Filter and Heater

[JumperGirl117]

I have a 3 gallon cylinder tanks more tall then long. I have gone through the heaters at Walmart and none of then worked. LFS has the same products so I am going to have to order it online. And when it comes to a filter i have no idea and what goes on with the sponges that you put in the filter? Any suggestions?

There is a betta and a pleco in there so it isn't a real emergency but by the time I order it it will be a while...

 

[spiketooth]

what kind of sponge filter did you get? also sorry to tell you this but a pleco should not be in a 3 gal tank

 

[JumperGirl117]

Why not? It is supposed to be full grown how much water does he need?

I got a marineland filter, a petco filter and the tetra filter.

 

[JumperGirl117]

My bad sorry. I haven't got a filter yet. Those are the types of heaters I got. I can't find a filter for anything under 5 gallons.

 

[spiketooth]

smallest pleco i know is 3 inchs, do you know what kind of pleco you have. picture would help

 

[JumperGirl117]

That's both of them. I have to figure out how to get something for both of them. I have never had a pleco before so I am learning as I go which is why I asked about the water.

 

[JumperGirl117]

That's his normal spot. Hopefully hubs gets paid Wednesday and I can buy a betta hammock thing for Nemo and a cave for the pleco.

 

[Fishperson]

1. That appears to be a common pleco. By the time it is fully grown, you won't be able to fit it into that tank, literally!
2. Is this your first fish tank? Do you know about cycling a tank?

 

[JumperGirl117]

Seriously? That makes me mad. Lol. He just showed up with it and was like look I got a sucker fish. I wanted a small snail. He probably did it on purpose he wants a bigger tank and i am saying no since i will be the one who enda up taking care of "his animals" and cant do a 55 gallon tank ontop of our two children.

I had one other tank and never did any sort of filter or heater. It was a betta and he lasted two years I personally think my parents killed him because he was fine and one day he was belly up. I was gone for two hours and he died the day before we were going to leave to drive to college. But he is a lot different and since he wants to eventually get a bigger tank we are going to start small. I understand most of tank cycling except for the bacteria part

 

[JumperGirl117]

And how can you tell it's a common pleco?

 

[54seaweed]

This guy was 1 inch when I got him now he is over 13inches

 

[JumperGirl117]

Oh dear. That sucks.

 

[spiketooth]

you can tell its a common with the shape of his body and the way the spots are on there body. these are two tiger plecos i have, sorry for the poor picture they only come out at night

 

[JumperGirl117]

I read that they were nocturnal which is why I never see him eat. I need to get him a cave or something until I can figure somewhere else to put him. But back to my original question I need a good brand of filters and heaters so that I can get started on figuring this whole filter cycle thing out

 

[Mebbid]

I have always had a lot of luck with these heaters. They are basically plug and play, no adjustments necessary.

Submersible Heater - HT-10 - 50 W

As for a filter on a cylinder aquarium I would suggest either a bubble filter or sponge filter.

Whisper In-tank Filter - 3i

This filter looks like it might work for your situation, but you definitely need some water movement in there as soon as possible. Any of the mini tank filters from big box stores will suffice. The bubble filters work by lifting the water through filter media using air bubbles, they are an effective method of filtration for small tanks.

Furthermore plecos tend to create massive amounts of waste when compared to other fish of the same size no matter what species they are. This will increase the ammonia levels dramatically in the tank.

Another thing that most people don't know about plecos is that they also require a supplemental food source. Algae wafers are the easiest way to feed them, but in a tank that size any uneaten food will need to be removed as soon as possible.

It's a common issue that pet stores don't care at all about the environment the fish is going in to and end up killing TONS of fish based on their practices. A reputable fish store will ask what kinds of fish you have along with the tank size they are going in and will make recommendations based on that (my lfs even remembers all the fish I have in my tank) Sadly, a pleco is recommended for tanks of at least 20 or 30g for the small breeds while a common pleco is going to barely fit into a 55g.

 

[54seaweed]

I have always had a lot of luck with these heaters. They are basically plug and play, no adjustments necessary.

Submersible Heater - HT-10 - 50 W

I went through 3 of those cheap heaters in 6 months I finally learned my lesson

recently bought a ETH 100watt heater to replace it so far I love it

 

[Mebbid]

I went through 3 of those cheap heaters in 6 months I finally learned my lesson

recently bought a ETH 100watt heater to replace it so far I love it

*shrug* must just be a bit of bad luck. I have 5 of those heaters running beautifully in my house atm. I've had 3 of them for 4-5 months

 

[JumperGirl117]

I had one of the tetra heaters and it never actually turned on but that was a couple of years ago so I will try that first since its the cheapest and I can get faster shipping. I looked at the 100w one and most people had them for 25g or more. That won't affect my tank right? That just means it won't work as hard?

 

[shellieca]

I use the Aqueon 50W in my 2.5g tanks & I've never had a problem with overheating or malfunction of any kind. They're a good length, since my 2.5g is rectangular I have the heater horizontal. In my Marineland Crescent 5g which is odd ball shaped & tall I have the heater vertical.

 

[shellieca]

Oh filter wise, for my 10g & smaller tanks, all Betta tanks btw, I use sponge filters. However I don't use a filter on my 2.5g tanks, its too difficult to maintain a cycle & I find it easier to just do 2 water changes each week.