Cracked tank

my 23x12x11 (inch) plastic tank developed a crack today im planning on getting a bigger glass tank. What substrate should i go for and should i get a canister filter while im at it? Can i have live plants on gravel or must i use soil?

Hi and welcome to the forum

You don't need a canister filter on the small tank. An air operated filter, or internal power filter, or hang on the back (HOB) filter will be heaps. If you get a big tank (3 foot plus), then get a canister or big HOB filter.

If you keep loaches, catfish or eels, then get sand. All other fish can have sand or gravel.

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Some good plants to try include Ambulia, Hygrophila polysperma, H. ruba/ rubra, Elodia (during summer, but don't buy it in winter because it falls apart), Hydrilla, common Amazon sword plant, narrow Vallis, Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta).

The Water Sprite normally floats on the surface but can also be planted in the substrate. The other plants should be planted in the gravel.

If you add an iron based aquarium plant fertiliser, it will help most aquarium plants do well. The liquid iron based fertilisers tend to be better than the tablet forms, although you can push the tablets under the roots of plants and that works well.

I use Sera Florena liquid plant fertiliser but there are other brands too.

Do not bother adding carbon fertiliser to the tank because they are not necessary.

I would like to know if there is a way to repair this cracked plastic tank. Perhaps you can post a photo of the damage. Maybe it's not worth it but it's always nice to not have to throw out something that could still be usable.

If the crack is on the side or a flat part of the tank, it can usually be glued and patched with another piece of plastic. However, buying a piece of clear plastic could cost a bit of money. Pop down to the local hardware and see what they have.

Colin_T said:

If the crack is on the side or a flat part of the tank, it can usually be glued and patched with another piece of plastic. However, buying a piece of clear plastic could cost a bit of money. Pop down to the local hardware and see what they have.

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I actually went and build a 85L glass tank just added soil and plants today set up the filter and stuff. I don’t feel the plastic tank is worth repairing but i just reduced the water to half the tank and im going the leave my fishes in there for a day or two til my tank is cycled

I do have another question can i add one Pakistani loach to the tank while cycling it now?

Don't add it until it's cycled, and cycling a tank takes more than a couple of days - more like 4-5 weeks. These fish should also be kept in a group of 5 or so.

My cracked tank definitely won’t hold that long

This is my new tanks setup

Put some gaffa or electrical tape over the crack on the outside of the tank.

You need a sponge over the intake of the power head. AquaClear do a Quickfilter attachment and these fit most power heads. Remove the white insert from the Quickfilter and put a round sponge in it.

You also need a picture on the back of the tank to make the fish feel more secure.

You need more plants, especially floating plants if you want catfish and loaches. Water Sprite (Ceratopteris thalictroides/ cornuta) is a good plant to use. It grows rapidly on the surface but can also be planted in the substrate.

Can you put the filter from the old tank into the new one? That way you can just transfer your fish immediately and run the two filters side by side for a month or two.

Yea i only have one filter atm so im current running the old tank without a filter

You don't want to run the old tank without a filter if it still has fish in there. Just dechlorinate the new tank and aerate it for 24 hours, then move the fish and filter into it.

Colin_T said:

You don't want to run the old tank without a filter if it still has fish in there. Just dechlorinate the new tank and aerate it for 24 hours, then move the fish and filter into it.

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I have ran the filter and the and aerate the tank for almost 24 hours now maybe i can start introducing one fish a day

If you dechlorinated the water in the new tank, and it has been circulating for at least 24 hours, move all the fish into it along with the established filter and your done.