_brokenglass_
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
ok~ long story short. was keeping a 30 gal at school, moved back home, couldn't take the tank with me. so i was keeping my bala and pleco in a 10 gal, looking for a bigger tank (and more fish). friend's coworker had a tank he was trying to get rid of, and friend later shows up at my house with this 30 gal tank and 7 fish 8O
this is my tank:
currently holding 2 balas (1 about 5in, the other 2-2 1/2), 1 pleco (5in), 3 clown loaches, 1... well, i still don't know what that is- he's small and greenish blue, 1 pictus cat (2-3in), a catfish (species also unknown), and.. i think the last one is a chinese algae eater. the fish do well together, no problems there. feeding (don't know if it matters, but i'll stick it in here anyways): 2 pinches of tetramin tropical crisps+some shrimp pellets in the am, and about 10-12 tetramin variety wafers in the pm. algae pellet once or twice a week.
filtration setup (this is where i really have no idea what i'm talking about and need help ): marineland (penguin?) biowheel pro30, and penguin 660 powerhead. the 2... tubes on either side (check the pic)... assuming there's something filtration-wise under the gravel? i really have no idea. 12 inch airstone running on the left side, as well as a little (1 inch) one stuffed down inside the left piece of tubing (causing a pretty nasty algae build-up on the lid, might i add :?)
problem is this (well, i think anyways):
all that crap in, under, around the rocks. the coworker was keeping things natural i guess, but i still get a weird feeling about the tank being so... dirty. like it shouldn't be, that it's really bad for the fish. they're doing alright so far, but the tanks i kept before stayed very clean, nothing at all like this. i pulled the powerhead out've the right piece of tubing today, it was covered in this stuff. to the point where water wasn't getting up into the biowheel (well, i assume that's the reason. it was working, now it's not.)
anyways. anyone who feels like increasing my tank-related knowledge (as to what stuff is... haha), please do so, and provide any thoughts regarding what should be done with the tank. thanks in advance~~
this is my tank:
currently holding 2 balas (1 about 5in, the other 2-2 1/2), 1 pleco (5in), 3 clown loaches, 1... well, i still don't know what that is- he's small and greenish blue, 1 pictus cat (2-3in), a catfish (species also unknown), and.. i think the last one is a chinese algae eater. the fish do well together, no problems there. feeding (don't know if it matters, but i'll stick it in here anyways): 2 pinches of tetramin tropical crisps+some shrimp pellets in the am, and about 10-12 tetramin variety wafers in the pm. algae pellet once or twice a week.
filtration setup (this is where i really have no idea what i'm talking about and need help ): marineland (penguin?) biowheel pro30, and penguin 660 powerhead. the 2... tubes on either side (check the pic)... assuming there's something filtration-wise under the gravel? i really have no idea. 12 inch airstone running on the left side, as well as a little (1 inch) one stuffed down inside the left piece of tubing (causing a pretty nasty algae build-up on the lid, might i add :?)
problem is this (well, i think anyways):
all that crap in, under, around the rocks. the coworker was keeping things natural i guess, but i still get a weird feeling about the tank being so... dirty. like it shouldn't be, that it's really bad for the fish. they're doing alright so far, but the tanks i kept before stayed very clean, nothing at all like this. i pulled the powerhead out've the right piece of tubing today, it was covered in this stuff. to the point where water wasn't getting up into the biowheel (well, i assume that's the reason. it was working, now it's not.)
anyways. anyone who feels like increasing my tank-related knowledge (as to what stuff is... haha), please do so, and provide any thoughts regarding what should be done with the tank. thanks in advance~~