and the Fluval heater I put are a tight fit back through the column where the filtration system resides but it works.

You must be sure when cleaning the filtration to pull out and clean the small impeller because it gets "gunked" up easily. Fluval says that people return the systems as not working all the time but in fact, it's just that the impeller needs to be cleaned. I do that routinely now.

Stocking:
I've had it going a year. I stocked it with 3 Cory cats (they are wonderful, fun fish, comical, and they have thrived. They recline at night on the African sword leaves - like little hammocks.) I also have 4 mollies - they were initially out and about the small tank more but became more reclusive. I also have 3 of the glofish (tetras) that are also fun and seem to thrive.

That was it for a long time and then my grandson won a Betta at the recent aquatics expo. With some trepidation I put it in and watched closely for aggression but am happy to report it has done well and is peaceful with the other fish. I leave the water level a bit lower now so the Betta has some space at the top for air. It doesn't present a problem.

I've only lost two fish during the year - one was a molly that was constantly pregnant and giving birth. I was told sometimes they die during birthing when one of the fry gets stuck in the birth canal. Another was a molly I had just gotten from the aquatics store. It died within a few days and probably was stressed by the transition. The other mollies I got that day did fine.

One other tip: when aquascaping, these tanks are best (IMO) when the aquascape is centered and away from the sides of the tank. Looks better and it is easier to clean the tank. I put too many things near the sides of the tank.

More than you wanted to know but I hope that is helfpful.

Thanks so much, this was very helpful


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