Do I Need A Pump If I Got A Fluval U2 Filter

[mark1973]

i have a 60 l tank which has light, i have just got a fluval u2 filter which has a steady air flow on one of the 3 settings, now, do i need a pump aswell. coz i had 1 in the tank ,and i had it in the corner of the tank ,i lost 3 fish in 3 days .coz fish were getn stuk behind it,and couldnt get out, so i just took it out,will i be okay with just the oxygen coming from the outlet of the filter coz theres a steady flow of air bubbles and current, i keep tropical fish ,for the 1st time, i have 5 zebras 6 neons 2 peppered cory 1 albino cory and 3 plattys and 2 plecs which are getn bigger all the time,and 3 harlequins.please help anyone ,im new to this but love it

 

[markandhisfish]

air pumps are not needed , they are more a matter of personal choice . the most efficient way of oxygenating your water is to have the filter outlet aimed so it causes ripples on the waters surface . this surface agitation will promote the gaseous exchange required to get dissolved oxygen into the water

 

[fluttermoth]

It's very, very rare for healthy fish to get 'stuck' behind filters; what is really happening is that the fish are very, very sick from being in an over-crowded, probably uncycled tank; they start to die, and then they don't have the strength to swim away form the suction of the filter.

As I've said in your other thread, you need to re-home a lot of those fish.

Was this tank cycled at all? Did you clean the filters when you got it, with tap water or tank water?

 

[mark1973]

It's very, very rare for healthy fish to get 'stuck' behind filters; what is really happening is that the fish are very, very sick from being in an over-crowded, probably uncycled tank; they start to die, and then they don't have the strength to swim away form the suction of the filter.

As I've said in your other thread, you need to re-home a lot of those fish.

Was this tank cycled at all? Did you clean the filters when you got it, with tap water or tank water?

 

[mark1973]

i got a 60l tank cleaned it,filled with tap water ,added the right amount of aqua safe dechlorinater.i put the heater in and on,put the new fluval u2 filter in,that had been cleaned in the tanks old water, i left the tank for a week ,then put fish in ,they look healthy, i once sat and watched a fisg go behid the pump ,than struggled to get out,lukily i was watching and freed it ,i now have removed pump.as filter is more than capable of giving enough air/oxygen,flow.thanks for your advice, im gona try rehome them ,then after a while they shud be ok to go bak in there wont thay? im a beginner i have alot to learn, but at the moment the tank is crystal clear,and fish look well, thanks again, is 19 fish alot in a 60l tank,the fish are tiny,neons,harlequins corys plattys 2plecs, 19 fish ,the tank looks empty,

 

[Louiseness]

im gona try rehome them ,then after a while they shud be ok to go bak in there wont thay?

What do you mean, 'go back in'?

You haven't cycled your tank so I'd suggest you read the beginners sticky topics at the top of the forums and prepare yourself for a lot of work cycling a tank with all those fish in

 

[Harlequins]

When did you actually set the tank up?

Has mentioned,unless you read up on cycling your filter,you will lose more fish,an airstone/pump doesn't kill fish,bad water quality does.

I agree with fluttermoth,you have too many fish for a new tank,what type of plecs do you have?

Just because the water is crystal clear doesn't mean it doesn't have poisonous ammonia &/or nitrite in there,i suggest you invest in a liquid test kit,so you can test your water

Please read the beginners section or you may end up with no fish...

 

[mark1973]

no i didnt cycle the tank,,becouse i never intended to keep fish, but someone died and the fish were getn rid of 1 way or another,so i said id have them,the tank i got with the fish in had no filter. and was about a 10litre tank with no light or hood,so i went bought a 60l tank,1 fluval u2 filter, i knew nothing about fish.there is 2 common plecos 3platys 6 neons 5 zebras 3 corys , anyway wen i got the new tank there was more fish then but i lost a fish everyday 4 a week,i didnt know what to do,and thought rehoming them was the best thing,to put them in abigger tank with a filter and sum plants and a light.since i put them in this tank 3 weeks ago ive only lost 1 fish,which im sure got stuck under pump. maybe not? but what am i meant to do with them now,as ive only 1 tank now.the fish are fine ,i will buy a water testing kit for water ,but oter than that i dont know what to do. if i hadnt of took the fish they would have been dead by now,

im gona try rehome them ,then after a while they shud be ok to go bak in there wont thay?

What do you mean, 'go back in'?

You haven't cycled your tank so I'd suggest you read the beginners sticky topics at the top of the forums and prepare yourself for a lot of work cycling a tank with all those fish in

 

[mark1973]

any easy way to cycle the tank with the fish in it, the tank has been set up for 3 weeks. i got these fish on the spur of the moment coz if i didnt the wud have died there and then ,so i took them.i knew nothing about fish,and thought it was best for the fish,bigger tank,filter,plants,light, when i got the tank there was 7 more fish in it,i have bought none..

