cascade 300 rcs tank

[cyris69]

I've been trying to find a suitable filter for my 10 rcs tank and being on the cheap side I bought a cascade 400, I find it way to powerful fit a small tank so I'm going to use my 300 that's in my snail tank.

Do you guys think it will be a safe filter for an rcs only tank for breeding and keeping?

 

[Fishandmusic81]

I've been trying to find a suitable filter for my 10 rcs tank and being on the cheap side I bought a cascade 400, I find it way to powerful fit a small tank so I'm going to use my 300 that's in my snail tank.

Do you guys think it will be a safe filter for an rcs only tank for breeding and keeping?

Why not a sponge filter? About $7
Won't suck in babies and doesn't make a powerful flow that bothers the shrimp

 

[cyris69]

I bought a hydro sponge 2 and a whisper 20 air pump was about 32 bucks total. They are quite neat devices. Hope it can handle sand dust...

How often should I clean the sponge?

Also I didn't cycle the tank but used water from my main tank is that ok?

 

[maxwellag]

I bought a hydro sponge 2 and a whisper 20 air pump was about 32 bucks total. They are quite neat devices. Hope it can handle sand dust...

How often should I clean the sponge?

Also I didn't cycle the tank but used water from my main tank is that ok?

Using old tank water doesn't really harm anything unless it has a lot of nitrates. It doesn't exactly help anything either, though. If you want to cycle the tank fastest, you will need to seed the filter by moving some old established filter media to the tank. A good sponge filter cleaning would probably be once a week, depending on how often you do water changes and how dirty it gets.

 

[cyris69]

How would you recommend I seed the new filter sponge?

I did rinse one of my bio bags in the tank.

 

[maxwellag]

How would you recommend I seed the new filter sponge?

I did rinse one of my bio bags in the tank.

Simply put old filter media in the tank.

 

[cyris69]

So take a current filter sponge block from one of my current filters and leave it in the shrimp tank? For how long?

 

[maxwellag]

So take a current filter sponge block from one of my current filters and leave it in the shrimp tank? For how long?

I'd leave it in there for a month or two.

 

[cyris69]

So should I rinse of the dirty filter prior or just drop it in there?

 

[maxwellag]

So should I rinse of the dirty filter prior or just drop it in there?

Actually you could just squeeze it underwater in the 10g tank a few times and that should effectively seed it, then you aren't missing media for another filter.

 

[cyris69]

Awesome I'll do that now how often did you do water changes in your 10g for these shrimp and what %

 

[maxwellag]

Awesome I'll do that now how often did you do water changes in your 10g for these shrimp and what %

I change 75% of my water every week.

 

[cyris69]

Wow quite a bit for a 10g will 30-50% be ok? I know shrimps bio load is next to nothing. I do 50-75% weekly in my fish tank that much mainly because it's next to my back yard window with ready access to a water hose.

Should I skip a week while seeding or just go as normal?

Oh what do you recommend about food for them? I'm just letting them eat from the moss and a few fish flakes.

 

[maxwellag]

Wow quite a bit for a 10g will 30-50% be ok? I know shrimps bio load is next to nothing. I do 50-75% weekly in my fish tank that much mainly because it's next to my back yard window with ready access to a water hose.

Should I skip a week while seeding or just go as normal?

Oh what do you recommend about food for them? I'm just letting them eat from the moss and a few fish flakes.

A single shrimps bioload is tiny, but with that many it adds up. You could probably get away with 50% weekly, just watch your parameters. You should not start the weekly water change schedule until your tank is done cycling. It is cycled after the ammonia and nitrites spike and then go back down to 0. Do you have a test kit? You will need one.
Basically, fish waste turns into ammonia, then beneficial bacteria (same stuff that you seeded the new filter with) convert it to nitrite, then nitrate. If ammonia or nitrite go above 0.5 ppm you will probably need to do a water change.
As for food, most sinking pellets work. I feed mine fluval shrimp granules.