Setting up a new tank and need some advice

[Gingimaru]

Hi everyone!

I did a search of the forums for info on this but couldnt find anything (might just have been me though) and google isnt being much help.

I have the Marina slim S10 power filter attatched to my 35ltr tank. Just starting my cycle (fishless) so i can house 1 Male betta, and upto possibly 4 neon tetra. i have used this forum for info on how to do the cycle however my questions are:

1: with the filter comes 2 types of media. one that says its good for tropical fish and one that say its good for goldfish. now one of them is carbon based (tropical) and the other zeolite (goldfish). from reading on here its a bad idea (when cycling) to have the zeolite in as it slows down the growth of the good bacteria as it is absorbing the ammonia. is this the case, and if so should i have 2 of the "tropical fish" filter media in? or would i be ok with one of each?

2: on the bottom of the pump (submerged in the water) is a black sponge (i believe its called a strainer sponge). how often (if at all) would we clean and/or change this?

3: with the filter media, should i be rinsing it in tank water weekly/bi weekly? (i did see something on this in the forums however it didnt seem to explain how long to keep them for) and if so how discoloured is it supposed to get before a change? or should i more be going on levels of ammonia/nitrates etc

3: i havent seen ONE single thing telling and showing me what normal algae growth is like. is it meant to be brown? green? hairy green? fluffy green? whats normal and whats too much? should my entire tank be covered? or should it be cleaned weekly whilst leaving algea on the gravel? i cant seem to find a decent explanation of this(if there is already an article i have missed that explains this FULLY then please post a link. otherwise could anyone explain it to me??)

thanks to anyone who reads and answers

 

[blert]

Hi everyone!

I did a search of the forums for info on this but couldnt find anything (might just have been me though) and google isnt being much help.

I have the Marina slim S10 power filter attatched to my 35ltr tank. Just starting my cycle (fishless) so i can house 1 Male betta, and upto possibly 4 neon tetra. i have used this forum for info on how to do the cycle however my questions are:

1: with the filter comes 2 types of media. one that says its good for tropical fish and one that say its good for goldfish. now one of them is carbon based (tropical) and the other zeolite (goldfish). from reading on here its a bad idea (when cycling) to have the zeolite in as it slows down the growth of the good bacteria as it is absorbing the ammonia. is this the case, and if so should i have 2 of the "tropical fish" filter media in? or would i be ok with one of each?

2: on the bottom of the pump (submerged in the water) is a black sponge (i believe its called a strainer sponge). how often (if at all) would we clean and/or change this?

3: with the filter media, should i be rinsing it in tank water weekly/bi weekly? (i did see something on this in the forums however it didnt seem to explain how long to keep them for) and if so how discoloured is it supposed to get before a change? or should i more be going on levels of ammonia/nitrates etc

3: i havent seen ONE single thing telling and showing me what normal algae growth is like. is it meant to be brown? green? hairy green? fluffy green? whats normal and whats too much? should my entire tank be covered? or should it be cleaned weekly whilst leaving algea on the gravel? i cant seem to find a decent explanation of this(if there is already an article i have missed that explains this FULLY then please post a link. otherwise could anyone explain it to me??)

thanks to anyone who reads and answers

1: In a properly cycled tank zeolite is not needed. Your biological filter (good bacteria) will handle the ammonia for you.

2: Rinse it in old tank water when you do your PWC or anytime you feel it's needed. Don't use untreated water to rinse it as it will kill the good bacteria on it.

3: See #2. Change it if it starts falling apart or if it gets so clogged that a good rinsing is no longer sufficient. Since it has two I suggest only changing one at a time if you have to.

4: There will always be algae in your tank, it's ok. It becomes a problem when it is unsightly to you. Treatments are different for different types of algae so search and post back if/when you think you are having an issue.

 

[librarygirl]

For media, ideally a sponge or filter pad or ceramic rings are good to have. Carbon is generally used to remove meds but can be used as filter media too along with another type such as mentioned above. I don't know how customizeable that filter is; can you add/remove any type of media or does it only fit a certain type?

ALso what size tank is it? A good rule is to have double the filtration required for the size tank so if it's a 10 gal the filter you have isn't quite sufficient. I'd suggest an Aquaclear 20.

No need to touch the media, it houses your good bacteria which you want to keep. Once the tank is cycled and has been established you can gently swish the media in old tank water every couple of weeks during a water change just to loosen up any debris. Same with the sponge on the filter tube.

Every tank has some form of algae, some you can see and some you can't. Diatoms are common in new tanks. Other types of algae can be caused by improper balances: too much light, etc. If it becomes an issue then worry about it but I wouldn't worry about it yet.

THere's a link below in my signature: guide to starting a fW aquarium that you might find helpful. Good luck.

