Questions about sex of my gold severums and General questions regarding sumps

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djkron

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 24, 2011
62
0
0
Hamilton On Canada
Hello Everyone so glad to join the monster fish keepers!!!!
And Sorry for including two questions on the same post, I only did it because its in regards to the same fish.

Now Before I start I will say it has been almost 10 years since I had a tank and when I bought this one off of the local classifieds I got it for only 100 bucks. Pretty sweet deal, its a 55 Gal with the stand and everything, including these Cichlids (which I will include pics of). Unfortunately the previous owner didn't seem to clean the tank that often and I have done 3 water changes in the past three weeks(pretty standard). I know these guys and girls are messy but it has to be done. I had to move everything in one trip as the guy wanted them gone ASAP so I brought about 40 gallons of water with me,(my SUV was soaked lol) but I got them home and they all made it.

1 female Green Severum Approx 8 inches
2 Blood red parrots. male approx 7 inches female around 6
2 Gold Severums one approx 7 inches other around 5 inches
1 Red Zebra female approx 4 inches
3 spotted plecos from 3-5 inches

My questions are as follows,

First I have figured out the sex of most of my fish. My Green Severum looks like a female, my pair of parrots seems to be a male and female, My African red devil looks like a female but the sex of my two gold severums is puzzling me. I have noticed through tons of research that golds are about as hard to sex as oscars. With venting being the only reliable method. I will post pics of them for your review, but if anyone knows where I can find reference pics of golds being vented that would be great, unless someone know a less intrusive way to sex them.


Second, Because these guys are so big, the tank gets messy pretty quick, from food and feces, I have been toying with the idea of going to a sump system. Reason being the Top Fin 60 filter that came with the tank is a POS and I know that, it clogs way to fast, is loud and I had to add ceramic discs to it for biological filtration. Plus in all honesty it doesn't seem to clear the water of fine particulates. There always seems to be debris floating around and its driving me nuts. So I have decided that instead of adding another HOB filter like a aqua clear 70 to build a sump system. I know they take some fooling around with to get them to run just right but I want these fish to have a clean and clear tank and I am willing to do it. Also I am sick of cleaning and replacing cartridges every couple days. I know its that bad to do it so much but it clogs up because the previous owner didn't clean it.The tank is MUCH cleaner now than it was when I got it 3 weeks ago and I know its bad to change the media so much. I have been only doing one every couple days then switching.

So my questions about the sump are as follows.

How would I go about vaccuming the gravel to remove feces and particulates of dirt when running a sump? I figured that I would be able to do a little vaccuming then add water to the sump to offset what I take out. Sounds logical but want your opinion.

Are sumps better at removing these particals of feces and food than a regular hob filter? Logic tells me that it would be hands down but I would still need to vacuum. Tell me what you think

I have heard people use the word trickle to represent a sump system and also a means to never have to do a water change again? Seems like a water change is inevitable and would need to be done, maybe not on such a regular basis but at least when vaccuming. what do you think?

I know protein skimmers are usually only on salt water tanks but would it beneficial to use one on this tank? help to remove these organic solids?

What would be a good size for my sump on this 55 gal? a 10 or 20 gal?

Last one question, are there any bottom feeders or animals like snails that would eat these feces without becoming lunch themselves that you would recommend? I know plecos are usually just clean up crew for old food and algae. any catfish? or anything at all?


Thanks for putting up with my very long inquiry I will really appreciate any help!

Oh and I have included pics of all fish and the tank

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Sump are considered by many to be the best filtration simply because you can customize it as much as you want to suit your needs, also because it holds extra water (more water is always better) and you can put heaters, etc instead of putting them in your tank. You can add as much media as you want... basically there's endless possibilities - the only limitation is how much space and budget you have. I recommend building your own sump, it's relatively easy, you will save a lot of money (a wet dry sump filter can go for $300 and up) and if you do it right it could be as good - and even better - as those for sale.

There's no such thing as "never doing a water change again". The reason you do water changes is because live fish produce all kinds of waste (not just solid waste) that accumulates over time and becomes harmful to them, the easiest way to measure this is testing for Nitrates. There are ways to get rid of Nitrates (Algae, Plants, anaerobic bacteria) but water changes are still needed because there's many other things in the water that can't be measured with a standard test kit. You can cut down the amount of water you have to change, and the frequency, but water changes will be needed for as long as you have live fish in a contained environment.

There's not a single fish or invertebrate that will survive by eating only feces. And while some Snails and some shrimp might munch on them they will produce feces of their own. So no, there's no way to get rid of waste by introducing a magic fish to your tank. Plecos are far from a "clean up crew", that's an old wives tale, they actually produce way more waste than they clean, so unless you WANT a pleco because you LIKE the fish, stay away from them.

You have really nice looking fish. Good luck!
 
after u vacuum and when you do a water change with the sump system is it ok to put the new water into the sump tank or to the aquarium or does it matter?
 
////What size tank do u think I should make my sump out of for this 55?

