filter for 55 gal tank?
- Thread starter fishpro
- Start date
Fishpro, buy an Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Freshwater Master Test Kit and use it, if you have no ammonia or nitrites you have enough biological filtration. The last time I used a whisper filter (many years ago) it had only one cartridge that housed the mechanical, and carbon filtration. I imagine much of my bacteria colony ended up growing on it too and got removed when i changed that out. There was a sponge in there that must have maintained part of my biological colony when i changed the cartridge, but that wasn't a great design. I don't know if they have improved on that since then.
Try to keep nitrates low, around 20 through water changes. Plecostomus are tropical fish and need to be kept in warmer temperatures than your sunfish / bass would thrive in (as far as i know). Since you are also wondering how to keep the tank clean the best way is to get rid of the plecos. They require a lot of mass, vegetables to eat and they poop a ton. If you are not feeding them and they are not pooping a ton then they will starve, they can't live off of what grows on the glass. If they are common plecos they will outgrow your tank.
Try to keep nitrates low, around 20 through water changes. Plecostomus are tropical fish and need to be kept in warmer temperatures than your sunfish / bass would thrive in (as far as i know). Since you are also wondering how to keep the tank clean the best way is to get rid of the plecos. They require a lot of mass, vegetables to eat and they poop a ton. If you are not feeding them and they are not pooping a ton then they will starve, they can't live off of what grows on the glass. If they are common plecos they will outgrow your tank.
There are carnivorous plecos out there that do not poop as much because of the more meaty diet. They are a lot prettier and a lot more expensive though.