Saying hey and need advice on a filter

[Mudfrog]

Hey everyone. This is my first post on this site. I've been lingering in the shadows for a while though. About 6 months ago we bought a 10 gallon tank so that we could get some fish to entertain our kids. We bought a Blue gourami and an Upside down catfish. A few weeks ago my father gave me his 29 gallon tank so I now have that set up.

Up until tonight I had (purchased before I came across the info on this site):
1 Tiger Oscar (about 3.5" long)
1 Blue gouarmi (about 3.5" long)
1 Upside down catfish (about 1.5" long)
1 Chocolate Pleco (about 2.5" long)
1 Dragon Fish (about 7.5" long) - My favorite After purchasing him I did my research (first mistake), I see he is very hard to care for and to get to eat. I feed him blood worms and I have added the appropriate amount of salt to the tank. Also I know he can get rather large but I plan on upgrading to a 75 gallon or larger tank next spring.
2 Snails (One gold and one black)

Up until tonight the Oscar has got along with everyone just fine. But tonight he started biting the others (he has always chased them but never bitten). I have isolated him in the 10 gallon tank for now and will either give to my father to put in his 55 until I get a bigger tank or return him to the fish store. I love the Oscar but he's become quite aggressive and he hogs the food and I would be afraid that the others were not getting enough to eat.

So this is basically where I am at.. now on the the question. I currently have an underground filter with a dual air pump to help with filtration as well as the filter from the 10 gallon tank. The filter that came with my 10 gallon tank just is not cutting it. I need a recommendation of a decent filter preferably for up to 75 gallon tanks as I would like to over compensate just to be on the safe side. I was looking at possibly getting the penguin 330 which is good for up to 70 gallon tanks. Any thoughts?

Sorry about the long post but I wanted to introduce myself, and ask about the filter.

 

[FawnN]

Welcome to AA. Looks like you have a bad case of MTS already.

As for your tank, WOW, you are really overstocked. And from the sounds of it, your tank is not cycled. What are you water parameters? How long has your tank been up and running? How often are you dong water changes?

Your oscar is a total carnivore, will get over 12" long and will end up eating everyone he can put his mouth around. Your pleco will end up creating a lot of waste and will eventually out grow the tank as well.

You should really consider returning the Oscar and the dragon fish, because with water changes everyday, you will still end up having a major ammonia problem.

 

[pkremer]

This is just my opinion, but I think a Penguin 330 would be a beautiful choice for a 29 gallon if you want to overcompensate. Some people say that you should aim for around 6 times your tank size for gallon per hour flow. I tend to aim a little higher than that though. My Penguin 330 is on my 38 gallon and is about 8x water flow. You would have over 10x flow rate and my personal opinion is that it would be perfect for you.

Definitely get rid of the Oscar. He will grow fairly quickly and will eat anything he can fit in his mouth. Also, a 55 gallon may be too small for him when he gets full grown. Most here wouldn't put even one Oscar in anything less than a 75 gallon. They can get to be a foot long!

The blue gourami will be fine in a 29, but he will outgrown a 10 gallon for sure. Just be aware that with the Oscar and the dragon fish gone that he will probably try to claim the entire tank as his own. He probably won't kill his tankmates (unless they are other gouramis), but he may chase them around and establish dominance. My blue gourami lets my swordtails know who's boss every time I put food in.

If you are looking for cool fish ideas, I have to put a plug in for yo-yo loaches! They get along with my blue gourami just fine. Also, I'm not familiar with that pleco, but he may outgrow a 29 gallon. If you love plecos as much as I do, you could try a clown pleco or a bushy nose pleco, both of which would be perfect for a 29 gallon. Also, if you get a larger tank, you could look at rubber plecos. I like them too.

Paul

 

[Mudfrog]

Thanks for the replies!

The Pleco I have is only supposed to reach around 5", I had wanted a clown pleco but none of the LFS had them available.

I really don't see how the 29 gallon is overstocked, this is just from my experience watching them but they all get along (now that the Oscar is out), I know they are going to get bigger and that is why I have plans for a bigger tank next spring.

Right now the only fish in the 10 is the Oscar, and thats just until I figure out what to do with him. If I give it to my father it will be just until I get a bigger tank.

