new equipment, please help.

[sugarloves]

Hi, I received a bunch of aquarium equipment and now I'm curious to set up a tank. I want to research everything before I actually get any fish, and I suppose I should start with identifying my equipment. I have the general idea of what they are, but I'm not sure how to set them up, or how to work them.

I have no idea what this is, or what its used for.

Ok I believe this is a filter...?

This is made of stone?

Its set up like this?....I think? Can this be fully submerged in water?

And this?

This is an air pump? That stays outside of the aquarium and connects up to the filter? Where do i connect it to the filter? ( I took it apart, thats why the hoses aren't on it)

[/img]D:\Documents and Settings\Marisa\My Documents\My Pictures\aquarium\aquarium 013.jpg
[/img]See, the hoses are taken out. It has two outlets; is it wrong to have only on connected to a hose?

I believe this is what I received but I'm not sure. I think my filter is an undergravel filtration system; it connects to a tray on which the gravel sits. Any advice or help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[sugarloves]

Oh no, my images arent working either. I'm also new to the digital camera thing too.

Sorry, I will try to fix them......can someone please explain to me how to post my digital pictures. Do i need to have them hosted by a company?

 

[oscarbreeder]

What you have is an undergravel filter and they are outdated and not very good.
You may want to check out a hang on back filter such as an AquaClear or maybe a canister filter.

 

[fish_doc]

Try adding the photos to your gallery here.

 

[madasafish]

Can't see the pictures yet, but I applaud your willingness to do research before putting the tank together!

Good on ya.

 

[Endgame319]

The img tag only works if the image you want is online. Use the attachment function to show images on your computer.

May I ask where in canada you live?

 

[sugarloves]

Hmm, ok well I tried adding them to my gallery but the only images I recieves said Image Pending Approval.

But I will upload them as an attachment.

*sigh* why must everything be such an ordeal?

I also have the stone thing that goes with these parts. What is it for? It gets attached to the hose and it makes bubbles?

 

[sugarloves]

and this is the air pump?

 

[Endgame319]

The first pic is some sort of filter, not how it should be assembled. And yes the second one is an air pump. What size is your tank? That will help us decide what fish you could have.

*Edit* I just saw the pics in your gallery.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=4170
That looks like a part of a gravel cleaner.

*Edit again* I think I've figured out how your filter works.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=4172
This looks pretty close but instead of that wierd vacuum cap on the end (not the end with the media in it) Put the cap from this picture:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=4173
on it. Then connect the air pump to a hose and then onto the thing with the media in it, and you have your filter(this should all be submerged, besides the the air pump).

Heres something i made to show you how it should look:

 

[madasafish]

You're probably going to want to listen to Oscarbreeder on whether or not to use this filter. It is, indeed, an outdated technology. Theoretically, the undergravel filter provides an active biological filter beneath the gravel. However, realistically, it is a poor mechanical and chemical filter that must be cleaned out in a very labor-intensive way every couple of months. You wouldn't believe the amount of waste that forms under the undergravel plate in just a few days!!!

FW ppl on this site generally recommend hang-on-the-back filters, especially to ppl who are knew to the hobby. The best of these are undoubtably the penguin/emperor line manufactured by Marineland. The penguins are cheaper, but have biowheels, an excellent medium for biological filtration (i.e. the bacteria that break down harmful waste such as ammonia, nitrite and nitrate produced by fishes in your tank). The emperors are slightly more complex, and add a more sophisticated system that guarantees the biowheels never stop moving. The emperors also offer more room for any additional media (e.g. peat, crushed coral, ammonia-reducing packs) you may want to use to change various parameters in your tank.

If I were you, I'd buy and emperor or penguin filter appropriate to the size of tank you buy (if you're still willing to buy the tank after finding out that your present equipment is not rockin'...). A 10 Gallon tank would best be filtered by a Penguin 125 or a Penguin Mini (on the low side). A 20 Gallon by a Penguin 125 or an Emperor 280. A 30 Gallon by an Emperor 280 or a Penguin 330 (slightly overkill, but not really; I filter my 29s with these). A 55 Gallon with an Emperor 400 (this is what I have on my 55), or possibly 1 or 2 Penguin 330s. These numbers all signify "flow-rates"--the number of gallons per hour moved from the tank into the filter and back into the tank. An ideal flow rate is between 6 and 15 times the volume of the tank, and depends on the number and size of fish in your tank.

There are a lot of fantastic sites on the web. Read as much as you can, and ask us all the questions you come up with. A good site for simple and complicated questions is www.thekrib.com (as in the Kribensis Cichlids of Africa). I'm blanking on other good resources. It'd be helpful if anybody else posted any pertinent sites... Also, feel free to PM (personal message) anybody. We're a pretty friendly bunch.

Hope this helps. Also