This sums up the problem of most people on this site haha.
Questions from a less experienced fish keeper
- Thread starter ncoreson
- Start date
i went from a 55 to a 90. "think of the poor fish" i said. "all cramped up in that small tank'' i explained.
i also bought the fish when our son was born, so this way they were "part of the family".
but to be honest, it was all about the foot print. the 90 was a little wider (front to back) than the 55.
i had to make sure it looked nice (she likes live plants) and also put some insulation around the plumbing, back glass, and top to keep the heat loss to a minimum (and the electric bill low). It is for the better that way since i have a nicer tank than i would have normally set up and the electric bill is lower than it could have been.
i also bought the fish when our son was born, so this way they were "part of the family".
but to be honest, it was all about the foot print. the 90 was a little wider (front to back) than the 55.
i had to make sure it looked nice (she likes live plants) and also put some insulation around the plumbing, back glass, and top to keep the heat loss to a minimum (and the electric bill low). It is for the better that way since i have a nicer tank than i would have normally set up and the electric bill is lower than it could have been.
My wife finally gave in and we built a house. I got a built in 240g and a decent sized fish room! It’s awesome. But, like redfish, I don’t object when she wants to do anything. It’s a win win marriage.
That’s how it works with my husband and I too. I don’t shoot down his wants and he spoils me so much. It makes for a happy marriage when you can both support each other’s interest even if it isn’t your hobby.
I feel very lucky. It all started with a tinny pond and now the pond has grown and I’m up to 4 tanks. And we have talked about adding in at least two more tanks and doubling the size of the current pond. Exciting things ahead!
I feel very lucky. It all started with a tinny pond and now the pond has grown and I’m up to 4 tanks. And we have talked about adding in at least two more tanks and doubling the size of the current pond. Exciting things ahead!
Ok So I have gone and done it.... I found a bit of a project. For 300 bucks I found a 150 gallon tank on craigslist with everything!! The problem...(or not) is everything means completely stocked with fish..I hate to shock the fish like this. I put them all in 5 gallon buckets and brought the tank home and set it up then dumped them in. But buying the whole tank with fish, I didn't know what else to do.
((the fish included consist of a pair of sunset albino Oscars (6") regular albino oscar (12") standard tiger oscar (11) convict cichlid (5") pair of jack Dempseys (6") pair of plecos (12")(14") bumblebee cichlid (6") cat fish (8") )) this is an excerpt from his ad
Soooo now i have lots of questions. when I got there I could tell he had some difficulty keeping the tank clean. I just took these pictures about half an hour after getting the tank set up and the fish in it....... you can see even after what amounts to a 90% water change there is still a lot of ..stuff.. on the bottom. In his house the water was fairly clear but the refuse on the bottom of the tank was significant. I included pictures of the filter because I have no idea what it is. I don't see a brand name on it or any thing the only writing is that little tag. So i'm not sure if this is any where near enough filter for the tank or not. I'm sure I can clean up the bottom with a couple of good vacuums but i have never had a tank this big so I want to make sure im keeping it clean enough. I dont know if I just need to put more elbow grease in then he had or if i need more equipment... Oh and that reminds me he had 2 more filters hanging on the back. 2 penguin 350 bio-wheels. which I thought was an odd thing to have on this tank. The filers were so over clogged and nasty I just tossed the cartridges away and I'm not willing to use them until some serious cleaning is done.
Next topic. I know this can be a bit of can of worms, but.... there are currently 11 fish in this tank. I am thinking this is about at capacity. I would was thinking of putting my other 2 oscars which are currently in my 80 gallon in here. I would wait a few week first, but I don't want to over crowd. I could move some of the smaller fish down to the 80. But I am thinking that with what I currently have in here... I'm waiting on my Bichars.
((the fish included consist of a pair of sunset albino Oscars (6") regular albino oscar (12") standard tiger oscar (11) convict cichlid (5") pair of jack Dempseys (6") pair of plecos (12")(14") bumblebee cichlid (6") cat fish (8") )) this is an excerpt from his ad
Soooo now i have lots of questions. when I got there I could tell he had some difficulty keeping the tank clean. I just took these pictures about half an hour after getting the tank set up and the fish in it....... you can see even after what amounts to a 90% water change there is still a lot of ..stuff.. on the bottom. In his house the water was fairly clear but the refuse on the bottom of the tank was significant. I included pictures of the filter because I have no idea what it is. I don't see a brand name on it or any thing the only writing is that little tag. So i'm not sure if this is any where near enough filter for the tank or not. I'm sure I can clean up the bottom with a couple of good vacuums but i have never had a tank this big so I want to make sure im keeping it clean enough. I dont know if I just need to put more elbow grease in then he had or if i need more equipment... Oh and that reminds me he had 2 more filters hanging on the back. 2 penguin 350 bio-wheels. which I thought was an odd thing to have on this tank. The filers were so over clogged and nasty I just tossed the cartridges away and I'm not willing to use them until some serious cleaning is done.