About the water changes, I change the water two times a week. One time I just do a water change (about 30% or a little more), the other time I vacuum the gravel and everything and this usually takes the water down to about 20% which leaves about 80% that I need to refill. I'm hoping when I get a better filter it will not take as long to vacuum the gravel thus having less water to replace.

 

[Menagerie]

[center:7471d3d9fe] Welcome to AA, Mudfrog! [/center:7471d3d9fe]

I'm hoping when I get a better filter it will not take as long to vacuum the gravel thus having less water to replace.

You don't need to vacuum the whole tank everytime. Doing a 1/3 of the tank is fine. Changing 80% of the water is stressful on the fish.

As for filtration, a moderately stocked tank that doesn't have messy fish (the Oscar falls into the messy category) should have a gph turnover of 6x tank size. When you overstock or have messy fish, you want to aim for 8-10x gph.

1 Blue gouarmi (about 3.5" long)
1 Upside down catfish (about 1.5" long)
1 Chocolate Pleco (about 2.5" long)
1 Dragon Fish (about 7.5" long)

Right now, I would say your tank is not overstocked, but these fish are growing. I don't know anything about dragon fish, could you elaborate on their adult size and needs?

 

[Mudfrog]

I dropped the Oscar off at my father's tank for safe keeping until I can get a much larger tank.

The dragon fish (violet goby) is an awesome prehistoric looking eel. Here is some info on him: http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/wild/dragon_fish.htm

I'll cut back on the vacuuming of the tank so hopefully I won't have to change the water as much.

 

[SoylentGrundy]

If still considering filters and wanting to over-compensate, you might look at Marineland's Emperor HOB filters. You can have more filter media storage space in an Emperor over a Penguin. HTH

 

[FawnN]

My apologies Mudfrog,

I thought you had all those fish including your Oscar in the 29 gallon. You did the right thing by putting him in a bigger tank while you cycle yours.

 

[Mudfrog]

No problem, I did have all of those fish in the tank up untill last night. It didn't seem overcrowded to me as I only had two fish that swim in the upper part of the tank, however I do have driftwood and a couple of rocks.

On a good note though the Oscar seems much happier in the 55 gallon. He is with:
2 Pacu's (about 3.5" long)
and 2 of something else I can't remember the name.. I want to say Tinfin Tetra or something?? They are about the same size. So there is plenty of room for the 5 fish at the moment.

 

[Bigguppy]

For most any beginner tank I recommend the biowheel.

Any really. 330 or 170 peguins.

http://www.fishdeals.com/equipment/biowheel.shtml

 

[Menagerie]

The dragon fish (violet goby) is an awesome prehistoric looking eel. Here is some info on him: http://www.aquariumfish.net/catalog_pages/wild/dragon_fish.htm

