RTC tank help

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Hansonc

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 23, 2012
140
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dunedin, florida
Is it best to have a current of some sort in the tank? I have my 125 with a Rena canister and hang on back 55-75 filtration one on each end, also 2 14" bubble bars, one on each end. Would it be best to put a power head in? Would it make him more active? He's 15" and sits on the bottom in the corner until someone comes near the tank and comes up, or if he's relatively hungry hell start moving around. Also have a 20 gallon with a baby RTC and baby hybrid with 30 gallon filtration (hob) and 2 5" bubblers one on each end, would it be best to put one in there as well? I'll also be adding 1-2 more RTCs or 1-2 more hybrids or 1 of each into the 20 gallon this weekend, yes I know its a small tank, it will be a temp. tank. My big RTC will have a 12-15 foot by 4-6 foot by 4 foot indoor pond soon, then the little guys will go in the 125.


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Also in the 20 gallon, it has the 20 gallon hob filter, should i step it up to the 30? Or 40? Considering its going to have at least the 2 cats in it, plus potentially a total of 4, considering I'm feeding them ghost shrimp, market shrimp, chicken liver, beef heart, hotdogs, smelt, lunch meat, etc...


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Instead of beef heart try using salad prawns rinsed and soaked in garlic extract for aquarium use. It will improve color in your rtc. Also in my 155g I have two fluval 404s and the circulation they create is more than enough than what rtc require in the wild to thrive mainly deep water bottom dwellers where the current is not nearly as strong. But oxygen in the water is a must so lots of bubbles and hiding places. I made a rock pile that mine lives in like a fortress of solitude lol. Hope that helped :)


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I think they don't need much current. There are only 2 things that make them move much/constantly: night and hunger. IMO, you have more than average water agitation which is excellent.

As stated, maximum oxygen and minimum toxins are a must for them to thrive. They are hardy and will survive in much less than optimum waters but they will not thrive.

The importance of perfect bio-filtering cannot be overestimated. The size of your filter is not the only parameter to consider but also the efficiency/design (that makes the water run uniformly through all the media) and the media, for example, 20 lbs of lava rock provide the same surface as 2 lbs of good quality porous ceramic rings.

Keep testing for ammonia a few times a week. You feed them well, which is good, but they are big, thick fish that produce lots of waste. Unless you build a 10-times bigger filter than what's considered usually adequate, I'd test for ammonia often and add filtration when the ammonia starts to show up (either in the form of a bigger sump or better, more efficient media or more surface in the tank but don't add plastic plants or anything else swallowable!!)

IMO, I'd not use a substrate such as gravel as it traps uneaten foods and crumbs and waste that otherwise could be easily discarded with a quick wash of the mechanical pre-filter.
 
thebiggerthebetter said:
I think they don't need much current. There are only 2 things that make them move much/constantly: night and hunger. IMO, you have more than average water agitation which is excellent.

As stated, maximum oxygen and minimum toxins are a must for them to thrive. They are hardy and will survive in much less than optimum waters but they will not thrive.

The importance of perfect bio-filtering cannot be overestimated. The size of your filter is not the only parameter to consider but also the efficiency/design (that makes the water run uniformly through all the media) and the media, for example, 20 lbs of lava rock provide the same surface as 2 lbs of good quality porous ceramic rings.

Keep testing for ammonia a few times a week. You feed them well, which is good, but they are big, thick fish that produce lots of waste. Unless you build a 10-times bigger filter than what's considered usually adequate, I'd test for ammonia often and add filtration when the ammonia starts to show up (either in the form of a bigger sump or better, more efficient media or more surface in the tank but don't add plastic plants or anything else swallowable!!)

IMO, I'd not use a substrate such as gravel as it traps uneaten foods and crumbs and waste that otherwise could be easily discarded with a quick wash of the mechanical pre-filter.
Click to expand...


Thank you! Every time I've had the water tested it all checks normal-perfect. In both tanks, and they actually are the same exact parameters. Unfortunately my hybrid developed ick last night, I have to go get a heater for the tank so I can bump it up a bit. I appreciate your thorough explanation! But Im not sure I totally understand if I should step up the filtration in the 20 gallon or not? Lol thank you again!


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bradharm18 said:
Instead of beef heart try using salad prawns rinsed and soaked in garlic extract for aquarium use. It will improve color in your rtc. Also in my 155g I have two fluval 404s and the circulation they create is more than enough than what rtc require in the wild to thrive mainly deep water bottom dwellers where the current is not nearly as strong. But oxygen in the water is a must so lots of bubbles and hiding places. I made a rock pile that mine lives in like a fortress of solitude lol. Hope that helped :)


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Click to expand...

I just saw this! Thank you!


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Hansonc said:
Thank you! Every time I've had the water tested it all checks normal-perfect. In both tanks, and they actually are the same exact parameters. Unfortunately my hybrid developed ick last night, I have to go get a heater for the tank so I can bump it up a bit. I appreciate your thorough explanation! But Im not sure I totally understand if I should step up the filtration in the 20 gallon or not? Lol thank you again!
Click to expand...

My pleasure but please remember these are just my opinions. No one is all-knowing but we together as a community come close to that ideal.

The right amount of filtration is usually understood from experience or one can do rather "simple" calculations involving the estimated rates of ammonia production, surface areas, etc. The samples of such calculations exist and are easy to find, and they are usually the principles behind the existing recommended guidelines.

The third way is to test for ammonia and if it shows up (not as a result of an accident! but as a result of normal tank routine), that means that your filtration is very far from having a safety margin, that is being over-sized. So, it needs to be stepped up by a lot. Until your fish outgrows it again, and so on.

And along this, one gains the experience to ball park the right amount of bio-filtration for that particular stocking level+fish size which = bio-load.
 
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