 

[Gingimaru]

thanks both of you!

its a 35ltr (about 9.3-9.5 US gallons) and the filter has slots in it designed for certain media. as we will be putting in a betta fish we dont want the surface to be agitated too much especially as hes a male and may want to build a bubble nest plus bettas dont like surface water being too agitated/too strong a current in general from what i have been reading.

so algae in general (no matter what it looks like) is normal and can be got rid of whenever?

its good to hear that i dont have to change the media as much as is suggested in the packaging.

 

[Gingimaru]

also with small airstones do you need to replace them every so often or are they good for a lifetime?

 

[boadams87]

also with small airstones do you need to replace them every so often or are they good for a lifetime?

I've still got the same ones from over 5 years. If the bubbles slow down i just take them and clean them.

 

[Gingimaru]

thank you for answering my airstone question

Does anyone else have the same filter i do?

 

[KaylNeko]

You really don't need a bubble stone, especially for a betta, unless you really want one. It does add to the surface agitation, which you're trying to avoid.

Can't help with the filter--I looked into getting one because I'd heard some good things, but because of the filter rating (even for a betta tank) and the fact that you really can't customize the filter media, I went with an Aqueon QuietFlow instead. If you're going to have more than just the betta in there (I'd up your tetra school by one--5's usually the accepted minimum number for a schooling species), I agree with the suggestion to get a different filter rated for twice your tank's size. There are several DIY options for baffling the water flow, or you can do what I did and put enough floating plants in near the filter output to "contain" the majority of the surface agitation.

 

[Gingimaru]

i would only have a very small airstone which i would only allow a certain amount of air through anyway so that should be fine. i'm just aware i dont need a strong current nor suface agitation so my filter at the moment should be fine i hope. if it proves to be an issue (i.e. doesnt filter enough out of the taank) i will look at upgrading it. unfortunately i dont have money growing on trees.

i've heard some people say that you shouldnt have carbon in your filter. is this true?

 

[Gingimaru]

oh and as a side note. i realise a 9.3US gallon tank isnt huge. however its the biggest one i can fit in my room and also afford at this moment in time.

 

[KaylNeko]

If you just have a betta, that's a great size for him. The tetras are a bit more iffy--some say it's fine, some think they need more room. I had Black Neons (different species, I know, but close enough in size to be a decent comparison ) in there and they weren't happy. Much happier in the bigger tank. Maybe look at a trio of pygmy or dwarf corys, instead? One hangs out on the bottom, one schools more in the mid-tank region (think it's the pygmies but don't quote me on that).

If you do add more than the betta, you will probably need to upgrade the filter, I should think.

Carbon is not so much a "shouldn't" as a "don't need it". It's great for removing medications and discoloration from tannins, and for removing excess smell that proper water changes doesn't do, but it's not necessary all the time and gets expensive since it becomes inactive in, what, a couple weeks to a month?

If you want a bubble stone, feel free. Just my experience--it was wasted money. My betta hated it. Some enjoy swimming in the bubbles. For bettas, you don't need to worry as much about oxygen exchange in the water--nice thing about labyrinth breathers. Good water quality is enough for them.

 

[Andysol]

Just an FYI- and I don't know if it's publicized or not- but I work st an aquatic toxicology laboratory, and we use zeolite for one if our clients who has high ammonia at their Wastewater plant before testing their water. Something of note- not only does zeolite remove ammonia (in this case after running it through filter bags for ~4 hours it drops the ammonia from 30s to <2), but it also drops the hardness substantially- making it extremely soft. Zeolite shouldn't be used even for goldfish. . But if you have a serious ammonia spike for a crazy reason, it's always a good quick-fix with a water change.

 

[KaylNeko]

They sell zeolite for aquariums. Most folks on forums recommend against it, especially when people are asking about it and others like it during cycling, because it'll stop your cycle cold. Once a tank's matured, you shouldn't need it anyway because the BB should be able to handle the ammonia output.

 

[Andysol]

They sell zeolite for aquariums. Most folks on forums recommend against it, especially when people are asking about it and others like it during cycling, because it'll stop your cycle cold. Once a tank's matured, you shouldn't need it anyway because the BB should be able to handle the ammonia output.

Sorry- you're right. Should have said after its established and an emergency happens (like 8 snails die while you're on vacation and water changes alone can't fix it in time).

 

[Gingimaru]

ok brilliant we have taken it out now to help with the cycle. should i be removing the carbon as well? i ask because it is a bit of a tricky media its all properly stuck in. i could potentially cut it open but i wouldnt be able to put it back together as such. could probably still use it as a filter just might not be as good. if i get some filter wool could i stick that in place on the carbon?

 

[KaylNeko]

Yes, you could. You don't have to take it out, but most people save the carbon for removing medications and other impurities that aren't usually in a tank, because it becomes inactive within a few weeks. But at that point it turns into biological filtration. There is some thought that it re-releases toxins into the water after a while, but I think that's been debunked. I save it, personally, and use extra biomax and polyfil.