 

[mark1973]

i didnt word the last message right. when i first got the fish they were in a small tank ,lots of fish in it , i had them in it for a week but 1 died every day, so then i bought the new tank,filter etc and put them in it, that was 3 weeks ago, ive lost 1 fish in the last 3 weeks, , can any 1 tell me how i shud sort the tank out , i will buy a water kit

 

[Louiseness]

no i didnt cycle the tank,,becouse i never intended to keep fish, but someone died and the fish were getn rid of 1 way or another,so i said id have them,the tank i got with the fish in had no filter. and was about a 10litre tank with no light or hood,so i went bought a 60l tank,1 fluval u2 filter, i knew nothing about fish.there is 2 common plecos 3platys 6 neons 5 zebras 3 corys , anyway wen i got the new tank there was more fish then but i lost a fish everyday 4 a week,i didnt know what to do,and thought rehoming them was the best thing,to put them in abigger tank with a filter and sum plants and a light.since i put them in this tank 3 weeks ago ive only lost 1 fish,which im sure got stuck under pump. maybe not? but what am i meant to do with them now,as ive only 1 tank now.the fish are fine ,i will buy a water testing kit for water ,but oter than that i dont know what to do. if i hadnt of took the fish they would have been dead by now,

Hang on, let me get this straight, your post was a bit confusing!

You got the fish in a 10l tank where one fish was dying a week. You then put them in a 60l with plants and a light, right? I'm getting lost with all these mentions of tanks!

By 'rehoming' we meant find them a new home - back at the fish shop, with someone else with a bigger tank, etc, not 'rehoming' them into a 60l because that's still not big enough for the plecs. THIS is the size you can expect your two common plecos to get to, unfortunately. That's why I didn't understand what you meant about 'putting them back in' later.

HERE is some info on fish-in cycling, which is what you're doing now. It's not easy but it is certainly doable - it will be more difficult for you because of the large number of fish you have, particularly as those two plecs will produce a massive amount of waste which will worsen the water quality.

Basically, you'll need a testing kit (for ammonia and nitrite at least), and a lot of water changes!

 

[nicolaisam]

I think your only option is to get a water test kit,and be prepared to do a lot of water changes.
You need to keep the Ammonia and Nitrite levels as low as possible until the Bacteria in the filter can cope with the fish load.

 

[mark1973]

no i didnt cycle the tank,,becouse i never intended to keep fish, but someone died and the fish were getn rid of 1 way or another,so i said id have them,the tank i got with the fish in had no filter. and was about a 10litre tank with no light or hood,so i went bought a 60l tank,1 fluval u2 filter, i knew nothing about fish.there is 2 common plecos 3platys 6 neons 5 zebras 3 corys , anyway wen i got the new tank there was more fish then but i lost a fish everyday 4 a week,i didnt know what to do,and thought rehoming them was the best thing,to put them in abigger tank with a filter and sum plants and a light.since i put them in this tank 3 weeks ago ive only lost 1 fish,which im sure got stuck under pump. maybe not? but what am i meant to do with them now,as ive only 1 tank now.the fish are fine ,i will buy a water testing kit for water ,but oter than that i dont know what to do. if i hadnt of took the fish they would have been dead by now,

Hang on, let me get this straight, your post was a bit confusing!

You got the fish in a 10l tank where one fish was dying a week. You then put them in a 60l with plants and a light, right? I'm getting lost with all these mentions of tanks!

By 'rehoming' we meant find them a new home - back at the fish shop, with someone else with a bigger tank, etc, not 'rehoming' them into a 60l because that's still not big enough for the plecs. THIS is the size you can expect your two common plecos to get to, unfortunately. That's why I didn't understand what you meant about 'putting them back in' later.

HERE is some info on fish-in cycling, which is what you're doing now. It's not easy but it is certainly doable - it will be more difficult for you because of the large number of fish you have, particularly as those two plecs will produce a massive amount of waste which will worsen the water quality.

Basically, you'll need a testing kit (for ammonia and nitrite at least), and a lot of water changes!

no i didnt cycle the tank,,becouse i never intended to keep fish, but someone died and the fish were getn rid of 1 way or another,so i said id have them,the tank i got with the fish in had no filter. and was about a 10litre tank with no light or hood,so i went bought a 60l tank,1 fluval u2 filter, i knew nothing about fish.there is 2 common plecos 3platys 6 neons 5 zebras 3 corys , anyway wen i got the new tank there was more fish then but i lost a fish everyday 4 a week,i didnt know what to do,and thought rehoming them was the best thing,to put them in abigger tank with a filter and sum plants and a light.since i put them in this tank 3 weeks ago ive only lost 1 fish,which im sure got stuck under pump. maybe not? but what am i meant to do with them now,as ive only 1 tank now.the fish are fine ,i will buy a water testing kit for water ,but oter than that i dont know what to do. if i hadnt of took the fish they would have been dead by now,

Hang on, let me get this straight, your post was a bit confusing!

You got the fish in a 10l tank where one fish was dying a week. You then put them in a 60l with plants and a light, right? I'm getting lost with all these mentions of tanks!