That's what I thought.
I did some info gathering myself:
aquariacentral
Mongabay

Dragon Fish, Violet Goby
Gobioides broussonnetii
SYN: Amblyopusbrasiliensis, A. mexicanus, Gobioides oblongus, Ognichodes broussonnetii, Plecopodus broussonnetii
PD: A slender, elongated, eel-like species with a large head. The spiny dorsal fin runs nearly thelength of the body, while the anal fin runs along the rear half of the body. The caudal fin is also long. Thelarge scales are marked with brown markings.The back is brownish while the flanks are silver with a violet iridescence. Thefins are brownish.
SIZE: To 25" (64 cm) in nature, although smaller in captivity.
SS: None
HAB: In coastal estuaries with fresh to brackish water having a muddy substrate. NorthAmerica to South America; from Georgia south to Northwestern Brazil
S: bottom
TANK: A 48" (122 cm) or 55 gallon (209 L) tank is adequate. Use a fine gravel or preferably, sandsubstrate, because this fish likes to bury itself, and sharp rocks can injure the fish. Provide hiding places with rocks, wood,roots, caves, tubes, and tunnels.Leave large, open areas on the bottom for foraging.
WATER: pH 7.2-8.5 (8.1), 12-30 dH (20), 68-75°F (20-24°C). A 1% addition of salt is recommendedas these fish are found in brackish water.This can be accomplished by adding 7.5 TSP of salt/ 10 gallons (10g/10 L).
SB: A highly territorial, solitary fish that should be kept in a species tank. Thisfish is often territorial and aggressive towards others of its own species.
SC: Large livebearers, Scats, Monos, Arius, Rainbowfish.
FOOD: Live; fish, earthworms, Tubifex , aquatic insects, insect larvae;chopped meat.In nature this species feeds on small organisms in the substrate, by sifting mud in its mouth.
SEX: No external differences are known, although males are more territorial at spawningtimes.
B: Spawning is possible in a large aquarium. Success in captive spawning is documentedby Harper in Tropical Fish Hobbyist (#473),on pages 130-132.He suggests using a spawning group of one male and three or more females. The tank should be furnished with hidingplaces for the females and as a nest for the male.The fish should not be fed for a week and then conditioned on livefoods.The salinity should be lowered 5 ppt and then raised 5-10 ppt to 30 ppt salinity. The male will spawn with several femalesover the course of a day.Following spawning, the females should be removed and the male will guard the eggs. After36-48 hours, the fry hatch and the male should be removed. After the egg sacs are consumed, he fry can befed roftiers and "green water" containing algae.After a month, Artemia nauplii can be fed.
BP: 10.No spawnings in captivity have been reported.
REMARKS: Handle this fish with care, they can inflict a painful bite.
DC: 7.A highly aggressive fish that requires a diet of live foods, and is best kept in a speciestank

I really like the Mongabay site for fish descriptions of all sorts.

I am also a bb goby keeper and know that bb gobies do best in BW, as do most gobies. Some will tell you their bb gobies are fine in FW, but I can tell you from experience that they require salt. The lifespan of your goby will increase with the addition of salt; however, your other fish will not like that. I recommend that gobies get their own tank. It doesn't have to be a species tank, but a tank that does have salt in it. My bb gobies are in with flounder, and Celebes rainbows, all are estuary fish.

 

[Mudfrog]

I have already added some salt, it was my understanding that most fish benefit from a little bit of salt with the exception of a select few cats / plants. I have no problem setting up a new aquarium for him as I would like to get a few other fish similar to him.

 

[Menagerie]

was my understanding that most fish benefit from a little bit of salt with the exception of a select few cats / plants.

That's up in the air, since tap water has some salt in it. Adding aquarium salt is fine adn may or may not be beneficial. For this fish, a brackish water tank with marine grade salt is what's needed. For my BW tank, the only extra things I needed, was the salt and a hydrometer. Your goby will thank you

 

[Mudfrog]

What other types of fish use BW, if I do upgrade to a new tank it will probably be around a 75+ and it would become the BW tank leaving the 29 the way it is now.

 

[SoylentGrundy]

For BW, I like Monos, Archers, Scats. All of those get big though...Mollies like BW too.

 

[Menagerie]

I set my BW tank up specifically for bb gobies. Then I found some "FW" flounder. I have lost one in since I bought three 4 months ago. From the readings I have done after the fact, they are hard to keep alive for long I also put in Celebes rainbows. They are beautiful upper dwelling fish and I highly recommend them. I had Mollies, but they are pigs and ate all the food--even when it was on the bottom of the tank :x You can also look into other gobies that are BW.

 

[FishLover14]

For A Filter I Highly Reccommend the Penguin Modell 330 with bio/wheels for anywhere from a 25gal to a 60gal. For 65-110 Two would be good. Probably.

For an oscar i would have at least a 85gal tank, they can get really aggressive and will eat anything that fits in their mouths.

You should probably look into maually cycling your new tank when you get a bigger one.

Look into this webpage:

http://www.tomgriffin.com/aquamag/cycling.html

Have Fun with your fish!

Dan

 

[Toirtis]

As far as the dragonfish/violet goby goes, note the temperatures as well as salinity....they need truly brackish water (not just some added salt) to thrive, and should be kept at an absolute maximum of 75ºF....about the lower-end for your other fish. As well, your pleco (and plants) will not tolerate any reasonable amount of salt in his water for long....and the plants will not appreciate the lower light levels that the goby should be kept at (note the very small eyes, which tell you this fish doesn't use them much...too much light will stress the goby).