jmeunier
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Ok, I'm gonna post a question that's probably been answered tons of times here, but I've been searching the forums and can't really find an answer.
I've got a 55G FW Cichlid tank with 6 small-medium SA Cichlids, a small pleco, and a small catfish. Current filtration is 2x Emperor 400 HOB (with Purigen and Carbon added), and an UGF driven by two 270GPH powerheads in the 'reverse' position, so that they force water down under the gravel, and then up through it. I also use a diatom every 3-4 weeks for polishing.
The tank is now about 4 months old, and I'm noticing that I'm getting a ton of organic wastes accumulating in my gravel, so much so that when the fish move, it kicks up a bunch of stuff that the HOBs suck up immediately. I'm also noticing that my Purigen seems to be prematurely ageing, and if I look 'under' the gravel (through the bottom of the tank), I can see a tremendous amount of waste/bacterial colonies 'trapped' under the gravel. I'm also noticing that the water seems to be clouding up much more frequently.
This aside, water chemistry is fine, but the amount of waste and general clarity is giving me fits. I also vacuum the gravel and do my water changes religiously--.25-.33 weekly, more monthly. For gravel, I've got some fairly coarse epoxy-laminated rocks. I know--not optimal for cichlids, but I've been keeping them for a couple of years and they don't seem to mind -too- much.
I'm wondering if I'd be better off removing the UGF and just going with the HOBs. They're providing 800GPH of filtration, which I think would be enough.
Thoughts on this--should i just bite the bullet and do it, or leave it alone and deal?
Thanks;
Jay
I've got a 55G FW Cichlid tank with 6 small-medium SA Cichlids, a small pleco, and a small catfish. Current filtration is 2x Emperor 400 HOB (with Purigen and Carbon added), and an UGF driven by two 270GPH powerheads in the 'reverse' position, so that they force water down under the gravel, and then up through it. I also use a diatom every 3-4 weeks for polishing.
The tank is now about 4 months old, and I'm noticing that I'm getting a ton of organic wastes accumulating in my gravel, so much so that when the fish move, it kicks up a bunch of stuff that the HOBs suck up immediately. I'm also noticing that my Purigen seems to be prematurely ageing, and if I look 'under' the gravel (through the bottom of the tank), I can see a tremendous amount of waste/bacterial colonies 'trapped' under the gravel. I'm also noticing that the water seems to be clouding up much more frequently.
This aside, water chemistry is fine, but the amount of waste and general clarity is giving me fits. I also vacuum the gravel and do my water changes religiously--.25-.33 weekly, more monthly. For gravel, I've got some fairly coarse epoxy-laminated rocks. I know--not optimal for cichlids, but I've been keeping them for a couple of years and they don't seem to mind -too- much.
I'm wondering if I'd be better off removing the UGF and just going with the HOBs. They're providing 800GPH of filtration, which I think would be enough.
Thoughts on this--should i just bite the bullet and do it, or leave it alone and deal?
Thanks;
Jay