20 gallon overstocked/overfiltered

[kbalaz]

First, thanks to everyone who helped me through my impatience and need to tinker lol. My current set up is 20 gallon, no live plants all artificial decor and gravel substrate (like most beginners). I have 5 Zebra Danios, 4 Platys, 1 Bristlenose pleco, and 10 Cardinal Tetras (11 if you can't the baby I found swimming yesterday). Running an Aquaclear 70 on low flow with sponge and 2 bags of bio media and sponge filter cut to fit on end of intake, a Marineland Penguin 150 with extra sponge inside, small bag of bio media and filter sponge on intake as well. I ditched the cartridges and just wrap bulk filter material around an old emptied plastic cartridge. Water is crystal clear which I obsess about, fish seem very happy and healthy. Weekly water changes to keep Nitrates down around 5ppm. Overkill? Over stocked? am I inviting future problems? I just like to look at a tank with fish swimming all over, wasn't going to go with so many originally, but was told the tetras don't have a very high bio load and will be fine. The person I get my fish from has a 500 gallon tank that is loaded with fish, clown loaches that are over 22 years old and huge, so I trust somewhat what he is telling me, lol

 

[BBradbury]

First, thanks to everyone who helped me through my impatience and need to tinker lol. My current set up is 20 gallon, no live plants all artificial decor and gravel substrate (like most beginners). I have 5 Zebra Danios, 4 Platys, 1 Bristlenose pleco, and 10 Cardinal Tetras (11 if you can't the baby I found swimming yesterday). Running an Aquaclear 70 on low flow with sponge and 2 bags of bio media and sponge filter cut to fit on end of intake, a Marineland Penguin 150 with extra sponge inside, small bag of bio media and filter sponge on intake as well. I ditched the cartridges and just wrap bulk filter material around an old emptied plastic cartridge. Water is crystal clear which I obsess about, fish seem very happy and healthy. Weekly water changes to keep Nitrates down around 5ppm. Overkill? Over stocked? am I inviting future problems? I just like to look at a tank with fish swimming all over, wasn't going to go with so many originally, but was told the tetras don't have a very high bio load and will be fine. The person I get my fish from has a 500 gallon tank that is loaded with fish, clown loaches that are over 22 years old and huge, so I trust somewhat what he is telling me, lol

Hello k...

I think you may have fallen into the trap. The trap that says "You can't over filter a tank". But, the reality is, filters do a poor job of cleaning the tank water. They simply take in polluted water and the return the water a tiny bit less polluted. They will never be able to remove toxic water and replace it with fresh. But, you can. Just remove and replace half the water every three to five days. You'll remove the pollutants before they build up and the large, frequent water change replaces minerals lost to filtration and replenishes oxygen. The fish will be living in pure water conditions and all those filters will just be filtering water that's already clean.

So simple,

B

 

[kbalaz]

Hello k...

I think you may have fallen into the trap. The trap that says "You can't over filter a tank". But, the reality is, filters do a poor job of cleaning the tank water. They simply take in polluted water and the return the water a tiny bit less polluted. They will never be able to remove toxic water and replace it with fresh. But, you can. Just remove and replace half the water every three to five days. You'll remove the pollutants before they build up and the large, frequent water change replaces minerals lost to filtration and replenishes oxygen. The fish will be living in pure water conditions and all those filters will just be filtering water that's already clean.

So simple,

B

I had that feeling a bit, but, my logic. My Bio wheel keeps on stopping, there isn't much room for beneficial bacteria to grow in it and if the wheel stops and I don't notice it, the bio wheel will dry out. So one filter is used more for cleaning and the other housing a larger amount of beneficial bacteria. I am restoring an older than the hills 10 gallon tank that I am going to turn into a Betta tank and maybe move the Penguin 150 over to that tank fully cycled. And in the end I love to tinker way too much as well and have a feeling that may bite me sooner or later, lol.

 

[kbalaz]

And I do a 30% water change every 5-6 days as well

 

[kbalaz]