By 'rehoming' we meant find them a new home - back at the fish shop, with someone else with a bigger tank, etc, not 'rehoming' them into a 60l because that's still not big enough for the plecs. THIS is the size you can expect your two common plecos to get to, unfortunately. That's why I didn't understand what you meant about 'putting them back in' later.

HERE is some info on fish-in cycling, which is what you're doing now. It's not easy but it is certainly doable - it will be more difficult for you because of the large number of fish you have, particularly as those two plecs will produce a massive amount of waste which will worsen the water quality.

Basically, you'll need a testing kit (for ammonia and nitrite at least), and a lot of water changes!

im giving both plecos to a fish shop this morning, will this help

 

[Louiseness]

im giving both plecos to a fish shop this morning, will this help

yes, that'll help, the load your filter has to deal with will be reduced which is always good

Two things you will need to make it through this cycle - a test kit and a dechlorinator (both easily available from fish shops, internet, etc)

Basically, it goes like this:

Fish waste = ammonia

You need to grow bacteria in your filter which convert the ammonia to nitrITE, and then again to nitrATE.

Ammonia and nitrITE are harmful to fish, but the bacteria remove them to make the water safe. So if you test the water and find any in your tank you need to change some water (make sure the water you put in is as warm as the tank water and dechlorinated, because chlorine is harmful to both your fish and your growing bacteria)

Basically just keep doing water tests and changes every day until your ammonia and nitrite show up as 0 on your test kit every day for a week, then you're golden I'd expect this to take about a month, ish.

 

[nicolaisam]

no i didnt cycle the tank,,becouse i never intended to keep fish, but someone died and the fish were getn rid of 1 way or another,so i said id have them,the tank i got with the fish in had no filter. and was about a 10litre tank with no light or hood,so i went bought a 60l tank,1 fluval u2 filter, i knew nothing about fish.there is 2 common plecos 3platys 6 neons 5 zebras 3 corys , anyway wen i got the new tank there was more fish then but i lost a fish everyday 4 a week,i didnt know what to do,and thought rehoming them was the best thing,to put them in abigger tank with a filter and sum plants and a light.since i put them in this tank 3 weeks ago ive only lost 1 fish,which im sure got stuck under pump. maybe not? but what am i meant to do with them now,as ive only 1 tank now.the fish are fine ,i will buy a water testing kit for water ,but oter than that i dont know what to do. if i hadnt of took the fish they would have been dead by now,

Hang on, let me get this straight, your post was a bit confusing!

You got the fish in a 10l tank where one fish was dying a week. You then put them in a 60l with plants and a light, right? I'm getting lost with all these mentions of tanks!

By 'rehoming' we meant find them a new home - back at the fish shop, with someone else with a bigger tank, etc, not 'rehoming' them into a 60l because that's still not big enough for the plecs. THIS is the size you can expect your two common plecos to get to, unfortunately. That's why I didn't understand what you meant about 'putting them back in' later.

HERE is some info on fish-in cycling, which is what you're doing now. It's not easy but it is certainly doable - it will be more difficult for you because of the large number of fish you have, particularly as those two plecs will produce a massive amount of waste which will worsen the water quality.

Basically, you'll need a testing kit (for ammonia and nitrite at least), and a lot of water changes!

no i didnt cycle the tank,,becouse i never intended to keep fish, but someone died and the fish were getn rid of 1 way or another,so i said id have them,the tank i got with the fish in had no filter. and was about a 10litre tank with no light or hood,so i went bought a 60l tank,1 fluval u2 filter, i knew nothing about fish.there is 2 common plecos 3platys 6 neons 5 zebras 3 corys , anyway wen i got the new tank there was more fish then but i lost a fish everyday 4 a week,i didnt know what to do,and thought rehoming them was the best thing,to put them in abigger tank with a filter and sum plants and a light.since i put them in this tank 3 weeks ago ive only lost 1 fish,which im sure got stuck under pump. maybe not? but what am i meant to do with them now,as ive only 1 tank now.the fish are fine ,i will buy a water testing kit for water ,but oter than that i dont know what to do. if i hadnt of took the fish they would have been dead by now,

Hang on, let me get this straight, your post was a bit confusing!

You got the fish in a 10l tank where one fish was dying a week. You then put them in a 60l with plants and a light, right? I'm getting lost with all these mentions of tanks!

By 'rehoming' we meant find them a new home - back at the fish shop, with someone else with a bigger tank, etc, not 'rehoming' them into a 60l because that's still not big enough for the plecs. THIS is the size you can expect your two common plecos to get to, unfortunately. That's why I didn't understand what you meant about 'putting them back in' later.

HERE is some info on fish-in cycling, which is what you're doing now. It's not easy but it is certainly doable - it will be more difficult for you because of the large number of fish you have, particularly as those two plecs will produce a massive amount of waste which will worsen the water quality.

Basically, you'll need a testing kit (for ammonia and nitrite at least), and a lot of water changes!

im giving both plecos to a fish shop this morning, will this help

Getting rid of the Plecos will help a lot,They are messy fish and will grow very big.