Next topic. I know this can be a bit of can of worms, but.... there are currently 11 fish in this tank. I am thinking this is about at capacity. I would was thinking of putting my other 2 oscars which are currently in my 80 gallon in here. I would wait a few week first, but I don't want to over crowd. I could move some of the smaller fish down to the 80. But I am thinking that with what I currently have in here... I'm waiting on my Bichars.
Nice score. 150gal is the size i would like to wind up with. Right now im at 90...
if thats the only can filter he has (or you have) that is on that tank, id really suggest something a little more "stout" for a tank that large.
on my 90 gal i have 2 external cans and a third polishing submersible.
Even then, i needed to add a small wavemaker to keep the sediment from settling on the gravel.
i have found that there is no way around doing "more work for more water".
20-30% water change on a 55 is roughly 11 to 16 gallons, or 2 to 3 buckets.
compared to:
20 to 30% of a 150 is roughly 30 to 45 gallons, or 6 to 9 buckets.
maybe they just got tired of it or got in over their head on this one. idk.
one thing that works for me is 2 dedicated can filters. (i have no experience with sumps but that might be something to look into with a tank that large)
one canister is filter pads only. the other is bio substrate only.
this makes cleaning things easier for me. I toss the old filter pads out and clean out the canister when needed. The bio filter has a "T" connected to the canister outlet (with a few valves). to clean that one, i turn it off, close one valve and open the other, and the canister backwashes into a bucket.
hope that helps a little. Remember i only have a 90gal tank and would love to have a 150gal like that, but i can say; if i had to go from one can on the 55 to 2 cans (plus some) on the 90, then there is no way that the single can there will be enough for that many fish with that many gallons of water.
if thats the only can filter he has (or you have) that is on that tank, id really suggest something a little more "stout" for a tank that large.
on my 90 gal i have 2 external cans and a third polishing submersible.
Even then, i needed to add a small wavemaker to keep the sediment from settling on the gravel.
i have found that there is no way around doing "more work for more water".
20-30% water change on a 55 is roughly 11 to 16 gallons, or 2 to 3 buckets.
compared to:
20 to 30% of a 150 is roughly 30 to 45 gallons, or 6 to 9 buckets.
maybe they just got tired of it or got in over their head on this one. idk.
one thing that works for me is 2 dedicated can filters. (i have no experience with sumps but that might be something to look into with a tank that large)
one canister is filter pads only. the other is bio substrate only.
this makes cleaning things easier for me. I toss the old filter pads out and clean out the canister when needed. The bio filter has a "T" connected to the canister outlet (with a few valves). to clean that one, i turn it off, close one valve and open the other, and the canister backwashes into a bucket.
hope that helps a little. Remember i only have a 90gal tank and would love to have a 150gal like that, but i can say; if i had to go from one can on the 55 to 2 cans (plus some) on the 90, then there is no way that the single can there will be enough for that many fish with that many gallons of water.
When I had a 180 gallon tank I used a couple of canisters and one AquaClear 110 (no longer have that tank). My biggest tank is now a 135 gallon housing 8 frontosas (4 adult, 4 sub adult). I run two AquaClear 110s.
I feel you could use more filtration. For me my preference is the AquaClear but I do not want to start a debate of canister versus Hang-On-Back or a combination or sump. Doesn't matter. Just make sure you have enough. I strive for around 10x water turnover per hour, hang-on-back filters with my cichlids. My frontosa tank is getting over seven but my 90 gallon with tropheus is getting eleven times because there are 21 fish and they are such messy eaters/poopers. If you don't have enough water movement you might want to add a power head.
Is your substrate sand? I wasn't totally sure. If it is, that debris should siphon off easily or filters can puck up with more water movement. With a tank that size, I'd go to a garden hose into a drain or other method for water change besides the bucket method. You could bump your water changes to 25-35% with not much more work/time with a better method.
I can't comment on your combination of fish in terms of bio load or compatibility. If those "free fish" do not fit into your plans or tastes, find new homes for them. I assume you made the purchase because of the tank being a good price, not because of the "free" fish.
I feel you could use more filtration. For me my preference is the AquaClear but I do not want to start a debate of canister versus Hang-On-Back or a combination or sump. Doesn't matter. Just make sure you have enough. I strive for around 10x water turnover per hour, hang-on-back filters with my cichlids. My frontosa tank is getting over seven but my 90 gallon with tropheus is getting eleven times because there are 21 fish and they are such messy eaters/poopers. If you don't have enough water movement you might want to add a power head.
Is your substrate sand? I wasn't totally sure. If it is, that debris should siphon off easily or filters can puck up with more water movement. With a tank that size, I'd go to a garden hose into a drain or other method for water change besides the bucket method. You could bump your water changes to 25-35% with not much more work/time with a better method.
I can't comment on your combination of fish in terms of bio load or compatibility. If those "free fish" do not fit into your plans or tastes, find new homes for them. I assume you made the purchase because of the tank being a good price, not because of the "free" fish.
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