The bigger, the better... it depends on what types of media and how much do you plan on having, but a 10 gallon sump is good for a 55 gal tank - I would go with 20 gallon and that way you can upgrade your tank in the future without upgrading the filter. As for the pump, anything above 300 gph should be fine. 300 gph is GOOD for your tank size and fish, but as I said earlier, bigger is better. You can never have too much filtration.

////after u vacuum and when you do a water change with the sump system is it ok to put the new water into the sump tank or to the aquarium or does it matter?

You can do it either way. I don't add water directly to the sump because I don't want chlorine anywhere near my filter... it kills bacteria rather quickly (it also kills fish so make sure you use a dechlorinator every time you put water in your tank). I like to drain the tank, add prime, refill and let the water sit in the tank for a few minutes before turning the filter back on. Never had a problem with this.

When adding medication, salt or any other chemical you can add it to the sump to make sure it gets mixed in before reaching your fish.

////oh and when it comes to sumps is it best to have the intake at the top or bottom? What about the outlet to or bottom of the tank?

Normally sumps use an overflow box which acts as a surface skimmer and also keeps the water level in your tank from fluctuating. If water evaporates the water level in the sump decreases but it remains the same in your tank.

overflow1.jpg
 
djkron;4992469; said:
Hello Everyone so glad to join the monster fish keepers!!!!


So my questions about the sump are as follows.

1. How would I go about vaccuming the gravel to remove feces and particulates of dirt when running a sump? I figured that I would be able to do a little vaccuming then add water to the sump to offset what I take out. Sounds logical but want your opinion.

2. Are sumps better at removing these particals of feces and food than a regular hob filter? Logic tells me that it would be hands down but I would still need to vacuum. Tell me what you think

3. I have heard people use the word trickle to represent a sump system and also a means to never have to do a water change again? Seems like a water change is inevitable and would need to be done, maybe not on such a regular basis but at least when vaccuming. what do you think?

4. I know protein skimmers are usually only on salt water tanks but would it beneficial to use one on this tank? help to remove these organic solids?

5. What would be a good size for my sump on this 55 gal? a 10 or 20 gal?

6. Last one question, are there any bottom feeders or animals like snails that would eat these feces without becoming lunch themselves that you would recommend? I know plecos are usually just clean up crew for old food and algae. any catfish? or anything at all?
Click to expand...

Welcome to MFK! And I broke up your post to make answering easier :)

1. Gravel vac like any other time. You don't vac the sump. You don't add water to the sump, as the tank does that for you. Sumps are great though! I set mine up to be ontop of my tank and have no regrets from doing such.

2. HOBs suck. Sumps and Canisters are the way to go. I use both, as a sump is better for biological filtration and a canister is better for mechanical filtration. If you absolutely have to have a HOB, then Aquaclear110's are about the only thing out there worth a darn. My 26g has a Aqueon55 on it, but I've modified the snot out of it to work better.

3. Sumps don't make it any less frequent of water changes. Its more referred to as a wet/dry filter, rather than a trickle. They work by raining the tank water over itens that have lots of drip surfaces. These surfaces will grow BB (Benificial Bacteria). This BB will consume nitrates and ammonia. They do not consume it all, unfortunately.

4. Skimmers are not nessessary. I know some people use them when they have nearly 0 surface agitation. I hope this isnt your case unless you're using CO2 injection, which would mean you're a planted tank guy. I love planted tanks :D

5. As already stated, Bigger is better. It increases overall water capacity and slows anything from going wrong. Small tanks are no fun because they can snap from good to bad overnight, where as large tanks take a long time to have any water parameters change. An increase in water capacity only helps to give you more room for catching problems before they get out of hand.

6. Plecos don't eat poop. Infact, they are usually the largest poop contributors. Invertibrates are really the only thing that will eat it... but they make their own messes and also contribute thier own bioload to the water. Shrimp are great, but you have 5 fish already large enough to eat them. What I do is, once a month I buy about 50 ghost shrimp and put them in when the tank lights are out and my house is dark. Overnight they do a heck of a job cleaning, but soon as their is any light my fish lose their minds and have a feast. The only catfish I would reccomend to you are Clown Loaches, based on your tank size and tank mates. But you do have a lot of fish for a 55g, so maybe adding more isnt the option. You'll read a million oppionions on that subject on this site.

It sounds like you want less water changes. Dont we all? What really helps are fast growing plants, such as Java Moss, Java Ferns, Undulata, and my personal favorite the Banana Plant. What helps even more than plants are less fish.... but thats crazy talk
 
I literally laughed out loud @ crazy talk.

Thanks for your opinions on the system. Its not that I want to do less water changes, I just want my fish to be happy and I want the best kick ARSE filtration I can give them. I wasnt a huge fan of cichlids but I have to admit these guys are full of emotions and are a hoot to watch, they have certainly grown on me.

I will look into the clown loatches, and the shrimp for sure. I realize that plecos are little poop machines and are only really cleaning the small leftovers of food and the algae, where I really dont have an algae problem.

I havent put any real plants in the tank cuz I hear all the time these guys love to dig em up.

Simply put I am sick of seeing stuff floating around and this HOB POS isnt nearly good enough for me or the fish as far as I am concerned.

Thanks again guys I am going to do my homework, find me a 20 gal and start on the sump ASAP!!!!
 
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