linkarms1314
Aquarium Advice Newbie
Hey everyone! First time poster, long time lurker =P
Right now I have a 15g tall tank that houses two common goldfish and a koi (all 3 are about 2-3" in size) and this was actually an upgrade from getting one of the commons and the koi in a bowl that I adopted from a friend (these two kickstarted my fishie obsession) and that I've had for about 2 months now, and I upgraded their filter from the aqueon 10 to 50, and i do a 60-70% wc 1-2times a week, and 10-20% ones throughout the week.
I know that this tank is way way WAYY too small for my 3 little ones, and over the next two weeks I plan on upgrading to a tank in the 60-80 gallon range (anything about 4' in width, and it varies depending on the depth and height of tank) to put them in. Thing is I'm completely lost on how to go about alot of the upgrades.
Here are some of my questions, any feedback would be appreciated!
1) I know that koi can only be kept in ponds, but where I live is way too cold for ponds and I don't know anyone who has a pond or could give my little koi a better home. Is the range of tanks that I'm shooting for reasonable in keeping these three in?
2) Currently I own an aqueon 10 and a 50, but I'm thinking about exploring the world of filters that don't require cartridges. (I didn't know a single thing about fishkeeping until I came to this forum) Alot of people have recommended the HOB Aquaclear 110, and alot of people say go with a canister filter. I'm planning on putting both aqueons on the big tank and whatever 3rd filter that I will get, and I'm aiming for 10-15x the filtration/hr.
a) what canister filter brand do you recommend? I would rather spend good money on a canister filter that will last me years vs something that won't break down, and also something that gives me lots of space for filter media.
b) what filter media should I be looking into for a goldfish tank? (either for another HOB or canister) I've heard everything from foam, filter floss, ceramic rings, bioballs, and wool and I'm a little in over my head... I also want to put some filter media in that helps to detoxify ammonia (or will the conditioner prime be good enough?) but I don't know where to begin... i'll have my carbon cartridges on my two aqueons so I don't think I'll need carbon in my canister. (and ive heard that theres nothing good about activated carbon but idk if thats true or not)
3) for my tank setup, I've been considering planting my tank, but I don't know the first thing to planting O_O I'm considering fairly easy plants that can be either tied to driftwood, planted in gravel, or floating and don't need excessive light(i've done some research on goldfish friendly plants) but I have no clue on what exactly do i do with needing CO2 and fertilizer.
Any feedback will help, please ask if you need more information on my tank. I know about the cycling of the tank, and I plan to feed my new tank with the filter media from my 15g to help it along and I have the api master testing kits just FYI =]
Right now I have a 15g tall tank that houses two common goldfish and a koi (all 3 are about 2-3" in size) and this was actually an upgrade from getting one of the commons and the koi in a bowl that I adopted from a friend (these two kickstarted my fishie obsession) and that I've had for about 2 months now, and I upgraded their filter from the aqueon 10 to 50, and i do a 60-70% wc 1-2times a week, and 10-20% ones throughout the week.
I know that this tank is way way WAYY too small for my 3 little ones, and over the next two weeks I plan on upgrading to a tank in the 60-80 gallon range (anything about 4' in width, and it varies depending on the depth and height of tank) to put them in. Thing is I'm completely lost on how to go about alot of the upgrades.
Here are some of my questions, any feedback would be appreciated!
1) I know that koi can only be kept in ponds, but where I live is way too cold for ponds and I don't know anyone who has a pond or could give my little koi a better home. Is the range of tanks that I'm shooting for reasonable in keeping these three in?
2) Currently I own an aqueon 10 and a 50, but I'm thinking about exploring the world of filters that don't require cartridges. (I didn't know a single thing about fishkeeping until I came to this forum) Alot of people have recommended the HOB Aquaclear 110, and alot of people say go with a canister filter. I'm planning on putting both aqueons on the big tank and whatever 3rd filter that I will get, and I'm aiming for 10-15x the filtration/hr.
a) what canister filter brand do you recommend? I would rather spend good money on a canister filter that will last me years vs something that won't break down, and also something that gives me lots of space for filter media.
b) what filter media should I be looking into for a goldfish tank? (either for another HOB or canister) I've heard everything from foam, filter floss, ceramic rings, bioballs, and wool and I'm a little in over my head... I also want to put some filter media in that helps to detoxify ammonia (or will the conditioner prime be good enough?) but I don't know where to begin... i'll have my carbon cartridges on my two aqueons so I don't think I'll need carbon in my canister. (and ive heard that theres nothing good about activated carbon but idk if thats true or not)
3) for my tank setup, I've been considering planting my tank, but I don't know the first thing to planting O_O I'm considering fairly easy plants that can be either tied to driftwood, planted in gravel, or floating and don't need excessive light(i've done some research on goldfish friendly plants) but I have no clue on what exactly do i do with needing CO2 and fertilizer.
Any feedback will help, please ask if you need more information on my tank. I know about the cycling of the tank, and I plan to feed my new tank with the filter media from my 15g to help it along and I have the api master testing kits just FYI =]
